Hymn to Indra

Rigveda X.180 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. O much-invoked one, you have overcome your enemies; your might here is foremost — let your bounty be here. Indra, bring wealth with your right hand — you are lord of the rich rivers.

2. Like a fearsome wild beast, roaming, dwelling on the mountains, you have come here from the farthest distance. Having whetted your spear, your blade sharp, O Indra — strike down the enemies, drive off the scornful.

3. Indra, you were born to dominion, to desirable strength, bull of the peoples. You drove away the hostile folk, and made wide room for the gods.

Translator's note: "sindhūnām... revatīnām" (1) is rendered "rich rivers," reflecting sindhu as river/stream and revat- as wealthy or abundant; some read sindhu here in a broader sense of "waters." "Pavi" (2), literally the metal rim or edge of a chariot wheel, is rendered "blade" to keep the weapon-image in English.

Colophon

Rigveda X.180 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.180

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.

pra sasāhiṣe puruhūta śatrūñ jyeṣṭhas te śuṣma iha rātir astu |
indrā bhara dakṣiṇenā vasūni patiḥ sindhūnām asi revatīnām || 1 ||

mṛgo na bhīmaḥ kucaro giriṣṭhāḥ parāvata ā jaganthā parasyāḥ |
sṛkaṁ saṁśāya pavim indra tigmaṁ vi śatrūn tāḻhi vi mṛdho nudasva || 2 ||

indra kṣatram abhi vāmam ojo 'jāyathā vṛṣabha carṣaṇīnām |
apānudo janam amitrayantam uruṁ devebhyo akṛṇor u lokam || 3 ||

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).