The Religion of the Veda: The Ancient Religion of India (from Rig-Veda to Upanishads) c9.s1.11

c9.s1.11

There is scarcely any idea which has suffered so much from the utilitarian aspects of Vedic religion as the Vedic idea of faith. To begin with, the word itself is of interest; it is *çraddhā*, the sound for sound equivalent of Latin and our own *credo*. The etymological meaning of this word is absolutely transparent. It means "to set one's heart upon." This etymology, which is still quite clear to the Vedic poets, shows it full of ethical possibilities. The word starts well in the Rig-Veda. It means first of all belief in the existence and godhead of the gods. So, a poet is anxious to make certain the position of the god Indra, that blustering, pinchbeck, braggart, Herculean god whose shortcomings have gone far to establish a certain position for the Vedic freethinker. The poets say of him: