A History of Sanskrit Literature c7.60

c7.60

*I will proclaim the manly deeds of Indra,*
*The first that he performed, the lightning-wielder.*
*He smote the dragon, then discharged the waters,*
*And cleft the caverns of the lofty mountains.*

*Impetuous as a bull, he chose the soma,*
*And drank in threefold vessels of its juices.*
*The Bounteous god grasped lightning for his missile,*
*He struck down dead that first-born of the dragons.*

*Him lightning then availèd naught, nor thunder,*
*Nor mist nor hailstorm which he spread around him:*
*When Indra and the dragon strove in battle,*
*The Bounteous god gained victory for ever.*

*Plunged in the midst of never-ceasing torrents,*
*That stand not still but ever hasten onward,*
*The waters bear off Vṛitra's hidden body:*
*Indra's fierce foe sank down to lasting darkness.*