Hymn to Indra, with a Gift-Praise for Pakasthama
Rigveda VIII.3 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 8 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. The hymn's first twenty verses praise Indra's power and cosmic deeds; the final four verses turn to a dānastuti — a gift-praise — honoring the patron Pākasthāmā Kaurayāṇa for a horse he gave the poet.
1. Drink the juicy pressed soma, rejoice, Indra, in the milk-mixed draught. Be mindful of us as a kinsman fit for the feast; for our strengthening, may your thoughts favor us.
2. May we, full of vigor, stand in your favor; do not deliver us to the hostile plotter. Protect us with your wondrous aids; lead us into your favor.
3. May these songs of mine, O lord of abundant wealth, strengthen you — bright as flame, pure, the songs of the inspired poets have sung toward you with hymns of praise.
4. This one, made mighty a thousandfold by the seers, has spread out like the ocean. True is his greatness — his might is proclaimed at the sacrifices, in the dominion of the inspired poets.
5. Indra indeed for the divine rite, Indra when the sacrifice proceeds, Indra in the clash of battle — eager, we call him — Indra for the winning of wealth.
6. Indra by his might has spread apart the two worlds; Indra made the sun shine. In Indra all beings are held fast; in Indra rest the pressed soma-drops.
7. Toward you, Indra, for the first draught, the people sing with praise-hymns; the Ṛbhus, united, have resounded together; the Rudras sing the ancient praise.
8. By this soma indeed Indra's bull-like might has grown, in the exhilaration of the pressed draught, in Viṣṇu's domain. Today the people praise that greatness of his, as of old.
9. That I beg of you: valorous strength, that sacred prayer, for foremost recognition — by which power you helped the Yatis, Bhṛgu, when the prize was set, by which you helped Praskaṇva.
10. That, Indra, by which you released the ocean, the great waters — that is your bull-like might. At once made known — that greatness of his is unmatched, whom the two hosts acclaimed with roaring.
11. Grant to us, Indra, when I beg of you wealth full of valor. Grant it for the contest, to the one who seeks to win first; grant it, O ancient one, for this praise-hymn.
12. Grant to us as you helped Paura, seeking to win by his devotion, Indra. Grant as you helped Ruśama, Śyāvaka, Kṛpa — Indra, you helped Svarṇara too.
13. What newer mortal among the wanderers, however swift, could praise him fully? Surely not — not even those who sing of heaven have attained his Indra-power greatness.
14. What indeed, in praising, in seeking the true order toward the god, does any seer, any sage, reflect? When, O bounteous Indra, will you come to the call of the presser? When indeed will you come to the one who praises you?
15. Up rise those sweetest songs and hymns of praise — all-conquering, wealth-winning, of unfailing help, like chariots racing for the prize.
16. Like the Kaṇvas, like the Bhṛgus, like suns, they have attained the whole of inspired thought. Magnifying Indra with hymns of praise, the people, the Priyamedhas, have resounded.
17. Yoke, O best slayer of Vṛtra, your two bay steeds, Indra, from afar. Turn hither, bounteous one, for the drinking of soma — come, O mighty one, with the lofty ones.
18. These your singers, the inspired ones, have cried out with devotion, for winning the sacrificial gift. You, bounteous Indra, who delight in song — hear our call like one who longs to hear it.
19. You struck Vṛtra out from the vast bow-shaped heights, Indra. You drove him out from Arbuda, the deceitful hunter; you drove the cows out from the mountain.
20. The fires blazed forth, the sun shone forth, the soma's Indra-essence flowed forth. You blew the great serpent out of the midair — you performed that manly deed, Indra.
21. The horse that Indra, the Maruts, and Pākasthāmā Kaurayāṇa gave me — of all horses, the most splendid in itself, running as if close to the sky.
22. Pākasthāmā gave me a reddish horse, good at the yoke, filling out its girth — the herald of wealth.
23. For whom ten other draft-horses draw the yoke alongside, carrying him home like a bird carries Tugrya's son.
24. The essence of food, a garment for the body, a strength-giving ointment — and, as a fourth gift, the reddish horse: I have called Pākasthāmā a generous, bountiful giver.
Translator's note: Several words resist certain rendering. "Viṣṇavi" (v.8) is left as a bare reference to Viṣṇu, whose connection to the verse is unclear. "Atasīnām" (v.13, "among the wanderers") and the proper names in verses 12, 19, and 23 (Paura, Ruśama, Śyāvaka, Kṛpa, Svarṇara, Arbuda, Tugrya) are figures or epithets from the hymn's own tradition whose identities are not recoverable with confidence; they are kept as names rather than guessed at.
