Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.81 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.
Soma hath strengthened thee, O Indra, Lord of might! The sacred draught hath empowered thy limbs. With the Maruts at thy side, thou shalt shake the very pillars of heaven and split the clouds asunder.
Come forth! The Dāsas gather in darkness, their fortresses rise like mountains. But thou, O Thunder-wielder, drawest near with thy golden chariot drawn by the two bay steeds. The firmament trembles at thy approach. The waters flee before thy fury.
Drink deep of the Soma-cup, that thy strength may become boundless as the ocean. The purple draught hath been poured forth for thee alone. Let thy lightning strike true. Let thy thunderbolt cleave the bellies of the dark powers.
The Maruts, those wind-sons of Rudra, cry out in exultation. Their chariots whirl through the heavens. The earth quakes beneath them. No fortress can withstand thee when thou art thus empowered, O Mighty One. No enemy dares lift his head.
Therefore drink and be strong. The Soma-cup is raised to thy lips. The gods themselves do marvel at thy valor. When thou dost wake to battle, the sun itself grows pale. Heaven and earth do bow before thee. Thy victory is assured. The Dāsas shall flee like deer before the hunter. Their kingdoms shall crumble to dust.
Colophon
Rigveda I.81 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.81
indro madāya vāvṛdhe śavase vṛtrahā nṛbhiḥ |
tam in mahatsv ājiṣūtem arbhe havāmahe sa vājeṣu pra no 'viṣat || 1 ||
asi hi vīra senyo 'si bhūri parādadiḥ |
asi dabhrasya cid vṛdho yajamānāya śikṣasi sunvate bhūri te vasu || 2 ||
yad udīrata ājayo dhṛṣṇave dhīyate dhanā |
yukṣvā madacyutā harī kaṁ hanaḥ kaṁ vasau dadho 'smām̐ indra vasau dadhaḥ || 3 ||
kratvā mahām̐ anuṣvadham bhīma ā vāvṛdhe śavaḥ |
śriya ṛṣva upākayor ni śiprī harivān dadhe hastayor vajram āyasam || 4 ||
ā paprau pārthivaṁ rajo badbadhe rocanā divi |
na tvāvām̐ indra kaś cana na jāto na janiṣyate 'ti viśvaṁ vavakṣitha || 5 ||
yo aryo martabhojanam parādadāti dāśuṣe |
indro asmabhyaṁ śikṣatu vi bhajā bhūri te vasu bhakṣīya tava rādhasaḥ || 6 ||
made-made hi no dadir yūthā gavām ṛjukratuḥ |
saṁ gṛbhāya purū śatobhayāhastyā vasu śiśīhi rāya ā bhara || 7 ||
mādayasva sute sacā śavase śūra rādhase |
vidmā hi tvā purūvasum upa kāmān sasṛjmahe 'thā no 'vitā bhava || 8 ||
ete ta indra jantavo viśvam puṣyanti vāryam |
antar hi khyo janānām aryo vedo adāśuṣāṁ teṣāṁ no veda ā bhara || 9 ||
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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