Hymn to Indra
Rigveda V.37 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 5 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. He, kindled, ghee-backed, gliding well, keeps pace with the rays of the sun. For him — the one who says, "let us press soma for Indra" — let the unfailing dawns shine forth.
2. With fire kindled, the sacred grass strewn, the pressing-stones set, the soma pressed, he calls out and shall win. His pressing-stones speak eagerly; the adhvaryu priest goes with the offering down to the river.
3. This bride goes forth seeking a husband — one who will take her as his vigorous chief wife. Eager for fame, his chariot resounds, and he wins around him many thousands.
4. That king does not falter, in whose hall Indra drinks the sharp soma mixed with milk. He drives forth with his warriors, slays the foe, dwells secure over his settlements — fortunate, his name flourishing.
5. May he prosper in peace and prevail in strife; he conquers both engaged armies together. He becomes dear to Sūrya, dear to Agni — he who presses soma and gives it to Indra.
Translator's note: Verse 3's "bride seeking a husband" is figurative — likely the pressed soma or the hymn of praise personified as approaching Indra — a common Rigvedic image; the Sanskrit gives no explicit referent, so the image is left as it stands. In verse 2, "ayat" (from i-, "to go/drive") is rendered as the priest "going" to the river, the plainest reading of a terse line.
Colophon
Rigveda V.37 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 V.37
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.
sam bhānunā yatate sūryasyājuhvāno ghṛtapṛṣṭhaḥ svañcāḥ |
tasmā amṛdhrā uṣaso vy ucchān ya indrāya sunavāmety āha || 1 ||
samiddhāgnir vanavat stīrṇabarhir yuktagrāvā sutasomo jarāte |
grāvāṇo yasyeṣiraṁ vadanty ayad adhvaryur haviṣāva sindhum || 2 ||
vadhūr iyam patim icchanty eti ya īṁ vahāte mahiṣīm iṣirām |
āsya śravasyād ratha ā ca ghoṣāt purū sahasrā pari vartayāte || 3 ||
na sa rājā vyathate yasminn indras tīvraṁ somam pibati gosakhāyam |
ā satvanair ajati hanti vṛtraṁ kṣeti kṣitīḥ subhago nāma puṣyan || 4 ||
puṣyāt kṣeme abhi yoge bhavāty ubhe vṛtau saṁyatī saṁ jayāti |
priyaḥ sūrye priyo agnā bhavāti ya indrāya sutasomo dadāśat || 5 ||
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).