Hymn to Indra
Rigveda X.133 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 10 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced for the Good Works Library from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
1. Sing out loudly to this Indra, whose chariot goes in front — his vigor. Even in close combat, the maker of room, in the clash, in the battles, the slayer of Vṛtra — be mindful of us, be our rouser. Let the bowstrings of the others snap on their bows.
2. You released the rivers flowing downward; you slew the serpent. You were born without rival, O Indra; you foster everything worth having. We embrace you, that one. Let the bowstrings of the others snap on their bows.
3. Let all the ill will of the rival vanish away from our prayers. You are the one who hurls the deadly weapon at the foe who seeks to kill us, O Indra; your gift-giving is a bestower of wealth. Let the bowstrings of the others snap on their bows.
4. Whatever people around us, wolflike, take aim at us, O Indra — put that one beneath our feet; you are the repeller, the all-overpowering one. Let the bowstrings of the others snap on their bows.
5. Whoever assails us, O Indra — of our own kin or a stranger — cast down his strength by your own power, vast as the sky. Let the bowstrings of the others snap on their bows.
6. We, O Indra, longing for you, take hold of your friendship. May you lead us by the path of truth past all dangers. Let the bowstrings of the others snap on their bows.
7. Grant us, O Indra, that gift which yields itself as a boon to the singer, so that the great cow, her udder unbroken, may swell for us with a thousand streams of milk.
Translator's note: "let the bowstrings of the others snap on their bows" (verses 1–6) renders a refrain describing the enemy's weapons failing — a wish that rival archers' bowstrings break rather than loose their arrows. In verse 7, "the great cow" is figurative for abundance/plenty, a common Vedic image; it is not a claim about a literal animal.
Colophon
Rigveda X.133 is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation rendered verse by verse from the Sanskrit text printed below. Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation.
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Source Text: ṛgveda X.133
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
pro ṣv asmai puroratham indrāya śūṣam arcata |
abhīke cid u lokakṛt saṁge samatsu vṛtrahāsmākam bodhi coditā nabhantām anyakeṣāṁ jyākā adhi dhanvasu || 1 ||
tvaṁ sindhūm̐r avāsṛjo 'dharāco ahann ahim |
aśatrur indra jajñiṣe viśvam puṣyasi vāryaṁ taṁ tvā pari ṣvajāmahe nabhantām anyakeṣāṁ jyākā adhi dhanvasu || 2 ||
vi ṣu viśvā arātayo 'ryo naśanta no dhiyaḥ |
astāsi śatrave vadhaṁ yo na indra jighāṁsati yā te rātir dadir vasu nabhantām anyakeṣāṁ jyākā adhi dhanvasu || 3 ||
yo na indrābhito jano vṛkāyur ādideśati |
adhaspadaṁ tam īṁ kṛdhi vibādho asi sāsahir nabhantām anyakeṣāṁ jyākā adhi dhanvasu || 4 ||
yo na indrābhidāsati sanābhir yaś ca niṣṭyaḥ |
ava tasya balaṁ tira mahīva dyaur adha tmanā nabhantām anyakeṣāṁ jyākā adhi dhanvasu || 5 ||
vayam indra tvāyavaḥ sakhitvam ā rabhāmahe |
ṛtasya naḥ pathā nayāti viśvāni duritā nabhantām anyakeṣāṁ jyākā adhi dhanvasu || 6 ||
asmabhyaṁ su tvam indra tāṁ śikṣa yā dohate prati varaṁ jaritre |
acchidrodhnī pīpayad yathā naḥ sahasradhārā payasā mahī gauḥ || 7 ||
Source Colophon
Sanskrit text of the Rigveda, Śākala recension. The standard scholarly edition is the Bombay Oriental (Vishva Bandhu, 5 vols., 1963–66). IAST transliteration available from GRETIL (Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages) and Vedaweb (University of Cologne). Both sources are open access. IAST transliteration from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).