Hymn to Indra
Rigveda X.92 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.
I call upon thee, charioteer of the rite, chief of kindreds, flame that serveth at the feast, guest of the night, shining in splendor.
Thou who blazest in the dry sticks, and glimmerest 'midst golden boughs, strong-horned light, meet for worship, hast risen to the heavens.
This one, who drinketh straight, is claimed of both gods and men: Agni the upholder, the forward-bringer of the rite.
The dawns do kiss him, the ever-young, like the night doth kiss her bridegroom—he who is set before all, born of his own flame, ruddy and bold.
Yea, we do discern his counsel from that of the miser.
The twigs are anointed for his feasting.
When the dread ones won deathlessness, then did they honor the race divine.
For the broad heaven is the path of truth—therein dwell Awe and Great Devotion, wondrous to behold.
There do Indra, Mitra, and Varuṇa with one heart behold; and Bhaga and Savitar, all rich in craft.
The rivers run with the wandering Rudra; they cross the field of Great Devotion— those streams wherewith the earth-walking one, Parjanya perhaps, circles the world, and rumbles ever in his belly to bedew all things.
The Rudras stir in their toil—the Maruts, kin to every tribe, heaven's hawks, fledglings of the Lord.
Through them do Varuṇa, Mitra, and Aryaman watch, and Indra, swift with the swiftening gods.
Spent in their labor, they found their reward in Indra, under the Sun’s eye, and in the bull’s brave strength— the seers who shaped the mace as his due, yoked beside him in the gatherings of men.
He even stayed the golden steeds of the Sun, his very own.
All tremble before Indra the mightier, before the roaring in the belly of the dread bull.
Day after day he thunders in triumph, who none can withstand.
Now with awe give praise unto Rudra the wise, master of warriors, and to those with whom he walketh—kindly, strong, and self-bright—those of the heavens who go their way in longing.
They spread their fame to their offspring: Br̥haspati the bull, and those near unto Soma.
The first of Atharvans bore it forth through sacrifice.
The gods and Bhr̥gus see with one sight, by craft of mind.
Heaven and Earth, so full of seed; Narāśaṃsa, fourfold; Yama, Aditi— and Tvaṣṭar, giver of gold, the lords of the R̥bhus, Rodasī the World-Twins, the Maruts, and Viṣṇu—all are meet to receive.
Of us, the fire-servants, our wise bard is seen far and wide.
Let Ahi Budhnya hearken to his cry.
Let Sun and Moon, lone walkers of the sky, attend.
O ye Nahuṣī, by sight and sacred toil, mark well this one.
Let Pūṣan, friend to all gods, the Child of Waters, and Vāyu bear us onward to find our kine and treasure.
Sing now to Vāta, the wind of life, with double voice.
O Aśvins, ever easy to call, hear this prayer as ye journey.
He who ruleth these fearless tribes, shining in his own light, let us praise in song.
Aditi the unassailable, with all the Wives of the Gods, and the young lord of night, manly in mind, we worship.
Lo, from the first breath crackles the foremost Aṅgiras.
The pressing stones lift their gaze upon the rite, whereby the far-seeing soma spread wide.
The stall is well-founded, the axe in the heart of the tree.
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.92
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.
yajñasya vo rathyaṁ viśpatiṁ viśāṁ hotāram aktor atithiṁ vibhāvasum |
śocañ chuṣkāsu hariṇīṣu jarbhurad vṛṣā ketur yajato dyām aśāyata || 1 ||
imam añjaspām ubhaye akṛṇvata dharmāṇam agniṁ vidathasya sādhanam |
aktuṁ na yahvam uṣasaḥ purohitaṁ tanūnapātam aruṣasya niṁsate || 2 ||
baḻ asya nīthā vi paṇeś ca manmahe vayā asya prahutā āsur attave |
yadā ghorāso amṛtatvam āśatād ij janasya daivyasya carkiran || 3 ||
ṛtasya hi prasitir dyaur uru vyaco namo mahy a1ramatiḥ panīyasī |
indro mitro varuṇaḥ saṁ cikitrire 'tho bhagaḥ savitā pūtadakṣasaḥ || 4 ||
pra rudreṇa yayinā yanti sindhavas tiro mahīm aramatiṁ dadhanvire |
yebhiḥ parijmā pariyann uru jrayo vi roruvaj jaṭhare viśvam ukṣate || 5 ||
krāṇā rudrā maruto viśvakṛṣṭayo divaḥ śyenāso asurasya nīḻayaḥ |
tebhiś caṣṭe varuṇo mitro aryamendro devebhir arvaśebhir arvaśaḥ || 6 ||
indre bhujaṁ śaśamānāsa āśata sūro dṛśīke vṛṣaṇaś ca pauṁsye |
pra ye nv asyārhaṇā tatakṣire yujaṁ vajraṁ nṛṣadaneṣu kāravaḥ || 7 ||
sūraś cid ā harito asya rīramad indrād ā kaś cid bhayate tavīyasaḥ |
bhīmasya vṛṣṇo jaṭharād abhiśvaso dive-dive sahuriḥ stann abādhitaḥ || 8 ||
stomaṁ vo adya rudrāya śikvase kṣayadvīrāya namasā didiṣṭana |
yebhiḥ śivaḥ svavām̐ evayāvabhir divaḥ siṣakti svayaśā nikāmabhiḥ || 9 ||
te hi prajāyā abharanta vi śravo bṛhaspatir vṛṣabhaḥ somajāmayaḥ |
yajñair atharvā prathamo vi dhārayad devā dakṣair bhṛgavaḥ saṁ cikitrire || 10 ||
te hi dyāvāpṛthivī bhūriretasā narāśaṁsaś caturaṅgo yamo 'ditiḥ |
devas tvaṣṭā draviṇodā ṛbhukṣaṇaḥ pra rodasī maruto viṣṇur arhire || 11 ||
uta sya na uśijām urviyā kavir ahiḥ śṛṇotu budhnyo3 havīmani |
sūryāmāsā vicarantā divikṣitā dhiyā śamīnahuṣī asya bodhatam || 12 ||
pra naḥ pūṣā carathaṁ viśvadevyo 'pāṁ napād avatu vāyur iṣṭaye |
ātmānaṁ vasyo abhi vātam arcata tad aśvinā suhavā yāmani śrutam || 13 ||
viśām āsām abhayānām adhikṣitaṁ gīrbhir u svayaśasaṁ gṛṇīmasi |
gnābhir viśvābhir aditim anarvaṇam aktor yuvānaṁ nṛmaṇā adhā patim || 14 ||
rebhad atra januṣā pūrvo aṅgirā grāvāṇa ūrdhvā abhi cakṣur adhvaram |
yebhir vihāyā abhavad vicakṣaṇaḥ pāthaḥ sumekaṁ svadhitir vananvati || 15 ||
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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