Hymn to Indra
Rigveda II.14 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 2 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. Adhvaryus, bring soma to Indra — pour the intoxicating juice with your cups. The hero always wants to drink it; offer it to the mighty bull, for that is exactly what he desires.
2. Adhvaryus, bring soma to him who slew Vṛtra, the one who had enveloped the waters, striking him down as a thunderbolt fells a tree. Bring it to him for that very purpose — this Indra deserves to drink it.
3. Adhvaryus, bring soma to him who slew Dṛbhīka, who drove the cows out, who broke open Vala for your sake. Wrap Indra in soma-draughts as the wind wraps the open air, as one clothes a swift runner in garments.
4. Adhvaryus, bring soma to him who slew Uraṇa, who had ninety-nine arms, who pressed Arbuda down low — urge that Indra on toward the soma-pressing.
5. Adhvaryus, bring soma to him who slew Aśna outright, who slew unyielding Śuṣṇa, who slew Vyaṁsa, who slew Pipru, Namuci, and Rudhikrā — offer the plant-juice to that Indra.
6. Adhvaryus, bring soma to him who broke a hundred of Śambara's ancient fortresses as if with a stone, who, Indra, struck down a hundred and a thousand of Varcin's men — bring soma to him.
7. Adhvaryus, bring soma to him who, having slain them, laid low a hundred, even a thousand, in the lap of the earth, who laid bare the enemy's warriors for Kutsa, Āyu, and Atithigva — bring soma to him.
8. Adhvaryus, whatever you desire, O men — bringing it swiftly, you will attain it through Indra. Bring the hand-purified soma to famed Indra; offer the soma, you who sacrifice.
9. Adhvaryus, make ready for him without delay; draw up the soma purified in the wooden vat. Delighting in it, he has called out to you for the soma made ready by hand — offer the intoxicating soma to Indra.
10. Adhvaryus, as one fills a cow's udder with milk, so fill bountiful Indra with soma-draughts. I know this hidden thing of his: the worshipful one, wishing to give still more, has taken notice of it.
11. Adhvaryus, bring soma to him who is king of heavenly wealth and king of earthly, worldly wealth. Fill him with soma-draughts, Indra, as one fills a great vessel with barley — let that be your task.
12. Direct that bounty toward giving to us, O good one — abundant is your wealth. Indra, whatever splendid gift you grant from day to day for the sake of glory — may we, blessed with good sons, speak boldly of it in the assembly.
Translator's note: verse 3's "jūr na vastraiḥ" (like a swift one with garments) and verse 10's "vedāham asya nibhṛtam" clause are compressed and admit more than one construal; they are rendered here conservatively, staying close to the individual words rather than smoothing them into a single confident reading.
Colophon
Rigveda II.14 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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda II.14
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.
adhvaryavo bharatendrāya somam āmatrebhiḥ siñcatā madyam andhaḥ |
kāmī hi vīraḥ sadam asya pītiṁ juhota vṛṣṇe tad id eṣa vaṣṭi || 1 ||
adhvaryavo yo apo vavrivāṁsaṁ vṛtraṁ jaghānāśanyeva vṛkṣam |
tasmā etam bharata tadvaśāyam̐ eṣa indro arhati pītim asya || 2 ||
adhvaryavo yo dṛbhīkaṁ jaghāna yo gā udājad apa hi valaṁ vaḥ |
tasmā etam antarikṣe na vātam indraṁ somair orṇuta jūr na vastraiḥ || 3 ||
adhvaryavo ya uraṇaṁ jaghāna nava cakhvāṁsaṁ navatiṁ ca bāhūn |
yo arbudam ava nīcā babādhe tam indraṁ somasya bhṛthe hinota || 4 ||
adhvaryavo yaḥ sv aśnaṁ jaghāna yaḥ śuṣṇam aśuṣaṁ yo vyaṁsam |
yaḥ pipruṁ namuciṁ yo rudhikrāṁ tasmā indrāyāndhaso juhota || 5 ||
adhvaryavo yaḥ śataṁ śambarasya puro bibhedāśmaneva pūrvīḥ |
yo varcinaḥ śatam indraḥ sahasram apāvapad bharatā somam asmai || 6 ||
adhvaryavo yaḥ śatam ā sahasram bhūmyā upasthe 'vapaj jaghanvān |
kutsasyāyor atithigvasya vīrān ny āvṛṇag bharatā somam asmai || 7 ||
adhvaryavo yan naraḥ kāmayādhve śruṣṭī vahanto naśathā tad indre |
gabhastipūtam bharata śrutāyendrāya somaṁ yajyavo juhota || 8 ||
adhvaryavaḥ kartanā śruṣṭim asmai vane nipūtaṁ vana un nayadhvam |
juṣāṇo hastyam abhi vāvaśe va indrāya somam madiraṁ juhota || 9 ||
adhvaryavaḥ payasodhar yathā goḥ somebhir īm pṛṇatā bhojam indram |
vedāham asya nibhṛtam ma etad ditsantam bhūyo yajataś ciketa || 10 ||
adhvaryavo yo divyasya vasvo yaḥ pārthivasya kṣamyasya rājā |
tam ūrdaraṁ na pṛṇatā yavenendraṁ somebhis tad apo vo astu || 11 ||
asmabhyaṁ tad vaso dānāya rādhaḥ sam arthayasva bahu te vasavyam |
indra yac citraṁ śravasyā anu dyūn bṛhad vadema vidathe suvīrāḥ || 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).