Hymn to Indra
Rigveda IV.20 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 4 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 generous Indra, whose hand openeth ever unto those who honor thee! Thou art not like the niggardly gods who hoard their gifts and grudge every blessing to mankind. Nay — thou art the giver, the lord of abundance, the multiplier of herds.
When a mortal offereth thee a draught of soma, pressed from the sacred plant and mixed with honey and milk, thou regardest him with favor. Thy heart is moved with pleasure. And what doth thou then? Thou givest unto him cattle beyond counting. His herds increase as the stars increase in the night sky.
The man who sings thy praises shall find his flocks growing fatter and more numerous. His enemies shall languish while his own wealth accumulateth. His fields shall bring forth grain in abundance. His wife shall bear him sons strong and brave. All these things flow from thy generosity.
Thou art the bestower of riches! When the Dasyus are slain in battle and their cattle fall to the Āryan warrior, it is thy hand that guideth the conquest. The gold of the vanquished becomes the ornament of those who worship thee. Their horses, their cattle, their precious things — all these come to rest with those who pour the soma for thee.
But thou givest not from want, O Indra. Thou art not like a mortal who might grow poor from giving. Thy generosity is infinite, inexhaustible. The more thou givest, the more thou hast. Thy treasuries know no end.
We singers come before thee with our hymns and our offerings. Grant us herds of cattle! Grant us strong sons! Grant us victory over our enemies! Grant us the love of the gods and the respect of men! Thou alone hast the power to bestow such blessings.
In return, we shall honor thee forever, O magnificent one. We shall sing thy deeds in every age.
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 IV.20
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 na indro dūrād ā na āsād abhiṣṭikṛd avase yāsad ugraḥ |
ojiṣṭhebhir nṛpatir vajrabāhuḥ saṁge samatsu turvaṇiḥ pṛtanyūn || 1 ||
ā na indro haribhir yātv acchārvācīno 'vase rādhase ca |
tiṣṭhāti vajrī maghavā virapśīmaṁ yajñam anu no vājasātau || 2 ||
imaṁ yajñaṁ tvam asmākam indra puro dadhat saniṣyasi kratuṁ naḥ |
śvaghnīva vajrin sanaye dhanānāṁ tvayā vayam arya ājiṁ jayema || 3 ||
uśann u ṣu ṇaḥ sumanā upāke somasya nu suṣutasya svadhāvaḥ |
pā indra pratibhṛtasya madhvaḥ sam andhasā mamadaḥ pṛṣṭhyena || 4 ||
vi yo rarapśa ṛṣibhir navebhir vṛkṣo na pakvaḥ sṛṇyo na jetā |
maryo na yoṣām abhi manyamāno 'cchā vivakmi puruhūtam indram || 5 ||
girir na yaḥ svatavām̐ ṛṣva indraḥ sanād eva sahase jāta ugraḥ |
ādartā vajraṁ sthaviraṁ na bhīma udneva kośaṁ vasunā nyṛṣṭam || 6 ||
na yasya vartā januṣā nv asti na rādhasa āmarītā maghasya |
udvāvṛṣāṇas taviṣīva ugrāsmabhyaṁ daddhi puruhūta rāyaḥ || 7 ||
īkṣe rāyaḥ kṣayasya carṣaṇīnām uta vrajam apavartāsi gonām |
śikṣānaraḥ samitheṣu prahāvān vasvo rāśim abhinetāsi bhūrim || 8 ||
kayā tac chṛṇve śacyā śaciṣṭho yayā kṛṇoti muhu kā cid ṛṣvaḥ |
puru dāśuṣe vicayiṣṭho aṁho 'thā dadhāti draviṇaṁ jaritre || 9 ||
mā no mardhīr ā bharā daddhi tan naḥ pra dāśuṣe dātave bhūri yat te |
navye deṣṇe śaste asmin ta ukthe pra bravāma vayam indra stuvantaḥ || 10 ||
nū ṣṭuta indra nū gṛṇāna iṣaṁ jaritre nadyo3 na pīpeḥ |
akāri te harivo brahma navyaṁ dhiyā syāma rathyaḥ sadāsāḥ || 11 ||
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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