Hymn to Indra
Rigveda X.24 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.
O Indra, drink thou this soma, sweet as honey, pressed into the cup.
Lay thou for us a deep foundation of wealth, rich in thousands, thou who holdest countless gifts.
In the height of my joy, I would lift up my song to thee, O gods.
We call upon thee with rite and with reading, with offerings and flame.
Thou lord of all might, enthroned in strength, set before us the choicest of all that may be chosen.
In the height of my joy, I would lift up my song to thee, O gods.
Thou art the master of what is best, the lifter of the lowly, the stay of those who sing thy praise.
O Indra, shield us from hate and from bondage.
In the height of my joy, I would lift up my song to thee, O gods.
O mighty ones, ye twain of wonder-working hand, ye did churn the twin-bound kindlers, when, called with holy word by Vimada,
ye stirred the fire, ye Nāsatyas.
The gods all longed after those joined as they fled through the air.
And the gods spake unto the Nāsatyas,
“Bring them back again, we pray you—bring them back.”
Honey-sweet is my going, and honey-sweet my homecoming.
O gods, by your godhood, make us sweet with blessing.
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.24
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.
indra somam imam piba madhumantaṁ camū sutam |
asme rayiṁ ni dhāraya vi vo made sahasriṇam purūvaso vivakṣase || 1 ||
tvāṁ yajñebhir ukthair upa havyebhir īmahe |
śacīpate śacīnāṁ vi vo made śreṣṭhaṁ no dhehi vāryaṁ vivakṣase || 2 ||
yas patir vāryāṇām asi radhrasya coditā |
indra stotṝṇām avitā vi vo made dviṣo naḥ pāhy aṁhaso vivakṣase || 3 ||
yuvaṁ śakrā māyāvinā samīcī nir amanthatam |
vimadena yad īḻitā nāsatyā niramanthatam || 4 ||
viśve devā akṛpanta samīcyor niṣpatantyoḥ |
nāsatyāv abruvan devāḥ punar ā vahatād iti || 5 ||
madhuman me parāyaṇam madhumat punar āyanam |
tā no devā devatayā yuvam madhumatas kṛtam || 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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