Hymn to Indra
Rigveda III.45 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, dear friend and protector of those who call upon thee! It is thou who guardeth me in the darkness of night, when the demons creep forth and the fearful thoughts assail the heart. It is thou who standest beside me in times of danger, thy mighty hand uplifted to shield me from harm.
When I kindle the sacred fire and chant thy name, thou hearest my voice, though I am but a mortal and thou art a god. My humble sacrifice riseth up to thee in the smoke, and though it is but a mote of dust compared to the vastness of thy domain, thou regardest it with favor. This is the wonder of it — that the mightiest of all gods doth care for the smallest of his worshippers.
I am the singer, the keeper of the sacred verses. I have devoted my life to the composition of hymns in thy praise, and I have offered them before the sacred fires with a pure heart. I have not sought wealth or power for myself, but only that thy name might be known and thy deeds remembered among all peoples.
Therefore I ask of thee, O mighty one — be thou my friend and my companion. When danger approacheth, let thy strength be as a shield about me. When sorrow cometh, let thy presence bring comfort to my grieving heart. When I am weak and tired from the labor of composition and the strain of maintaining the sacred mysteries, let me feel thy hand upon my shoulder, reminding me that I do not walk alone.
Thou hast ever been the friend of the singers and the seers, O Indra! Thou lovest those who honor thee with sincerity and who pour out the soma with grateful hearts. Accept me into thy circle of favorites, and grant me the protection of thy mighty hand. Let thy friendship sustain me through all the days of my life!
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.45
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 mandrair indra haribhir yāhi mayūraromabhiḥ |
mā tvā ke cin ni yaman viṁ na pāśino 'ti dhanveva tām̐ ihi || 1 ||
vṛtrakhādo valaṁrujaḥ purāṁ darmo apām ajaḥ |
sthātā rathasya haryor abhisvara indro dṛḻhā cid ārujaḥ || 2 ||
gambhīrām̐ udadhīm̐r iva kratum puṣyasi gā iva |
pra sugopā yavasaṁ dhenavo yathā hradaṁ kulyā ivāśata || 3 ||
ā nas tujaṁ rayim bharāṁśaṁ na pratijānate |
vṛkṣam pakvam phalam aṅkīva dhūnuhīndra sampāraṇaṁ vasu || 4 ||
svayur indra svarāḻ asi smaddiṣṭiḥ svayaśastaraḥ |
sa vāvṛdhāna ojasā puruṣṭuta bhavā naḥ suśravastamaḥ || 5 ||
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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