their desire upon Indra, as we put our foot upon a
chariot.

3. "Desirous of riches, I call him who holds the thunderbolt with his
arm, and who is a good giver, like as a son calls his father.

4. "These libations of Soma, mixed with milk, have been prepared for
Indra: thou, armed with the thunderbolt, come with the steeds to drink
of them for thy delight; come to the house!

5. "May he hear us, for he has ears to hear. He is asked for riches;
will he despise our prayers? He could soon give hundreds and
thousands;--no one could check him if he wishes to give."

13. "Make for the sacred gods a hymn that is not small, that is well
set and beautiful! Many snares pass by him who abides with Indra
through his sacrifice.

14. "What mortal dares to attack him who is rich in thee? Through faith
in thee, O mighty, the strong acquires spod in the day of battle."

17. "Thou art well known as the benefactor of every one, whatever
battles there be. Every one of these kings of the earth implores thy
name, when wishing for help.

18. "If I were lord of as much as thou, I should support the sacred
bard, thou scatterer of wealth, I should not abandon him to misery.

19. "I should award wealth day by day to him who magnifies; I should
award it to whosoever it be. We have no other friend but thee, no other
happiness, no other father, O mighty!"

22. "We call for thee, O hero, like cows that have not been milked; we
praise thee as ruler of all that moves, O Indra, as ruler of all that
is immovable.

23. "There is no one like thee in heaven and earth; he is not born, and
will not be born. O mighty Indra, we call upon thee as we go fighting
for cows and horses."

"In this hymn," says Mueller, "Indra is clearly conceived as the Supreme
God, and we can hardly understand how a people who had formed so exalted a
notion of the Deity and embodied it in the person of Indra, could, at the
same sacrifice, invoke other gods with equal praise. When Agni, the lord
of fire, is addressed by the poet, he is spoken of as the first god, not
inferior even to Indra. While Agni is invoked Indra is forgotten; there is
no competition between the two, nor any rivalry between them and other
gods. This is a most important feature in the religion of the Veda, and
has never been taken into consideration by those who have written on the
history of ancient polytheism."[43]