Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VI.46 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.
1. You indeed we call — the singers, at the winning of the prize; you, Indra, true lord, the men call in battles; you the coursers call in the race.
2. You, O brilliant thunderbolt-handed one, praised boldly as mighty, O wielder of the stone — pour out for us cattle, horses, chariot-teams, Indra, all together, as spoil for the winner.
3. Him we call, Indra, all-conquering, far-seeing. O most virile, O very mighty one, true lord, be our helper in the battles.
4. You overpower peoples like a bull, with fury, O impetuous, bountiful, most praised one. Be our protector in the great contest — in our bodies, in the waters, in the sun.
5. Indra, bring to us the highest, mightiest, most abundant glory — by which, O brilliant thunderbolt-handed, fair-helmeted one, you have filled both worlds.
6. You, fierce, overpowering the peoples, O king among the gods, we call upon for help. Make firm for us all that wavers, O good one; make our enemies easy to overcome.
7. Whatever power, Indra, is among the peoples of Nahusha, whatever manly strength is among the tribes, or whatever splendor belongs to the five peoples — bring us all these mighty deeds together.
8. Or whatever is in Tṛkṣi, O bounteous one, in the Druhyu people, whatever is in the Pūru, and whatever virile strength there is — grant all that to us, for overcoming enemies in the combats of men.
9. Indra, extend a threefold shelter, a triple-walled protection, bringing well-being, to the generous patrons and to me; ward off the weapon from them.
10. Those who, desiring cattle, have deceived the enemy and boldly strike him down — for them, O bounteous Indra, lover of praise, be the closest guardian of our bodies.
11. Then be, Indra, for our help; protect our leader in battle, when the feathered, sharp-pointed arrows fly through the sky.
12. Where the heroes extend their bodies in battle, the dear shelter of the fathers — there grant your protection to our person and to our offspring; drive away hostility that comes unseen.
13. When, Indra, in the racing of the steeds you urge them on in the great contest, on the uneven course, on the winding path — like falcons eager for glory.
14. Like rivers rushing down a slope with speed, when they go on, following the war-cry with a roar — like birds that circle round for prey — held fast by the arms, in the race for the cattle-prize.
Translator's note: a few phrases resist confident rendering and are given conservatively. "Sahasramuṣka" (v. 3) is literally "of a thousand testicles," an epithet of abundant virile power, rendered here as "most virile." "Vithurā pibdanā" (v. 6) is obscure; "make firm all that wavers" follows the general sense of steadying what is unsteady rather than a precise gloss. "Nāyam" (v. 11) is read as "leader" (a protected chieftain or captain) rather than a negation. Verse 14's chain of similes (rivers, a war-cry, circling birds, arms, cattle) is compressed and its exact connections are uncertain; the rendering keeps the images in their given order without resolving them into a single clear picture.
Colophon
Rigveda VI.46 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 VI.46
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.
tvām id dhi havāmahe sātā vājasya kāravaḥ |
tvāṁ vṛtreṣv indra satpatiṁ naras tvāṁ kāṣṭhāsv arvataḥ || 1 ||
sa tvaṁ naś citra vajrahasta dhṛṣṇuyā mahaḥ stavāno adrivaḥ |
gām aśvaṁ rathyam indra saṁ kira satrā vājaṁ na jigyuṣe || 2 ||
yaḥ satrāhā vicarṣaṇir indraṁ taṁ hūmahe vayam |
sahasramuṣka tuvinṛmṇa satpate bhavā samatsu no vṛdhe || 3 ||
bādhase janān vṛṣabheva manyunā ghṛṣau mīḻha ṛcīṣama |
asmākam bodhy avitā mahādhane tanūṣv apsu sūrye || 4 ||
indra jyeṣṭhaṁ na ā bharam̐ ojiṣṭham papuri śravaḥ |
yeneme citra vajrahasta rodasī obhe suśipra prāḥ || 5 ||
tvām ugram avase carṣaṇīsahaṁ rājan deveṣu hūmahe |
viśvā su no vithurā pibdanā vaso 'mitrān suṣahān kṛdhi || 6 ||
yad indra nāhuṣīṣv ām̐ ojo nṛmṇaṁ ca kṛṣṭiṣu |
yad vā pañca kṣitīnāṁ dyumnam ā bhara satrā viśvāni pauṁsyā || 7 ||
yad vā tṛkṣau maghavan druhyāv ā jane yat pūrau kac ca vṛṣṇyam |
asmabhyaṁ tad rirīhi saṁ nṛṣāhye 'mitrān pṛtsu turvaṇe || 8 ||
indra tridhātu śaraṇaṁ trivarūthaṁ svastimat |
chardir yaccha maghavadbhyaś ca mahyaṁ ca yāvayā didyum ebhyaḥ || 9 ||
ye gavyatā manasā śatrum ādabhur abhipraghnanti dhṛṣṇuyā |
adha smā no maghavann indra girvaṇas tanūpā antamo bhava || 10 ||
adha smā no vṛdhe bhavendra nāyam avā yudhi |
yad antarikṣe patayanti parṇino didyavas tigmamūrdhānaḥ || 11 ||
yatra śūrāsas tanvo vitanvate priyā śarma pitṝṇām |
adha smā yaccha tanve3 tane ca chardir acittaṁ yāvaya dveṣaḥ || 12 ||
yad indra sarge arvataś codayāse mahādhane |
asamane adhvani vṛjine pathi śyenām̐ iva śravasyataḥ || 13 ||
sindhūm̐r iva pravaṇa āśuyā yato yadi klośam anu ṣvaṇi |
ā ye vayo na varvṛtaty āmiṣi gṛbhītā bāhvor gavi || 14 ||
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).