Hymn to Indra
Rigveda II.12 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 2 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.
Who is the god we shall honor with our sacrifice? Who holdeth the heavens in his palm? Who spreadeth forth the earth and fixeth it immovable? Who calleth forth the sun and biddeth it travel across the sky? He, O ye people, is Indra.
Who hath slain the serpent Vṛtra, that colossal demon who lay coiled beneath the mountains, holding back the waters? Who broke the dams of cloud and stone, releasing the rivers to flow freely through the land? Who smote down the ninety-nine fortresses of the asuras? He, O ye people, is Indra.
Who hath made the cattle fertile and the fields abundant? Who giveth increase to the herds of the righteous? Who strengtheneth the weak and raiseth up the fallen? Who listeneth to the prayers of those who call upon him in their need? He, O ye people, is Indra.
Who drinketh the soma and becometh drunk with power? Who holdeth aloft the Vajra, that diamond-thunderbolt that feareth no blade, breaketh no mountain, boweth to no foe? Who rideth forth in his golden chariot drawn by the swift horses of the storm? He, O ye people, is Indra.
Who hath conquered the asuras in ancient wars? Who hath made the Ādityas supreme? Who hath granted kingship to Agni and dominion to the gods? Who watcheth ever over the cosmic order, ṛta, that keepeth all things in their proper place? He, O ye people, is Indra.
Who shall defend us when our enemies come against us with spears and arrows? Who shall give our warriors the strength to overcome their foes? Who shall make our women fertile and our children strong? Who shall grant us length of days and prosperity? He, O ye people, is Indra.
All the gods bow before him. The Maruts follow in his train. The Vasus attend upon his word. The Rudras tremble at his approach. There is none like unto him in all the heavens; there is none who matches his power upon the earth. He is the eternal king, the champion of all creatures, the slayer of demons, the giver of good gifts. He, O ye people, is Indra.
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 II.12
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.
yo jāta eva prathamo manasvān devo devān kratunā paryabhūṣat |
yasya śuṣmād rodasī abhyasetāṁ nṛmṇasya mahnā sa janāsa indraḥ || 1 ||
yaḥ pṛthivīṁ vyathamānām adṛṁhad yaḥ parvatān prakupitām̐ aramṇāt |
yo antarikṣaṁ vimame varīyo yo dyām astabhnāt sa janāsa indraḥ || 2 ||
yo hatvāhim ariṇāt sapta sindhūn yo gā udājad apadhā valasya |
yo aśmanor antar agniṁ jajāna saṁvṛk samatsu sa janāsa indraḥ || 3 ||
yenemā viśvā cyavanā kṛtāni yo dāsaṁ varṇam adharaṁ guhākaḥ |
śvaghnīva yo jigīvām̐l lakṣam ādad aryaḥ puṣṭāni sa janāsa indraḥ || 4 ||
yaṁ smā pṛcchanti kuha seti ghoram utem āhur naiṣo astīty enam |
so aryaḥ puṣṭīr vija ivā mināti śrad asmai dhatta sa janāsa indraḥ || 5 ||
yo radhrasya coditā yaḥ kṛśasya yo brahmaṇo nādhamānasya kīreḥ |
yuktagrāvṇo yo 'vitā suśipraḥ sutasomasya sa janāsa indraḥ || 6 ||
yasyāśvāsaḥ pradiśi yasya gāvo yasya grāmā yasya viśve rathāsaḥ |
yaḥ sūryaṁ ya uṣasaṁ jajāna yo apāṁ netā sa janāsa indraḥ || 7 ||
yaṁ krandasī saṁyatī vihvayete pare 'vara ubhayā amitrāḥ |
samānaṁ cid ratham ātasthivāṁsā nānā havete sa janāsa indraḥ || 8 ||
yasmān na ṛte vijayante janāso yaṁ yudhyamānā avase havante |
yo viśvasya pratimānam babhūva yo acyutacyut sa janāsa indraḥ || 9 ||
yaḥ śaśvato mahy eno dadhānān amanyamānāñ charvā jaghāna |
yaḥ śardhate nānudadāti śṛdhyāṁ yo dasyor hantā sa janāsa indraḥ || 10 ||
yaḥ śambaram parvateṣu kṣiyantaṁ catvāriṁśyāṁ śarady anvavindat |
ojāyamānaṁ yo ahiṁ jaghāna dānuṁ śayānaṁ sa janāsa indraḥ || 11 ||
yaḥ saptaraśmir vṛṣabhas tuviṣmān avāsṛjat sartave sapta sindhūn |
yo rauhiṇam asphurad vajrabāhur dyām ārohantaṁ sa janāsa indraḥ || 12 ||
dyāvā cid asmai pṛthivī namete śuṣmāc cid asya parvatā bhayante |
yaḥ somapā nicito vajrabāhur yo vajrahastaḥ sa janāsa indraḥ || 13 ||
yaḥ sunvantam avati yaḥ pacantaṁ yaḥ śaṁsantaṁ yaḥ śaśamānam ūtī |
yasya brahma vardhanaṁ yasya somo yasyedaṁ rādhaḥ sa janāsa indraḥ || 14 ||
yaḥ sunvate pacate dudhra ā cid vājaṁ dardarṣi sa kilāsi satyaḥ |
vayaṁ ta indra viśvaha priyāsaḥ suvīrāso vidatham ā vadema || 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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