Colophon
Rigveda VIII.3 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 VIII.3
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.
pibā sutasya rasino matsvā na indra gomataḥ |
āpir no bodhi sadhamādyo vṛdhe3 'smām̐ avantu te dhiyaḥ || 1 ||
bhūyāma te sumatau vājino vayam mā naḥ star abhimātaye |
asmāñ citrābhir avatād abhiṣṭibhir ā naḥ sumneṣu yāmaya || 2 ||
imā u tvā purūvaso giro vardhantu yā mama |
pāvakavarṇāḥ śucayo vipaścito 'bhi stomair anūṣata || 3 ||
ayaṁ sahasram ṛṣibhiḥ sahaskṛtaḥ samudra iva paprathe |
satyaḥ so asya mahimā gṛṇe śavo yajñeṣu viprarājye || 4 ||
indram id devatātaya indram prayaty adhvare |
indraṁ samīke vanino havāmaha indraṁ dhanasya sātaye || 5 ||
indro mahnā rodasī paprathac chava indraḥ sūryam arocayat |
indre ha viśvā bhuvanāni yemira indre suvānāsa indavaḥ || 6 ||
abhi tvā pūrvapītaya indra stomebhir āyavaḥ |
samīcīnāsa ṛbhavaḥ sam asvaran rudrā gṛṇanta pūrvyam || 7 ||
asyed indro vāvṛdhe vṛṣṇyaṁ śavo made sutasya viṣṇavi |
adyā tam asya mahimānam āyavo 'nu ṣṭuvanti pūrvathā || 8 ||
tat tvā yāmi suvīryaṁ tad brahma pūrvacittaye |
yenā yatibhyo bhṛgave dhane hite yena praskaṇvam āvitha || 9 ||
yenā samudram asṛjo mahīr apas tad indra vṛṣṇi te śavaḥ |
sadyaḥ so asya mahimā na saṁnaśe yaṁ kṣoṇīr anucakrade || 10 ||
śagdhī na indra yat tvā rayiṁ yāmi suvīryam |
śagdhi vājāya prathamaṁ siṣāsate śagdhi stomāya pūrvya || 11 ||
śagdhī no asya yad dha pauram āvitha dhiya indra siṣāsataḥ |
śagdhi yathā ruśamaṁ śyāvakaṁ kṛpam indra prāvaḥ svarṇaram || 12 ||
kan navyo atasīnāṁ turo gṛṇīta martyaḥ |
nahī nv asya mahimānam indriyaṁ svar gṛṇanta ānaśuḥ || 13 ||
kad u stuvanta ṛtayanta devata ṛṣiḥ ko vipra ohate |
kadā havam maghavann indra sunvataḥ kad u stuvata ā gamaḥ || 14 ||
ud u tye madhumattamā giraḥ stomāsa īrate |
satrājito dhanasā akṣitotayo vājayanto rathā iva || 15 ||
kaṇvā iva bhṛgavaḥ sūryā iva viśvam id dhītam ānaśuḥ |
indraṁ stomebhir mahayanta āyavaḥ priyamedhāso asvaran || 16 ||
yukṣvā hi vṛtrahantama harī indra parāvataḥ |
arvācīno maghavan somapītaya ugra ṛṣvebhir ā gahi || 17 ||
ime hi te kāravo vāvaśur dhiyā viprāso medhasātaye |
sa tvaṁ no maghavann indra girvaṇo veno na śṛṇudhī havam || 18 ||
nir indra bṛhatībhyo vṛtraṁ dhanubhyo asphuraḥ |
nir arbudasya mṛgayasya māyino niḥ parvatasya gā ājaḥ || 19 ||
nir agnayo rurucur nir u sūryo niḥ soma indriyo rasaḥ |
nir antarikṣād adhamo mahām ahiṁ kṛṣe tad indra pauṁsyam || 20 ||
yam me dur indro marutaḥ pākasthāmā kaurayāṇaḥ |
viśveṣāṁ tmanā śobhiṣṭham upeva divi dhāvamānam || 21 ||
rohitam me pākasthāmā sudhuraṁ kakṣyaprām |
adād rāyo vibodhanam || 22 ||
yasmā anye daśa prati dhuraṁ vahanti vahnayaḥ |
astaṁ vayo na tugryam || 23 ||
ātmā pitus tanūr vāsa ojodā abhyañjanam |
turīyam id rohitasya pākasthāmānam bhojaṁ dātāram abravam || 24 ||
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).