Hymn to Indra
Rigveda III.47 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, fortress-breaker and destroyer of Śambara! How we celebrate thy deeds against that ancient foe! Śambara was one of the mightiest of the Asuras, a demon lord of terrible power and cunning. He had built ninety-nine fortresses, each one stronger than the last, each one guarded by demons and protected by sorceries beyond counting.
Śambara thought himself safe within his strongholds. He believed that no power in creation could breach his defenses. He made ceremonies to propitiate the forces of chaos and darkness, thinking that they would shield him from the wrath of the Devas. But he had not counted upon thee, O Indra! He had not reckoned with thy strength and thy determination.
When thou didst march against him, the very ground trembled beneath thy feet. The demons scattered before thee like leaves before the wind. The sorceries that Śambara had woven with such care unraveled at thy approach. One by one, the ninety-nine fortresses crumbled before thy assault. Not a single rampart could withstand the force of thy power.
We hear in the tales of Śambara's destruction the lesson that no earthly power can stand against thee. Might he build ever so strong a fortress, might he command ever so many demons, might he work ever so many dark spells — all of it cometh to nothing when thy will is set against him. The mightiest stronghold is but dust before thee.
So too do we believe that no foe of ours can stand against us while thou art our champion, O Indra! If we call upon thee with sincere hearts and offer the proper sacrifices, thou shalt break the strongholds of our enemies as easily as thou brokest the fortresses of Śambara. Therefore we sing thy praise, O fortress-breaker, slayer of the demon lord!
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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda III.47
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.
marutvām̐ indra vṛṣabho raṇāya pibā somam anuṣvadham madāya |
ā siñcasva jaṭhare madhva ūrmiṁ tvaṁ rājāsi pradivaḥ sutānām || 1 ||
sajoṣā indra sagaṇo marudbhiḥ somam piba vṛtrahā śūra vidvān |
jahi śatrūm̐r apa mṛdho nudasvāthābhayaṁ kṛṇuhi viśvato naḥ || 2 ||
uta ṛtubhir ṛtupāḥ pāhi somam indra devebhiḥ sakhibhiḥ sutaṁ naḥ |
yām̐ ābhajo maruto ye tvānv ahan vṛtram adadhus tubhyam ojaḥ || 3 ||
ye tvāhihatye maghavann avardhan ye śāmbare harivo ye gaviṣṭau |
ye tvā nūnam anumadanti viprāḥ pibendra somaṁ sagaṇo marudbhiḥ || 4 ||
marutvantaṁ vṛṣabhaṁ vāvṛdhānam akavāriṁ divyaṁ śāsam indram |
viśvāsāham avase nūtanāyograṁ sahodām iha taṁ huvema || 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).
🌲