Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.39 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 Maruts, mighty brothers, sons of Rudra most ferocious and supreme!
Ye are companions of the Thunderer; ye dance with Indra in the sky.
Your father is the terrible lord who holdeth in his hands disease and death.
Yet ye are gentler than your sire; ye bring both terror and relief.
Rudra is the wild god of the mountains; he is the archer armed with plague.
The creatures flee before his wrath; the very gods do bow to him in fear.
But thou, O Maruts, have his strength yet dost thou use it differently.
Ye bring the rain that giveth life; ye bring the wind that cleanseth all.
As brothers of Indra, ye do aid him in his battle 'gainst the demon host.
When he doth sound his battle-cry, ye come with lightning spears in hand.
Together ye do conquer all the enemies of the righteous and the good.
No Dāsa, no demon, no evil creature can withstand your combined might.
The seven Maruts—or are ye more?—none truly knoweth how many ye are.
Each one is brave and bold and strong; each one doth dance upon the wind.
Ye march together in formation, a host that none can count or measure.
When ye do pass over, the very earth doth crack beneath thy feet.
Ye are the warriors of the gods; ye are the soldiers of the sky.
No mortal army can compare unto your numbers and your might.
Yet ye are just; ye smite the wicked; ye protect the righteous folk.
O Maruts, ye are terrible and beautiful together.
We sing your praise with grateful hearts; we offer you our finest gifts.
Accept the butter poured upon the fire; accept the Soma that we press.
Guard us from the anger of your father; protect us from the pestilence.
O Maruts fierce and mighty, grant us peace and prosperity forever.
Colophon
Rigveda I.39 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.39
pra yad itthā parāvataḥ śocir na mānam asyatha |
kasya kratvā marutaḥ kasya varpasā kaṁ yātha kaṁ ha dhūtayaḥ || 1 ||
sthirā vaḥ santv āyudhā parāṇude vīḻū uta pratiṣkabhe |
yuṣmākam astu taviṣī panīyasī mā martyasya māyinaḥ || 2 ||
parā ha yat sthiraṁ hatha naro vartayathā guru |
vi yāthana vaninaḥ pṛthivyā vy āśāḥ parvatānām || 3 ||
nahi vaḥ śatrur vivide adhi dyavi na bhūmyāṁ riśādasaḥ |
yuṣmākam astu taviṣī tanā yujā rudrāso nū cid ādhṛṣe || 4 ||
pra vepayanti parvatān vi viñcanti vanaspatīn |
pro ārata maruto durmadā iva devāsaḥ sarvayā viśā || 5 ||
upo ratheṣu pṛṣatīr ayugdhvam praṣṭir vahati rohitaḥ |
ā vo yāmāya pṛthivī cid aśrod abībhayanta mānuṣāḥ || 6 ||
ā vo makṣū tanāya kaṁ rudrā avo vṛṇīmahe |
gantā nūnaṁ no 'vasā yathā puretthā kaṇvāya bibhyuṣe || 7 ||
yuṣmeṣito maruto martyeṣita ā yo no abhva īṣate |
vi taṁ yuyota śavasā vy ojasā vi yuṣmākābhir ūtibhiḥ || 8 ||
asāmi hi prayajyavaḥ kaṇvaṁ dada pracetasaḥ |
asāmibhir maruta ā na ūtibhir gantā vṛṣṭiṁ na vidyutaḥ || 9 ||
asāmy ojo bibhṛthā sudānavo 'sāmi dhūtayaḥ śavaḥ |
ṛṣidviṣe marutaḥ parimanyava iṣuṁ na sṛjata dviṣam || 10 ||
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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