Hymn to Indra
Rigveda X.99 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.
Which bright thunderer among our kin dost thou behold, and send abroad o’er the broad earth to give strength?
What strength hath he in the waking of dawn?
He forged the smiting-staff that breaketh all hindrance; he swelled it to fullness.
For he doth chase the song with his flash and his flame; he sitteth upon the wide womb of the world by his high hand.
With his nest-brethren, not lacking his brother, he it is who outmatch’d the witcheries of the seventh.
He driveth toward the prize, though borne on a beast whose far foot faileth.
At the winning of the sun, with mind set to gain, he besieged it, and, unshaken, he broke the loins of the idol-lovers; with his shape alone he took the hoard from the hall of a hundred doors.
He poureth forth the youngling streams, as a war-horse racing for the kine set as wager, when those who are yoked, footless and cartless, yet riding wooden bowls like steeds, hasten toward the ghee, toward the water.
With the Rudras hath he come—the Smith, whose wish is unseemly, yet who keepeth shame afar—forsaking his own hall.
It mindeth me of the ant-twain who stray’d from their hole, and one drew nigh, stole their meat, and left them wailing.
Even he, lord of the hearth, subdued the roaring Dāsa, he of six eyes and three heads.
Made mighty in strength, Trita smote the boar with his iron-tipp’d, god-breathed word.
He stood up for Manu and loosed his shaft at the guileful Arśasāna.
Born of Nahus and of us, most manful he was, and burst the holds of the Dasyus, as befitted him.
As a rain-cloud brimming, streaming on the field, he found us a fair resting-place.
When to the draught he draweth near in reverence, the hawk, with claws of iron, breaketh the Dasyus.
With men waxen in strength, he struck the proud ones low.
He gave over Śuṣṇa to Kutsa, for the Karpan’s due.
This one led the singer who sang him praise— who won his cloak, who stood foremost among the noble.
This one, well-pleased and mighty with his kin, a marvel among gods, master of hidden might as Varuṇa is.
This youth, who drinketh in holy wise, is found— he meted full measure to Araru, the four-footed foe.
Auśija Ṛjiśvan, by his song, burst the pen of Pipru and the bull within.
When he who is meet for the rite holdeth the pressed soma, and the hymn shall blaze bright, then shall he, besought, overcome the strongholds by his very shape.
Thus, O Lord, for the waxing of the mighty one, Little Ant crept with his many feet unto Indra.
He, being called upon, shall bring forth good:
strength, sustenance, and a worthy dwelling—all these hath he given.
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.99
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.
kaṁ naś citram iṣaṇyasi cikitvān pṛthugmānaṁ vāśraṁ vāvṛdhadhyai |
kat tasya dātu śavaso vyuṣṭau takṣad vajraṁ vṛtraturam apinvat || 1 ||
sa hi dyutā vidyutā veti sāma pṛthuṁ yonim asuratvā sasāda |
sa sanīḻebhiḥ prasahāno asya bhrātur na ṛte saptathasya māyāḥ || 2 ||
sa vājaṁ yātāpaduṣpadā yan svarṣātā pari ṣadat saniṣyan |
anarvā yac chatadurasya vedo ghnañ chiśnadevām̐ abhi varpasā bhūt || 3 ||
sa yahvyo3 'vanīr goṣv arvā juhoti pradhanyāsu sasriḥ |
apādo yatra yujyāso 'rathā droṇyaśvāsa īrate ghṛtaṁ vāḥ || 4 ||
sa rudrebhir aśastavāra ṛbhvā hitvī gayam āreavadya āgāt |
vamrasya manye mithunā vivavrī annam abhītyārodayan muṣāyan || 5 ||
sa id dāsaṁ tuvīravam patir dan ṣaḻakṣaṁ triśīrṣāṇaṁ damanyat |
asya trito nv ojasā vṛdhāno vipā varāham ayoagrayā han || 6 ||
sa druhvaṇe manuṣa ūrdhvasāna ā sāviṣad arśasānāya śarum |
sa nṛtamo nahuṣo 'smat sujātaḥ puro 'bhinad arhan dasyuhatye || 7 ||
so abhriyo na yavasa udanyan kṣayāya gātuṁ vidan no asme |
upa yat sīdad induṁ śarīraiḥ śyeno 'yopāṣṭir hanti dasyūn || 8 ||
sa vrādhataḥ śavasānebhir asya kutsāya śuṣṇaṁ kṛpaṇe parādāt |
ayaṁ kavim anayac chasyamānam atkaṁ yo asya sanitota nṛṇām || 9 ||
ayaṁ daśasyan naryebhir asya dasmo devebhir varuṇo na māyī |
ayaṁ kanīna ṛtupā avedy amimītāraruṁ yaś catuṣpāt || 10 ||
asya stomebhir auśija ṛjiśvā vrajaṁ darayad vṛṣabheṇa piproḥ |
sutvā yad yajato dīdayad gīḥ pura iyāno abhi varpasā bhūt || 11 ||
evā maho asura vakṣathāya vamrakaḥ paḍbhir upa sarpad indram |
sa iyānaḥ karati svastim asmā iṣam ūrjaṁ sukṣitiṁ viśvam ābhāḥ || 12 ||
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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