Hymn to Indra
Rigveda II.14 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.
Indra, we recall thy ancient deeds! The mighty works thou didst perform in ages past, when the world was young and the gods had not yet established their dominion! These are the tales that we singers chant around the fire, these are the deeds that the mothers teach their children!
Thou didst break the ninety-nine fortresses of the asuras! Each one was built with sorcery and guile, with walls of darkness and gates sealed by demon-craft. Yet thou didst smash them one by one, as a man might crush clay vessels beneath his feet! The asuras shrieked and fled before thy advance! Their mighty kings fell before thy Vajra like wheat before the scythe!
Thou didst release the sun from the grasp of the darkness-demon! The pale orb had been stolen away, hidden in a cave of shadow, and the world lay in eternal night. But thou didst penetrate that darkness, and thou didst draw the sun forth with thy mighty hand! Now it rideth across the sky daily, bringing warmth and light unto all creatures!
Thou didst break the bonds that held the waters captive! The clouds were locked in place by sorcery; the rain would not fall; the earth lay parched and brown. In thy fury thou didst strike them asunder! The waters cascaded down upon the fields; the rivers ran swift and full; the earth bloomed green again!
The Ādityas sing thy praises! The Maruts celebrate thy victories! The Vasus bear witness to thy strength! In the ancient days thou didst make all these deeds possible; now we call upon thee to make new victories in our own time! Be for us what thou wast for the gods of old — the mighty one, the fortress-breaker, the bringer of abundance, the eternal champion!
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.14
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.
adhvaryavo bharatendrāya somam āmatrebhiḥ siñcatā madyam andhaḥ |
kāmī hi vīraḥ sadam asya pītiṁ juhota vṛṣṇe tad id eṣa vaṣṭi || 1 ||
adhvaryavo yo apo vavrivāṁsaṁ vṛtraṁ jaghānāśanyeva vṛkṣam |
tasmā etam bharata tadvaśāyam̐ eṣa indro arhati pītim asya || 2 ||
adhvaryavo yo dṛbhīkaṁ jaghāna yo gā udājad apa hi valaṁ vaḥ |
tasmā etam antarikṣe na vātam indraṁ somair orṇuta jūr na vastraiḥ || 3 ||
adhvaryavo ya uraṇaṁ jaghāna nava cakhvāṁsaṁ navatiṁ ca bāhūn |
yo arbudam ava nīcā babādhe tam indraṁ somasya bhṛthe hinota || 4 ||
adhvaryavo yaḥ sv aśnaṁ jaghāna yaḥ śuṣṇam aśuṣaṁ yo vyaṁsam |
yaḥ pipruṁ namuciṁ yo rudhikrāṁ tasmā indrāyāndhaso juhota || 5 ||
adhvaryavo yaḥ śataṁ śambarasya puro bibhedāśmaneva pūrvīḥ |
yo varcinaḥ śatam indraḥ sahasram apāvapad bharatā somam asmai || 6 ||
adhvaryavo yaḥ śatam ā sahasram bhūmyā upasthe 'vapaj jaghanvān |
kutsasyāyor atithigvasya vīrān ny āvṛṇag bharatā somam asmai || 7 ||
adhvaryavo yan naraḥ kāmayādhve śruṣṭī vahanto naśathā tad indre |
gabhastipūtam bharata śrutāyendrāya somaṁ yajyavo juhota || 8 ||
adhvaryavaḥ kartanā śruṣṭim asmai vane nipūtaṁ vana un nayadhvam |
juṣāṇo hastyam abhi vāvaśe va indrāya somam madiraṁ juhota || 9 ||
adhvaryavaḥ payasodhar yathā goḥ somebhir īm pṛṇatā bhojam indram |
vedāham asya nibhṛtam ma etad ditsantam bhūyo yajataś ciketa || 10 ||
adhvaryavo yo divyasya vasvo yaḥ pārthivasya kṣamyasya rājā |
tam ūrdaraṁ na pṛṇatā yavenendraṁ somebhis tad apo vo astu || 11 ||
asmabhyaṁ tad vaso dānāya rādhaḥ sam arthayasva bahu te vasavyam |
indra yac citraṁ śravasyā anu dyūn bṛhad vadema vidathe suvīrāḥ || 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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