Hymn to Soma
Rigveda III.34 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.
Hail to thee, O Indra, whom soma hath made mighty! The soma flows within thy veins, and thy strength groweth measureless. Thou didst drink deep of the sacred plant, and thy enemies were scattered as dust before the wind. The demons fled before thy laughter; the dragons were cast down into the pit of darkness.
We sing of thy conquests, O golden one! Thou didst slay Vṛtra, the vast serpent who imprisoned the waters. With thy vajra — that adamantine bolt forged in the heavens — thou didst shatter him, and the rivers burst forth, flowing to the sea. The people drank deep, and their fields grew green. Cattle multiplied; children were born strong.
Thou art the warrior whom all warriors worship. No foe standeth before thee in the combat; no shield turneth aside thy blows. The Maruts follow thee into battle, and the very earth trembleth at thy coming. The thunderclouds herald thy approach, and the lightning descendeth from thy hand.
We pour the soma in thy honor, O mighty one! We light the sacred fires and chant the mantras. Grant us thy favor, that we may smite our enemies as thou smittest thine. Let our cattle grow fat; let our women bear warriors. Let our enemies drink the dust of defeat, and let their widows keen in the night.
Thou art the soma-drinker, the storm-bringer, the unconquerable lord of the sky. Thy deeds are sung in every realm where the Vedas are recited. From the eastern sunrise to the western darkness, all the peoples know thy name. O Indra, accept our sacrifice, and be thou our shield in battle!
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.34
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.
indraḥ pūrbhid ātirad dāsam arkair vidadvasur dayamāno vi śatrūn |
brahmajūtas tanvā vāvṛdhāno bhūridātra āpṛṇad rodasī ubhe || 1 ||
makhasya te taviṣasya pra jūtim iyarmi vācam amṛtāya bhūṣan |
indra kṣitīnām asi mānuṣīṇāṁ viśāṁ daivīnām uta pūrvayāvā || 2 ||
indro vṛtram avṛṇoc chardhanītiḥ pra māyinām aminād varpaṇītiḥ |
ahan vyaṁsam uśadhag vaneṣv āvir dhenā akṛṇod rāmyāṇām || 3 ||
indraḥ svarṣā janayann ahāni jigāyośigbhiḥ pṛtanā abhiṣṭiḥ |
prārocayan manave ketum ahnām avindaj jyotir bṛhate raṇāya || 4 ||
indras tujo barhaṇā ā viveśa nṛvad dadhāno naryā purūṇi |
acetayad dhiya imā jaritre premaṁ varṇam atirac chukram āsām || 5 ||
maho mahāni panayanty asyendrasya karma sukṛtā purūṇi |
vṛjanena vṛjinān sam pipeṣa māyābhir dasyūm̐r abhibhūtyojāḥ || 6 ||
yudhendro mahnā varivaś cakāra devebhyaḥ satpatiś carṣaṇiprāḥ |
vivasvataḥ sadane asya tāni viprā ukthebhiḥ kavayo gṛṇanti || 7 ||
satrāsāhaṁ vareṇyaṁ sahodāṁ sasavāṁsaṁ svar apaś ca devīḥ |
sasāna yaḥ pṛthivīṁ dyām utemām indram madanty anu dhīraṇāsaḥ || 8 ||
sasānātyām̐ uta sūryaṁ sasānendraḥ sasāna purubhojasaṁ gām |
hiraṇyayam uta bhogaṁ sasāna hatvī dasyūn prāryaṁ varṇam āvat || 9 ||
indra oṣadhīr asanod ahāni vanaspatīm̐r asanod antarikṣam |
bibheda valaṁ nunude vivāco 'thābhavad damitābhikratūnām || 10 ||
śunaṁ huvema maghavānam indram asmin bhare nṛtamaṁ vājasātau |
śṛṇvantam ugram ūtaye samatsu ghnantaṁ vṛtrāṇi saṁjitaṁ dhanānām || 11 ||
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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