Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.121 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.
Indra, bull of heaven, hear us! Thou whose horns are thunderclouds, whose hooves shake the earth and press the waters forth. O mighty one, girt about with strength, thou hast lifted up the sky itself as a man lifts up his robe.
The waters flow at thy command. The mountains bow before thee. Thou art the lord of hosts, the wielder of the thunderbolt, the breaker of cities. When thou shout'st, the enemy flees. When thou dost stride across the sky, all the worlds tremble at thy footfall.
We praise thee, Indra, thou bull of the divine herd! Thou dost drink the soma deep, and straightway thy power swelleth. Thy strength groweth like the waters of the monsoon. No foe can stand against thee. Thou art supreme, invincible, the lord of lords.
Grant us, O mighty one, the blessing of thy protection. Let thy thunderbolt fall upon our enemies. Let the waters of abundance flow to our fields. We call upon thee with voices raised in song, and we await thy answer from the high heavens.
Thou art the heart of the cosmic order. Thou upholdest the heavens and the earth. In thee dwells the power that sustains all life. Accept our offering, accept our praise. May thy glory shine forth forever, unchanging, eternal as the stars.
Colophon
Rigveda I.121 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.121
kad itthā nṝm̐ḥ pātraṁ devayatāṁ śravad giro aṅgirasāṁ turaṇyan |
pra yad ānaḍ viśa ā harmyasyoru kraṁsate adhvare yajatraḥ || 1 ||
stambhīd dha dyāṁ sa dharuṇam pruṣāyad ṛbhur vājāya draviṇaṁ naro goḥ |
anu svajām mahiṣaś cakṣata vrām menām aśvasya pari mātaraṁ goḥ || 2 ||
nakṣad dhavam aruṇīḥ pūrvyaṁ rāṭ turo viśām aṅgirasām anu dyūn |
takṣad vajraṁ niyutaṁ tastambhad dyāṁ catuṣpade naryāya dvipāde || 3 ||
asya made svaryaṁ dā ṛtāyāpīvṛtam usriyāṇām anīkam |
yad dha prasarge trikakum nivartad apa druho mānuṣasya duro vaḥ || 4 ||
tubhyam payo yat pitarāv anītāṁ rādhaḥ suretas turaṇe bhuraṇyū |
śuci yat te rekṇa āyajanta sabardughāyāḥ paya usriyāyāḥ || 5 ||
adha pra jajñe taraṇir mamattu pra rocy asyā uṣaso na sūraḥ |
indur yebhir āṣṭa sveduhavyaiḥ sruveṇa siñcañ jaraṇābhi dhāma || 6 ||
svidhmā yad vanadhitir apasyāt sūro adhvare pari rodhanā goḥ |
yad dha prabhāsi kṛtvyām̐ anu dyūn anarviśe paśviṣe turāya || 7 ||
aṣṭā maho diva ādo harī iha dyumnāsāham abhi yodhāna utsam |
hariṁ yat te mandinaṁ dukṣan vṛdhe gorabhasam adribhir vātāpyam || 8 ||
tvam āyasam prati vartayo gor divo aśmānam upanītam ṛbhvā |
kutsāya yatra puruhūta vanvañ chuṣṇam anantaiḥ pariyāsi vadhaiḥ || 9 ||
purā yat sūras tamaso apītes tam adrivaḥ phaligaṁ hetim asya |
śuṣṇasya cit parihitaṁ yad ojo divas pari sugrathitaṁ tad ādaḥ || 10 ||
anu tvā mahī pājasī acakre dyāvākṣāmā madatām indra karman |
tvaṁ vṛtram āśayānaṁ sirāsu maho vajreṇa siṣvapo varāhum || 11 ||
tvam indra naryo yām̐ avo nṝn tiṣṭhā vātasya suyujo vahiṣṭhān |
yaṁ te kāvya uśanā mandinaṁ dād vṛtrahaṇam pāryaṁ tatakṣa vajram || 12 ||
tvaṁ sūro harito rāmayo nṝn bharac cakram etaśo nāyam indra |
prāsya pāraṁ navatiṁ nāvyānām api kartam avartayo 'yajyūn || 13 ||
tvaṁ no asyā indra durhaṇāyāḥ pāhi vajrivo duritād abhīke |
pra no vājān rathyo3 aśvabudhyān iṣe yandhi śravase sūnṛtāyai || 14 ||
mā sā te asmat sumatir vi dasad vājapramahaḥ sam iṣo varanta |
ā no bhaja maghavan goṣv aryo maṁhiṣṭhās te sadhamādaḥ syāma || 15 ||
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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