Hymn to Indra
Rigveda III.51 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 3 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 lofty songs have resounded to Indra, sustainer of the peoples, the bounteous one worthy of praise — to him who grows strong, much-invoked, with well-woven hymns, the immortal one who is praised day after day.
2. My songs go out from every side to Indra, the hundredfold-mighty, surging, capable hero — to the winner of the prize, the breaker of strongholds, swift, quick to cross, who abides by his own order, ever-present companion, finder of the light.
3. At the mine of wealth the singer wins praise; with faultless eulogies Indra attends to him. He has indeed rejoiced in the seat of Vivasvat — praise him, the ever-victorious, the slayer of hostile plots.
4. Sing eagerly to you, most manly of men, the hero, with songs and hymns. He of many powers stirs himself toward conquest — homage to him who alone has ruled since ancient days.
5. Many are his gifts bestowed among mortals; the earth bears many treasures. Heaven, plants, and waters belong to Indra; the flourishing woods guard his wealth.
6. For you, Indra, the sacred formulas; for you always the songs are offered — lord of bay steeds, take pleasure in them. Be mindful, as a friend, of fresh help; O friend, O good one, grant vigor to the singers.
7. Indra, with the Maruts, drink the soma here, as you drank the pressed soma for Śāryāta. Under your guidance, hero, in your shelter, the poets who sacrifice well seek to win you.
8. Eagerly desiring it, drink our pressed soma here, Indra, together with the Maruts as your friends — for when you were born, all the gods attended you, much-invoked one, for the great battle.
9. In the crossing of the waters, this kinship, the Maruts — the givers of good gifts — rejoiced, following Indra. Together with them let the devourer of Vṛtra drink the pressed soma of the worshiper, in his own gathering place.
10. This has indeed been pressed to match your might, O lord of bounties — drink then of it, O lover of song.
11. Whatever suits your own nature, bend your body down to the pressed soma — let that soma-drink delight you.
12. Let it reach through your two flanks; let the sacred formula reach your head, Indra; let your two arms reach forth, hero, for generosity.
Translator's note: verse 3's "seat of Vivasvat" (vivasvataḥ sadane) is a difficult ritual-mythic reference rendered conservatively and literally. Verse 6's vasu ("good one" or possibly "dweller") and verse 9's aptūrye ("in the crossing of the waters," an obscure ritual or mythic phrase) are likewise kept close to the Sanskrit rather than resolved into a confident gloss.
Colophon
Rigveda III.51 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 III.51
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.
carṣaṇīdhṛtam maghavānam ukthya1m indraṁ giro bṛhatīr abhy anūṣata |
vāvṛdhānam puruhūtaṁ suvṛktibhir amartyaṁ jaramāṇaṁ dive-dive || 1 ||
śatakratum arṇavaṁ śākinaṁ naraṁ giro ma indram upa yanti viśvataḥ |
vājasanim pūrbhidaṁ tūrṇim apturaṁ dhāmasācam abhiṣācaṁ svarvidam || 2 ||
ākare vasor jaritā panasyate 'nehasaḥ stubha indro duvasyati |
vivasvataḥ sadana ā hi pipriye satrāsāham abhimātihanaṁ stuhi || 3 ||
nṛṇām u tvā nṛtamaṁ gīrbhir ukthair abhi pra vīram arcatā sabādhaḥ |
saṁ sahase purumāyo jihīte namo asya pradiva eka īśe || 4 ||
pūrvīr asya niṣṣidho martyeṣu purū vasūni pṛthivī bibharti |
indrāya dyāva oṣadhīr utāpo rayiṁ rakṣanti jīrayo vanāni || 5 ||
tubhyam brahmāṇi gira indra tubhyaṁ satrā dadhire harivo juṣasva |
bodhy ā3pir avaso nūtanasya sakhe vaso jaritṛbhyo vayo dhāḥ || 6 ||
indra marutva iha pāhi somaṁ yathā śāryāte apibaḥ sutasya |
tava praṇītī tava śūra śarmann ā vivāsanti kavayaḥ suyajñāḥ || 7 ||
sa vāvaśāna iha pāhi somam marudbhir indra sakhibhiḥ sutaṁ naḥ |
jātaṁ yat tvā pari devā abhūṣan mahe bharāya puruhūta viśve || 8 ||
aptūrye maruta āpir eṣo 'mandann indram anu dātivārāḥ |
tebhiḥ sākam pibatu vṛtrakhādaḥ sutaṁ somaṁ dāśuṣaḥ sve sadhasthe || 9 ||
idaṁ hy anv ojasā sutaṁ rādhānām pate |
pibā tv a1sya girvaṇaḥ || 10 ||
yas te anu svadhām asat sute ni yaccha tanvam |
sa tvā mamattu somyam || 11 ||
pra te aśnotu kukṣyoḥ prendra brahmaṇā śiraḥ |
pra bāhū śūra rādhase || 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).