Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.82 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.
Behold! The Thunderer doth shake the heavens! His golden chariot rolls across the sky, and the stars do tremble in their courses. The very pillars of the firmament groan beneath his weight. Mountains crack and valleys split asunder when Indra passeth by.
Thy lightning, O Indra, pierceth the clouds and drinketh up the waters. Thy thunder rolleth forth with a voice that shaketh the earth to its foundations. The Asuras cower in their lairs. The demons flee into the uttermost darkness.
Lift up thy thunderbolt! Let it gleam like molten gold. Strike down those who would oppose thee — the Dāsas and their black sorcerers. The very winds do bow before thy majesty. The rain-clouds hasten to obey thy call. The rivers run swifter at thy word.
Thou art supreme among all the gods. No power in heaven or earth can rival thee. Thy strength is as the strength of a thousand bulls. Thy courage is as a lion's heart. When thou dost roar, the heavens echo with thy voice, and all creation trembles.
Therefore do we praise thee, O Indra of the Thunder! Accept our offerings of soma and ghee. Make us strong in battle. Defend us from our enemies. Grant us victory and prosperity. Let thy blessings fall upon us like gentle rain upon the parched earth.
Colophon
Rigveda I.82 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.82
upo ṣu śṛṇuhī giro maghavan mātathā iva |
yadā naḥ sūnṛtāvataḥ kara ād arthayāsa id yojā nv indra te harī || 1 ||
akṣann amīmadanta hy ava priyā adhūṣata |
astoṣata svabhānavo viprā naviṣṭhayā matī yojā nv indra te harī || 2 ||
susaṁdṛśaṁ tvā vayam maghavan vandiṣīmahi |
pra nūnam pūrṇavandhuraḥ stuto yāhi vaśām̐ anu yojā nv indra te harī || 3 ||
sa ghā taṁ vṛṣaṇaṁ ratham adhi tiṣṭhāti govidam |
yaḥ pātraṁ hāriyojanam pūrṇam indra ciketati yojā nv indra te harī || 4 ||
yuktas te astu dakṣiṇa uta savyaḥ śatakrato |
tena jāyām upa priyām mandāno yāhy andhaso yojā nv indra te harī || 5 ||
yunajmi te brahmaṇā keśinā harī upa pra yāhi dadhiṣe gabhastyoḥ |
ut tvā sutāso rabhasā amandiṣuḥ pūṣaṇvān vajrin sam u patnyāmadaḥ || 6 ||
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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