Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.8 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 Indra, in thy chariot! Thy steeds are swift; they know not weariness. The tawny ones do race across the sky; their hooves strike sparks of fire. Come to the battle, O mighty king, and lead us unto victory.
Our enemies do gather like clouds upon the horizon; they come with spear and shield. But we fear them not, for thou art with us. Thy bolt shall smite them down; thy might shall make them flee. Go forth, O Indra, and conquer for us.
The prayer of the righteous man is heard by thee; the cry of the weak reacheth unto thee. Thou dost turn aside the stroke of the enemy; thou dost ward off the blow of the wicked. O Indra, be the shield of our warriors; be their protector in the hour of strife.
Give strength unto the arm that raiseth the spear; give courage unto the heart that faceth the foe. Let the warrior move as swiftly as the wind; let him strike as hard as the thunder. O Indra, go before us in the battle and grant us the victory.
The songs of the singers do rise unto thee like incense. The clashing of the pressing-stones doth sound in thine ears. The soma hath been made ready; the oblations are prepared. Come, O Indra, and feast upon the offering.
When the battle is done and the victory is won, we shall raise a hymn of thanksgiving unto thee. The enemy shall be scattered like leaves before the wind; his strongholds shall crumble like sand. O Indra, deliver us from peril and lead us unto safety.
Colophon
Rigveda I.8 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.8
endra sānasiṁ rayiṁ sajitvānaṁ sadāsaham |
varṣiṣṭham ūtaye bhara || 1 ||
ni yena muṣṭihatyayā ni vṛtrā ruṇadhāmahai |
tvotāso ny arvatā || 2 ||
indra tvotāsa ā vayaṁ vajraṁ ghanā dadīmahi |
jayema saṁ yudhi spṛdhaḥ || 3 ||
vayaṁ śūrebhir astṛbhir indra tvayā yujā vayam |
sāsahyāma pṛtanyataḥ || 4 ||
mahām̐ indraḥ paraś ca nu mahitvam astu vajriṇe |
dyaur na prathinā śavaḥ || 5 ||
samohe vā ya āśata naras tokasya sanitau |
viprāso vā dhiyāyavaḥ || 6 ||
yaḥ kukṣiḥ somapātamaḥ samudra iva pinvate |
urvīr āpo na kākudaḥ || 7 ||
evā hy asya sūnṛtā virapśī gomatī mahī |
pakvā śākhā na dāśuṣe || 8 ||
evā hi te vibhūtaya ūtaya indra māvate |
sadyaś cit santi dāśuṣe || 9 ||
evā hy asya kāmyā stoma ukthaṁ ca śaṁsyā |
indrāya somapītaye || 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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