Hymn to Indra
Rigveda IV.29 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 Indra, hear our cry! We raise our voices unto thee in this dark hour. Our enemies press upon us from all sides. Their armies gather like locusts, numberless and terrible. Their warriors sharpen their weapons. Their priests speak curses against our people.
We are afraid, O mighty one. We mortals are weak and fragile. Our arms cannot match the strength of our foes. Our chariots are few compared to the countless vehicles of war that they bring against us. Our courage wavering in the face of such overwhelming numbers.
But thou — O Indra — thou hast never failed us in our hour of need! When we call upon thy name, thy ears hear our plea. When we lift our voices in prayer, thy heart is moved with pity toward us. Thou hast sworn to protect those who offer thee the soma and sing thy praises.
Come now, O golden-armed one! Come with thy thunderbolt gripped in thy mighty hand! Let the sound of thy approach strike terror into the hearts of our enemies! Let thy very footsteps shake the earth beneath their feet!
Thou hast slain greater foes than these! Thou hast broken the serpent that was eternal as the mountains. Thou hast conquered the Dasyus in their fortresses. These enemies of ours are as grass before the scythe compared to those whom thou hast vanquished.
Destroy them utterly, O Indra! Cast down their leaders! Break their chariots! Scatter their armies! Let no man among them escape to bring word of thy terrible might to distant lands!
And when the battle is finished, and our enemies lie dead upon the field, we shall offer unto thee the richest sacrifices. We shall pour soma until the bowls runneth over. We shall sing thy praises with voices that shake the heavens. We shall remember forever that it was thou who saved us in our darkest hour.
Hear us now, O mighty warrior! Come to us, and deliver us from our foes!
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.29
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 naḥ stuta upa vājebhir ūtī indra yāhi haribhir mandasānaḥ |
tiraś cid aryaḥ savanā purūṇy āṅgūṣebhir gṛṇānaḥ satyarādhāḥ || 1 ||
ā hi ṣmā yāti naryaś cikitvān hūyamānaḥ sotṛbhir upa yajñam |
svaśvo yo abhīrur manyamānaḥ suṣvāṇebhir madati saṁ ha vīraiḥ || 2 ||
śrāvayed asya karṇā vājayadhyai juṣṭām anu pra diśam mandayadhyai |
udvāvṛṣāṇo rādhase tuviṣmān karan na indraḥ sutīrthābhayaṁ ca || 3 ||
acchā yo gantā nādhamānam ūtī itthā vipraṁ havamānaṁ gṛṇantam |
upa tmani dadhāno dhury ā3śūn sahasrāṇi śatāni vajrabāhuḥ || 4 ||
tvotāso maghavann indra viprā vayaṁ te syāma sūrayo gṛṇantaḥ |
bhejānāso bṛhaddivasya rāya ākāyyasya dāvane purukṣoḥ || 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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