Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.11 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, thou lord of the generous hand! From thy store the treasures flow forth upon all who honor thee. Thou art the giver of riches, the bestower of abundance. The miser hath no friend in thee, but the open-hearted man receiveth thy favor.
To him who giveth freely of his goods thou art gracious; to him who shareth his food with the poor thou art kind. Thou dost not forget the one who remembereth thee in his prosperity; thou dost reward the faithful with yet greater gifts.
The king whom thou hast favored doth rule justly and in peace. His kingdom doth prosper; his enemies flee before him. His people do love him and call him blessed. O Indra, grant such favor unto all who rule righteously.
The priest who offereth unto thee with a pure heart receiveth thy blessing. The singer whose hymns are true and sweet doth win thy attention. The warrior who fighteth in a just cause receiveth thy strength. O Indra, thou art the helper of all who call upon thee.
Give unto the poor man that which he needeth; give unto the widow the means to sustain her children. Give unto the orphan a protector; give unto the sick the medicine that healeth. O Indra, let thy bounty flow unto all in their need.
But remember this: those who are generous do receive yet more. Those who share their blessings do not grow poor. Those who give freely do become rich in all things. O Indra, teach us the wisdom of giving; make us generous of heart like unto thee.
Colophon
Rigveda I.11 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.11
indraṁ viśvā avīvṛdhan samudravyacasaṁ giraḥ |
rathītamaṁ rathīnāṁ vājānāṁ satpatim patim || 1 ||
sakhye ta indra vājino mā bhema śavasas pate |
tvām abhi pra ṇonumo jetāram aparājitam || 2 ||
pūrvīr indrasya rātayo na vi dasyanty ūtayaḥ |
yadī vājasya gomataḥ stotṛbhyo maṁhate magham || 3 ||
purām bhindur yuvā kavir amitaujā ajāyata |
indro viśvasya karmaṇo dhartā vajrī puruṣṭutaḥ || 4 ||
tvaṁ valasya gomato 'pāvar adrivo bilam |
tvāṁ devā abibhyuṣas tujyamānāsa āviṣuḥ || 5 ||
tavāhaṁ śūra rātibhiḥ praty āyaṁ sindhum āvadan |
upātiṣṭhanta girvaṇo viduṣ ṭe tasya kāravaḥ || 6 ||
māyābhir indra māyinaṁ tvaṁ śuṣṇam avātiraḥ |
viduṣ ṭe tasya medhirās teṣāṁ śravāṁsy ut tira || 7 ||
indram īśānam ojasābhi stomā anūṣata |
sahasraṁ yasya rātaya uta vā santi bhūyasīḥ || 8 ||
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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