अ॑वर्तिया • शु॑न आन्त्रा॑णि पेचे। न॑ देवे॑षु • विविदे मर्डिता॑रम्। अ॑पश्यं जाया॑म् • अ॑महीयमानाम्। अ॑धा मे श्येनो॑ • म॑धु आ॑ जभार॥ —ऋग्वेद॑ 4.18.13 . (This is the metrically restored version. The सं॑हिता has two deficient syllables with अ॑वर्त्या and म॑ध्वा॑.) . Translation: "In distress I cooked a dog's entrails. Among the Gods I found none who showed (me) favor. I beheld the lowly esteemed wife. Then a falcon brought Me sóma." . Word-by-word: अ॑वर्तिया < अ॑वर्ति "distress", शु॑नस् < श्व॑न् "dog", आन्त्रा॑णि < आन्त्र॑ "entrails", पेचे < पच् "cook", न॑ "not", देवे॑षु > देव॑ "God", विविदे < विद् "find", मर्डिता॑रम् < मर्डितृ॑ < मृड् "show favor", अ॑पश्यम् < स्पश् "see", जाया॑म् < जाया॑ "wife", अ॑- "not", महीयमानाम् < महीय॑मान < महीय् "be highly esteemed", अ॑धा = अ॑ध "then", मे < अह॑म् "I", श्येन॑स् < श्येन॑ "falcon", म॑धु "nectar", आ॑ जभार < आ॑ भृ "bring". . Meter: त्रिष्टु॑भ् . Context: The Gods are eternal only in the sense that They are immortal, but They are not timeless and did not always exist: They had births, many of which were very dramatic and are described in Vedic texts. This dialogue-hymn of the ऋग्वेद॑ describes the story of इ॑न्द्र's birth from His mother after lying in Her womb for thousands of years. Soon after being born and drinking large quantities of sóma, He slew the serpent वृत्र॑, and he is also mentioned as having slain His own father (similar to the Greek myths about Ζεύς). Today's verse is the last in the hymn, spoken by इ॑न्द्र Himself. . As a result of turning His own mother into a widow, He was initially abandoned by the rest of the Gods and had to resort to eating dogs' intestines. Cooking dog-meat was regarded as taboo behavior in आ॑र्य society—the word श्वपच॑ "dog-cooker" was a word for an outcaste—showing how low इ॑न्द्र initially fell before His rise to supremacy. Similarly, a जाया॑ "wife" also fell into dishonor—but while some commentators have interpreted this as इ॑न्द्र's wife, the word much more likely refers to His mother, lowly regarded for Her widowhood.

न॑ स॑ स॑खा • यो॑ न॑ द॑दाति स॑ख्ये। सचाभु॑वे • स॑चमानाय पित्वः॑। अ॑पास्मात्प्रे॑यान् • न॑ त॑दो॑को अस्ति। पृण॑न्तमन्य॑म् • अ॑रणं चिदिच्छेत्॥ —ऋग्वेद॑ 10.117.4 . (Note that the last syllable of ओ॑को is to be scanned लघु॑/short, as if ओ॑कव्.) . Translation: "No friend is he who doesn't give food and drink to a friend, to a loyal companion. Let him proceed from him. No home is that. Let him seek another generous one, even a stranger." . Word-by-word: न॑ "not", स॑स् < स॑ "he", स॑खा < स॑खि "friend" , य॑स् < य॑ "who", न॑ "not", द॑दाति < दा "give", स॑ख्ये < स॑खि "friend" , सचाभु॑वे < सचाभू॑ "companion", स॑चमानाय < स॑चमान < सच् "be attached", पित्व॑स् < पितु॑ "food and drink", अ॑प "from", अस्मात् < अय॑म् "he", प्र॑ इयात् < प्र॑ इ "proceed", न॑ "not", त॑द् "it", ओ॑कस् "home", अस्ति < अस् "be", पृण॑न्तम् < पृण॑न् < पॄ "be generous", अन्य॑म् < अन्य॑ "other", अ॑रणम् < अ॑रण "stranger", चिद् "even", इच्छेत् < इष् "seek". . Meter: त्रिष्टु॑भ् . Context: This hymn isn't dedicated to a specific God, and in fact is remarkable in not even mentioning the name of a God once; rather, it's a hymn in praise of generosity. . This verse is a good embodiment of the spirit of the entire hymn. The selfish, miserly person cannot be called a friend or a companion; even a generous stranger is more of an ally. In the modern era the word "friend" is used very loosely, even for someone you just met, but friendship was taken very seriously in old Aryan society, and carried its own set of entitlements and responsibilities; hospitality and charity are essential Aryan values. Obviously, someone who refuses to help you in a time of need is no friend at all.

Were mahabharat and trojan war the same thing?

