Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.16 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, lord of the soma draught! Thou who art born of the pressing-stones, the song, and the sweet juice! Come unto us in the morning when the sun ariseth; come in the evening when the stars appear.
The soma that we press is thy body; the hymn that we sing is thy voice. In the sacred ritual thou art born anew, again and again. Thou art the eternal god who never dieth but is reborn with each sacrifice.
The pressing-stones do clatter; the soma doth flow forth golden and bright. This is the signal of thy coming; this is the sound that summoneth thee from the heavens. O Indra, when thou hearest this sound, art thou not eager to come?
In the soma's embrace thou growest stronger; thy fire burneth bright; thy power increaseth beyond measure. The demons tremble at thy coming; the asuras flee before thee. O Indra, in the soma thou art made manifest unto the world.
We do not ask for thy presence alone but for thy joy and thy blessing. Come unto us joyfully; come with gladness in thy heart. Be merry in our company; let the soma make thee glad. O Indra, rejoice with us in this sacred rite.
The worshipper who offereth unto thee with a pure heart shall be blessed. The singer whose voice is true shall be heard. The priest who performeth the rite with exactitude shall gain thy favor. O Indra, come and accept our offering with gladness.
Colophon
Rigveda I.16 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.16
ā tvā vahantu harayo vṛṣaṇaṁ somapītaye |
indra tvā sūracakṣasaḥ || 1 ||
imā dhānā ghṛtasnuvo harī ihopa vakṣataḥ |
indraṁ sukhatame rathe || 2 ||
indram prātar havāmaha indram prayaty adhvare |
indraṁ somasya pītaye || 3 ||
upa naḥ sutam ā gahi haribhir indra keśibhiḥ |
sute hi tvā havāmahe || 4 ||
semaṁ naḥ stomam ā gahy upedaṁ savanaṁ sutam |
gauro na tṛṣitaḥ piba || 5 ||
ime somāsa indavaḥ sutāso adhi barhiṣi |
tām̐ indra sahase piba || 6 ||
ayaṁ te stomo agriyo hṛdispṛg astu śaṁtamaḥ |
athā somaṁ sutam piba || 7 ||
viśvam it savanaṁ sutam indro madāya gacchati |
vṛtrahā somapītaye || 8 ||
semaṁ naḥ kāmam ā pṛṇa gobhir aśvaiḥ śatakrato |
stavāma tvā svādhyaḥ || 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).
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