Hymn to Indra
Rigveda IV.31 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.
Come now, O Indra the Mighty, the Lord of the World-quarters, praise-worthy and sovereign! Thou art the slayer of foes, the roarer supreme, the wielder of the thunderbolt that burneth all enemies to ash. The whole earth trembleth at thy footstep; the waters flee before thee in terror and adoration.
Let me sing of thee, the unconquerable one, whose might is as the mountain's weight, whose wrath as the tempest's fury. Thou didst slay the serpent Vṛtra, that lay coiled in the mountain's womb, and freed the waters to their course. The dawn breaketh at thy command; the sun riseth to do thy bidding.
All the devas pay homage to thee, O King of Kings. Thy sovereignty reacheth to the uttermost bounds of heaven and earth. The Maruts, those swift-footed sons of the storm, follow at thy heel. The Adityas do obeisance before thy throne.
Thou art the drinker of the Soma's sweet juice, and it maketh thy strength yet greater. No mortal might shall stand before thee; no sorcerer's magic shall withstand thy rage. Thou art the protector of the righteous, the keeper of the sacred covenant, ṛta itself made manifest in deed and muscle.
Grant us thy favour, O Indra, and let our enemies fall like the rain upon the parched earth. Make our bodies strong, our arrows swift, our chariots unbreakable. Be thou the guardian of our herds and our young. Receive our offerings of Soma and our hymns of praise, and let thy blessings descend upon all who cry out to thee in righteousness.
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.31
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.
kayā naś citra ā bhuvad ūtī sadāvṛdhaḥ sakhā |
kayā śaciṣṭhayā vṛtā || 1 ||
kas tvā satyo madānām maṁhiṣṭho matsad andhasaḥ |
dṛḻhā cid āruje vasu || 2 ||
abhī ṣu ṇaḥ sakhīnām avitā jaritṝṇām |
śatam bhavāsy ūtibhiḥ || 3 ||
abhī na ā vavṛtsva cakraṁ na vṛttam arvataḥ |
niyudbhiś carṣaṇīnām || 4 ||
pravatā hi kratūnām ā hā padeva gacchasi |
abhakṣi sūrye sacā || 5 ||
saṁ yat ta indra manyavaḥ saṁ cakrāṇi dadhanvire |
adha tve adha sūrye || 6 ||
uta smā hi tvām āhur in maghavānaṁ śacīpate |
dātāram avidīdhayum || 7 ||
uta smā sadya it pari śaśamānāya sunvate |
purū cin maṁhase vasu || 8 ||
nahi ṣmā te śataṁ cana rādho varanta āmuraḥ |
na cyautnāni kariṣyataḥ || 9 ||
asmām̐ avantu te śatam asmān sahasram ūtayaḥ |
asmān viśvā abhiṣṭayaḥ || 10 ||
asmām̐ ihā vṛṇīṣva sakhyāya svastaye |
maho rāye divitmate || 11 ||
asmām̐ aviḍḍhi viśvahendra rāyā parīṇasā |
asmān viśvābhir ūtibhiḥ || 12 ||
asmabhyaṁ tām̐ apā vṛdhi vrajām̐ asteva gomataḥ |
navābhir indrotibhiḥ || 13 ||
asmākaṁ dhṛṣṇuyā ratho dyumām̐ indrānapacyutaḥ |
gavyur aśvayur īyate || 14 ||
asmākam uttamaṁ kṛdhi śravo deveṣu sūrya |
varṣiṣṭhaṁ dyām ivopari || 15 ||
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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