Hymn to Indra
Rigveda IV.30 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.
Let us recount the mighty deeds of Indra, that all peoples might know of his greatness! From the beginning of the world until this very day, his exploits have been without equal. His name is feared by demons. His name is honored by gods. His name giveth courage to the mortal who invoketh it.
He is the slayer of the Dasyus! When those dark-skinned enemies of the Āryan peoples raised their strongholds against us, Indra came and cast them down. Their leaders he slew. Their fortresses he reduced to rubble. Their cattle he scattered to the four winds. The riches of the vanquished became the property of those who worshipped him.
How many citadels hath he broken? How many enemy kings hath he slain? The number is beyond counting! Like a man bashing anthill with a stick, he smashed the fortresses of the Dasyus, crushing them utterly, leaving no stone standing upon another.
He is the breaker of walls! No fortress is strong enough to withstand him. The thickest stones crumble before his power. The highest towers topple at his approach. The most cunningly devised gates splinter beneath his blow.
He conquered the Dasyus not once, but a hundred times! In each age, when they rose again to challenge the Āryan supremacy, Indra stood forth to meet them. Each time, the outcome was the same — their defeat, their humiliation, their annihilation.
The wealth of the vanquished floweth to those who sing his praises. The cattle of the enemy become the herds of his worshippers. The gold of the conquered adorns the bodies of those who honor his name. This is the reward of those who trust in Indra, who lift up their voices in his praise, who remember his deeds and tremble before his power.
We are the Āryan peoples, and we are Indra's chosen ones. He defendeth us. He giveth unto us the riches of the earth. He maintaineth our dominion over this land and all its peoples.
Glory to Indra! Glory to the slayer of the Dasyus! Glory to him who holdeth the vajra!
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.30
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.
nakir indra tvad uttaro na jyāyām̐ asti vṛtrahan |
nakir evā yathā tvam || 1 ||
satrā te anu kṛṣṭayo viśvā cakreva vāvṛtuḥ |
satrā mahām̐ asi śrutaḥ || 2 ||
viśve caned anā tvā devāsa indra yuyudhuḥ |
yad ahā naktam ātiraḥ || 3 ||
yatrota bādhitebhyaś cakraṁ kutsāya yudhyate |
muṣāya indra sūryam || 4 ||
yatra devām̐ ṛghāyato viśvām̐ ayudhya eka it |
tvam indra vanūm̐r ahan || 5 ||
yatrota martyāya kam ariṇā indra sūryam |
prāvaḥ śacībhir etaśam || 6 ||
kim ād utāsi vṛtrahan maghavan manyumattamaḥ |
atrāha dānum ātiraḥ || 7 ||
etad ghed uta vīrya1m indra cakartha pauṁsyam |
striyaṁ yad durhaṇāyuvaṁ vadhīr duhitaraṁ divaḥ || 8 ||
divaś cid ghā duhitaram mahān mahīyamānām |
uṣāsam indra sam piṇak || 9 ||
apoṣā anasaḥ sarat sampiṣṭād aha bibhyuṣī |
ni yat sīṁ śiśnathad vṛṣā || 10 ||
etad asyā anaḥ śaye susampiṣṭaṁ vipāśy ā |
sasāra sīm parāvataḥ || 11 ||
uta sindhuṁ vibālyaṁ vitasthānām adhi kṣami |
pari ṣṭhā indra māyayā || 12 ||
uta śuṣṇasya dhṛṣṇuyā pra mṛkṣo abhi vedanam |
puro yad asya sampiṇak || 13 ||
uta dāsaṁ kaulitaram bṛhataḥ parvatād adhi |
avāhann indra śambaram || 14 ||
uta dāsasya varcinaḥ sahasrāṇi śatāvadhīḥ |
adhi pañca pradhīm̐r iva || 15 ||
uta tyam putram agruvaḥ parāvṛktaṁ śatakratuḥ |
uktheṣv indra ābhajat || 16 ||
uta tyā turvaśāyadū asnātārā śacīpatiḥ |
indro vidvām̐ apārayat || 17 ||
uta tyā sadya āryā sarayor indra pārataḥ |
arṇācitrarathāvadhīḥ || 18 ||
anu dvā jahitā nayo 'ndhaṁ śroṇaṁ ca vṛtrahan |
na tat te sumnam aṣṭave || 19 ||
śatam aśmanmayīnām purām indro vy āsyat |
divodāsāya dāśuṣe || 20 ||
asvāpayad dabhītaye sahasrā triṁśataṁ hathaiḥ |
dāsānām indro māyayā || 21 ||
sa ghed utāsi vṛtrahan samāna indra gopatiḥ |
yas tā viśvāni cicyuṣe || 22 ||
uta nūnaṁ yad indriyaṁ kariṣyā indra pauṁsyam |
adyā nakiṣ ṭad ā minat || 23 ||
vāmaṁ-vāmaṁ ta ādure devo dadātv aryamā |
vāmam pūṣā vāmam bhago vāmaṁ devaḥ karūḻatī || 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).
🌲