Hymn to Indra
Rigveda III.37 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.
O Indra, hear us in the hour of our need! The enemy marches against us, his chariots rolling like thunder across the plain. His spearmen are numberless; his war-drums shake the very earth. Our warriors steel themselves for the combat, but fear hath touched their hearts. Therefore we cry out to thee, O unconquerable lord!
Descend now from thy throne in the highest heaven! Ride forth in thy golden chariot, drawn by thy swift horses. Let thy banner lead our armies into battle. Let thy war-cry echo across the plains, and let our enemies hear it and flee in terror. Thou art mightier than all the foes of the Devas combined.
We have prepared the sacred fire; we have mixed the soma with ritual care. The mantras have been chanted; the invocations are complete. The priesthood stands ready with the sacred vessels. Now, O golden one, accept our offering! Let the smoke rise up to thee in the heaven-realm, and let it carry with it our desperate prayer.
Destroy our enemies, O Indra! Break their formations as thou didst break Vṛtra. Let thy lightning strike their commanders; let thy thunder deafen them. Cause their horses to rear and throw their riders; cause their chariots to overturn. Let the earth open beneath their feet and swallow them whole.
For us, O mighty one, grant victory! Let our warriors return home with their shields unmarred. Let them bring back spoils and captives. Let the women of our tribe sing songs of our triumph, and let the names of our victorious men be remembered for all generations. O Indra, we place our trust in thee — thou alone art our deliverance!
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.37
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.
vārtrahatyāya śavase pṛtanāṣāhyāya ca |
indra tvā vartayāmasi || 1 ||
arvācīnaṁ su te mana uta cakṣuḥ śatakrato |
indra kṛṇvantu vāghataḥ || 2 ||
nāmāni te śatakrato viśvābhir gīrbhir īmahe |
indrābhimātiṣāhye || 3 ||
puruṣṭutasya dhāmabhiḥ śatena mahayāmasi |
indrasya carṣaṇīdhṛtaḥ || 4 ||
indraṁ vṛtrāya hantave puruhūtam upa bruve |
bhareṣu vājasātaye || 5 ||
vājeṣu sāsahir bhava tvām īmahe śatakrato |
indra vṛtrāya hantave || 6 ||
dyumneṣu pṛtanājye pṛtsutūrṣu śravaḥsu ca |
indra sākṣvābhimātiṣu || 7 ||
śuṣmintamaṁ na ūtaye dyumninam pāhi jāgṛvim |
indra somaṁ śatakrato || 8 ||
indriyāṇi śatakrato yā te janeṣu pañcasu |
indra tāni ta ā vṛṇe || 9 ||
agann indra śravo bṛhad dyumnaṁ dadhiṣva duṣṭaram |
ut te śuṣmaṁ tirāmasi || 10 ||
arvāvato na ā gahy atho śakra parāvataḥ |
u loko yas te adriva indreha tata ā gahi || 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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