Hinduism is believed to be one of the oldest living religions on Earth, with origins tracing back to the ancient Vedic civilization in India. The earliest Hindu spiritual text, the Rig Veda, was compiled in approximately 900 B.C. Other sacred Hindu scriptures include the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Ramayana, among others.

With its deep spiritual roots, Hinduism is a vastly diverse and colorful religion. Hindus believe in reincarnation, the law of cause and effect (karma), a single Divine Being with multiple manifestations, and the desire of all beings for liberation from the cycle of birth and death. One of the most cherished values of Hinduism is “ahimsa,” or non-violence. According to Hinduism, religious belief and the practices of everyday life are inseparable. An example of this is how ahimsa is honored through a vegetarian diet, which shows compassion to all beings. We now present an excerpt of Hinduism’s sacred text, the Samaveda, First Part, Book III.

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HYMNS OF THE SAMAVEDA FIRST PART BOOK III

CHAPTER I DECADE I Indra Let Soma juices (a sacred drink) make thee glad! Display thy bounty, Thunderer: Drive off the enemies of prayer! Drink our libation, Lord of hymns! with streams of meath thou art bedewed: Yea, Indra (king of the devas), glory is thy gift. Indra hath ever thought of you and tended you with care. The God, Heroic Indra, is not checked. Let the drops pass within thee as the rivers flow into the sea O Indra, naught excelleth thee! Indra, the singers with high praise, Indra reciters with their lauds, Indra the choirs have glorified. May Indra give, to aid us wealth handy that rules the skillful ones!

Yea, may the Strong give potent wealth Verily Indra, conquering all, drives even mighty fear away, For firm is he and swift to act. These songs with every draught we pour come, lover of the song, to thee As milch-kine hasten to their calves. Indra and Wishan will we call for friendship and prosperity, And for the winning of the spoil. O Indra, Vritra-slayer (drought slayer), naught is better, mightier than thou Verily there is none like thee!

DECADE II Indra Him have I magnified, our Lord in common, guardian of your folk, Songs have outpoured themselves to thee, Indra (king of the devas), the strong, the guardian Lord, And with one will have risen to thee! Good guidance hath the mortal man whom Aryaman (chief of the solar divinities), the Marut host (host of storm deities), And Mitras (god of friendship and alliances), void of guile, protect. Bring us the wealth for which we long, O Indra, that which is concealed In strong firm place precipitous. Him your best Vritra-slayer (drought slayer), him the famous champion of mankind I urge to great munificence.

Indra, may we adorn thy fame, fame of one like thee, hero! deck, Sakra (ruler of Heaven)! thy fame at highest feast! Indra, accept at break of day our Soma mixt with roasted corn, With groats, with cake, with eulogies! With waters' foam thou torest off, Indra, the head of Namuchi (a demon), When thou o'ercamest all the foes. Thine are these Soma juices, thine, Indra, those still to be expressed: Enjoy them, Lord of princely wealth!

For thee, O Indra, Lord of light, Somas (sacred drink) are pressed and grass is strewn: Be gracious to thy worshippers! We seeking strength, with Soma drops fill full your Indra like a well, Most liberal, Lord of boundless might. O Indra, even from that place come unto us with food that gives A hundred, yea, a thousand powers! The new-born Vritra-slayer asked his mother, as he seized his shaft, Who are the, fierce and famous ones? Let us call him to aid whose hands stretch far, the highly-lauded, who Fulfills the work to favor us Mitra who knoweth leadeth us, and Varuna (god of natural and moral law) who guideth straight, And Aryaman in accord with Gods.

When, even as she were present here, red Dawn hath shone from far away, She spreadeth light on every side. Varuna, Mitra, sapient pair, pour fatness on our pastures, pour Meath on the regions of the air! And, at our sacrifices (offerings of cereal, fruits, various powders, vegetables, and flowers, etc.), these, sons, singers, have enlarged their bounds. Through all this world strode Vishnu (a Hindu Trinity, the preserver of the universe): thrice his foot he planted, and the whole Was gathered in his footstep's dust.

DECADE V Indra We call aloud, hero, to thee, and sing thy praise, Looker on heavenly light, Lord of this moving world, Lord, Indra (king of the devas), of what moveth not! That we may win us wealth and power we poets, verily, call on thee…

To you will I sing Indra's praise who gives good gifts as well we know; The praise of Maghavan (Indra) who, rich in treasure, aids his singers with wealth thousandfold. As cows low to their calves in stalls, so with our songs we glorify This Indra, even your wondrous God who checks attack, who takes delight in precious juice. Loud singing at the sacred rite where Soma (sacred drink) flows we priests invoke With haste, that he may help, as the bard's cherisher, Indra who findeth wealth for you With Plenty for his true ally the active man will gain the spoil.

Your Indra, much-invoked, I bend with song, as bends a wright his wheel of solid wood. Drink, Indra, of the savory juice, and cheer thee with our milky draught! Be, for our weal, our friend and sharer of the feast, and let thy wisdom guard us well! For thou – come to the worshipper! - wilt find great wealth to make us rich.

Vasishtha will not overlook the lowliest one among you all Beside our Soma juice effused today let all the Maruts (storm deities) drink with eager haste! Glorify naught besides, O friends; so shall no sorrow trouble you! Praise only mighty Indra when the juice is shed, and say your lauds repeatedly!

