Anuvaka 8
Suktas in Anuvaka 8
Sukta 71
AV 20.71 is an RV-derived Indra-stuti repurposed in the Atharvavedic Paustika register to draw Indra’s “chosen, splendid bounty” toward the patron. Through praise that “binds” Indra to the successive pressings (savana), the hymn aims at immediate aid, protection, victory, and the steady arrival of wealth and success. Its power is framed as prompt and effective for the dāśuṣ (the generous offerer), because Indra’s succors are said to be already present for the worshipper.
Sukta 72
This short Indra-stuti harnesses Indra as a conveyance of power—“like a boat” set to the yoke-pole—so he ferries the worshipper across danger and contest into success (svah). It frames rivalry in cattle-wealth and inter-group encounter as a field where Indra’s vajra must be made manifest, and it urges him to awaken at dawn to accept offerings and strike the hostile foe. The hymn’s power lies in mobilizing a single, ever-same Indra across many pressings (savana), converting praise into victory, release of wealth, and protection.
Sukta 73
AV 20.73 is an RV-derived Indra-stuti in Triṣṭubh that magnifies Indra’s unmatched majesty, valor, and generosity, presenting him as the universal recipient of the soma pressings and strengthening prayers. By praising Indra as irresistible in power and swift to the good dwelling, the hymn functions as a protective reinforcement and a prosperity-invocation for the patron—drawing bounty while scattering obstacles like wind through a forest.
Sukta 74
AV 20.74 is an Indra-stuti preserved in the Atharvaveda’s R̥gveda-derived Book 20, repeatedly asking Indra to “make us well-spoken-of” and prosperous amid cattle, horses, and “splendid thousands.” Alongside the paustika (prosperity) aim, it turns polemical and apotropaic: it checks arāti (hostile ungenerosity/foehood), silences besetting outcry, and calls for the crushing of a named adversary, so that gifts and reputation flow to the patron household.
Sukta 75
This short Indra-stuti hymn, drawn in RV-style triṣṭubh movement, invokes Indra as the decisive power who breaks obstacles, forces the release of cattle-wealth, and turns a contested encounter toward victory. It frames prosperity (paustika) in a kṣatriya register: winning cattle, overcoming forts, and securing rivers/territories and fame for allies and singers through Indra’s vajra-backed force.
Sukta 76
AV 20.76 is an Indra-centered Triṣṭubh praise-hymn (RV-repetition) that sacralizes victory and prosperity by aligning correct measure (mātrā), inspired praise (giraḥ), and the sweetness of the soma-draught. It seeks to set Heaven-and-Earth in support of the patron, to propel undertakings “to the farther shore,” and to secure Indra’s boon through well-prepared, ghee-rich, honey-sweet offerings.
Sukta 77
AVŚ 20.77 is an Indraic victory-and-prosperity hymn (RV-derived) that asks Puruhūta Indra to remove end-stage obstacles, “cleave the rock,” and reveal/restore withheld wealth—imagined as waters and cattle released from a closed pen. By recalling Indra’s primordial feats with Saramā and the Aṅgirases, the hymn turns myth into a working charm for finding prize, breaking hostile restraint, and securing success at the decisive moment.
Sukta 78
This short Indra–Soma hymn is a paustika (prosperity) liturgy that turns praise at the Soma-pressing into tangible cattle-wealth, strength, and the unimpeded flow of gifts. It asks the Much-invoked (Puruhūta) to hear the approaching songs, release the cattle-rich prize, and come to the cow-pen as Dasyu-slayer, averting harm by his śacī (effective powers).
Sukta 79
This brief two-mantra Indra hymn petitions Puruhūta to bestow kratu (inspired resolve and right-minded power) like a father guiding his sons, so the supplicant may “live and attain the light.” It simultaneously wards off unseen hostile forces and inauspicious approaches, asking Indra the Hero to help the patron cross recurring descents and perilous waters—an Atharvanic use of Ṛgvedic Indra-stuti for longevity, safe passage, and success in undertakings.
Sukta 80
This brief Triṣṭubh Indra-hymn (borrowed into AV 20 from the Ṛgveda) concentrates power into two movements: first, a request for Indra’s “chiefest” ojas and socially radiating śravas (prestige-fame), and second, a direct call for enemy-crushing victory. It functions as a compact prosperity-and-sovereignty charm, where renown and martial success are treated as mutually reinforcing forms of divine fullness.
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