Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.32 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.
Sing now, O singers, of the great deed of Indra most supreme!
Behold the slaying of the serpent Vṛtra, the most terrible of demons!
The earth did quake; the waters feared; the very gods held still their breath.
Yet Indra came forth with his thunderbolt and smote the creature down.
In days of old, when all the world was held in bondage by the serpent,
When rain did fall no more upon the earth, and drought consumed the land,
When darkness pressed upon the world and hope itself had nearly died—
The gods did call upon Indra, saying, "Thou must slay the demon!"
Vṛtra lay coiled in the depths, beneath the mountains and the sky.
His body was as vast as all the earth; his jaws did gape like caverns.
He had consumed the waters all and held them captive in his belly.
No god had dared to challenge him; no hero dared approach his lair.
But Indra feared him not! With mighty heart and limbs of sinew strong,
He grasped his thunderbolt and rose to meet the demon in the cloud.
The sky grew dark with thunder; lightning split the heavens wide.
Indra advanced; Vṛtra roared; the cosmos trembled at the sound.
The first blow Indra struck—it shattered half the demon's strength!
Vṛtra writhed and twisted; serpent coils did thrash about in rage.
The second blow came swift and sure; Indra's aim was deadly true.
The demon screamed in mortal pain; his jaws did gape in agony.
The third blow was the final one; the thunderbolt struck true and deep.
Vṛtra split asunder; from his body gushed the captive waters forth!
The rivers flowed in torrents; the rain came down in sheets of silver.
The earth drank deep; the crops grew green; the people sang for joy.
From Vṛtra's blood the mountains rose, and valleys formed where rivers flowed.
The sun shone bright upon the world; the darkness fled away.
Indra stood triumphant, and the gods came forth to sing his praise.
O mighty Indra, slayer of the serpent, lord of all the world!
Accept our offerings this day; accept the Soma that we pour.
Thou art the greatest of the gods; thy deed shall live forever.
The waters that thou didst release shall flow unto the end of time.
We honor thee, O Indra brave, and chant thy name in endless song.
Colophon
Rigveda I.32 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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda I.32
indrasya nu vīryāṇi pra vocaṁ yāni cakāra prathamāni vajrī |
ahann ahim anv apas tatarda pra vakṣaṇā abhinat parvatānām || 1 ||
ahann ahim parvate śiśriyāṇaṁ tvaṣṭāsmai vajraṁ svaryaṁ tatakṣa |
vāśrā iva dhenavaḥ syandamānā añjaḥ samudram ava jagmur āpaḥ || 2 ||
vṛṣāyamāṇo 'vṛṇīta somaṁ trikadrukeṣv apibat sutasya |
ā sāyakam maghavādatta vajram ahann enam prathamajām ahīnām || 3 ||
yad indrāhan prathamajām ahīnām ān māyinām amināḥ prota māyāḥ |
āt sūryaṁ janayan dyām uṣāsaṁ tādītnā śatruṁ na kilā vivitse || 4 ||
ahan vṛtraṁ vṛtrataraṁ vyaṁsam indro vajreṇa mahatā vadhena |
skandhāṁsīva kuliśenā vivṛkṇāhiḥ śayata upapṛk pṛthivyāḥ || 5 ||
ayoddheva durmada ā hi juhve mahāvīraṁ tuvibādham ṛjīṣam |
nātārīd asya samṛtiṁ vadhānāṁ saṁ rujānāḥ pipiṣa indraśatruḥ || 6 ||
apād ahasto apṛtanyad indram āsya vajram adhi sānau jaghāna |
vṛṣṇo vadhriḥ pratimānam bubhūṣan purutrā vṛtro aśayad vyastaḥ || 7 ||
nadaṁ na bhinnam amuyā śayānam mano ruhāṇā ati yanty āpaḥ |
yāś cid vṛtro mahinā paryatiṣṭhat tāsām ahiḥ patsutaḥśīr babhūva || 8 ||
nīcāvayā abhavad vṛtraputrendro asyā ava vadhar jabhāra |
uttarā sūr adharaḥ putra āsīd dānuḥ śaye sahavatsā na dhenuḥ || 9 ||
atiṣṭhantīnām aniveśanānāṁ kāṣṭhānām madhye nihitaṁ śarīram |
vṛtrasya niṇyaṁ vi caranty āpo dīrghaṁ tama āśayad indraśatruḥ || 10 ||
dāsapatnīr ahigopā atiṣṭhan niruddhā āpaḥ paṇineva gāvaḥ |
apām bilam apihitaṁ yad āsīd vṛtraṁ jaghanvām̐ apa tad vavāra || 11 ||
aśvyo vāro abhavas tad indra sṛke yat tvā pratyahan deva ekaḥ |
ajayo gā ajayaḥ śūra somam avāsṛjaḥ sartave sapta sindhūn || 12 ||
nāsmai vidyun na tanyatuḥ siṣedha na yām miham akirad dhrāduniṁ ca |
indraś ca yad yuyudhāte ahiś cotāparībhyo maghavā vi jigye || 13 ||
aher yātāraṁ kam apaśya indra hṛdi yat te jaghnuṣo bhīr agacchat |
nava ca yan navatiṁ ca sravantīḥ śyeno na bhīto ataro rajāṁsi || 14 ||
indro yāto 'vasitasya rājā śamasya ca śṛṅgiṇo vajrabāhuḥ |
sed u rājā kṣayati carṣaṇīnām arān na nemiḥ pari tā babhūva || 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).
🌲