Hymn to Indra
Rigveda III.50 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 the prayer of those who feed thee with their reverence! The singers whom thou lovest best do cry to thee from every side. We bring the soma to thy lips; drink deep, O mighty thunderer, and let thy bounty flow upon the faithful.
Thou art the lord of all that moves, the sovereign of the beasts and men. To him who praises thee with songs, thou givest wealth and blessed kin. The herds increase, the fields grow rich, and enemies do turn to flight. Thy favour is the wished-for prize of every mortal heart.
The priests have kindled up the flame; the fire doth blaze and roar aloud. Upon the grass the soma spreads; the butter flows like liquid gold. All this we offer unto thee, O Indra, greatest of the gods. Accept our gift and grant us grace.
We sing thy deeds, thy mighty acts, how thou didst slay the demons foul. Vṛtra fell beneath thy hand; the mountains trembled at thy blow. The waters rushed down to the sea; the sun did burst upon the earth. All heaven and all earth do know thy power.
O Indra, give to us the strength that we may prosper in the race! Let our young warriors brave and bold go forth to battle unafraid. Grant unto us a peaceful home, a dwelling place secure and wide. Bless thou our children and our wives; keep sorrow from our doors.
Accept this hymn, this loving prayer, this soma-offering sweet and rare. Thy glory fills the triple world; thy name shall echo evermore. We praise thee, Indra, lord supreme; grant us thy favour, grant us peace.
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.50
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 svāhā pibatu yasya soma āgatyā tumro vṛṣabho marutvān |
oruvyacāḥ pṛṇatām ebhir annair āsya havis tanva1ḥ kāmam ṛdhyāḥ || 1 ||
ā te saparyū javase yunajmi yayor anu pradivaḥ śruṣṭim āvaḥ |
iha tvā dheyur harayaḥ suśipra pibā tv a1sya suṣutasya cāroḥ || 2 ||
gobhir mimikṣuṁ dadhire supāram indraṁ jyaiṣṭhyāya dhāyase gṛṇānāḥ |
mandānaḥ somam papivām̐ ṛjīṣin sam asmabhyam purudhā gā iṣaṇya || 3 ||
imaṁ kāmam mandayā gobhir aśvaiś candravatā rādhasā paprathaś ca |
svaryavo matibhis tubhyaṁ viprā indrāya vāhaḥ kuśikāso akran || 4 ||
śunaṁ huvema maghavānam indram asmin bhare nṛtamaṁ vājasātau |
śṛṇvantam ugram ūtaye samatsu ghnantaṁ vṛtrāṇi saṁjitaṁ dhanānām || 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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