Maha Vishnu

The Rigveda is divided into 10 mandalas, or books. The mandalas are not arranged chronologically, but rather by length, with the shortest mandalas first. The mandalas are as follows:

• Mandala 1: 191 hymns, mainly addressed to Agni and Indra.
• Mandala 2: 43 hymns, mainly to Agni and Indra.
• Mandala 3: 62 hymns, mainly to Indra, Agni, and the Maruts (storm gods).
• Mandala 4: 58 hymns, mainly to Indra, Agni, and the Asvins (twin gods of dawn).
• Mandala 5: 87 hymns, mainly to Indra, Agni, and the Visvedevas (all gods).
• Mandala 6: 75 hymns, mainly to Indra, Agni, and the Maruts.
• Mandala 7: 104 hymns, mainly to Agni, Indra, the Visvedevas, the Maruts, Mitra-Varuna, the Asvins, Ushas (goddess of dawn), Indra-Varuna, Varuna, Vayu (the wind), two each to Sarasvati (goddess of learning) and Vishnu, and to others.
• Mandala 8: 103 hymns to various gods.
• Mandala 9: 114 hymns, entirely devoted to Soma Pavamana, the cleansing of the sacred potion of the Vedic religion.
• Mandala 10: 191 hymns, mainly to Agni, Indra, and the Maruts.

The mandalas are further divided into suktas, or hymns. Each sukta is a collection of stanzas, or verses, that are addressed to a particular deity or group of deities. The suktas are often very poetic and contain beautiful imagery and symbolism.

The mandalas of the Rigveda are a valuable resource for scholars of Hinduism, Sanskrit, and comparative religion. They are also a source of inspiration for many people who are interested in the ancient Vedic tradition.