Indra
इन्द्र · Indra — War, storm, kingship
Domain
War, storm, kingship
The foremost deity of the Ṛgveda, Indra is the martial god who grants Sudās victory over the confederacy. RV 7.18 and 7.83 describe Indra as the divine ally of the Bharatas, shattering the confederacy's defences and casting their forces into the Paruṣṇī.
Relevance to the Dāśarājñá
Chief divine patron of the Dāśarājñá — credited with the decisive victory.
Key hymns
Iconography
Vajra (thunderbolt), golden chariot, aruṇa steeds
Sarasvatī
सरस्वती · Sarasvatī — River, wisdom, speech
Domain
River, wisdom, speech
Deified as both a river goddess and the goddess of wisdom, Sarasvatī is invoked in RV 7.95–96 for her purifying, life-giving waters. She is the most sacred river of the Ṛgvedic world and a witness to the Bharata campaigns.
Relevance to the Dāśarājñá
Sacred river and goddess — the region of the Dāśarājñá unfolds in her proximity.
Key hymns
Iconography
White, flowing garment, lotus, vīṇā (later iconography)
Varuṇa
वरुण · Varuṇa — Cosmic order, waters, Ṛta
Domain
Cosmic order, waters, Ṛta
Varuṇa upholds Ṛta — the cosmic order — and governs the celestial waters. He is invoked alongside Indra in RV 7.83 as a joint bestower of victory, reflecting the dual kingship of Indra-Varuṇa over the divine assembly.
Relevance to the Dāśarājñá
Co-patron of Sudās with Indra; represents the lawful, ordered aspect of victory.
Key hymns
Iconography
Noose (pāśa), lotus seat, dark-complexioned
Agni
अग्नि · Agni — Fire, messenger, priest
Domain
Fire, messenger, priest
Agni is the divine hotr̥ (priest) and messenger between gods and men. Every Ṛgvedic hymn begins with his invocation. He carries the offerings of the Bharata priests to the gods, securing divine favour for the campaign.
Relevance to the Dāśarājñá
Mediator — the rituals of the Bharata yajña depend on Agni.
Key hymns
Iconography
Flames, ram, ruddy complexion, two heads
Aśvins
अश्विनौ · Aśvinau — Twilight, healing, horses
Domain
Twilight, healing, horses
The twin horsemen-gods, youthful healers who rescue the imperilled. Their swift chariot is a constant presence in the hymns, and they are invoked for protection during river crossings and battle.
Relevance to the Dāśarājñá
Invoked for safe passage across the rivers of the Dāśarājñá campaign.
Key hymns
Iconography
Twin youths, horse-headed, golden chariot
Parjanya
पर्जन्य · Parjanya — Rain, storm, fertility
Domain
Rain, storm, fertility
The rain-god who quickens the earth and swells the rivers. His role is felt in the Dāśarājñá hymns through the imagery of swelling rivers and storm-driven battle.
Relevance to the Dāśarājñá
His rains govern the rivers where the Dāśarājñá was fought.
Key hymns
Iconography
Bull, rain-laden cloud
Pūṣan
पूषन् · Pūṣan — Nourisher, roads, herds
Domain
Nourisher, roads, herds
The guardian of roads and wanderers, Pūṣan ensures safe journeys. He is invoked in the context of the Bharata marches across the Saṃhita region.
Relevance to the Dāśarājñá
Protector of the Bharata forces during their campaign movements.
Key hymns
Iconography
Goats, goad, braided hair
Viśvadevas
विश्वेदेवाः · Viśvadevāḥ — The All-Gods, collective divine power
Domain
The All-Gods, collective divine power
The 'All-Gods' are invoked collectively as a body of divine witnesses to the war. Their presence legitimises the conflict and the supremacy of Indra-Varuṇa's chosen side.
Relevance to the Dāśarājñá
Collective divine sanction — the war unfolds before the entire pantheon.
Key hymns
Iconography
None (collective invocation)
Mitra
मित्र · Mitra — Contracts, friendship, oath
Domain
Contracts, friendship, oath
Mitra is the god of the sworn contract and the inviolable oath. With Varuṇa he forms the dual sovereignty that governs Ṛta; the Vasiṣṭha hymns of RV 7.60–66 invoke the pair together, and the ordered world in which the Dāśarājñá unfolds is understood as their jurisdiction.
Relevance to the Dāśarājñá
Guarantor of the oath that binds the confederacy — and of the order that sanctions its defeat.
Key hymns
Iconography
None in the Ṛgveda; invoked jointly with Varuṇa
Bṛhaspati
बृहस्पति · Bṛhaspati — Prayer, priesthood, divine counsel
Domain
Prayer, priesthood, divine counsel
Bṛhaspati (Brahmanaspati) is the lord of sacred speech and the divine purohita. He is the power of the hymn itself — the priestly counterpart to Indra's martial force — and RV 7.97 invokes him as the guardian of the sacrifice.
Relevance to the Dāśarājñá
The divine model of the purohita whose ritual power secures the Bharata victory.
Key hymns
Iconography
None in the Ṛgveda; later associated with the sacred word and the priest's office
Soma
सोम · Soma — Sacred drink, ecstasy, immortality
Domain
Sacred drink, ecstasy, immortality
The deified offering that fuels the gods and grants Indra the strength to defeat the confederacy. Soma is both the drink and the god, central to Vedic ritual.
Relevance to the Dāśarājñá
The ritual offering that empowers Indra before the Dāśarājñá.
Key hymns
Iconography
Bull, juice pressed from stalks, crescent moon (later)
Symbol key
Four marks, four meanings
The plates are never portraits — each is one attribute the hymns name. This key decodes them at a glance.
- Vajra of Indra
Vajra · Indra
Concentrated force — the stanza that breaks the dam.
RV 7.18.5
- Flame of Agni
Flame · Agni
The carrier — every prayer to the gods passes through fire.
RV 7.2–3
- Pāśa of Varuṇa
Pāśa · Varuṇa
The bond — cosmic order that holds rivers and oaths alike.
RV 7.83
- Lotus of Sarasvatī
Lotus · Sarasvatī
The pure surface — wisdom flowering above flood-water.
RV 7.95
Deities are named from the hymns of the Ṛgveda — never depicted. The plates are original emblems drawn for this codex: an attribute or natural force associated with the deity, framed in a hybrid idiom of ukiyo-e key-line and Balinese batik ornament.
The Ṛgvedic period itself produced no images of its gods; the earliest anthropomorphic Indian deity figures are yakṣas, yakṣīs and nāgas of the third to first centuries BCE. Nothing here is a reproduction of a sacred object or of another artist's work.