Rigveda 1.32

[5] The first stanza begins with the poet stating that he will "proclaim the manly deeds of Indra"[6] who is called the wielder of the vajra (mace).

[7] The Indra-Vritra myth is then presented in a nutshell – Indra slew the serpent, bored out the waters and split the bellies or innards of the mountains.

[10][11] The phrase áhann áhim "he slew the serpent" is formulaic, occurring 11 times in the Rigveda and always applied to Indra.

[15] Stanza 6 has a further simile to describe Vritra's defeat: Like a nonwarrior who can't hold his liquor, he provoked the hard-pressing, lees-quaffing super champion.

[3] Whom did you see, Indra, as the avenger of the serpent when fear came into your heart after you smashed him, and when you crossed over the ninety-nine flowing rivers, like a frightened falcon through the airy realms?

[19] Edward Vernon Arnold divided the poetry of the Rigveda into five periods, based on metrical and linguistic criteria.

[27] The poem is also valued highly by Western scholars who have praised its enduring beauty[28] and described it as "a fine hymn"[29] and "a poetic masterwork"[30] that is "justly famous".

[31] Laurie L. Patton comments that its verses "are meant to indicate the power of Soma as a world-conquering drink that releases nothing less than the waters of the world".

[34] It has appeared in English as a part of complete translations of the Rig-Veda[35][36][17] and in publications of selected hymns[37][38] as well as in mythological studies.