Hymn to Indra
Rigveda V.40 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.
The Atri sage hath fallen into a deep pit, O Indra! Darkness surroundeth him on all sides. He crieth out for aid, but his voice echoes back from the stone walls. No man can reach him; no ordinary rope can pull him free. His end seemeth certain, and despair hath seized his heart.
But lo! Indra hath heard the cry of the righteous man! The thunderer descendeth from the heavens, shining bright as ten thousand suns. He reacheth down into the darkness with his mighty hand and draweth Atri forth. The sage emergeth blinking into the light, his flesh intact, his spirit renewed.
And what of Sūrya, the sun god, in that very hour? His disk was swallowed by shadow! The eclipse cometh upon the sky—a darkness at high noon, terrible and wonderful to behold. The stars appear in their places though day should reign. The birds cry out in confusion. All creatures look upward in awe and fear.
Yet Indra hath ordained that this eclipse shall pass! The shadow moveth across the sun and vanisheth. The light breaketh forth again. Sūrya rideth his golden chariot once more across the vault of heaven, his radiance restored. The world breatheth easy again.
Thus doth Indra act in righteousness! He saveth the faithful from the pit of despair. He restoreth the sun to its throne. He maintaineth the order of cosmos. O mighty Indra, thou who hast saved Atri and given us back the light of day, receive this hymn of gratitude! May thy name be ever honored among the Atri clan and all who remember how thou came to our aid when all seemed lost.
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.40
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.
ā yāhy adribhiḥ sutaṁ somaṁ somapate piba |
vṛṣann indra vṛṣabhir vṛtrahantama || 1 ||
vṛṣā grāvā vṛṣā mado vṛṣā somo ayaṁ sutaḥ |
vṛṣann indra vṛṣabhir vṛtrahantama || 2 ||
vṛṣā tvā vṛṣaṇaṁ huve vajriñ citrābhir ūtibhiḥ |
vṛṣann indra vṛṣabhir vṛtrahantama || 3 ||
ṛjīṣī vajrī vṛṣabhas turāṣāṭ chuṣmī rājā vṛtrahā somapāvā |
yuktvā haribhyām upa yāsad arvāṅ mādhyaṁdine savane matsad indraḥ || 4 ||
yat tvā sūrya svarbhānus tamasāvidhyad āsuraḥ |
akṣetravid yathā mugdho bhuvanāny adīdhayuḥ || 5 ||
svarbhānor adha yad indra māyā avo divo vartamānā avāhan |
gūḻhaṁ sūryaṁ tamasāpavratena turīyeṇa brahmaṇāvindad atriḥ || 6 ||
mā mām imaṁ tava santam atra irasyā drugdho bhiyasā ni gārīt |
tvam mitro asi satyarādhās tau mehāvataṁ varuṇaś ca rājā || 7 ||
grāvṇo brahmā yuyujānaḥ saparyan kīriṇā devān namasopaśikṣan |
atriḥ sūryasya divi cakṣur ādhāt svarbhānor apa māyā aghukṣat || 8 ||
yaṁ vai sūryaṁ svarbhānus tamasāvidhyad āsuraḥ |
atrayas tam anv avindan nahy a1nye aśaknuvan || 9 ||
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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