Hymn to Indra
Rigveda I.84 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.
Thou hast slain them all, O mighty Indra! The Dāsas who rose up in their darkness have been cast down. Their chariots lie broken upon the field. Their warriors cry out no more. Thy victory is complete and terrible to behold.
In ages past, when the world was young and chaos reigned, thou didst stand forth to battle the enemies of order. With thy thunderbolt thou didst smite them down. With thy lightning thou didst burn away their darkness. The very stones did dance at thy coming.
The asuras fell like autumn leaves before the wind. Their fortresses crumbled into dust. Their treasures became thy spoil. Their women and children were taken into bondage. Not a single one escaped thy wrath. None could hide from thy all-seeing eye.
Thou art the vanquisher of foes! The slayer of demons! The protector of the righteous! When a man crieth out in his distress, thou hearest his prayer and comest to his aid. When the weak are oppressed by the strong, thou dost arise and smite the oppressor.
Therefore we sing thy praises, O Indra, victor supreme! Accept our hymns of thanksgiving. We offer unto thee the finest soma and the richest ghee. Grant us thy protection as thou hast protected our fathers before us. Make us victorious in all our battles. Turn thy face toward us and smile, that we may know thy favor and dwell in peace.
Colophon
Rigveda I.84 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.84
asāvi soma indra te śaviṣṭha dhṛṣṇav ā gahi |
ā tvā pṛṇaktv indriyaṁ rajaḥ sūryo na raśmibhiḥ || 1 ||
indram id dharī vahato 'pratidhṛṣṭaśavasam |
ṛṣīṇāṁ ca stutīr upa yajñaṁ ca mānuṣāṇām || 2 ||
ā tiṣṭha vṛtrahan rathaṁ yuktā te brahmaṇā harī |
arvācīnaṁ su te mano grāvā kṛṇotu vagnunā || 3 ||
imam indra sutam piba jyeṣṭham amartyam madam |
śukrasya tvābhy akṣaran dhārā ṛtasya sādane || 4 ||
indrāya nūnam arcatokthāni ca bravītana |
sutā amatsur indavo jyeṣṭhaṁ namasyatā sahaḥ || 5 ||
nakiṣ ṭvad rathītaro harī yad indra yacchase |
nakiṣ ṭvānu majmanā nakiḥ svaśva ānaśe || 6 ||
ya eka id vidayate vasu martāya dāśuṣe |
īśāno apratiṣkuta indro aṅga || 7 ||
kadā martam arādhasam padā kṣumpam iva sphurat |
kadā naḥ śuśravad gira indro aṅga || 8 ||
yaś cid dhi tvā bahubhya ā sutāvām̐ āvivāsati |
ugraṁ tat patyate śava indro aṅga || 9 ||
svādor itthā viṣūvato madhvaḥ pibanti gauryaḥ |
yā indreṇa sayāvarīr vṛṣṇā madanti śobhase vasvīr anu svarājyam || 10 ||
tā asya pṛśanāyuvaḥ somaṁ śrīṇanti pṛśnayaḥ |
priyā indrasya dhenavo vajraṁ hinvanti sāyakaṁ vasvīr anu svarājyam || 11 ||
tā asya namasā sahaḥ saparyanti pracetasaḥ |
vratāny asya saścire purūṇi pūrvacittaye vasvīr anu svarājyam || 12 ||
indro dadhīco asthabhir vṛtrāṇy apratiṣkutaḥ |
jaghāna navatīr nava || 13 ||
icchann aśvasya yac chiraḥ parvateṣv apaśritam |
tad vidac charyaṇāvati || 14 ||
atrāha gor amanvata nāma tvaṣṭur apīcyam |
itthā candramaso gṛhe || 15 ||
ko adya yuṅkte dhuri gā ṛtasya śimīvato bhāmino durhṛṇāyūn |
āsanniṣūn hṛtsvaso mayobhūn ya eṣām bhṛtyām ṛṇadhat sa jīvāt || 16 ||
ka īṣate tujyate ko bibhāya ko maṁsate santam indraṁ ko anti |
kas tokāya ka ibhāyota rāye 'dhi bravat tanve3 ko janāya || 17 ||
ko agnim īṭṭe haviṣā ghṛtena srucā yajātā ṛtubhir dhruvebhiḥ |
kasmai devā ā vahān āśu homa ko maṁsate vītihotraḥ sudevaḥ || 18 ||
tvam aṅga pra śaṁsiṣo devaḥ śaviṣṭha martyam |
na tvad anyo maghavann asti marḍitendra bravīmi te vacaḥ || 19 ||
mā te rādhāṁsi mā ta ūtayo vaso 'smān kadā canā dabhan |
viśvā ca na upamimīhi mānuṣa vasūni carṣaṇibhya ā || 20 ||
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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