Vedic Mythology c5.s2.26

c5.s2.26

With the Vṛtra fight, with the winning of the cows and of the sun, is also connected that of Soma. When Indra drove the dragon from the air, fires, the sun, and Soma, Indra's juice, shone forth (8, 3²⁰). After his victory over the demon, he chose Soma for his drink (3, 36⁸). After he conquered the demons, Soma became his own property (7, 98⁵); he became the king of the Soma mead (6, 20³). Indra disclosed the juice pressed with stones and drove out the cows (3, 44⁵). He won Soma at the same time as the cows (1, 32¹²). He found in heaven the hidden nectar (6, 44²³). He found the honey accumulated in the ruddy cow (*usriyāyām*: 3, 39⁶). The raw cow goes with ripe milk, in the ruddy cow is accumulated all sweetness, which Indra placed there for enjoyment (3, 30¹⁴). Indra places ripe milk in the cows (8, 32²⁵), which are raw (8, 78⁷) black or red (1, 62⁹), and for which he opens the gates (6, 17⁶). These passages seem to have primarily at least a mythological reference to rainclouds, as the context in most cases describes the great cosmical actions of Indra.