Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VII.23 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 sacred prayers have risen up, seeking glory. Magnify Indra, Vasiṣṭha, in the contest — he who has spread out all things by his strength. May he listen to the words of one as small as I.
2. The cry goes forth, O Indra, kin to the gods, as the hearers take command in the contest of speech. No one among men knows the span of his own life — so carry us safely across those very dangers.
3. I yoke the cattle-seeking chariot with the two tawny steeds; the prayers have come near him as he delights in them. He has pushed the two world-halves apart by his greatness — Indra, having struck down the Vṛtras, unmatched.
4. Even the waters have swelled, like barren cows now giving milk; your praisers, O Indra, have reached the truth. Come to us, as Vāyu comes with his team — for you, through our hymns, distribute the prizes.
5. Let these exhilarating drafts delight you, O Indra, mighty one, rich in bounty for your praiser. You alone among the gods give to mortals — rejoice, O hero, in this pressing.
6. So indeed the Vasiṣṭhas praise Indra the bull, the mace-armed, with their hymns. May he, thus praised, grant us wealth rich in heroic sons and cattle. May you gods always guard us with blessings.
Translator's note: verse 2 turns on "churudhaḥ" (read as śrudhaḥ, "hearers/listeners") and "vivāci" ("in the contest of speech"), both terms whose precise ritual sense is debated; rendered conservatively here. "Vṛtrāṇi" in verse 3 is kept as "the Vṛtras" — the obstacle-demons Indra strikes down, rather than translated as an abstraction.
Colophon
Rigveda VII.23 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.23
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.
ud u brahmāṇy airata śravasyendraṁ samarye mahayā vasiṣṭha |
ā yo viśvāni śavasā tatānopaśrotā ma īvato vacāṁsi || 1 ||
ayāmi ghoṣa indra devajāmir irajyanta yac churudho vivāci |
nahi svam āyuś cikite janeṣu tānīd aṁhāṁsy ati parṣy asmān || 2 ||
yuje rathaṁ gaveṣaṇaṁ haribhyām upa brahmāṇi jujuṣāṇam asthuḥ |
vi bādhiṣṭa sya rodasī mahitvendro vṛtrāṇy apratī jaghanvān || 3 ||
āpaś cit pipyuḥ staryo3 na gāvo nakṣann ṛtaṁ jaritāras ta indra |
yāhi vāyur na niyuto no acchā tvaṁ hi dhībhir dayase vi vājān || 4 ||
te tvā madā indra mādayantu śuṣmiṇaṁ tuvirādhasaṁ jaritre |
eko devatrā dayase hi martān asmiñ chūra savane mādayasva || 5 ||
eved indraṁ vṛṣaṇaṁ vajrabāhuṁ vasiṣṭhāso abhy arcanty arkaiḥ |
sa naḥ stuto vīravad dhātu gomad yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 6 ||
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).