Translations of Rig Veda Suktas 33-121 by M.P. Pandit

HYMN 88

Rishi: GOTAMA Deity: MARUTS

1. Come hither, O Maruts, with your lightning-laden cars, sounding with happy lauds, well-weaponed, steedwinged. O ye of happy thoughts, urged by our best impulsions, fly unto us like birds.

2. With ruddy and tawny coursers speeding their car, they come to the happy (Waters) for glory. Bright as burnished gold, beautiful, armed with the thunderbolt, their host strikes the earth with the chariot-wheels.

Red; to denote dynamic action.

Tawny: to signify purity.

Earth: the body of the Yajamana is hammered into a state capable of bearing the descent of the higher powers.

3. O Maruts, for beauty ye have utterances on your bodies. As they stir the woods, they stir our sacrifices aloft.

Well-born Maruts, for ye the radiant (sacrificers) treasure the beneficent Word.

The Rishi addresses his colleagues.

Adri: Stone to press out Soma - here signifying divinely inspired Word.

4. Thirsty ones, happy days have returned to you, securing the shining thought produced by the Waters.

Fashioning the mantra with shining praises, the Gotamas⁴⁷

The Waters of Light and Power are held in the inert regions of the living material body. The pranic body constitutes the Well of these Waters. The Maruts - Life-Powers - pour their might upon it and impel it to move upward with its contents.

5. That connection which was secured by Gotama on beholding ye moving in your golden-wheeled, steelarmed cars, slayers of the mightiest foes, and was lost, is now recovered.

The Rishi receives the formation of the mantra on beholding the Maruts, but fails to hold it; later it is recovered.

6. O Maruts, this (formation) has now turned into my speech and sings the glory of each of you. Spontaneously it exalts with these words the natural strength of your arms.