Hymn to Indra, Bṛhaspati, and Sarasvatī
Rigveda II.30 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. For the god who makes the cosmic order, for Savitar, for Indra the serpent-slayer, the waters do not rest. Night follows day, day after day — how far back was the first outpouring of these waters?
2. The one who would have carried tribute here to Vritra — the mother declared him to the one who knows. Carving their paths to his liking, day after day the rushing waters go to their goal.
3. He stood upright in the mid-air; then he raised his weapon against Vritra. Wrapping himself in mist, he rushed upon him — sharp-weaponed Indra conquered the enemy.
4. O Bṛhaspati, pierce with your burning stone the warriors of the wolfish demon. As you have boldly struck them down before, so now, Indra, strike down our enemy.
5. Hurl the stone down from heaven, from on high, the one with which, exhilarated, you have burned up the enemy. In the winning of offspring, of abundant progeny, make us, Indra, sharers in cattle.
6. Indeed you two further the purpose that you favor; you two are the ones who spur on the humble sacrificer. O Indra and Soma, help us — in this fearful place, make room for us.
7. Let me not grow faint, nor weary, nor slack; let us not say, "do not press the soma." I speak of whoever satisfies me, whoever gives, whoever takes heed, whoever comes to me as I press the soma, bringing cattle.
8. Sarasvatī, help us; bold one, accompanied by the Maruts, conquer our enemies. That defiant one, exerting all his strength — Indra strikes him down, the bull of the Śaṇḍikas.
9. Whoever means to strike us, whether from hiding or in the open — once you have spied him out, pierce him with your sharp weapon. O Bṛhaspati, conquer the enemies with your weapons; O king, hand over the one bent on harm to ruin.
10. With our own warriors, O hero, with the brave, perform the heroic deeds that are yours to do. Long have they gone unrouted — having slain them, bring us their wealth.
11. Seeking your favor, I address that Marut host of yours, the divine folk, with a hymn, with homage — so that day after day we may attain wealth rich in sons, joined with offspring, and renowned.
Translator's note: verse 2 turns on obscure ritual/mythic vocabulary (sinam, "tribute" or "plunder"; janitrī, "the mother") whose precise narrative referent is not fully recoverable from the verse alone; rendered conservatively, following the words as they stand. Verse 4's "vṛkadvaraso" (here "wolfish") and verse 8's "śaṇḍikānām" ("of the Śaṇḍikas") are proper or quasi-proper names/epithets of obscure demonic groups, kept close to the Sanskrit rather than resolved further.
Colophon
Rigveda II.30 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.30
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.
ṛtaṁ devāya kṛṇvate savitra indrāyāhighne na ramanta āpaḥ |
ahar-ahar yāty aktur apāṁ kiyāty ā prathamaḥ sarga āsām || 1 ||
yo vṛtrāya sinam atrābhariṣyat pra taṁ janitrī viduṣa uvāca |
patho radantīr anu joṣam asmai dive-dive dhunayo yanty artham || 2 ||
ūrdhvo hy asthād adhy antarikṣe 'dhā vṛtrāya pra vadhaṁ jabhāra |
mihaṁ vasāna upa hīm adudrot tigmāyudho ajayac chatrum indraḥ || 3 ||
bṛhaspate tapuṣāśneva vidhya vṛkadvaraso asurasya vīrān |
yathā jaghantha dhṛṣatā purā cid evā jahi śatrum asmākam indra || 4 ||
ava kṣipa divo aśmānam uccā yena śatrum mandasāno nijūrvāḥ |
tokasya sātau tanayasya bhūrer asmām̐ ardhaṁ kṛṇutād indra gonām || 5 ||
pra hi kratuṁ vṛhatho yaṁ vanutho radhrasya stho yajamānasya codau |
indrāsomā yuvam asmām̐ aviṣṭam asmin bhayasthe kṛṇutam u lokam || 6 ||
na mā taman na śraman nota tandran na vocāma mā sunoteti somam |
yo me pṛṇād yo dadad yo nibodhād yo mā sunvantam upa gobhir āyat || 7 ||
sarasvati tvam asmām̐ aviḍḍhi marutvatī dhṛṣatī jeṣi śatrūn |
tyaṁ cic chardhantaṁ taviṣīyamāṇam indro hanti vṛṣabhaṁ śaṇḍikānām || 8 ||
yo naḥ sanutya uta vā jighatnur abhikhyāya taṁ tigitena vidhya |
bṛhaspata āyudhair jeṣi śatrūn druhe rīṣantam pari dhehi rājan || 9 ||
asmākebhiḥ satvabhiḥ śūra śūrair vīryā kṛdhi yāni te kartvāni |
jyog abhūvann anudhūpitāso hatvī teṣām ā bharā no vasūni || 10 ||
taṁ vaḥ śardham mārutaṁ sumnayur giropa bruve namasā daivyaṁ janam |
yathā rayiṁ sarvavīraṁ naśāmahā apatyasācaṁ śrutyaṁ dive-dive || 11 ||
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).