Hymn to Indra
Rigveda III.53 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 and Parvata together! Hear us as we call to thee. We are the Bharatas in the fray; we march to battle without fear. The singers raise the ancient hymn; the priests invoke thy sacred name. Grant us the victory we seek; let foes fall trembling to the ground.
The mountain stands as guardian high; the waters flow in righteous course. Indra doth lead the charge supreme; his thunderbolt doth blaze like fire. The enemies of the righteous man do flee before thy mighty host. The Bharatas go forth to war, and thou dost walk before them all.
Viśvāmitra hath called to thee, O Indra, on behalf of King Sudās. The chieftain bold hath pledged his faith; he calls upon thy strength and might. We stand together, firm and true, against the demons and the foes. Grant us the glory of the day; let victory crown our noble cause.
The earth doth tremble at thy step; the heavens quake when thou dost move. The very air doth shake and rend when thou dost raise thy golden club. No army born of mortal men can stand against thy fearless host. The demons flee; the foes turn pale; the victory is already won.
O Indra, master of all strength! O Parvata, the mountain's might! Together ye do guard the world; together ye do hold the sky. Grant to the Bharatas the strength to overcome their ancient foes. Let King Sudās be blessed and bold; let his descendants ever reign. Let warriors born unto his line be champions fierce and strong in heart.
We offer up this sacred hymn to thee in battle's crucial hour. Accept our prayer, our soma-gift, and grant us all that we desire. Be thou our leader and our shield; be thou our strength forevermore.
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.53
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.
indrāparvatā bṛhatā rathena vāmīr iṣa ā vahataṁ suvīrāḥ |
vītaṁ havyāny adhvareṣu devā vardhethāṁ gīrbhir iḻayā madantā || 1 ||
tiṣṭhā su kam maghavan mā parā gāḥ somasya nu tvā suṣutasya yakṣi |
pitur na putraḥ sicam ā rabhe ta indra svādiṣṭhayā girā śacīvaḥ || 2 ||
śaṁsāvādhvaryo prati me gṛṇīhīndrāya vāhaḥ kṛṇavāva juṣṭam |
edam barhir yajamānasya sīdāthā ca bhūd uktham indrāya śastam || 3 ||
jāyed astam maghavan sed u yonis tad it tvā yuktā harayo vahantu |
yadā kadā ca sunavāma somam agniṣ ṭvā dūto dhanvāty accha || 4 ||
parā yāhi maghavann ā ca yāhīndra bhrātar ubhayatrā te artham |
yatrā rathasya bṛhato nidhānaṁ vimocanaṁ vājino rāsabhasya || 5 ||
apāḥ somam astam indra pra yāhi kalyāṇīr jāyā suraṇaṁ gṛhe te |
yatrā rathasya bṛhato nidhānaṁ vimocanaṁ vājino dakṣiṇāvat || 6 ||
ime bhojā aṅgiraso virūpā divas putrāso asurasya vīrāḥ |
viśvāmitrāya dadato maghāni sahasrasāve pra tiranta āyuḥ || 7 ||
rūpaṁ-rūpam maghavā bobhavīti māyāḥ kṛṇvānas tanva1m pari svām |
trir yad divaḥ pari muhūrtam āgāt svair mantrair anṛtupā ṛtāvā || 8 ||
mahām̐ ṛṣir devajā devajūto 'stabhnāt sindhum arṇavaṁ nṛcakṣāḥ |
viśvāmitro yad avahat sudāsam apriyāyata kuśikebhir indraḥ || 9 ||
haṁsā iva kṛṇutha ślokam adribhir madanto gīrbhir adhvare sute sacā |
devebhir viprā ṛṣayo nṛcakṣaso vi pibadhvaṁ kuśikāḥ somyam madhu || 10 ||
upa preta kuśikāś cetayadhvam aśvaṁ rāye pra muñcatā sudāsaḥ |
rājā vṛtraṁ jaṅghanat prāg apāg udag athā yajāte vara ā pṛthivyāḥ || 11 ||
ya ime rodasī ubhe aham indram atuṣṭavam |
viśvāmitrasya rakṣati brahmedam bhārataṁ janam || 12 ||
viśvāmitrā arāsata brahmendrāya vajriṇe |
karad in naḥ surādhasaḥ || 13 ||
kiṁ te kṛṇvanti kīkaṭeṣu gāvo nāśiraṁ duhre na tapanti gharmam |
ā no bhara pramagandasya vedo naicāśākham maghavan randhayā naḥ || 14 ||
sasarparīr amatim bādhamānā bṛhan mimāya jamadagnidattā |
ā sūryasya duhitā tatāna śravo deveṣv amṛtam ajuryam || 15 ||
sasarparīr abharat tūyam ebhyo 'dhi śravaḥ pāñcajanyāsu kṛṣṭiṣu |
sā pakṣyā3 navyam āyur dadhānā yām me palastijamadagnayo daduḥ || 16 ||
sthirau gāvau bhavatāṁ vīḻur akṣo meṣā vi varhi mā yugaṁ vi śāri |
indraḥ pātalye dadatāṁ śarītor ariṣṭaneme abhi naḥ sacasva || 17 ||
balaṁ dhehi tanūṣu no balam indrānaḻutsu naḥ |
balaṁ tokāya tanayāya jīvase tvaṁ hi baladā asi || 18 ||
abhi vyayasva khadirasya sāram ojo dhehi spandane śiṁśapāyām |
akṣa vīḻo vīḻita vīḻayasva mā yāmād asmād ava jīhipo naḥ || 19 ||
ayam asmān vanaspatir mā ca hā mā ca rīriṣat |
svasty ā gṛhebhya āvasā ā vimocanāt || 20 ||
indrotibhir bahulābhir no adya yācchreṣṭhābhir maghavañ chūra jinva |
yo no dveṣṭy adharaḥ sas padīṣṭa yam u dviṣmas tam u prāṇo jahātu || 21 ||
paraśuṁ cid vi tapati śimbalaṁ cid vi vṛścati |
ukhā cid indra yeṣantī prayastā phenam asyati || 22 ||
na sāyakasya cikite janāso lodhaṁ nayanti paśu manyamānāḥ |
nāvājinaṁ vājinā hāsayanti na gardabham puro aśvān nayanti || 23 ||
ima indra bharatasya putrā apapitvaṁ cikitur na prapitvam |
hinvanty aśvam araṇaṁ na nityaṁ jyāvājam pari ṇayanty ājau || 24 ||
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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