अग्निः॑ पू॑र्वेभिरृ॑षिभिः। ई॑ळियो नू॑तनैरुत॑। स॑ देवाँ॑ ए॑ह॑ वक्षति॥ —ऋग्वेद॑ 1.1.2 . (This is the metrically restored version. The सं॑हिता has a deficient syllable with ई॑ड्यो.) . Translation: "अग्नि॑ is to praised by seers both ancient and modern. He carries the Gods here." . Word-by-word: अग्नि॑स् < अग्नि॑, पू॑र्वेभिस् < पू॑र्व "ancient", ऋ॑षिभिस् < ऋ॑षि "seer", ई॑ळियस् < ई॑ड्य < ईड् "praise", नू॑तनैस् < नू॑तन "modern", उत॑ "as well", स॑स् < स॑ "he", देवा॑न् < देव॑ "God", आ॑ वक्षति < आ॑ वह् "carry", इह॑ "here". . Meter: गायत्र॑ . Interpretation: This is the very second verse of the ऋग्वेद॑, part of the famous hymn to अग्नि॑ that every student of the वे॑द learns in the early stages. अग्नि॑ is the Fire, the conduit or messenger (दूत॑) between men and Gods, Who carries the oblation up to the Heavens as smoke—आ॑र्यs used to burn up food as an actual sacrifice instead of offering a symbolic "प्रसाद"—and Who, as this verse describes, brings the Gods to the location of the sacrifice. . The verse makes it clear that the duty of honoring अग्नि॑ (and the other Vedic देव॑s) is not limited to the ancients or to a certain time period, but is just as much a requirement for आ॑र्यs to practice in our day. Far from there being any mention in the वे॑द of moral truth being specific to a certain time period or युग॑, the Moral Law is eternal, and religious obligations apply to everyone. Those who say otherwise are usually immoral people seeking excuses not to follow scripture while pretending to respect it. .

अहं॑ वदामि ने॑त्तुव॑म्। सभा॑याम॑ह त्वं॑ व॑द। म॑मे॑द॑सस्त्वं॑ के॑वलः। ना॑न्या॑सां कीर्त॑याश्चन॑॥ —अथर्ववेद॑ 7.38.4 . (This is the metrically restored version. The सं॑हिता has a deficient syllable with ने॑त्त्व॑म्.) . Translation: "I am speaking, not you. In the assembly, surely, speak! May you be mine alone. May you not even mention other (women)." . Word-by-word: अह॑म् "I", वदामि < वद् "speak", न॑ "not", इ॑त् "indeed", तुव॑म् < त्व॑म् "you", सभा॑याम् < सभा॑ "assembly", अ॑ह "surely", त्व॑म् "you", व॑द < वद् "speak", म॑म < अह॑म् "I", इ॑त् "indeed", अ॑सस् < अस् "be", त्व॑म् "you", के॑वलस् < के॑वल "alone", न॑ "not", अन्या॑साम् < अन्य॑ "other", कीर्त॑यास् < कीर्त् "mention" , चन॑ "even". . Meter: अनुष्टु॑भ् . Context: This verse comes from an अथर्ववेद॑ hymn for a plant that, when bound to the head of a woman, will enable her to win a man's love. There are many such hymns in the अथर्ववेद॑, magical spells to make a man choose a woman over all of her competitors. . An interesting thing about this verse is the second line. I first encountered it when a Hindu feminist used it to try proving that women were leaders of the Vedic political assembly, but this verse actually shows the exact opposite of that: "In the assembly you, the man, will be the one speaking, but I, the woman, am speaking now," implying that women did not lead the assembly.

गव्य॑न्त इ॑न्द्रं • सखिया॑य वि॑प्राः। अश्वाय॑न्तो • वृ॑षणं वाज॑यन्तः। जनीय॑न्तो • जनिदा॑म॑क्षितोतिम्। आ॑ च्यावयामो • अवते॑ न॑ को॑शम्॥ —ऋग्वेद॑ 4.17.16 . (This is the metrically restored version. The सं॑हिता has two deficient syllables with सख्या॑य and च्यावयामोऽवते॑.) . Translation: "Desiring cows, horses, booty, women, (divinely) inspired, we stir bullish इ॑न्द्र here for friendship, Who gives (us) women, Whose help is imperishable, Who is like a pail in the well." . Word-by-word: गव्य॑न्तस् < गव्य् "desire cows" < गो॑, इ॑न्द्रम् < इ॑न्द्र, सखिया॑य < सख्य॑ "friendship", वि॑प्रास् < वि॑प्र "inspired", अश्वाय॑न्तस् < अश्वाय् "desire horses" < अ॑श्व, वृ॑षणम् < वृ॑षन् "bullish", वाज॑यन्तस् < वाजय् "desire booty" < वा॑ज, जनीय॑न्तस् < जनीय् "desire women" < ज॑नि, अ॑क्षित "imperishable", ऊतिम् < ऊति॑ "help", आ॑ च्यावयामस् < आ॑ च्यु "stir here", अवते॑ < अवत॑ "well", न॑ "like", को॑शम् < को॑श "pail". . Meter: त्रिष्टु॑भ् . Interpretation: I like this verse because it clearly displays the materialistic priorities of the ancient आ॑र्य war-priests who, inspired by strength and conquest, wrote the hymns of the ऋग्वेद॑: their goal was not मोक्ष or some sort of "spiritual liberation" (whatever that means), but material success in this world and the next—wealth, cows, treasure, women. . इ॑न्द्र, supreme king over all, is a friend to the आ॑र्यs and aids us in battle, helping us conquer our God-less enemies and seize their wealth and women. His divine favor is unfailing and ensures us victory, and He is compared to a pail that fetches water from a well—the water, in this case, being the glorious wealth desired by the आ॑र्यs.

