Sukta 116
Rishi: RV provenance (Indra-stuti tradition; AV 20 is a collection of RV hymns/verses in Saunaka)
Devata: Indra (Vṛtrahan)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh/Triṣṭubh-type RV cadence (as transmitted in AV 20; meter should be verified against RV parallel).
Mantras
Mantra 1
मा भूम निष्ट्या इवेन्द्र त्वदरणा इव । वनानि न प्रजहितान्यद्रिवो दुरोषासो अमन्महि
Let us not be as homeless men, O Indra, as helpless ones apart from thee; not as forests left forsaken—O stone-bearer—we deem ourselves ill-housed.
Mantra 2
अमन्महीदनाशवोऽनुग्रासश्च वृत्रहन्। सुकृत्सु ते महता शूर राधसानु स्तोमं मुदीमहि
Yea, unconquered, gracious, O Vṛtra-slayer: among the righteous, O Hero, with thy mighty bounty, in due course we gladden ourselves with a hymn of praise.
Frequently Asked Questions
To secure stable dwelling and protection (not being “ill-housed” or forsaken) and to obtain Indra’s prosperity-giving bounty through praise.
No. The hymn’s main ‘substance’ is stoma—spoken praise. Optional water for purification or a small domestic offering can be added, but they are not required.
They function as symbols of abandonment and insecurity. The hymn contrasts that condition with Indra-backed settlement order, asking for protected habitation and communal safety.