Hymn to Indra, with a Gift-Praise for Bribu
Rigveda VI.45 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 6 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. Most of the hymn calls on Indra as friend, charioteer, and winner of contested wealth; the final three verses turn to praise a generous human patron, Bribu, chief of the Paṇis.
1. He who by good guidance brought Turvaśa and Yadu from afar — that Indra is our young friend.
2. Indra gives strength even to one who has no singer, wins even with a horse that is not swift — he is the winner of the wealth at stake.
3. Great are his guidances, many his renowns; his acts of help do not fail.
4. Friends, chant and sing forth to him who is drawn by the sacred word — for he is our great forethought.
5. You, slayer of Vṛtra, are the helper of one, and of two, and so too of such as we are.
6. You lead us past our haters, you make us singers of the hymn; you are called, lord of good heroes, by your own men.
7. I call on him, the formulator drawn by prayer, the praiseworthy friend, with songs — as one calls a cow to be milked.
8. He in whose two hands all treasures are said to rest secure — the hero who overcomes armies.
9. Tear apart even the firm strongholds of the peoples, wielder of the stone, lord of power; unbending one, tear apart their wiles.
10. True Soma-drinker, Indra, lord of prizes — we have called on you, desiring fame.
11. You who were called before, or who now, when the prize is at stake, are to be called — hear our call.
12. With our thoughts swift as racehorses we seek famous prizes, Indra; with you may we win the wealth at stake.
13. You have become great, hero fond of song, Indra, when the prize is at stake — one to be relied on in the fight.
14. Whatever help of yours, slayer of enemies, is swiftest of all — send our chariot on with that speed.
15. Be, with our chariot that presses onward, the best of charioteers — win, victorious one, the wealth at stake.
16. Praise him alone who is such — who was born lord of the peoples, far-seeing, of bull-like power.
17. You who have been kinsman and kindly friend in help to those who praise you — be gracious to us, Indra.
18. Grasp the bolt in your two hands, wielder of the bolt, for the slaying of demons; may you overcome the rivals.
19. I call on him, the ancient ally in wealth, the friend, the mover of the poor singer, the one most drawn by prayer.
20. He alone rules over all earthly treasures — most fond of song, unchecked in his course.
21. Fill our desire boldly, lord of cattle, with your yoked steeds, with prizes rich in horses and cows.
22. Sing that song of yours, together with the pressed Soma, to the much-invoked warrior — the song that is welcome, as to a mighty bull.
23. Surely the good one does not withhold the gift of a cattle-rich prize, once he hears the songs directed to him.
24. May the slayer of the Dasyus go forth to the cattle-pen full of cows; by his powers may he ward danger from us.
25. These songs have cried out to you again and again, you of a hundred powers, Indra — as mothers call to a calf.
26. Hard to win is friendship with you. You are a cow to the one who wants cattle, hero — be a horse to the one who wants horses.
27. Rejoice in the draught, with your whole body, for great bounty; you will not hand your praiser over to scorn.
28. These songs, lover of song, come to you at every pressing of Soma — as milch-cows come to a calf.
29. [We praise] the foremost of many praisers in the contest, foremost among those who vie for prizes with their offerings.
30. Let our hymn of praise be, Indra, the one that carries furthest and comes nearest to you; send us on toward great wealth.
31. Bribu has taken his stand above, at the very peak of the Paṇis — vast, like the far bank of the Ganges.
32. His auspicious, thousandfold gift runs like the wind — he is quick to give at once.
33. That indeed all our poets always proclaim rightly: Bribu, greatest giver of thousands, the patron, greatest winner of thousands.
Translator's note: Verse 22's "gave na śākine" (literally "as to a powerful cow/bull") and verse 29's compressed syntax are terse in the Sanskrit; the English above renders their sense conservatively rather than filling in the missing verb forms. "Bribu" (bṛbu) in verses 31–33 is a named chief among the Paṇis praised here for his generosity — a dānastuti, or gift-praise, appended to the hymn to Indra.
