Hymn to Indra
Rigveda III.41 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, great and mighty one! We invoke thee this day, crying out from the depths of our hearts. Our people hunger for thy favor; our warriors pray for thy blessing. Let thy countenance be turned toward us, and let thy strength be multiplied within our midst.
Grant us victory over our enemies, O unconquerable lord! When we march forth to battle, let thy spirit march with us. Let thy lightning strike before us, clearing the path. Let thy thunder deafen our foes, that they may not hear the war-cries of our warriors. And when the combat is joined, let the victory be ours, that we may return home with our shields held high and the enemy's spoils upon our chariots.
Grant us also wealth and abundance, O golden one! Let our herds increase without number. Let our fields produce grain in such plenty that our granaries overflow and we know not where to store it. Let our women bear sons strong enough to wield spear and sword, and let our daughters be fair and wise. Let commerce prosper in our hands, and let the merchants who trade our goods bring back riches from distant lands.
We have prepared everything according to the ancient law. The fire has been kindled; the soma has been mixed with precise care. The mantras have been chanted; the ritual has been completed in every detail. All that we have done hath been done rightly, according to the Vedas, and with hearts full of devotion to thee.
Therefore hear us, O Indra! Do not turn thy face away from thy people. We are the ones who worship thee; we are the ones who maintain the sacred fires. Let us prosper under thy protection. Let victory, wealth, and happiness be ours. O lord of all the worlds, accept our sacrifice, and grant us the blessings we humbly beg!
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.41
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.
ā tū na indra madryag ghuvānaḥ somapītaye |
haribhyāṁ yāhy adrivaḥ || 1 ||
satto hotā na ṛtviyas tistire barhir ānuṣak |
ayujran prātar adrayaḥ || 2 ||
imā brahma brahmavāhaḥ kriyanta ā barhiḥ sīda |
vīhi śūra puroḻāśam || 3 ||
rārandhi savaneṣu ṇa eṣu stomeṣu vṛtrahan |
uktheṣv indra girvaṇaḥ || 4 ||
matayaḥ somapām uruṁ rihanti śavasas patim |
indraṁ vatsaṁ na mātaraḥ || 5 ||
sa mandasvā hy andhaso rādhase tanvā mahe |
na stotāraṁ nide karaḥ || 6 ||
vayam indra tvāyavo haviṣmanto jarāmahe |
uta tvam asmayur vaso || 7 ||
māre asmad vi mumuco haripriyārvāṅ yāhi |
indra svadhāvo matsveha || 8 ||
arvāñcaṁ tvā sukhe rathe vahatām indra keśinā |
ghṛtasnū barhir āsade || 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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