Hymn to Indra
Rigveda II.22 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.
We come unto thee at the close of our hymns, O mighty Indra. The prayers have ascended. The offerings have been made. The Soma hath been drunk. Now we make our final invocation to thee, seeking thy blessing as the sun sets and darkness falls.
Throughout this sacred ritual, we have called upon thy name. We have praised thy strength, thy victories, thy cosmic deeds. We have petitioned thee for aid and bounty. We have chanted the battle prayer, asking for thy protection against our enemies. Now, as our work draws to an end, we call to thee one final time.
Accept our worship, O lord! Let our words rise to thy throne and please thee. Let the smoke of the sacrifice curl up to heaven where thou sittest in glory. Let the sound of our chanting echo through the divine realms. Let thy heart be moved by our devotion.
We who are weak and mortal cast ourselves upon thy mercy. We have no other hope, no other refuge, no other strength save what thou grantest unto us. We depend upon thee utterly. Our fate rests in thy hands. Our future is secured only by thy favour.
So we invoke thee now with all the faith and fervour that burneth in our hearts. Hear us, O Indra! Answer our prayer! Show thyself mighty and good. Demonstrate thy power on behalf of those who worship thee. Do not abandon us in our time of need.
Let thy final blessing be upon us. Let thy protection surround us. Let thy strength flow through us. And let us remember always that thou art the mighty Indra, the unconquerable lord, the eternal victor. To thee alone we turn. Upon thee alone we depend. Accept our final invocation, O god most high.
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.22
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.
trikadrukeṣu mahiṣo yavāśiraṁ tuviśuṣmas tṛpat somam apibad viṣṇunā sutaṁ yathāvaśat |
sa īm mamāda mahi karma kartave mahām uruṁ sainaṁ saścad devo devaṁ satyam indraṁ satya induḥ || 1 ||
adha tviṣīmām̐ abhy ojasā kriviṁ yudhābhavad ā rodasī apṛṇad asya majmanā pra vāvṛdhe |
adhattānyaṁ jaṭhare prem aricyata sainaṁ saścad devo devaṁ satyam indraṁ satya induḥ || 2 ||
sākaṁ jātaḥ kratunā sākam ojasā vavakṣitha sākaṁ vṛddho vīryaiḥ sāsahir mṛdho vicarṣaṇiḥ |
dātā rādhaḥ stuvate kāmyaṁ vasu sainaṁ saścad devo devaṁ satyam indraṁ satya induḥ || 3 ||
tava tyan naryaṁ nṛto 'pa indra prathamam pūrvyaṁ divi pravācyaṁ kṛtam |
yad devasya śavasā prāriṇā asuṁ riṇann apaḥ |
bhuvad viśvam abhy ādevam ojasā vidād ūrjaṁ śatakratur vidād iṣam || 4 ||
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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