Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VII.21 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 7 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 divine soma, mixed with milk, has been pressed; upon this Indra has declared himself of old. We rouse you, tawny-horsed one, with our rites; awaken our hymn of praise in the soma's exhilarations.
2. The soma-drinkers go forth to the sacrifice, spreading out the sacred grass, their voices tumultuous at the rite. The glorious ones, mighty as bulls, their tread heard from afar, come attending the worshippers, borne down from the pressing-stone.
3. You, Indra, hero, made the many waters flow, which had been held encircled by the serpent. From you they surged forth like chariot-horses; all fixed things tremble in fear of you.
4. The fearsome one, knowing all their manly deeds, strove against them with his weapons. Indra, exulting, shattered their strongholds; the mace-handed one struck them down with his might.
5. The sorcerers have not outrun us, Indra, nor have flatterers with their false knowledge, O mightiest one. May you overpower the strength of the hostile, divisive creature; let not the lust-worshippers intrude upon our sacred order.
6. By your resolve, Indra, you have become supreme over the earth; the regions of space cannot contain your greatness. For by your own strength you slew Vṛtra; no enemy has found an end to you in battle.
7. Even the ancient gods conceded their might to your lordly power, in accord with your dominion. Indra distributes bounty, having overpowered his foes; they call upon Indra in the winning of the spoils.
8. Even the humble singer has called on you for help, Indra, ruler of abundant good fortune. You have become our help, you of a hundred protections, a shelter against the assailant, such a protector as you are.
9. May we always be your friends, Indra, growing strong through homage, victorious one, in your greatness. With your help may our men overcome, in the clash, the onset of the hostile lord, the might of the malicious ones.
10. Grant us, Indra, who are devoted to you, nourishment, and what the bountiful ones themselves bestow. May your good power rest upon your praiser. May you all protect us always with blessings.
Translator's note: verse 1's compound "januṣem" (jánuṣā, "from birth / of old") is terse and elliptical in the Sanskrit; rendered conservatively here as "of old." Verse 5's "śiśnadevāḥ" (literally "phallus-worshippers") is a Rigvedic term of reproach for a rival cult or hostile people, rendered here as "lust-worshippers" following its literal sense rather than any specific historical identification.
Colophon
Rigveda VII.21 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 VII.21
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.
asāvi devaṁ goṛjīkam andho ny asminn indro januṣem uvoca |
bodhāmasi tvā haryaśva yajñair bodhā naḥ stomam andhaso madeṣu || 1 ||
pra yanti yajñaṁ vipayanti barhiḥ somamādo vidathe dudhravācaḥ |
ny u bhriyante yaśaso gṛbhād ā dūraüpabdo vṛṣaṇo nṛṣācaḥ || 2 ||
tvam indra sravitavā apas kaḥ pariṣṭhitā ahinā śūra pūrvīḥ |
tvad vāvakre rathyo3 na dhenā rejante viśvā kṛtrimāṇi bhīṣā || 3 ||
bhīmo viveṣāyudhebhir eṣām apāṁsi viśvā naryāṇi vidvān |
indraḥ puro jarhṛṣāṇo vi dūdhod vi vajrahasto mahinā jaghāna || 4 ||
na yātava indra jūjuvur no na vandanā śaviṣṭha vedyābhiḥ |
sa śardhad aryo viṣuṇasya jantor mā śiśnadevā api gur ṛtaṁ naḥ || 5 ||
abhi kratvendra bhūr adha jman na te vivyaṅ mahimānaṁ rajāṁsi |
svenā hi vṛtraṁ śavasā jaghantha na śatrur antaṁ vividad yudhā te || 6 ||
devāś cit te asuryāya pūrve 'nu kṣatrāya mamire sahāṁsi |
indro maghāni dayate viṣahyendraṁ vājasya johuvanta sātau || 7 ||
kīriś cid dhi tvām avase juhāveśānam indra saubhagasya bhūreḥ |
avo babhūtha śatamūte asme abhikṣattus tvāvato varūtā || 8 ||
sakhāyas ta indra viśvaha syāma namovṛdhāso mahinā tarutra |
vanvantu smā te 'vasā samīke3 'bhītim aryo vanuṣāṁ śavāṁsi || 9 ||
sa na indra tvayatāyā iṣe dhās tmanā ca ye maghavāno junanti |
vasvī ṣu te jaritre astu śaktir yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 10 ||
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).