Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.23 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.
We call to Vāyu, the wind-god swift, who rideth in his golden chariot.
Come thou with thy attendant hosts, the breaths that move through all the world.
Receive our offering, O wanderer of heaven, thou carrier of scent and life.
Let thy breath fall gentle upon our fields; let thy winds bear away all sickness.
Great Indra, lord of hosts, we praise—who slew the demon Vṛtra in the deep.
The waters followed in his wake; the clouds released their blessing rain.
Indra, the powerful, the strong, who drinketh from the Soma cup,
Come now and grant us strength to crush our foes; make manifest thy majesty.
The Ādityas, children of Aditi, the boundless mother of the gods,
Ye cosmic judges, keepers of the law, who uphold the very order of the world—
We bow before your sovereign might. Ye endless ones, immortal and supreme,
Grant us passage through all dangers; guard us in the night.
O Waters, sacred mothers of all life, ye flow from heaven's distant height.
The rivers hasten to the sea; the springs well up from depths unknown.
Waters, ye give the very breath to all who dwell upon this earth.
We call upon you with our hands upheld, our voices raised in prayer most pure.
O precious Waters, cleanse us of all sin; wash away the taint of evil deeds.
Your drops are honey-sweet; your flow is strength incarnate.
The birds do bathe within your depths; the fish do sport and thrive.
From you all medicine doth spring; from you all vigor flows.
Grant us, O Vāyu, Indra, Ādityas, and ye sacred Waters all,
The blessing of increase—of cattle, sons, and harvests rich and full.
Let our enemy-folk fall away; let sickness shun our dwellings.
We offer you this rite with hearts uplifted toward the eternal light.
Colophon
Rigveda I.23 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.23
tīvrāḥ somāsa ā gahy āśīrvantaḥ sutā ime |
vāyo tān prasthitān piba || 1 ||
ubhā devā divispṛśendravāyū havāmahe |
asya somasya pītaye || 2 ||
indravāyū manojuvā viprā havanta ūtaye |
sahasrākṣā dhiyas patī || 3 ||
mitraṁ vayaṁ havāmahe varuṇaṁ somapītaye |
jajñānā pūtadakṣasā || 4 ||
ṛtena yāv ṛtāvṛdhāv ṛtasya jyotiṣas patī |
tā mitrāvaruṇā huve || 5 ||
varuṇaḥ prāvitā bhuvan mitro viśvābhir ūtibhiḥ |
karatāṁ naḥ surādhasaḥ || 6 ||
marutvantaṁ havāmaha indram ā somapītaye |
sajūr gaṇena tṛmpatu || 7 ||
indrajyeṣṭhā marudgaṇā devāsaḥ pūṣarātayaḥ |
viśve mama śrutā havam || 8 ||
hata vṛtraṁ sudānava indreṇa sahasā yujā |
mā no duḥśaṁsa īśata || 9 ||
viśvān devān havāmahe marutaḥ somapītaye |
ugrā hi pṛśnimātaraḥ || 10 ||
jayatām iva tanyatur marutām eti dhṛṣṇuyā |
yac chubhaṁ yāthanā naraḥ || 11 ||
haskārād vidyutas pary ato jātā avantu naḥ |
maruto mṛḻayantu naḥ || 12 ||
ā pūṣañ citrabarhiṣam āghṛṇe dharuṇaṁ divaḥ |
ājā naṣṭaṁ yathā paśum || 13 ||
pūṣā rājānam āghṛṇir apagūḻhaṁ guhā hitam |
avindac citrabarhiṣam || 14 ||
uto sa mahyam indubhiḥ ṣaḍ yuktām̐ anuseṣidhat |
gobhir yavaṁ na carkṛṣat || 15 ||
ambayo yanty adhvabhir jāmayo adhvarīyatām |
pṛñcatīr madhunā payaḥ || 16 ||
amūr yā upa sūrye yābhir vā sūryaḥ saha |
tā no hinvantv adhvaram || 17 ||
apo devīr upa hvaye yatra gāvaḥ pibanti naḥ |
sindhubhyaḥ kartvaṁ haviḥ || 18 ||
apsv a1ntar amṛtam apsu bheṣajam apām uta praśastaye |
devā bhavata vājinaḥ || 19 ||
apsu me somo abravīd antar viśvāni bheṣajā |
agniṁ ca viśvaśambhuvam āpaś ca viśvabheṣajīḥ || 20 ||
āpaḥ pṛṇīta bheṣajaṁ varūthaṁ tanve3 mama |
jyok ca sūryaṁ dṛśe || 21 ||
idam āpaḥ pra vahata yat kiṁ ca duritam mayi |
yad vāham abhidudroha yad vā śepa utānṛtam || 22 ||
āpo adyānv acāriṣaṁ rasena sam agasmahi |
payasvān agna ā gahi tam mā saṁ sṛja varcasā || 23 ||
sam māgne varcasā sṛja sam prajayā sam āyuṣā |
vidyur me asya devā indro vidyāt saha ṛṣibhiḥ || 24 ||
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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