Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.3 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.
Come, O Aśvins, ye twin gods, with your swift horses that journey across the sky. Ye bring the dawn unto all mortal dwellings; ye are the healers of all ills and sufferings. Come to our sacrifice and drink the soma that we pour.
O Indra, mighty thunderer, whom none can withstand in battle! Thou art the lord of strength, the conqueror of demons and of all enemies. With thy bolt of thunder thou hast slain the dragon; with thy might thou hast broken the fortresses of the foe.
O Viśvedevas, ye all-gods who dwellest in all the regions! To each of you do we make our offerings. Ye are the witnesses of all deeds; ye hear the prayers of mortals. Come and be present at our sacrifice; grant us your blessing.
O Sarasvatī, thou goddess of wisdom and of sacred speech! Thou art she who giveth eloquence to the singer; thou art the mother of all knowledge and learning. Come to our rite and make our praises fair and true. O thou of golden tongue, accept our offerings.
The dawn breaks forth upon the eastern horizon; the stars fade as the sun ariseth. The waters flow, the earth doth stir to wakefulness. O Sarasvatī, river of wisdom, thou dost nurture all who thirst for knowledge.
Come, all ye deities of the morning! Be present at this sacred rite. We pour the soma, we chant the hymns, we kindle the sacred fire. Bless us with riches, with offspring, with strength. Make our voices sweet in the singing of thy praises.
Colophon
Rigveda I.3 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.3
aśvinā yajvarīr iṣo dravatpāṇī śubhas patī |
purubhujā canasyatam || 1 ||
aśvinā purudaṁsasā narā śavīrayā dhiyā |
dhiṣṇyā vanataṁ giraḥ || 2 ||
dasrā yuvākavaḥ sutā nāsatyā vṛktabarhiṣaḥ |
ā yātaṁ rudravartanī || 3 ||
indrā yāhi citrabhāno sutā ime tvāyavaḥ |
aṇvībhis tanā pūtāsaḥ || 4 ||
indrā yāhi dhiyeṣito viprajūtaḥ sutāvataḥ |
upa brahmāṇi vāghataḥ || 5 ||
indrā yāhi tūtujāna upa brahmāṇi harivaḥ |
sute dadhiṣva naś canaḥ || 6 ||
omāsaś carṣaṇīdhṛto viśve devāsa ā gata |
dāśvāṁso dāśuṣaḥ sutam || 7 ||
viśve devāso apturaḥ sutam ā ganta tūrṇayaḥ |
usrā iva svasarāṇi || 8 ||
viśve devāso asridha ehimāyāso adruhaḥ |
medhaṁ juṣanta vahnayaḥ || 9 ||
pāvakā naḥ sarasvatī vājebhir vājinīvatī |
yajñaṁ vaṣṭu dhiyāvasuḥ || 10 ||
codayitrī sūnṛtānāṁ cetantī sumatīnām |
yajñaṁ dadhe sarasvatī || 11 ||
maho arṇaḥ sarasvatī pra cetayati ketunā |
dhiyo viśvā vi rājati || 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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