CHAPTER II DECADE I Indra No one by deed attains to him who works and strengthens evermore: No, not by sacrifice, to Indra (king of the devas). praised of all, resistless, daring, bold in might. He without ligature, before making incision in the neck, Closed up the wound again, most wealthy Maghavan, who healeth the dissevered parts. A thousand and a hundred steeds are harnessed to thy golden car: Yoked by devotion, Indra, let the long-maned bays bring thee to drink the Soma juice! Come hither, Indra, with bay steeds, joyous, with tails like peacock's plumes!

Thou as a God, O mightiest, verily blessest mortal man. O Maghavan, there is no comforter but thou: Indra, I speak my words to thee. O Indra, thou art far-renowned, impetuous Lord of power and might.

May these my songs of praise exalt thee, Lord, who hast abundant wealth! Men skilled in holy hymns, pure, with the hues of fire, have sung them with their lauds to thee. These songs of ours exceeding sweet, these hymns of praise ascend to thee, Like ever-conquering chariots that display their strength gain wealth and give unfailing help. Even as the wild-bull, when he thirsts, goes to the desert's watery pool, Come to us quickly both at morning and at eve, and with the Kanvas (ancient sage) drink thy fill!

DECADE II Indra and others Indra (king of the devas), with all thy saving helps assist us, Lord of power and might! For after thee we follow even as glorious bliss, thee, hero, finder out of wealth. O Indra, Lord of light, what joys thou broughtest from the Asuras (demi-gods), Prosper therewith, O Maghavan, him who lauds that deed, and those whose grass is trimmed for thee!

To Aryaman (chief of the solar deities) and Mitra (god of friendship and alliances) sing a reverent song, O pious one, A pleasant hymn to Varuna (god of natural and moral law) who shelters us: sing ye a laud unto the Kings! Men with their lauds are urging thee, Indra, to drink the Soma first. The Ribhus (one of the three artisans of the gods) in accord have lifted up their voice, and Rudras (atmospheric gods) sung thee as the first. Sing to your lofty Indra, sing, Maruts, a holy hymn of praise Let Satakratu, Vritra-slayer (drought slayer), slay the foe with hundred-knotted thunderbolt! To Indra sing the lofty hymn, Maruts (storm deities)! that slays the Vritras (droughts) best, Whereby the holy ones created for the God the light divine that ever wakes. O Indra, give us wisdom as a sire gives wisdom to his sons Guide us, O much-invoked, in this our way: may we still live and look upon the light! O Indra, turn us not away: be present with us at our feast For thou art our protection, yea, thou art our kin: O Indra, turn us not away! We compass these like waters, we whose grass is trimmed and Soma pressed. Here where the filter pours its stream, thy worshippers round thee, O Vritra-slayer, sit. All strength and valor that is found, Indra, in tribes of Nahushas, And all the splendid fame that the Five Tribes enjoy, bring, yea, all manly powers at once!

DECADE III Indra Yea, verily thou art a Bull, our guardian, rushing like a bull: Thou, mighty one, art celebrated as a Bull, famed as a Bull both near and far. Whether, O Sakra (ruler of Heaven), thou be far, or, Vritra-slayer, near at hand, Thence by Heaven-reaching songs he who hath pressed the juice invites thee with thy long-maned steeds. In the wild raptures of the juice sing to your hero with high laud, to him the wise, To Indra (king of the devas) glorious in his name, the mighty one, even as the hymn alloweth it!

O Indra, give us for our weal a triple refuge, triply strong! Bestow a dwelling-place on our rich lords and me, and keep thy dart afar from these! Turning, as 'twere, to meet the Sun enjoy from Indra all good things! When he who will be born is born with power we look to treasures as our heritage. The godless mortal gaineth not this food, O thou whose life is long! But one who yokes the bright-hued horses, Etasas; then Indra yokes his tawny steeds.

Come, thou most mighty Vritra-slayer (drought slayer), meet for praise, come to, libations and to hymns! Thine, Indra, is the lowest wealth, thou cherishest the midmost wealth, Thou ever rulest all the highest. Where art thou? Whither art thou gone? For many a place attracts thy mind.

Here, verily, yesterday we let the thunder-wielder drink his fill. Bring him the juice poured forth in sacrifice (offerings of cereal, fruits, various powders, vegetables, and flowers, etc.) today. Now range you by the glorious one!

DECADE IV Indra He who as sovran Lord of men moves with his chariots unrestrained, The Vritra-slayer (drought slayer), vanquisher of fighting hosts, pre-eminent, is praised in song. Indra (king of the devas), give us security from that whereof we are afraid Help us, O Maghavan, let thy favor aid us thus; drive away foes and enemies! Strong pillar thou, Lord of the home! armor of Soma-offerers! The drop of Soma (sacred drink) breaketh all the strongholds down, and Indra is the Rishis' friend. Verily, Surya (Sun god), thou art great; truly, Aditya (seven celestial deities), thou art great! O most admired for greatness of thy majesty, God, by thy greatness thou art great!

Indra! thy friend, when fair of form and rich in chariots, steeds, Hath ever vital power that gives him strength, and joins the company with radiant men. O Indra, if a hundred Heavens and if a hundred Earths were thine – No, not a hundred suns could match thee at thy birth, not both the worlds,

O Thunderer! Though, Indra, thou art called by men eastward and west ward, north and south, Thou chiefly art with Anava and Turvasa, brave champion urged by men to come. Indra whose wealth is in thyself, what mortal will attack this man? The strong will win the spoil on the decisive day through faith in thee,

O Maghavan! First, Indra! Agni (god of fire)! hath this Maid come footless unto those with feet. Stretching her head and speaking loudly with her tongue, she hath gone downward thirty steps. Come, Indra, very near to us with aids of firmly-based resolve Come, most auspicious, with thy most auspicious help; good kinsman, with good kinsmen come!