Hymn to Indra
Rigveda IV.21 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.
Who is there that can stand against Indra? What enemy can resist his will? What mortal dares to defy him? None — for his power is absolute, his strength unquestionable, his dominion complete over all the worlds.
When Indra commandeth, the mountains bow. When he speaketh, the rivers obey. When his foot falleth upon the earth, the very ground trembleth. The gods themselves acknowledge his lordship. Even Varuna, the cosmic king, yieldeth to his greater strength.
In battle, who can match him? His arm neverfaileth to strike true. His thunderbolt seeketh out the enemy with the certainty of fate. Those who march against him are scattered like leaves before the wind. Their chariots are broken. Their warriors fall. Their fortresses crumble into dust.
The Dasyus feared his name alone. When word came that Indra approached, they abandoned their strongholds and fled into the wilderness. But Indra pursued them, and none escaped. His vengeance was swift and terrible. The earth drank their blood.
Thou art the lord of power, O Indra! Thy will is the will that moveth all things. Whatsoever thou decidest shall come to pass. Whatsoever thou forbiddest shall not occur. No force in all the cosmos can gainsay thee.
The Maruts, those fierce storm-gods, acknowledge thy supremacy. The Aśvins, those swift healers, bow before thee. The all-seeing sun himself doth honor thy name. Agni, the sacred fire, burneth with greater intensity when thou art near.
We mortals are as dust beneath thy feet, O mighty one. Yet thou regardest us with clemency. Thou protectest those who invoke thy name. None can harm thy worshippers while thy eye watcheth over them.
Therefore do we sing thy praise without ceasing. Thou art our shield, our fortress, our eternal king.
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 IV.21
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 yātv indro 'vasa upa na iha stutaḥ sadhamād astu śūraḥ |
vāvṛdhānas taviṣīr yasya pūrvīr dyaur na kṣatram abhibhūti puṣyāt || 1 ||
tasyed iha stavatha vṛṣṇyāni tuvidyumnasya tuvirādhaso nṝn |
yasya kratur vidathyo3 na samrāṭ sāhvān tarutro abhy asti kṛṣṭīḥ || 2 ||
ā yātv indro diva ā pṛthivyā makṣū samudrād uta vā purīṣāt |
svarṇarād avase no marutvān parāvato vā sadanād ṛtasya || 3 ||
sthūrasya rāyo bṛhato ya īśe tam u ṣṭavāma vidatheṣv indram |
yo vāyunā jayati gomatīṣu pra dhṛṣṇuyā nayati vasyo accha || 4 ||
upa yo namo namasi stabhāyann iyarti vācaṁ janayan yajadhyai |
ṛñjasānaḥ puruvāra ukthair endraṁ kṛṇvīta sadaneṣu hotā || 5 ||
dhiṣā yadi dhiṣaṇyantaḥ saraṇyān sadanto adrim auśijasya gohe |
ā duroṣāḥ pāstyasya hotā yo no mahān saṁvaraṇeṣu vahniḥ || 6 ||
satrā yad īm bhārvarasya vṛṣṇaḥ siṣakti śuṣmaḥ stuvate bharāya |
guhā yad īm auśijasya gohe pra yad dhiye prāyase madāya || 7 ||
vi yad varāṁsi parvatasya vṛṇve payobhir jinve apāṁ javāṁsi |
vidad gaurasya gavayasya gohe yadī vājāya sudhyo3 vahanti || 8 ||
bhadrā te hastā sukṛtota pāṇī prayantārā stuvate rādha indra |
kā te niṣattiḥ kim u no mamatsi kiṁ nod-ud u harṣase dātavā u || 9 ||
evā vasva indraḥ satyaḥ samrāḍ ḍhantā vṛtraṁ varivaḥ pūrave kaḥ |
puruṣṭuta kratvā naḥ śagdhi rāyo bhakṣīya te 'vaso daivyasya || 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).
🌲