Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.83 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 forth with the Maruts, O Indra! Let thy companions in glory attend upon thee. The sons of Rudra, those mighty wind-gods, follow in thy chariot's wake. Their spears gleam like stars. Their armor shineth with a brilliance that blindeth the eye.
Together do ye march against the dark fortresses of the Dāsas. Together do ye hurl destruction upon the demons who cower beneath the earth. The Maruts cry out with joy as they race alongside thee. Their chariots whirl faster than the falcon's flight. Their weapons sing through the air like arrows loosed from the bow of heaven itself.
The earth trembleth at the coming of this host. The very clouds part before them. Rain falleth where the Maruts pass, and grass springeth up green and verdant. They bring blessing and curse in equal measure — abundance to the righteous and calamity to the wicked.
O Indra, lead them on! Direct their fury against thy enemies. Let the Maruts shatter the ramparts of the asuras. Let them trample the black magicians beneath their feet. Their roar is the roar of the storm itself. Their laughter is the crash of thunder.
When thou and the wind-gods unite thy might, no power can stand against thee. The very foundations of the world do shake. Heaven and earth draw closer together in fear. We mortals cower in the shelter of our homes and offer praises, grateful that thy wrath is turned from us.
Colophon
Rigveda I.83 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.83
aśvāvati prathamo goṣu gacchati suprāvīr indra martyas tavotibhiḥ |
tam it pṛṇakṣi vasunā bhavīyasā sindhum āpo yathābhito vicetasaḥ || 1 ||
āpo na devīr upa yanti hotriyam avaḥ paśyanti vitataṁ yathā rajaḥ |
prācair devāsaḥ pra ṇayanti devayum brahmapriyaṁ joṣayante varā iva || 2 ||
adhi dvayor adadhā ukthya1ṁ vaco yatasrucā mithunā yā saparyataḥ |
asaṁyatto vrate te kṣeti puṣyati bhadrā śaktir yajamānāya sunvate || 3 ||
ād aṅgirāḥ prathamaṁ dadhire vaya iddhāgnayaḥ śamyā ye sukṛtyayā |
sarvam paṇeḥ sam avindanta bhojanam aśvāvantaṁ gomantam ā paśuṁ naraḥ || 4 ||
yajñair atharvā prathamaḥ pathas tate tataḥ sūryo vratapā vena ājani |
ā gā ājad uśanā kāvyaḥ sacā yamasya jātam amṛtaṁ yajāmahe || 5 ||
barhir vā yat svapatyāya vṛjyate 'rko vā ślokam āghoṣate divi |
grāvā yatra vadati kārur ukthya1s tasyed indro abhipitveṣu raṇyati || 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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