Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.82 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.
1. Hasten here, O Vṛtra-slayer, from far and from near, to the offering of the sweet drink.
2. Come to the sharp somas, pressed and intoxicating; drink boldly, as is your custom.
3. Be gladdened by the draught, and let it suffice your chosen ardor; let it bring comfort to your heart, O Indra.
4. Come, you who have no rival; hymns are raised and offered to you in the highest light of heaven.
5. This soma, pressed with stones and mixed with milk, is poured out for you, O Indra, for your exhilaration.
6. O Indra, hear my call well; of this pressed soma of ours, mixed with milk, drink and be satisfied.
7. The soma pressed for you, O Indra, in the cups and bowls — drink of it; you are its master.
8. The soma that is seen in the vessels like the moon in the waters — drink of it; you are its master.
9. The soma that the falcon carried to you in its foot, across the realms, unwrested — drink of it; you are its master.
Translator's note: verse 3's "manyu" (rendered "ardor") can mean zeal, wrath, or passion; the line is compressed and admits more than one reading. Verse 9 refers to the well-known Vedic myth in which a falcon (śyena) fetches soma from heaven for Indra; "aspṛtam" (rendered "unwrested") is uncertain — it may mean unimpeded, unreleased, or unassailed in flight.
Colophon
Rigveda VIII.82 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.82
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.
ā pra drava parāvato 'rvāvataś ca vṛtrahan |
madhvaḥ prati prabharmaṇi || 1 ||
tīvrāḥ somāsa ā gahi sutāso mādayiṣṇavaḥ |
pibā dadhṛg yathociṣe || 2 ||
iṣā mandasvād u te 'raṁ varāya manyave |
bhuvat ta indra śaṁ hṛde || 3 ||
ā tv aśatrav ā gahi ny u1kthāni ca hūyase |
upame rocane divaḥ || 4 ||
tubhyāyam adribhiḥ suto gobhiḥ śrīto madāya kam |
pra soma indra hūyate || 5 ||
indra śrudhi su me havam asme sutasya gomataḥ |
vi pītiṁ tṛptim aśnuhi || 6 ||
ya indra camaseṣv ā somaś camūṣu te sutaḥ |
pibed asya tvam īśiṣe || 7 ||
yo apsu candramā iva somaś camūṣu dadṛśe |
pibed asya tvam īśiṣe || 8 ||
yaṁ te śyenaḥ padābharat tiro rajāṁsy aspṛtam |
pibed asya tvam īśiṣe || 9 ||
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).