Hymn to Indra
Rigveda II.22 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. The mighty one, most powerful, drank the soma mixed with barley at the Trikadru rites, to his fill — the pressed drink, together with Viṣṇu, as much as he wished. He grew exhilarated, ready to perform his great deed, wide and mighty; the true drop attends him, the true god — the true Indra, the true drop.
2. Then, blazing with fury and strength, he went into battle against Kṛvi; he filled the two worlds, he grew great through his own might. He took another into his belly, he surpassed all others; the true drop attends him, the true god — the true Indra, the true drop.
3. Born together with resolve, you grew together with strength; grown together with your heroic deeds, conquering your foes, ever active — giver of bounty, of the wealth desired by the one who praises you; the true drop attends him, the true god — the true Indra, the true drop.
4. That manly deed of yours, O dancer, Indra — the first, the ancient deed, done to be proclaimed in heaven: when by the god's own might you sent it forth, releasing the waters, setting life free. You prevailed over the whole godless host by your strength; may he win nourishment, may the god of a hundred powers win sustenance.
Translator's note: the refrain closing verses 1–3 ("sainaṁ saścad devo devaṁ satyam indraṁ satya induḥ") is syntactically compressed and admits more than one construal; it is rendered here as praise of Indra as the "true god" attended by the "true drop" (soma personified). "Kṛvi" in verse 2 is a proper name (an enemy or rival people) left untranslated, as its referent is uncertain. Verse 4 alludes to the Vṛtra myth of releasing the pent waters, without naming Vṛtra directly.
Colophon
Rigveda II.22 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.22
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.
trikadrukeṣu mahiṣo yavāśiraṁ tuviśuṣmas tṛpat somam apibad viṣṇunā sutaṁ yathāvaśat |
sa īm mamāda mahi karma kartave mahām uruṁ sainaṁ saścad devo devaṁ satyam indraṁ satya induḥ || 1 ||
adha tviṣīmām̐ abhy ojasā kriviṁ yudhābhavad ā rodasī apṛṇad asya majmanā pra vāvṛdhe |
adhattānyaṁ jaṭhare prem aricyata sainaṁ saścad devo devaṁ satyam indraṁ satya induḥ || 2 ||
sākaṁ jātaḥ kratunā sākam ojasā vavakṣitha sākaṁ vṛddho vīryaiḥ sāsahir mṛdho vicarṣaṇiḥ |
dātā rādhaḥ stuvate kāmyaṁ vasu sainaṁ saścad devo devaṁ satyam indraṁ satya induḥ || 3 ||
tava tyan naryaṁ nṛto 'pa indra prathamam pūrvyaṁ divi pravācyaṁ kṛtam |
yad devasya śavasā prāriṇā asuṁ riṇann apaḥ |
bhuvad viśvam abhy ādevam ojasā vidād ūrjaṁ śatakratur vidād iṣam || 4 ||
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).