Colophon
Rigveda VI.45 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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda VI.45
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.
ya ānayat parāvataḥ sunītī turvaśaṁ yadum |
indraḥ sa no yuvā sakhā || 1 ||
avipre cid vayo dadhad anāśunā cid arvatā |
indro jetā hitaṁ dhanam || 2 ||
mahīr asya praṇītayaḥ pūrvīr uta praśastayaḥ |
nāsya kṣīyanta ūtayaḥ || 3 ||
sakhāyo brahmavāhase 'rcata pra ca gāyata |
sa hi naḥ pramatir mahī || 4 ||
tvam ekasya vṛtrahann avitā dvayor asi |
utedṛśe yathā vayam || 5 ||
nayasīd v ati dviṣaḥ kṛṇoṣy ukthaśaṁsinaḥ |
nṛbhiḥ suvīra ucyase || 6 ||
brahmāṇam brahmavāhasaṁ gīrbhiḥ sakhāyam ṛgmiyam |
gāṁ na dohase huve || 7 ||
yasya viśvāni hastayor ūcur vasūni ni dvitā |
vīrasya pṛtanāṣahaḥ || 8 ||
vi dṛḻhāni cid adrivo janānāṁ śacīpate |
vṛha māyā anānata || 9 ||
tam u tvā satya somapā indra vājānām pate |
ahūmahi śravasyavaḥ || 10 ||
tam u tvā yaḥ purāsitha yo vā nūnaṁ hite dhane |
havyaḥ sa śrudhī havam || 11 ||
dhībhir arvadbhir arvato vājām̐ indra śravāyyān |
tvayā jeṣma hitaṁ dhanam || 12 ||
abhūr u vīra girvaṇo mahām̐ indra dhane hite |
bhare vitantasāyyaḥ || 13 ||
yā ta ūtir amitrahan makṣūjavastamāsati |
tayā no hinuhī ratham || 14 ||
sa rathena rathītamo 'smākenābhiyugvanā |
jeṣi jiṣṇo hitaṁ dhanam || 15 ||
ya eka it tam u ṣṭuhi kṛṣṭīnāṁ vicarṣaṇiḥ |
patir jajñe vṛṣakratuḥ || 16 ||
yo gṛṇatām id āsithāpir ūtī śivaḥ sakhā |
sa tvaṁ na indra mṛḻaya || 17 ||
dhiṣva vajraṁ gabhastyo rakṣohatyāya vajrivaḥ |
sāsahīṣṭhā abhi spṛdhaḥ || 18 ||
pratnaṁ rayīṇāṁ yujaṁ sakhāyaṁ kīricodanam |
brahmavāhastamaṁ huve || 19 ||
sa hi viśvāni pārthivām̐ eko vasūni patyate |
girvaṇastamo adhriguḥ || 20 ||
sa no niyudbhir ā pṛṇa kāmaṁ vājebhir aśvibhiḥ |
gomadbhir gopate dhṛṣat || 21 ||
tad vo gāya sute sacā puruhūtāya satvane |
śaṁ yad gave na śākine || 22 ||
na ghā vasur ni yamate dānaṁ vājasya gomataḥ |
yat sīm upa śravad giraḥ || 23 ||
kuvitsasya pra hi vrajaṁ gomantaṁ dasyuhā gamat |
śacībhir apa no varat || 24 ||
imā u tvā śatakrato 'bhi pra ṇonuvur giraḥ |
indra vatsaṁ na mātaraḥ || 25 ||
dūṇāśaṁ sakhyaṁ tava gaur asi vīra gavyate |
aśvo aśvāyate bhava || 26 ||
sa mandasvā hy andhaso rādhase tanvā mahe |
na stotāraṁ nide karaḥ || 27 ||
imā u tvā sute-sute nakṣante girvaṇo giraḥ |
vatsaṁ gāvo na dhenavaḥ || 28 ||
purūtamam purūṇāṁ stotṝṇāṁ vivāci |
vājebhir vājayatām || 29 ||
asmākam indra bhūtu te stomo vāhiṣṭho antamaḥ |
asmān rāye mahe hinu || 30 ||
adhi bṛbuḥ paṇīnāṁ varṣiṣṭhe mūrdhann asthāt |
uruḥ kakṣo na gāṅgyaḥ || 31 ||
yasya vāyor iva dravad bhadrā rātiḥ sahasriṇī |
sadyo dānāya maṁhate || 32 ||
tat su no viśve arya ā sadā gṛṇanti kāravaḥ |
bṛbuṁ sahasradātamaṁ sūriṁ sahasrasātamam || 33 ||
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).