Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.80 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, mightiest of warriors! Let us now recount thy mighty deeds, O Champion! Let us catalogue the victories that have made thy name eternal! None among the gods, none among the demons, none among any beings whatsoever, hath accomplished what thou hast accomplished!
Thou didst slay Ahi the serpent! That terrible demon whose coils encompassed the heavens, whose scales were hard as adamant, whose very breath was death—thou didst strike him down with thy thunderbolt, and his corpse fell across the earth like a mountain fallen low. From his body flowed the waters that give life to all creatures. From his death came forth all fruitfulness and abundance.
The sun thou didst rescue from the darkness! Captured was the great orb of light by demons who sought to keep eternal night upon the world. But thou didst march into their stronghold, thou didst break their chains, thou didst liberate the sun. Now it rideth forth each day across the sky, bringing light and warmth to all creatures.
The soma thou didst win for mortals! Guarded was the sacred drink by demons and spirits who would deny it unto men. But thou didst assault their fortress. Thou didst overcome all resistance. Thou didst seize the soma and bring it forth. Now mortals may drink of it and touch the divine state, may feel the ecstasy of the gods flowing through their veins.
The cattle thou didst free from the Paṇis! Thousands of herds were captive, locked away in caverns, feeding no one. Thou didst penetrate the darkness. Thou didst overcome the guardians. Thou didst open the gates. The cattle poured forth like water breaking through a dam.
These are but a fraction of thy deeds, O Indra! Thou hast conquered enemies without number. Thou hast won victories so numerous that mortals cannot count them all. Thou art the supreme champion, the unconquerable warrior, the lord of all victories!
We sing thy praises forever, O Mighty Indra!
Colophon
Rigveda I.80 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.80
itthā hi soma in made brahmā cakāra vardhanam |
śaviṣṭha vajrinn ojasā pṛthivyā niḥ śaśā ahim arcann anu svarājyam || 1 ||
sa tvāmadad vṛṣā madaḥ somaḥ śyenābhṛtaḥ sutaḥ |
yenā vṛtraṁ nir adbhyo jaghantha vajrinn ojasārcann anu svarājyam || 2 ||
prehy abhīhi dhṛṣṇuhi na te vajro ni yaṁsate |
indra nṛmṇaṁ hi te śavo hano vṛtraṁ jayā apo 'rcann anu svarājyam || 3 ||
nir indra bhūmyā adhi vṛtraṁ jaghantha nir divaḥ |
sṛjā marutvatīr ava jīvadhanyā imā apo 'rcann anu svarājyam || 4 ||
indro vṛtrasya dodhataḥ sānuṁ vajreṇa hīḻitaḥ |
abhikramyāva jighnate 'paḥ sarmāya codayann arcann anu svarājyam || 5 ||
adhi sānau ni jighnate vajreṇa śataparvaṇā |
mandāna indro andhasaḥ sakhibhyo gātum icchaty arcann anu svarājyam || 6 ||
indra tubhyam id adrivo 'nuttaṁ vajrin vīryam |
yad dha tyam māyinam mṛgaṁ tam u tvam māyayāvadhīr arcann anu svarājyam || 7 ||
vi te vajrāso asthiran navatiṁ nāvyā3 anu |
mahat ta indra vīryam bāhvos te balaṁ hitam arcann anu svarājyam || 8 ||
sahasraṁ sākam arcata pari ṣṭobhata viṁśatiḥ |
śatainam anv anonavur indrāya brahmodyatam arcann anu svarājyam || 9 ||
indro vṛtrasya taviṣīṁ nir ahan sahasā sahaḥ |
mahat tad asya pauṁsyaṁ vṛtraṁ jaghanvām̐ asṛjad arcann anu svarājyam || 10 ||
ime cit tava manyave vepete bhiyasā mahī |
yad indra vajrinn ojasā vṛtram marutvām̐ avadhīr arcann anu svarājyam || 11 ||
na vepasā na tanyatendraṁ vṛtro vi bībhayat |
abhy enaṁ vajra āyasaḥ sahasrabhṛṣṭir āyatārcann anu svarājyam || 12 ||
yad vṛtraṁ tava cāśaniṁ vajreṇa samayodhayaḥ |
ahim indra jighāṁsato divi te badbadhe śavo 'rcann anu svarājyam || 13 ||
abhiṣṭane te adrivo yat sthā jagac ca rejate |
tvaṣṭā cit tava manyava indra vevijyate bhiyārcann anu svarājyam || 14 ||
nahi nu yād adhīmasīndraṁ ko vīryā paraḥ |
tasmin nṛmṇam uta kratuṁ devā ojāṁsi saṁ dadhur arcann anu svarājyam || 15 ||
yām atharvā manuṣ pitā dadhyaṅ dhiyam atnata |
tasmin brahmāṇi pūrvathendra ukthā sam agmatārcann anu svarājyam || 16 ||
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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