Hymn to Indra
Rigveda IV.25 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 4 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. Who today, a hero eager for the gods, gladly enjoys Indra's friendship? Or who, for great saving help that carries him through, prays with pressed soma when the fire is kindled?
2. Who bows down in speech to the one worthy of soma? Who becomes devoted in mind at the break of the shining dawns? Who wants Indra's partnership, who his friendship, who wants brotherhood with him — who wants his help for the sage?
3. Who today chooses the gods' favor? Who prays to the Ādityas, to Aditi, to the light? For whose pressed soma-stalk do the Aśvins, Indra, and Agni drink together, with one unwavering mind?
4. To him may Agni Bhārata grant shelter; long may he see the sun rise — the one who says, "let us press soma for Indra," for that man, the manly one, most manly among men.
5. Neither many nor few can overcome him; wide shelter may Aditi grant to him. Dear is the doer of good deeds, dear to Indra is the one devoted in mind, dear the one who gives good help, dear is his soma-presser.
6. This hero is easy to help and swift; Indra alone grants the cooked offering to the presser of soma. He is no kinsman, no friend, no relative to the one who presses no soma — hard to help, he strikes down the one who offers no prayer.
7. Indra, drinker of the pressed soma, forms no friendship with the rich niggard who presses no soma. He wrings away his wealth, strikes down the destitute one; he belongs wholly to the presser's cooked dish.
8. Indra — the far ones, the near ones, the ones in between call on him. Indra — those setting out call, Indra — those at rest call. Indra — those dwelling at home and those in battle call. Indra — men racing for the prize call on him.
Translator's note: verse 2's "vasta usrāḥ" (literally "clothing/clothed at the dawns") and verse 6's "prāśuṣāḻ" are obscure compounds; they are rendered conservatively above rather than guessed at with confidence. "Avivenam" in verse 3 (from √vy, "to waver/divide") is rendered "unwavering."
Colophon
Rigveda IV.25 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 IV.25
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.
ko adya naryo devakāma uśann indrasya sakhyaṁ jujoṣa |
ko vā mahe 'vase pāryāya samiddhe agnau sutasoma īṭṭe || 1 ||
ko nānāma vacasā somyāya manāyur vā bhavati vasta usrāḥ |
ka indrasya yujyaṁ kaḥ sakhitvaṁ ko bhrātraṁ vaṣṭi kavaye ka ūtī || 2 ||
ko devānām avo adyā vṛṇīte ka ādityām̐ aditiṁ jyotir īṭṭe |
kasyāśvināv indro agniḥ sutasyāṁśoḥ pibanti manasāvivenam || 3 ||
tasmā agnir bhārataḥ śarma yaṁsaj jyok paśyāt sūryam uccarantam |
ya indrāya sunavāmety āha nare naryāya nṛtamāya nṛṇām || 4 ||
na taṁ jinanti bahavo na dabhrā urv asmā aditiḥ śarma yaṁsat |
priyaḥ sukṛt priya indre manāyuḥ priyaḥ suprāvīḥ priyo asya somī || 5 ||
suprāvyaḥ prāśuṣāḻ eṣa vīraḥ suṣveḥ paktiṁ kṛṇute kevalendraḥ |
nāsuṣver āpir na sakhā na jāmir duṣprāvyo 'vahanted avācaḥ || 6 ||
na revatā paṇinā sakhyam indro 'sunvatā sutapāḥ saṁ gṛṇīte |
āsya vedaḥ khidati hanti nagnaṁ vi suṣvaye paktaye kevalo bhūt || 7 ||
indram pare 'vare madhyamāsa indraṁ yānto 'vasitāsa indram |
indraṁ kṣiyanta uta yudhyamānā indraṁ naro vājayanto havante || 8 ||
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).