Hymn to Indra
Rigveda II.20 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. We are your kin, Indra — know us well. We bring forth this hymn as one eager for the prize brings forth his chariot, eager to praise, shaping it with our minds, seeking your favor as men devoted to one such as you.
2. You, Indra, with your very own help, are the overpowering protector of the people devoted to you. You are the mighty protector of the pious worshiper, of whoever comes to you.
3. May that young Indra, so often invoked, a kindly friend, be the protector of our people — who with his help guides forward the one who praises, the one who labors, the one who cooks the offering, and the one who sings.
4. I praise that Indra, I extol him — in whom men of old grew strong and prevailed. May he, when called upon, fulfill the desire for wealth of the devout worshiper, of living man today.
5. He, delighting in the hymns of the Aṅgirases, Indra the mighty one, drove them on, opening a path; stealing the dawns, praised together with Sūrya, he shattered the ancient works of Aśna.
6. He indeed, Indra by name, the renowned god, rose up exalted for mankind, most wondrous of all. Self-powerful, having overcome him, he struck down and carried off the head of the dear Arśasāna, the Dāsa.
7. He, Indra the slayer of Vṛtra, the breaker of strongholds, drove out and scattered the dark-wombed Dāsī hordes. He brought forth the earth and the waters for Manu; he ever furthered the praise-hymn of the one who sacrifices.
8. To him, the mighty Indra, a share was continually given by the gods in the winning of the flood. When they placed the thunderbolt in his two arms, he slew the Dasyus and brought down their iron strongholds.
9. Now, Indra, may that bounteous reward of yours yield its favor in return to your singer. Give freely to your praisers; let our fortune not fail. May we speak with strength in the assembly, blessed with good heroes.
Translator's note: Aśna (verse 5) and Arśasāna (verse 6) are proper names — apparently defeated adversaries or demons in Indra's mythology — rendered here as names rather than translated, since their meaning is not recoverable with confidence. "Dāsī" and "Dāsa" (verses 6–7) name the mythic adversary peoples of the Vedic hymns and are kept untranslated.
Colophon
Rigveda II.20 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.20
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.
vayaṁ te vaya indra viddhi ṣu ṇaḥ pra bharāmahe vājayur na ratham |
vipanyavo dīdhyato manīṣā sumnam iyakṣantas tvāvato nṝn || 1 ||
tvaṁ na indra tvābhir ūtī tvāyato abhiṣṭipāsi janān |
tvam ino dāśuṣo varūtetthādhīr abhi yo nakṣati tvā || 2 ||
sa no yuvendro johūtraḥ sakhā śivo narām astu pātā |
yaḥ śaṁsantaṁ yaḥ śaśamānam ūtī pacantaṁ ca stuvantaṁ ca praṇeṣat || 3 ||
tam u stuṣa indraṁ taṁ gṛṇīṣe yasmin purā vāvṛdhuḥ śāśaduś ca |
sa vasvaḥ kāmam pīparad iyāno brahmaṇyato nūtanasyāyoḥ || 4 ||
so aṅgirasām ucathā jujuṣvān brahmā tūtod indro gātum iṣṇan |
muṣṇann uṣasaḥ sūryeṇa stavān aśnasya cic chiśnathat pūrvyāṇi || 5 ||
sa ha śruta indro nāma deva ūrdhvo bhuvan manuṣe dasmatamaḥ |
ava priyam arśasānasya sāhvāñ chiro bharad dāsasya svadhāvān || 6 ||
sa vṛtrahendraḥ kṛṣṇayonīḥ puraṁdaro dāsīr airayad vi |
ajanayan manave kṣām apaś ca satrā śaṁsaṁ yajamānasya tūtot || 7 ||
tasmai tavasya1m anu dāyi satrendrāya devebhir arṇasātau |
prati yad asya vajram bāhvor dhur hatvī dasyūn pura āyasīr ni tārīt || 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).