Hymn to Indra
Rigveda II.17 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.
Hail unto thee, O Indra, lord of all power! Thou art the mightiest god in heaven and earth. No rival standeth against thee. Thy strength is boundless; thy will is absolute. In every contest thou prevailest. In every struggle thy victory is assured.
We call upon thee as the champion of champions. Thy arm crusheth all opposition. Thy intellect surpasseth all wisdom. Thou art the speaker of truth, the giver of gifts, the slayer of demons. All the devas bow before thy throne.
Remember us in our hour of contest. We face enemies upon every side. Our foes are numerous; their strength is great. But thou, O lord of power, art greater still. Thou alone canst grant us victory. Thou alone canst preserve us from the darkness.
We pour the Soma at thy feet. The altar fire burneth bright with our offerings. The prayers ascend from ten thousand tongues. Hear us, O Indra! Answer our call! Show thyself the lord of contests, the unconquerable one, the victor eternal.
Grant us thy favour. Lead us to triumph in every struggle. Let our enemies falter and fall. Let their spears turn blunt; let their courage fail them. But let us stand firm, let us advance with steadfast hearts, for we are blessed by thee.
O champion beyond all challenge! O lord of victory! We praise thee without ceasing. Thou art the one who winneth all contests. Thy fame reacheth to the heavens and beyond. Accept our worship. Grant us thy protection. Make us victorious through thy might.
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.17
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.
tad asmai navyam aṅgirasvad arcata śuṣmā yad asya pratnathodīrate |
viśvā yad gotrā sahasā parīvṛtā made somasya dṛṁhitāny airayat || 1 ||
sa bhūtu yo ha prathamāya dhāyasa ojo mimāno mahimānam ātirat |
śūro yo yutsu tanvam parivyata śīrṣaṇi dyām mahinā praty amuñcata || 2 ||
adhākṛṇoḥ prathamaṁ vīryam mahad yad asyāgre brahmaṇā śuṣmam airayaḥ |
ratheṣṭhena haryaśvena vicyutāḥ pra jīrayaḥ sisrate sadhrya1k pṛthak || 3 ||
adhā yo viśvā bhuvanābhi majmaneśānakṛt pravayā abhy avardhata |
ād rodasī jyotiṣā vahnir ātanot sīvyan tamāṁsi dudhitā sam avyayat || 4 ||
sa prācīnān parvatān dṛṁhad ojasādharācīnam akṛṇod apām apaḥ |
adhārayat pṛthivīṁ viśvadhāyasam astabhnān māyayā dyām avasrasaḥ || 5 ||
sāsmā aram bāhubhyāṁ yam pitākṛṇod viśvasmād ā januṣo vedasas pari |
yenā pṛthivyāṁ ni kriviṁ śayadhyai vajreṇa hatvy avṛṇak tuviṣvaṇiḥ || 6 ||
amājūr iva pitroḥ sacā satī samānād ā sadasas tvām iye bhagam |
kṛdhi praketam upa māsy ā bhara daddhi bhāgaṁ tanvo3 yena māmahaḥ || 7 ||
bhojaṁ tvām indra vayaṁ huvema dadiṣ ṭvam indrāpāṁsi vājān |
aviḍḍhīndra citrayā na ūtī kṛdhi vṛṣann indra vasyaso naḥ || 8 ||
nūnaṁ sā te prati varaṁ jaritre duhīyad indra dakṣiṇā maghonī |
śikṣā stotṛbhyo māti dhag bhago no bṛhad vadema vidathe suvīrāḥ || 9 ||
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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