Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VII.32 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. Let not even the priests hold you far away from us. Come to our shared feast, even from a distance — or if you are already here, listen to us.
2. These prayer-makers of yours sit close by the pressed soma, like flies at the sweet mead. The singers, desiring wealth, have set their foot toward Indra's desire as onto a chariot.
3. Desiring wealth, I call on the thunderbolt-wielder, the truly generous one, as a son calls his father.
4. These somas mixed with curd are pressed for Indra. Come, thunderbolt-wielder, with your two bay horses, to our home, to drink them and be exhilarated.
5. Let the keen-eared one hear us as we ask for goods; let him not neglect our songs now. No one hinders him who is ready to give, who gives hundreds and thousands at once.
6. That hero grows strong, unopposed, through Indra and his men — he who presses and pours out your deep libations, O slayer of Vṛtra.
7. Be a shelter, O bounteous one, for your generous patrons, when you drive off the violent ones. May we share in the wealth of the one you strike down — bring us household riches, O unassailable one.
8. Press the soma for the soma-drinker, for Indra who wields the thunderbolt. Cook the offerings, prepare them for his favor — he who satisfies brings joy to the one who satisfies him.
9. Do not fail, O soma-pressers — be capable for the mighty one, act for the sake of wealth, for the vigorous one. Only the one who presses on wins, dwells secure, and prospers; the gods are not for the deceitful miser.
10. No one has overtaken or held back Sudās's chariot. He whose protector is Indra, whose helpers are the Maruts — may he go forth into the cattle-rich fold.
11. May the mortal whose helper you are, Indra, gain the prize he seeks. Be mindful, be the protector of our chariots, of our men, O hero.
12. His portion indeed overflows, like the wealth of one who has won. Enemies cannot harm him whose Indra has the bay steeds; he grants strength to the one who presses soma.
13. Set a hymn that is unstunted, well-formed, well-adorned, into the sacred rites. Even many dangers pass by the one who through his ritual acts belongs to Indra.
14. What mortal, Indra, dares assault one who has you as his protector? Trust is placed in you, bounteous one — on the decisive day the champion seeks to win the prize.
15. Urge on the generous patrons in the battles against Vṛtra, those who give us cherished goods. Under your guidance, O tawny-horsed one, may we, with the patrons, cross over all dangers.
16. Yours, Indra, is the lowest wealth, and you nourish the middling too; you rule always over all that is highest. No one opposes you in matters of cattle.
17. You are famed as the giver of all wealth, whatever contests take place. All this earthly world is yours, much-invoked one; seeking help, it begs for your name.
18. If, Indra, I had power as great as yours, I would surely hold my praiser dear — O generous giver, I would not abandon him to misfortune.
19. I would help the one who honors me day by day, with wealth found anywhere — for there is no bond, bounteous one, closer than yours; not even a father is a better friend.
20. Only the vigorous one, with Bounty as his ally, wins the prize. I bow to your Indra, the much-invoked, with my song — as a craftsman shapes a wheel-rim from good wood.
21. No mortal gains wealth through poor praise; riches do not come to one who falters. True power is yours alone, bounteous one — grant the gift to one like me on the decisive day.
22. We bellow toward you, hero, like unmilked cows — toward you, ruler of all that moves, who beholds heaven's light, ruler, Indra, of all that stands still.
23. No other like you, divine or earthly, has been born or will be born. Desiring horses, desiring strong steeds, desiring cattle, bounteous Indra, we call upon you.
24. Bring that to us who are here, Indra — the greater share even to the lesser among us — for you, bounteous one, have been rich in wealth since ancient times, and are to be called upon in every battle.
25. Drive away our enemies, bounteous one; make our wealth easy to find. Be mindful, be our helper in the great contest — be the strengthener of your friends.
26. Indra, bring us purpose, as a father brings it to his sons. Help us on this journey, much-invoked one, so that, living, we may attain the light.
27. Let not unknown, ill-intentioned hosts, nor malicious ones, overpower us. With you, hero, we cross over the ever-flowing waters down the slopes.
Translator's note: verse 19 shifts briefly into a voice that could be read as Indra's own promise ("I would help...") rather than the poet's; the Sanskrit does not mark the speaker explicitly, so the line is rendered as literally as possible without resolving that ambiguity. Verse 27 carries a textual notation (durādhyo3) marking a Vedic accent/pluti feature; it does not affect the sense and is omitted from the English.
