Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.10 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed to Indra, the storm-king and champion of the gods, slayer of Vṛtra, lord of thunder and rain. It is one of the 1,028 hymns of the Rigveda organized within Maṇḍala 1, the first of ten books. The ṛṣi (seer) to whom this hymn is attributed and its precise liturgical context are recorded in the traditional Śākalya Anukramaṇī.
The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas and one of the oldest surviving religious texts in the world, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in the Vedic Sanskrit of the Indus-Sarasvatī region. Its hymns were preserved through oral transmission across millennia before being committed to writing. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
O Indra, mighty king! We worship thee with a pure heart and with upraised hands. Accept our hymns and our offerings; be gracious unto us and turn not thy face away.
In the heavens thou sittest upon a throne of gold; thy crown is bright with jewels; thy eyes are as the sun. Yet thou dost hear the prayer of the humble mortal; thou dost turn thy gaze upon those who call thy name. O Indra, thou art both mighty and merciful.
In days of old thou didst break the bondage of the world. The waters were held captive; the light was shut away in darkness. But thou didst smite the demon and set all things free. O Indra, thou art the liberator; thou art he who bringeth forth the dawn.
We ask of thee not gold nor silver, though these are good. We ask of thee not horses nor chariots, though these are precious. We ask but this: that thou dost hear our prayer, that thou dost grant us thy favor, that thou dost keep us safe from all harm.
Give unto us children that we may have grandchildren to carry on our name. Give unto us health that we may work and prosper. Give unto us wisdom that we may speak truth and live righteously. O Indra, these are the gifts we seek.
The morning is bright; the sun doth shine upon the earth. The flowers do bloom; the birds do sing. All these things speak to us of thy glory and thy power. O Indra, as thou hast made all things beautiful, make also our lives bright and blessed. Hear our prayer and grant us thy favor forevermore.
Colophon
Rigveda I.10 is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, the version that has been transmitted and is considered canonical in the mainstream tradition. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE; this hymn addresses Indra, the storm-king and champion of the gods, slayer of Vṛtra, lord of thunder and rain. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation session to be documented during Kshatriya Blood Rule audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda I.10
gāyanti tvā gāyatriṇo 'rcanty arkam arkiṇaḥ |
brahmāṇas tvā śatakrata ud vaṁśam iva yemire || 1 ||
yat sānoḥ sānum āruhad bhūry aspaṣṭa kartvam |
tad indro arthaṁ cetati yūthena vṛṣṇir ejati || 2 ||
yukṣvā hi keśinā harī vṛṣaṇā kakṣyaprā |
athā na indra somapā girām upaśrutiṁ cara || 3 ||
ehi stomām̐ abhi svarābhi gṛṇīhy ā ruva |
brahma ca no vaso sacendra yajñaṁ ca vardhaya || 4 ||
uktham indrāya śaṁsyaṁ vardhanam puruniṣṣidhe |
śakro yathā suteṣu ṇo rāraṇat sakhyeṣu ca || 5 ||
tam it sakhitva īmahe taṁ rāye taṁ suvīrye |
sa śakra uta naḥ śakad indro vasu dayamānaḥ || 6 ||
suvivṛtaṁ sunirajam indra tvādātam id yaśaḥ |
gavām apa vrajaṁ vṛdhi kṛṇuṣva rādho adrivaḥ || 7 ||
nahi tvā rodasī ubhe ṛghāyamāṇam invataḥ |
jeṣaḥ svarvatīr apaḥ saṁ gā asmabhyaṁ dhūnuhi || 8 ||
āśrutkarṇa śrudhī havaṁ nū cid dadhiṣva me giraḥ |
indra stomam imam mama kṛṣvā yujaś cid antaram || 9 ||
vidmā hi tvā vṛṣantamaṁ vājeṣu havanaśrutam |
vṛṣantamasya hūmaha ūtiṁ sahasrasātamām || 10 ||
ā tū na indra kauśika mandasānaḥ sutam piba |
navyam āyuḥ pra sū tira kṛdhī sahasrasām ṛṣim || 11 ||
pari tvā girvaṇo gira imā bhavantu viśvataḥ |
vṛddhāyum anu vṛddhayo juṣṭā bhavantu juṣṭayaḥ || 12 ||
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).
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