The Rig-Veda (“Praising Knowledge”), composed around 1500 B.C.E., is the oldest of the Hindu scriptures. It is also the oldest book in any Indo-European language. It marks an early stage in the development of Hinduism.
A central story in the Rig-Veda tells of the god Indra and the dragon Vritra. Vritra had stolen all the water of the world for himself. Indra fights the dragon in order to take back the life-giving waters. After a monumental struggle, Indra defeats the dragon, and the waters are freed, bringing life to the land.
Explanations of this story often show Indra as a symbol for wind, Vritra as standing for clouds, and the waters as meaning the monsoon rains. Given what you know about India, why would the monsoon rains be a matter of life or death? Why might early Indians have seen the monsoon-bringing winds as a source of life?