Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.88 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. We hail him with songs for your sake — Indra the wondrous, the conqueror of foes, delighting in the good soma-drink — as milk-cows go toward their calf at the milking hours.
2. We swiftly ask for that heavenly, bountiful prize, wrapped in mighty strength, rich in nourishment like a mountain — wealth attended by food, hundredfold, thousandfold, rich in cattle.
3. Not even the great, firm rocks could hold you back, O Indra. When you wish to give wealth to a praiser such as I am, no one diminishes that gift of yours.
4. You are a warrior in will, in strength, and in wondrous power, surpassing all created things in greatness. This hymn, which the Gotamas have brought forth, turns you here for our help.
5. For indeed you have surpassed, by your might, the very ends of heaven. The earthly realm did not contain you, Indra — you have grown according to your own nature.
6. There is no hindrance to your bounty, bounteous one, when you favor the one who offers. Take notice of our hymn; be the most generous rouser, for the winning of strength.
Colophon
Rigveda VIII.88 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.88
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.
taṁ vo dasmam ṛtīṣahaṁ vasor mandānam andhasaḥ |
abhi vatsaṁ na svasareṣu dhenava indraṁ gīrbhir navāmahe || 1 ||
dyukṣaṁ sudānuṁ taviṣībhir āvṛtaṁ giriṁ na purubhojasam |
kṣumantaṁ vājaṁ śatinaṁ sahasriṇam makṣū gomantam īmahe || 2 ||
na tvā bṛhanto adrayo varanta indra vīḻavaḥ |
yad ditsasi stuvate māvate vasu nakiṣ ṭad ā mināti te || 3 ||
yoddhāsi kratvā śavasota daṁsanā viśvā jātābhi majmanā |
ā tvāyam arka ūtaye vavartati yaṁ gotamā ajījanan || 4 ||
pra hi ririkṣa ojasā divo antebhyas pari |
na tvā vivyāca raja indra pārthivam anu svadhāṁ vavakṣitha || 5 ||
nakiḥ pariṣṭir maghavan maghasya te yad dāśuṣe daśasyasi |
asmākam bodhy ucathasya coditā maṁhiṣṭho vājasātaye || 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).