Hymn to Indra
Rigveda III.30 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 3 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 mighty one, thou king of the gods, thou warrior supreme whose strength knoweth no limit and whose power shaketh the very foundations of earth and heaven—we sing thy praises now and bow before thy majesty.
Thou art the consumer of soma, that sacred drink that transformeth the drinker into something more than mortal. When the juice of the plant is pressed and prepared according to the ancient rites, and thou dost drink deeply thereof, thy strength increaseth beyond all measure. Thy muscles swell with power. Thy eyes burn with the fire of divine ecstasy. Thy laugh resonateth across the heavens like the rolling thunder.
Once thou hast drunk the soma, there is nothing that can stand before thee. The very demons do tremble at thy approach. The obstacles that seemed insurmountable dissolve like morning mist beneath the sun. The enemies of the gods flee shrieking into the dark places, unable to bear the radiance of thy presence.
Yet thou art not merely a warrior, O Indra. Thou art also the defender of the righteous, the protector of those mortals who keep the sacred law and honor the gods with proper ritual. When we call upon thy name with sincere hearts, thou dost turn thy attention toward us. Thy vast and brilliant mind doth perceive our struggles. Thy mighty arm reacheth down from the heavens to shield us from harm.
Grant unto us, O Indra, a portion of thy strength. Let us be empowered to overcome the obstacles that beset us. Let us be fearless in the face of adversity. Let us be intoxicated with the sacred soma, that we might perceive the hidden powers that dwell within and without. Let us become instruments of thy will, mighty warriors for righteousness, unshakeable as mountains, flowing like rivers, burning like thy very essence itself.
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 III.30
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.
icchanti tvā somyāsaḥ sakhāyaḥ sunvanti somaṁ dadhati prayāṁsi |
titikṣante abhiśastiṁ janānām indra tvad ā kaś cana hi praketaḥ || 1 ||
na te dūre paramā cid rajāṁsy ā tu pra yāhi harivo haribhyām |
sthirāya vṛṣṇe savanā kṛtemā yuktā grāvāṇaḥ samidhāne agnau || 2 ||
indraḥ suśipro maghavā tarutro mahāvrātas tuvikūrmir ṛghāvān |
yad ugro dhā bādhito martyeṣu kva1 tyā te vṛṣabha vīryāṇi || 3 ||
tvaṁ hi ṣmā cyāvayann acyutāny eko vṛtrā carasi jighnamānaḥ |
tava dyāvāpṛthivī parvatāso 'nu vratāya nimiteva tasthuḥ || 4 ||
utābhaye puruhūta śravobhir eko dṛḻham avado vṛtrahā san |
ime cid indra rodasī apāre yat saṁgṛbhṇā maghavan kāśir it te || 5 ||
pra sū ta indra pravatā haribhyām pra te vajraḥ pramṛṇann etu śatrūn |
jahi pratīco anūcaḥ parāco viśvaṁ satyaṁ kṛṇuhi viṣṭam astu || 6 ||
yasmai dhāyur adadhā martyāyābhaktaṁ cid bhajate gehya1ṁ saḥ |
bhadrā ta indra sumatir ghṛtācī sahasradānā puruhūta rātiḥ || 7 ||
sahadānum puruhūta kṣiyantam ahastam indra sam piṇak kuṇārum |
abhi vṛtraṁ vardhamānam piyārum apādam indra tavasā jaghantha || 8 ||
ni sāmanām iṣirām indra bhūmim mahīm apārāṁ sadane sasattha |
astabhnād dyāṁ vṛṣabho antarikṣam arṣantv āpas tvayeha prasūtāḥ || 9 ||
alātṛṇo vala indra vrajo goḥ purā hantor bhayamāno vy āra |
sugān patho akṛṇon niraje gāḥ prāvan vāṇīḥ puruhūtaṁ dhamantīḥ || 10 ||
eko dve vasumatī samīcī indra ā paprau pṛthivīm uta dyām |
utāntarikṣād abhi naḥ samīka iṣo rathīḥ sayujaḥ śūra vājān || 11 ||
diśaḥ sūryo na mināti pradiṣṭā dive-dive haryaśvaprasūtāḥ |
saṁ yad ānaḻ adhvana ād id aśvair vimocanaṁ kṛṇute tat tv asya || 12 ||
didṛkṣanta uṣaso yāmann aktor vivasvatyā mahi citram anīkam |
viśve jānanti mahinā yad āgād indrasya karma sukṛtā purūṇi || 13 ||
mahi jyotir nihitaṁ vakṣaṇāsv āmā pakvaṁ carati bibhratī gauḥ |
viśvaṁ svādma sambhṛtam usriyāyāṁ yat sīm indro adadhād bhojanāya || 14 ||
indra dṛhya yāmakośā abhūvan yajñāya śikṣa gṛṇate sakhibhyaḥ |
durmāyavo durevā martyāso niṣaṅgiṇo ripavo hantvāsaḥ || 15 ||
saṁ ghoṣaḥ śṛṇve 'vamair amitrair jahī ny eṣv aśaniṁ tapiṣṭhām |
vṛścem adhastād vi rujā sahasva jahi rakṣo maghavan randhayasva || 16 ||
ud vṛha rakṣaḥ sahamūlam indra vṛścā madhyam praty agraṁ śṛṇīhi |
ā kīvataḥ salalūkaṁ cakartha brahmadviṣe tapuṣiṁ hetim asya || 17 ||
svastaye vājibhiś ca praṇetaḥ saṁ yan mahīr iṣa āsatsi pūrvīḥ |
rāyo vantāro bṛhataḥ syāmāsme astu bhaga indra prajāvān || 18 ||
ā no bhara bhagam indra dyumantaṁ ni te deṣṇasya dhīmahi prareke |
ūrva iva paprathe kāmo asme tam ā pṛṇa vasupate vasūnām || 19 ||
imaṁ kāmam mandayā gobhir aśvaiś candravatā rādhasā paprathaś ca |
svaryavo matibhis tubhyaṁ viprā indrāya vāhaḥ kuśikāso akran || 20 ||
ā no gotrā dardṛhi gopate gāḥ sam asmabhyaṁ sanayo yantu vājāḥ |
divakṣā asi vṛṣabha satyaśuṣmo 'smabhyaṁ su maghavan bodhi godāḥ || 21 ||
śunaṁ huvema maghavānam indram asmin bhare nṛtamaṁ vājasātau |
śṛṇvantam ugram ūtaye samatsu ghnantaṁ vṛtrāṇi saṁjitaṁ dhanānām || 22 ||
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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