Hymns on Storm

The Maruts are wind-gods portrayed always as a group, as a band of warriors who serve Indra. Since Rudra is their father, they are also called Rudras; their mother is the dappled cow of earth, Prisni. The Maruts, like Indra, are multivalent, symbolising warriors and acting as aids to mankind as well as bringing fertilizing storms. The hymns on Storms say that are workers of marvels. They adorn themselves like women and make the two-world halves grow strong.

It has been said when Maruts adorn themselves with their ornaments and put shining things on their bodies. They drive away every attacker. Butter flows all along their path. The dappled gazelles of the Maruts move as fast as thoughts to attack an enemy.

With the help of the Rig Vedic hymns dedicated to Maruts or the Storm God it has been said that a wide seat has been made for Maruts and they are invited to be seated on the sacred grass and enjoy the ecstasy of the sweet drink that is Soma.

The hymns dedicated to Maruts sing that storms have grown great by their own power; they climbed up to the dome of the sky and made for themselves a broad seat. And when Lord Vishnu helped the bull excited by Soma-drinking, they had sat down like birds on the beloved sacred grass.

The hymns say that striding briskly like heroes ready to fight, like men eager for fame, the Maruts array themselves for battles. All creatures fear the Maruts and these men with terrible faces are like kings. It is the Maruts those have forced up the fountain with their power; they split open even the mountain on its solid base. In the ecstasy of drinking Soma the Maruts performs joyous deeds. The Maruts have forced up the fountain in a stream that shot to the side; they poured out the spring for the thirsty Gotama. Shining brilliantly, they came to Gotama with aid. They fulfilled the desire of the sage in their own ways.

Towards the end of the hymns to Maruts the worshippers have asked for real heroism to be showered upon them by the Mrauts.

An important part of Rig Vedic hymns about Marut is that it has incorporated the conflict between the greatness of Indra and Marut. In the beginning the Mrauts gets subdued and Indra gains in power but towards the later part of the hymns the conflict between Indra and Maruts gets reconciled.