Sukta 56
Sukta 8.56
Kāṇva / Kāṇvāyana (uncertain from excerpt)
Indra
Not securely determinable from excerpt alone
This short Kāṇva hymn chiefly praises Indra as the “wolf-like” strong protector whose vast, undiminishing bounty becomes manifest to the devoted seeker. It celebrates tangible prosperity (cattle, service, resources) as a sign of Indra’s expansive power, and closes with a luminous ritual turn: Agni awakens as the knowing oblation-bearer, making the Sun’s radiance shine forth—linking Indra’s gifts to the sacrificial fire’s revelation.
Mantras
Mantra 1
प्रति ते दस्यवे वृक राधो अदर्श्यह्रयम् । द्यौर्न प्रथिना शवः ॥
Toward the serving seeker, O strong Wolf, your undiminishing abundance has become visible—like heaven in its wide expanse, so is your power of force revealed.
Mantra 2
दश मह्यं पौतक्रतः सहस्रा दस्यवे वृकः । नित्याद्रायो अमंहत ॥
Ten for me, and thousands for the serving seeker—so the Wolf, of purifying will, has granted; from the eternal source of plenitude he has made the streams of abundance swell.
Mantra 3
शतं मे गर्दभानां शतमूर्णावतीनाम् । शतं दासाँ अति स्रजः ॥
A hundred for me—of burden-bearing strengths, a hundred of wool-bearing fullnesses; a hundred servants surpassing garlands: so the ordered plentitudes gather, forming supports for the work.
Mantra 4
तत्रो अपि प्राणीयत पूतक्रतायै व्यक्ता । अश्वानामिन्न यूथ्याम् ॥
There too the movement was led forward—made manifest for the Pure-Willed Power—like the ordered driving of the horses in their troop: the energies gathered into a single harmonious formation.
Mantra 5
अचेत्यग्निश्चिकितुर्हव्यवाट् स सुमद्रथः । अग्निः शुक्रेण शोचिषा बृहत्सूरो अरोचत दिवि सूर्यो अरोचत ॥
Agni has awakened—he who knows, the bearer of the offering; he comes with a chariot of gladness. With his bright flame the vast Sun becomes luminous; in the heaven the Sun is revealed in radiance.
Frequently Asked Questions
It praises Indra as a powerful protector whose generous abundance becomes clearly visible to the devoted worshipper, and it links that blessing to the clarity brought by a well-kindled sacrificial fire.
The repeated “hundred” (śatam) is a Vedic way of expressing fullness and plenty—many supports and resources gathered in an ordered, sustaining way.
The closing verse functions like a ritual seal: Agni, the carrier of offerings, awakens and makes light manifest, showing that Indra’s gifts are stabilized and made luminous through the rite (yajña).