Hymn to Indra
Rigveda X.148 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 10 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
After the soma is pressed, we lift thy praise, O Indra, and again when the prize is won, thou man of stalwart might.
Bestow thy blessing on him whom thou delightest in.
Through our own hands and our fathers’ name, may we prevail by thy aid.
Thou wast high and mighty even in thy first breath, O Indra, boldest of warriors.
With the sun beside thee, thou shalt strike the Dāsa tribes low, as thou didst smite the hidden one, fit to be veiled, lurking in the deep— to thee we pour the soma, gushing like a flood.
Or lift thy voice in turn to the stranger’s song, thou wise one, seer and singer glad in noble thought.
Let us be those who take delight in the draughts of soma, by this and by the shares we set apart for thee, who rideth in thy car.
These holy words are spoken now unto thee, O Indra.
Grant the strength of men unto men, O battle-lord.
Hold fast in heart with those thou lovest well, and shield the singers and their folk from harm.
Harken to Pr̥thī’s cry, O strong Indra,
and be lifted by the lays of Venya, who hath shouted toward thy ghee-rich womb.
As a wave stirreth the deeps, so his songs surge forth and swell.
Colophon
This hymn is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation are to be documented during audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda X.148
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
suṣvāṇāsa indra stumasi tvā sasavāṁsaś ca tuvinṛmṇa vājam |
ā no bhara suvitaṁ yasya cākan tmanā tanā sanuyāma tvotāḥ || 1 ||
ṛṣvas tvam indra śūra jāto dāsīr viśaḥ sūryeṇa sahyāḥ |
guhā hitaṁ guhyaṁ gūḻham apsu bibhṛmasi prasravaṇe na somam || 2 ||
aryo vā giro abhy arca vidvān ṛṣīṇāṁ vipraḥ sumatiṁ cakānaḥ |
te syāma ye raṇayanta somair enota tubhyaṁ rathoḻha bhakṣaiḥ || 3 ||
imā brahmendra tubhyaṁ śaṁsi dā nṛbhyo nṛṇāṁ śūra śavaḥ |
tebhir bhava sakratur yeṣu cākann uta trāyasva gṛṇata uta stīn || 4 ||
śrudhī havam indra śūra pṛthyā uta stavase venyasyārkaiḥ |
ā yas te yoniṁ ghṛtavantam asvār ūrmir na nimnair dravayanta vakvāḥ || 5 ||
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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