Colophon
Rigveda VII.32 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.32
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.
mo ṣu tvā vāghataś canāre asman ni rīraman |
ārāttāc cit sadhamādaṁ na ā gahīha vā sann upa śrudhi || 1 ||
ime hi te brahmakṛtaḥ sute sacā madhau na makṣa āsate |
indre kāmaṁ jaritāro vasūyavo rathe na pādam ā dadhuḥ || 2 ||
rāyaskāmo vajrahastaṁ sudakṣiṇam putro na pitaraṁ huve || 3 ||
ima indrāya sunvire somāso dadhyāśiraḥ |
tām̐ ā madāya vajrahasta pītaye haribhyāṁ yāhy oka ā || 4 ||
śravac chrutkarṇa īyate vasūnāṁ nū cin no mardhiṣad giraḥ |
sadyaś cid yaḥ sahasrāṇi śatā dadan nakir ditsantam ā minat || 5 ||
sa vīro apratiṣkuta indreṇa śūśuve nṛbhiḥ |
yas te gabhīrā savanāni vṛtrahan sunoty ā ca dhāvati || 6 ||
bhavā varūtham maghavan maghonāṁ yat samajāsi śardhataḥ |
vi tvāhatasya vedanam bhajemahy ā dūṇāśo bharā gayam || 7 ||
sunotā somapāvne somam indrāya vajriṇe |
pacatā paktīr avase kṛṇudhvam it pṛṇann it pṛṇate mayaḥ || 8 ||
mā sredhata somino dakṣatā mahe kṛṇudhvaṁ rāya ātuje |
taraṇir ij jayati kṣeti puṣyati na devāsaḥ kavatnave || 9 ||
nakiḥ sudāso ratham pary āsa na rīramat |
indro yasyāvitā yasya maruto gamat sa gomati vraje || 10 ||
gamad vājaṁ vājayann indra martyo yasya tvam avitā bhuvaḥ |
asmākam bodhy avitā rathānām asmākaṁ śūra nṛṇām || 11 ||
ud in nv asya ricyate 'ṁśo dhanaṁ na jigyuṣaḥ |
ya indro harivān na dabhanti taṁ ripo dakṣaṁ dadhāti somini || 12 ||
mantram akharvaṁ sudhitaṁ supeśasaṁ dadhāta yajñiyeṣv ā |
pūrvīś cana prasitayas taranti taṁ ya indre karmaṇā bhuvat || 13 ||
kas tam indra tvāvasum ā martyo dadharṣati |
śraddhā it te maghavan pārye divi vājī vājaṁ siṣāsati || 14 ||
maghonaḥ sma vṛtrahatyeṣu codaya ye dadati priyā vasu |
tava praṇītī haryaśva sūribhir viśvā tarema duritā || 15 ||
taved indrāvamaṁ vasu tvam puṣyasi madhyamam |
satrā viśvasya paramasya rājasi nakiṣ ṭvā goṣu vṛṇvate || 16 ||
tvaṁ viśvasya dhanadā asi śruto ya īm bhavanty ājayaḥ |
tavāyaṁ viśvaḥ puruhūta pārthivo 'vasyur nāma bhikṣate || 17 ||
yad indra yāvatas tvam etāvad aham īśīya |
stotāram id didhiṣeya radāvaso na pāpatvāya rāsīya || 18 ||
śikṣeyam in mahayate dive-dive rāya ā kuhacidvide |
nahi tvad anyan maghavan na āpyaṁ vasyo asti pitā cana || 19 ||
taraṇir it siṣāsati vājam puraṁdhyā yujā |
ā va indram puruhūtaṁ name girā nemiṁ taṣṭeva sudrvam || 20 ||
na duṣṭutī martyo vindate vasu na sredhantaṁ rayir naśat |
suśaktir in maghavan tubhyam māvate deṣṇaṁ yat pārye divi || 21 ||
abhi tvā śūra nonumo 'dugdhā iva dhenavaḥ |
īśānam asya jagataḥ svardṛśam īśānam indra tasthuṣaḥ || 22 ||
na tvāvām̐ anyo divyo na pārthivo na jāto na janiṣyate |
aśvāyanto maghavann indra vājino gavyantas tvā havāmahe || 23 ||
abhī ṣatas tad ā bharendra jyāyaḥ kanīyasaḥ |
purūvasur hi maghavan sanād asi bhare-bhare ca havyaḥ || 24 ||
parā ṇudasva maghavann amitrān suvedā no vasū kṛdhi |
asmākam bodhy avitā mahādhane bhavā vṛdhaḥ sakhīnām || 25 ||
indra kratuṁ na ā bhara pitā putrebhyo yathā |
śikṣā ṇo asmin puruhūta yāmani jīvā jyotir aśīmahi || 26 ||
mā no ajñātā vṛjanā durādhyo3 māśivāso ava kramuḥ |
tvayā vayam pravataḥ śaśvatīr apo 'ti śūra tarāmasi || 27 ||
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).