Hymn to Indra
Rigveda V.38 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.
O Indra, thou art the friend of man! When we cry out in our suffering, thou hearest us. When we are lost in darkness, thou shinest as a guiding light. Thou art nearer to us than our own breath, more intimate than our own thoughts.
Thou watchest over the mortal realm as a father watcheth over his children. When the rogue and brigand threaten the innocent, thou ridest forth to defend them. When sickness cometh upon the household, thou healest with thy divine touch. When sorrow weigheth down the heart, thou liftest the burden and grantest peace.
We have seen thy hand in all our good fortune, O Indra! The successful harvest, the healthy child born, the enemy driven off in panic—these are thy gifts. The enemy that threatened hath been turned back. The plague that raged hath ceased. The drought hath broken, and the rains have come at last.
Thou art not distant or cold, dwelling in some far heaven beyond the reach of mortal voices. Nay! Thou art present in every moment of our lives. Thou walkest with us through the valleys of trial. Thou sittest with us in times of joy. Thy presence is a shield and shelter.
Accept our gratitude, O mighty one! We pour the soma with hearts full of love. We raise the hymn with voices trembling with emotion. Thou hast been to us what no earthly friend could be. Grant us thy continued protection and favor. Let us dwell in thy companionship all our days, knowing that we are safe in thy keeping, blessed by thy friendship, sustained by thy eternal care.
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.38
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.
uroṣ ṭa indra rādhaso vibhvī rātiḥ śatakrato |
adhā no viśvacarṣaṇe dyumnā sukṣatra maṁhaya || 1 ||
yad īm indra śravāyyam iṣaṁ śaviṣṭha dadhiṣe |
paprathe dīrghaśruttamaṁ hiraṇyavarṇa duṣṭaram || 2 ||
śuṣmāso ye te adrivo mehanā ketasāpaḥ |
ubhā devāv abhiṣṭaye divaś ca gmaś ca rājathaḥ || 3 ||
uto no asya kasya cid dakṣasya tava vṛtrahan |
asmabhyaṁ nṛmṇam ā bharāsmabhyaṁ nṛmaṇasyase || 4 ||
nū ta ābhir abhiṣṭibhis tava śarmañ chatakrato |
indra syāma sugopāḥ śūra syāma sugopāḥ || 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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