Ask any questions about the Ramayana.

Aaj mandir gaya tha dosto

अक्षा॑स इ॑द् • अङ्कुशि॑नो नितोदि॑नः। निकृ॑त्वानस् • त॑पनास्तापयिष्ण॑वः। कुमार॑देष्णा • ज॑यतः पुनर्ह॑णः। म॑ध्वा सं॑पृक्ताः • कितव॑स्य बर्ह॑णा॥ —ऋग्वेद॑ 10.34.7 . Translation: "Dice indeed are hooked, piercing, subduing, painful, seeking to cause pain, gifting like a child, (then) destroying in return the winner, endowed with honeyed power over the player." . Word-by-word: अक्षा॑सस् < अक्ष॑ "die", इ॑द् "indeed", अङ्कुशि॑नस् < अङ्कुशि॑न् "hooked", नितोदि॑नस् < नितोदि॑न् "piercing", निकृ॑त्वानस् < निकृ॑त्वन् < नि॑ कृ "subdue", त॑पनास् < त॑पन "painful", तापयिष्ण॑वस् < तापयिष्णु॑ < तप् "cause pain", कुमार॑ "child", देष्णास् < देष्ण॑ "gift", ज॑यतस् < ज॑यन् < जि "win", पुनर् < पु॑नर् "in return", ह॑णस् < हन् "destroy", म॑ध्वा < म॑धु "honeyed", सं॑पृक्तास् < सं॑पृक्त < सं॑ पृच् "endow", कितव॑स्य < कितव॑ "player", बर्ह॑णा "power". . Meter: ज॑गती (the only one in an otherwise त्रिष्टु॑भ् hymn) . Interpretation: This verse is from the famous Gambler's Lament, a fascinating hymn narrated in the first person from the perspective of a gambling addict who has become destitute and alienated his wife, in-laws, parents, and siblings, but who still refuses to give up gambling. . This verse describes the evils of the dice, which cause great unending pain to the player and those around him, giving only small, temporary pleasures (like a child's gifts) before destroying the "winner". But the player keeps playing anyway, because the dice have a power over him, a "sweet" allure. . Unlike Islam, which prohibits alcohol and gambling entirely, Hinduism takes a more moderate view on such issues. The dangers of such activities are recognized and emphasized, but alcohol and gambling were certainly present in Vedic society. They were also incorporated in certain Vedic rituals: the राजसू॑य/coronation, for example, contains gambling.

आ॑स्ते भ॑ग आ॑सीनस्य। ऊर्ध्व॑स्तिष्ठति ति॑ष्ठतः। शे॑ते निप॑द्यमानस्य। च॑राति च॑रतो भ॑गः॥ च॑रैवे॑ति॥ —ऐतरेयब्रा॑ह्मण 7.15.3 . (Note that the ऐतरेयब्रा॑ह्मण unfortunately doesn't preserve the Vedic accents. I restored them myself here.) . Translation: "The fortune of the sitter sits; of the stander stands up; of him who lies down, lies; the fortune of the mover shall move. Thus, move!" . Word-by-word: आ॑स्ते < आस् "sit", भ॑गस् < भ॑ग "fortune", आ॑सीनस्य < आ॑सीन < आस् "sit", ऊर्ध्व॑स् < ऊर्ध्व॑ "up", तिष्ठति < स्था "stand", ति॑ष्ठतस् < ति॑ष्ठन् < स्था "stand", शे॑ते < शी "lie", निप॑द्यमानस्य < निप॑द्यमान < नि॑ पद् "lie down", च॑राति < चर् "move", च॑रतस् < च॑रन् < चर् "move", भ॑गस् < भ॑ग "fortune", च॑र < चर् "move", एव॑ "thus", इ॑ति. . Meter: अनुष्टु॑भ् . Context: In this episode of the ऐतरेयब्रा॑ह्मण, the king ह॑रिश्चन्द्र ऐक्ष्वाक॑ promised व॑रुण that he would sacrifice his son रो॑हित to Him. (Contrary to modern Hindus' views, human sacrifice was clearly a literal practice in Vedic times.) However, ह॑रिश्चन्द्र kept postponing the sacrifice until रो॑हित grew up, and when he finally asked रो॑हित to be sacrificed, रो॑हित refused and fled into the forest. .