Hymn to Indra
Rigveda II.15 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, thou art the generous lord! Thy hands are ever open, pouring forth abundance upon those who honor thee with sacrifice and devotion! Of all the gods, none giveth so freely, none loveth the mortal people so well.
Thou givest cattle — herds that multiply like the stars in heaven! The poor man who bringeth his offering and speaketh thy name in praise shall find his pastures full of cattle, his barns overflowing with plenty! The rich man who honoreth thee shall see his herds grow beyond all measure, more than his servants can count or his fields can contain!
Thou givest gold — precious gold that shineth like the sun itself! It floweth from thy hand like water, abundant and inexhaustible. With thy gold, the devotee may build temples; he may make offerings to the gods; he may feed the hungry and clothe the poor. The gold of Indra transformeth the wretched into the prosperous!
Thou givest victory in war! When thy chosen warriors march forth to battle, their enemies flee before them. Their spears find their mark; their swords sing through the air; their courage swelleth beyond all measure. Under thy standard, the defeated become victorious; the weak become mighty; the oppressed become masters!
Thou givest sons and daughters to those who call upon thee! The man who hath no heir shall see his wife become fertile; the barren woman shall conceive and bear strong children. The family of thy devotee shall flourish and spread, his name remembered for generations!
Most generous Indra! Most bountiful of all the gods! We bring unto thee our grateful praise and our humble offerings! Accept them, O lord, and pour down upon us thy boundless gifts! Let thy generosity make us wealthy, make us strong, make us blessed among all nations! Be thou the giver of all good things unto thy people!
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.15
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 ghā nv asya mahato mahāni satyā satyasya karaṇāni vocam |
trikadrukeṣv apibat sutasyāsya made ahim indro jaghāna || 1 ||
avaṁśe dyām astabhāyad bṛhantam ā rodasī apṛṇad antarikṣam |
sa dhārayat pṛthivīm paprathac ca somasya tā mada indraś cakāra || 2 ||
sadmeva prāco vi mimāya mānair vajreṇa khāny atṛṇan nadīnām |
vṛthāsṛjat pathibhir dīrghayāthaiḥ somasya tā mada indraś cakāra || 3 ||
sa pravoḻhṝn parigatyā dabhīter viśvam adhāg āyudham iddhe agnau |
saṁ gobhir aśvair asṛjad rathebhiḥ somasya tā mada indraś cakāra || 4 ||
sa īm mahīṁ dhunim etor aramṇāt so asnātṝn apārayat svasti |
ta utsnāya rayim abhi pra tasthuḥ somasya tā mada indraś cakāra || 5 ||
sodañcaṁ sindhum ariṇān mahitvā vajreṇāna uṣasaḥ sam pipeṣa |
ajavaso javinībhir vivṛścan somasya tā mada indraś cakāra || 6 ||
sa vidvām̐ apagohaṁ kanīnām āvir bhavann ud atiṣṭhat parāvṛk |
prati śroṇaḥ sthād vy a1nag acaṣṭa somasya tā mada indraś cakāra || 7 ||
bhinad valam aṅgirobhir gṛṇāno vi parvatasya dṛṁhitāny airat |
riṇag rodhāṁsi kṛtrimāṇy eṣāṁ somasya tā mada indraś cakāra || 8 ||
svapnenābhyupyā cumuriṁ dhuniṁ ca jaghantha dasyum pra dabhītim āvaḥ |
rambhī cid atra vivide hiraṇyaṁ somasya tā mada indraś cakāra || 9 ||
nūnaṁ sā te prati varaṁ jaritre duhīyad indra dakṣiṇā maghonī |
śikṣā stotṛbhyo māti dhag bhago no bṛhad vadema vidathe suvīrāḥ || 10 ||
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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