Hymn to Indra
Rigveda II.19 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. This juice of the wise has been drunk for exhilaration — this refreshment, pressed out — in which Indra, grown mighty since ancient days, has made his home, together with the men who pray.
2. Exhilarated by this sweetness, mace in hand, Indra hewed apart the serpent who had dammed the flood. Then, as birds fly forth to their resting-places, the streams of the rivers surged out.
3. That mighty Indra sent the flood of waters, freed from the serpent, on toward the sea. He brought forth the sun, he found the cows, and with the night he set in order the markers of the days.
4. He gives Manu many things unmatched; Indra the giver gives to the one who offers, and slays Vṛtra — he who at once became a refuge for the men who strove against one another for the winning of the sun.
5. Indra the god, being praised, releases the sun for the mortal who presses the soma. As he brings him wealth free of reproach, he grants him a share, generous like Etaśa.
6. He at once delivered Śuṣṇa the unyielding and Kuyava to his charioteer for Kutsa's sake; and for Divodāsa, Indra broke open ninety-nine strongholds of Śambara.
7. So, Indra, we have driven forth this hymn of praise, ourselves striving for glory as if by our own strength, seeking the prize. Eager, may we win that reward; may we turn aside the weapon of the godless reviler.
8. So, hero, the Gṛtsamadas, seeking your help, have shaped this hymn according to the [ritual] ordinances. Praying to you anew, Indra, may they obtain nourishment, strength, a good dwelling, and your favor.
9. Now, Indra, may that bounteous gift of yours yield its reward to the singer as he wishes. Grant favor to your praisers; let not our fortune fail us. May we, rich in strong sons, speak boldly in the assembly.
Translator's note: line 4's "atasāyyo" (rendered "a refuge") and line 7's "sāptam" (rendered "reward") are obscure formations without settled sense; both are translated conservatively from context rather than from a fixed lexical equivalent.
Colophon
Rigveda II.19 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 II.19
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.
apāyy asyāndhaso madāya manīṣiṇaḥ suvānasya prayasaḥ |
yasminn indraḥ pradivi vāvṛdhāna oko dadhe brahmaṇyantaś ca naraḥ || 1 ||
asya mandāno madhvo vajrahasto 'him indro arṇovṛtaṁ vi vṛścat |
pra yad vayo na svasarāṇy acchā prayāṁsi ca nadīnāṁ cakramanta || 2 ||
sa māhina indro arṇo apām prairayad ahihācchā samudram |
ajanayat sūryaṁ vidad gā aktunāhnāṁ vayunāni sādhat || 3 ||
so apratīni manave purūṇīndro dāśad dāśuṣe hanti vṛtram |
sadyo yo nṛbhyo atasāyyo bhūt paspṛdhānebhyaḥ sūryasya sātau || 4 ||
sa sunvata indraḥ sūryam ā devo riṇaṅ martyāya stavān |
ā yad rayiṁ guhadavadyam asmai bharad aṁśaṁ naitaśo daśasyan || 5 ||
sa randhayat sadivaḥ sārathaye śuṣṇam aśuṣaṁ kuyavaṁ kutsāya |
divodāsāya navatiṁ ca navendraḥ puro vy airac chambarasya || 6 ||
evā ta indrocatham ahema śravasyā na tmanā vājayantaḥ |
aśyāma tat sāptam āśuṣāṇā nanamo vadhar adevasya pīyoḥ || 7 ||
evā te gṛtsamadāḥ śūra manmāvasyavo na vayunāni takṣuḥ |
brahmaṇyanta indra te navīya iṣam ūrjaṁ sukṣitiṁ sumnam aśyuḥ || 8 ||
nūnaṁ sā te prati varaṁ jaritre duhīyad indra dakṣiṇā maghonī |
śikṣā stotṛbhyo māti dhag bhago no bṛhad vadema vidathe suvīrāḥ || 9 ||
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).