Hymn to Soma
Rigveda X.50 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.
Sing forth now to the mighty one, he who taketh joy from the stalk of soma, who is near to every man and shared among all folk— to Indra, whose bold strength in battle, broad renown, and manly might are held in awe by the twin halves of the world.
Even now is he praised by his fellow, as one full of force and manhood.
Such a one is Indra—worthy of song from a man such as I.
Where chariot-poles stand ranked, where prizes are claimed, O lord of dwellings—at barriers, be they waters or foes— there dost thou find thy gladness, O champion.
Who are the men, Indra, that bring thee delight?
Who seek thy friendship on the road and strive to win thy favor?
Who stir themselves for thy royal gift,
when water is at stake, or land, or the bold might of men?
By our sacred words shalt thou wax great, O Indra.
Thou shalt be held as the rightful taker of the sacrifice at every pressing of the soma.
Thou shalt rouse the hearts of men in all their strife, and be the chiefest spell—thou, who art at home in every realm.
Come now, as the greater power, and aid the willing ones at the rite.
The peoples know the shelter of thy mighty hand.
Now, that thou grow not old and that thy strength endure, we have made strong these soma-pressings to draw thee near.
We have made strong these soma-pressings to draw thee unto us— pressings thou hast already taken into thy very self,
O son of strength.
To thy liking and for thy upholding are, one after another:
the cup, the rite, the holy spell, and the lifted word of praise.
They who shape holy spells for thee when soma is poured, that thou mightst grant goods and all that is good, O soul aflame— these shall press on with thy grace beside them, walking the path made bright by thy joy in the soma's flow.
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.50
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.
pra vo mahe mandamānāyāndhaso 'rcā viśvānarāya viśvābhuve |
indrasya yasya sumakhaṁ saho mahi śravo nṛmṇaṁ ca rodasī saparyataḥ || 1 ||
so cin nu sakhyā narya inaḥ stutaś carkṛtya indro māvate nare |
viśvāsu dhūrṣu vājakṛtyeṣu satpate vṛtre vāpsv a1bhi śūra mandase || 2 ||
ke te nara indra ye ta iṣe ye te sumnaṁ sadhanya1m iyakṣān |
ke te vājāyāsuryāya hinvire ke apsu svāsūrvarāsu pauṁsye || 3 ||
bhuvas tvam indra brahmaṇā mahān bhuvo viśveṣu savaneṣu yajñiyaḥ |
bhuvo nṝm̐ś cyautno viśvasmin bhare jyeṣṭhaś ca mantro viśvacarṣaṇe || 4 ||
avā nu kaṁ jyāyān yajñavanaso mahīṁ ta omātrāṁ kṛṣṭayo viduḥ |
aso nu kam ajaro vardhāś ca viśved etā savanā tūtumā kṛṣe || 5 ||
etā viśvā savanā tūtumā kṛṣe svayaṁ sūno sahaso yāni dadhiṣe |
varāya te pātraṁ dharmaṇe tanā yajño mantro brahmodyataṁ vacaḥ || 6 ||
ye te vipra brahmakṛtaḥ sute sacā vasūnāṁ ca vasunaś ca dāvane |
pra te sumnasya manasā pathā bhuvan made sutasya somyasyāndhasaḥ || 7 ||
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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