Hymn to Indra
Rigveda V.35 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 5 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.
In thy hand gleameth the Vajra, O Indra! That golden thunderbolt, most terrible and beautiful. It was forged in the heart of the mountains by the divine craftsmen. The Fire-god himself breathed life into its metal. No weapon in all the three worlds can match its power.
When thou raisest the Vajra, the very heavens quake. Clouds gather at thy command; lightning leapeth from thy fingertips. Rain falleth where thou directest it. The earth openeth and drinketh deep. Crops spring forth in abundance. The rivers rush to the sea in jubilation.
Thou art the lord of the storm, the master of the tempest! Thy thunder soundeth across the cosmos. Thy lightning rideth the clouds like a fiery serpent. The asuras and demons cover their faces when they hear thee approach. Even the greatest daitya trembleth at thy name.
The Vajra hath slain countless foes. It hath shattered the mountains of the godless. It hath broken the fortresses of all who would oppose thee. With this weapon, thou hast delivered the world from the grip of evil. All creation singeth thy praise for this.
O wielder of the thunderbolt! Accept our hymn as an offering at thy feet. We acknowledge thy supreme dominion over all the worlds. There is none equal to thee in might and majesty. Thy name shineth as bright as the noonday sun. Guard us with thy Vajra, protect us from all harm, and let thy blessing fall upon us as the rain falleth in summer.
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 V.35
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.
yas te sādhiṣṭho 'vasa indra kratuṣ ṭam ā bhara |
asmabhyaṁ carṣaṇīsahaṁ sasniṁ vājeṣu duṣṭaram || 1 ||
yad indra te catasro yac chūra santi tisraḥ |
yad vā pañca kṣitīnām avas tat su na ā bhara || 2 ||
ā te 'vo vareṇyaṁ vṛṣantamasya hūmahe |
vṛṣajūtir hi jajñiṣa ābhūbhir indra turvaṇiḥ || 3 ||
vṛṣā hy asi rādhase jajñiṣe vṛṣṇi te śavaḥ |
svakṣatraṁ te dhṛṣan manaḥ satrāham indra pauṁsyam || 4 ||
tvaṁ tam indra martyam amitrayantam adrivaḥ |
sarvarathā śatakrato ni yāhi śavasas pate || 5 ||
tvām id vṛtrahantama janāso vṛktabarhiṣaḥ |
ugram pūrvīṣu pūrvyaṁ havante vājasātaye || 6 ||
asmākam indra duṣṭaram puroyāvānam ājiṣu |
sayāvānaṁ dhane-dhane vājayantam avā ratham || 7 ||
asmākam indrehi no ratham avā puraṁdhyā |
vayaṁ śaviṣṭha vāryaṁ divi śravo dadhīmahi divi stomam manāmahe || 8 ||
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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