Hymn to Indra
Rigveda V.39 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, giver of all good things! We come before thee with open hands and humble hearts. We ask not for thy divine form or the secrets of thy being. We ask only for the gifts that make life worth living: prosperity, health, and the strength to do good works.
Grant us herds of cattle, O mighty one! Let them be fat and healthy, multiplying year upon year. The milk they yield shall nourish our children; the dung shall fertilize our fields. In this way, thy bounty floweth down through the animal world to sustain all life.
Grant us fertile fields! Let the rain fall gently but in abundance. Let the sun warm the growing shoots. Let our crops come forth in their season, heavy with grain. We shall set aside a portion for the ritual libation, honoring thee who hath given all.
Grant us sons and daughters, O Indra! Let them be born healthy and strong. Let them grow in wisdom and virtue. May they honor the sacred rites and teach their children the old ways. Through them, thy name shall be kept alive among our people forever.
Grant us long life and freedom from disease! Let our bodies remain strong, our minds clear, our spirits unbowed. When at last our time upon this earth cometh to an end, may we look back upon lives lived well, knowing we have served thee and thy order faithfully.
O Indra, these are the prayers we bring before thee! We pour the soma, we raise the hymn, we make the sacred offering. Hear us and grant unto us these blessings. Let thy favor rest upon our households and our children's children, unto the end of all ages.
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.39
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.
yad indra citra mehanāsti tvādātam adrivaḥ |
rādhas tan no vidadvasa ubhayāhasty ā bhara || 1 ||
yan manyase vareṇyam indra dyukṣaṁ tad ā bhara |
vidyāma tasya te vayam akūpārasya dāvane || 2 ||
yat te ditsu prarādhyam mano asti śrutam bṛhat |
tena dṛḻhā cid adriva ā vājaṁ darṣi sātaye || 3 ||
maṁhiṣṭhaṁ vo maghonāṁ rājānaṁ carṣaṇīnām |
indram upa praśastaye pūrvībhir jujuṣe giraḥ || 4 ||
asmā it kāvyaṁ vaca uktham indrāya śaṁsyam |
tasmā u brahmavāhase giro vardhanty atrayo giraḥ śumbhanty atrayaḥ || 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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