Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.33 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, mighty lord of battle, whose victories are countless and supreme!
Thou hast conquered many foes; thou hast made the earth to tremble.
The Ten Kings did march against the Turvaśa and Yadu clans in ancient days—
And thou didst aid thy faithful people, crushing all who dared rebel.
The evil Dāsas sought to steal the cattle of the righteous folk.
They came with chariots and with spears; they came with malice in their hearts.
But thou didst smite them with thy thunderbolt; thou madest them to flee in fear.
The cows returned unto their rightful owners; peace was restored once more.
The demon Sambara, who hideth in the mountains, curseth mortal men.
He casteth spells and worketeth dark magic 'gainst the virtuous.
Yet thou, O Indra, hast confronted him within his hidden lair.
Thy power shattered all his spells; thy might made him to fall.
In every generation, men have called upon thy name in battle.
The warriors who trust in thee do never see defeat in war.
The chariots roll forward; the arrows fly like rain upon the enemy.
The brave hearts shout thy name aloud; their courage strengthened by thy might.
The Aṇu and the Druhyu, who did rebel against their rightful lords—
Thou didst subdue them; thou didst make them bow before the Aryans.
The Pactians fled before thy wrath; the Ālina were brought low.
Throughout the land, thy deeds are sung; thy victories echo through the ages.
The man who calleth upon thee in his hour of deepest need
Shall never suffer shame; his enemies shall scatter and shall flee.
Thou art the strength of the warrior; thou art the hope of the oppressed.
O Indra, hear our prayer this day, and grant us victory once more!
Colophon
Rigveda I.33 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.33
etāyāmopa gavyanta indram asmākaṁ su pramatiṁ vāvṛdhāti |
anāmṛṇaḥ kuvid ād asya rāyo gavāṁ ketam param āvarjate naḥ || 1 ||
uped ahaṁ dhanadām apratītaṁ juṣṭāṁ na śyeno vasatim patāmi |
indraṁ namasyann upamebhir arkair yaḥ stotṛbhyo havyo asti yāman || 2 ||
ni sarvasena iṣudhīm̐r asakta sam aryo gā ajati yasya vaṣṭi |
coṣkūyamāṇa indra bhūri vāmam mā paṇir bhūr asmad adhi pravṛddha || 3 ||
vadhīr hi dasyuṁ dhaninaṁ ghanenam̐ ekaś carann upaśākebhir indra |
dhanor adhi viṣuṇak te vy āyann ayajvānaḥ sanakāḥ pretim īyuḥ || 4 ||
parā cic chīrṣā vavṛjus ta indrāyajvāno yajvabhiḥ spardhamānāḥ |
pra yad divo harivaḥ sthātar ugra nir avratām̐ adhamo rodasyoḥ || 5 ||
ayuyutsann anavadyasya senām ayātayanta kṣitayo navagvāḥ |
vṛṣāyudho na vadhrayo niraṣṭāḥ pravadbhir indrāc citayanta āyan || 6 ||
tvam etān rudato jakṣataś cāyodhayo rajasa indra pāre |
avādaho diva ā dasyum uccā pra sunvataḥ stuvataḥ śaṁsam āvaḥ || 7 ||
cakrāṇāsaḥ parīṇaham pṛthivyā hiraṇyena maṇinā śumbhamānāḥ |
na hinvānāsas titirus ta indram pari spaśo adadhāt sūryeṇa || 8 ||
pari yad indra rodasī ubhe abubhojīr mahinā viśvataḥ sīm |
amanyamānām̐ abhi manyamānair nir brahmabhir adhamo dasyum indra || 9 ||
na ye divaḥ pṛthivyā antam āpur na māyābhir dhanadām paryabhūvan |
yujaṁ vajraṁ vṛṣabhaś cakra indro nir jyotiṣā tamaso gā adukṣat || 10 ||
anu svadhām akṣarann āpo asyāvardhata madhya ā nāvyānām |
sadhrīcīnena manasā tam indra ojiṣṭhena hanmanāhann abhi dyūn || 11 ||
ny āvidhyad ilībiśasya dṛḻhā vi śṛṅgiṇam abhinac chuṣṇam indraḥ |
yāvat taro maghavan yāvad ojo vajreṇa śatrum avadhīḥ pṛtanyum || 12 ||
abhi sidhmo ajigād asya śatrūn vi tigmena vṛṣabheṇā puro 'bhet |
saṁ vajreṇāsṛjad vṛtram indraḥ pra svām matim atirac chāśadānaḥ || 13 ||
āvaḥ kutsam indra yasmiñ cākan prāvo yudhyantaṁ vṛṣabhaṁ daśadyum |
śaphacyuto reṇur nakṣata dyām uc chvaitreyo nṛṣāhyāya tasthau || 14 ||
āvaḥ śamaṁ vṛṣabhaṁ tugryāsu kṣetrajeṣe maghavañ chvitryaṁ gām |
jyok cid atra tasthivāṁso akrañ chatrūyatām adharā vedanākaḥ || 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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