Hymn to Indra
Rigveda X.99 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. Which wondrous, far-ranging, bellowing one do you, aware of it, urge on for us to make strong? What gift of his might comes at the break of dawn? He fashioned the mace that overcomes Vṛtra, and made it swell full.
2. He indeed, with his own flash of lightning, pursues the chant; by his lordly power he settled into the wide womb of the world. Overpowering, together with his own kin, not apart from his brother, he undid the magic wiles of the Seventh.
3. He, driving toward the prize, going though his mount's foot stumbles, besieged the sun-light, set on winning it. Unrivaled, he took the hoard of the hundred-gated fort, slaying the phallus-worshippers; by his own form he prevailed.
4. He pours forth the young streams, streaming like a racehorse running for cattle staked in the contest, where the footless, yoked, chariotless ones — horses of the wooden bowl — surge toward the ghee, toward the water.
5. He came with the Rudras, the skillful one, his blame kept far off, having left his own dwelling. It brings to mind, I think, the pair of ants: something opened their nest, came upon their store of food, plundered it, and left them weeping.
6. He indeed, as master, subdued the loud-roaring Dāsa, six-eyed and three-headed. And Trita, growing strong through his might, with inspired word and the iron-tipped weapon struck down the boar.
7. He, standing tall, shot his shaft at Arśasāna, the deceiver, on Manu's behalf. He, most heroic, well-born of Nahuṣa and of us, worthy in the slaying of Dasyus, broke open their strongholds.
8. He, like a raincloud pouring on the pasture, seeking out water, found for us a path to a dwelling. When he settles close to the soma-drop in his [many] shapes, the falcon with iron talons strikes down the Dasyus.
9. He, with his mighty powers, delivered Śuṣṇa over to Kutsa in his need. This one led the poet who was praising him — he who wins that poet's due, and the due of [other] men.
10. This one, showing favor with his manly companions, a wonder-worker among the gods, magic-skilled like Varuṇa. This youthful one, guardian of right order, was made known; he meted out defeat to Araru, the four-footed foe.
11. By hymns to him, Ṛjiśvan, son of Uśij, split open Pipru's cattle-pen with [Indra's] bull. When the worshipper who has pressed the soma is worthy, and the hymn blazes forth, then he, approaching the strongholds, prevails by his own form.
12. Thus, O great lord, for your increase, the little ant crept on its feet toward Indra. He, when entreated, brings about well-being; refreshment, strength, a good dwelling — all these he has granted.
Translator's note: verse 9's phrase "atkaṁ yo asya sanitota nṛṇām" (literally "the garment/due which is his winning, and of men") is compressed and its exact sense uncertain; rendered conservatively above. The identities of "the Seventh" (verse 2), Arśasāna (verse 7), and Araru (verse 10) are proper names of adversaries whose stories are not otherwise spelled out in the hymn; they are left as names rather than expanded.
Colophon
Rigveda X.99 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.99
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.
kaṁ naś citram iṣaṇyasi cikitvān pṛthugmānaṁ vāśraṁ vāvṛdhadhyai |
kat tasya dātu śavaso vyuṣṭau takṣad vajraṁ vṛtraturam apinvat || 1 ||
sa hi dyutā vidyutā veti sāma pṛthuṁ yonim asuratvā sasāda |
sa sanīḻebhiḥ prasahāno asya bhrātur na ṛte saptathasya māyāḥ || 2 ||
sa vājaṁ yātāpaduṣpadā yan svarṣātā pari ṣadat saniṣyan |
anarvā yac chatadurasya vedo ghnañ chiśnadevām̐ abhi varpasā bhūt || 3 ||
sa yahvyo3 'vanīr goṣv arvā juhoti pradhanyāsu sasriḥ |
apādo yatra yujyāso 'rathā droṇyaśvāsa īrate ghṛtaṁ vāḥ || 4 ||
sa rudrebhir aśastavāra ṛbhvā hitvī gayam āreavadya āgāt |
vamrasya manye mithunā vivavrī annam abhītyārodayan muṣāyan || 5 ||
sa id dāsaṁ tuvīravam patir dan ṣaḻakṣaṁ triśīrṣāṇaṁ damanyat |
asya trito nv ojasā vṛdhāno vipā varāham ayoagrayā han || 6 ||
sa druhvaṇe manuṣa ūrdhvasāna ā sāviṣad arśasānāya śarum |
sa nṛtamo nahuṣo 'smat sujātaḥ puro 'bhinad arhan dasyuhatye || 7 ||
so abhriyo na yavasa udanyan kṣayāya gātuṁ vidan no asme |
upa yat sīdad induṁ śarīraiḥ śyeno 'yopāṣṭir hanti dasyūn || 8 ||
sa vrādhataḥ śavasānebhir asya kutsāya śuṣṇaṁ kṛpaṇe parādāt |
ayaṁ kavim anayac chasyamānam atkaṁ yo asya sanitota nṛṇām || 9 ||
ayaṁ daśasyan naryebhir asya dasmo devebhir varuṇo na māyī |
ayaṁ kanīna ṛtupā avedy amimītāraruṁ yaś catuṣpāt || 10 ||
asya stomebhir auśija ṛjiśvā vrajaṁ darayad vṛṣabheṇa piproḥ |
sutvā yad yajato dīdayad gīḥ pura iyāno abhi varpasā bhūt || 11 ||
evā maho asura vakṣathāya vamrakaḥ paḍbhir upa sarpad indram |
sa iyānaḥ karati svastim asmā iṣam ūrjaṁ sukṣitiṁ viśvam ābhāḥ || 12 ||
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).