Hymn to Indra
Rigveda V.57 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 Maruts, ye sons of Rudra! The fearsome lord, the wild one, the destroyer—he is your father. From his fierce and untamed nature ye have inherited thy valor. He begat thee in the storms of the cosmos, fashioning each of thee from the elements of chaos and strength.
Yet ye are also brothers to Indra! The king of gods himself calls ye allies. When Indra marches forth to battle against the demons, the Maruts march at his side. When he strikes with his mighty weapon the Vṛitra-slayer, the Maruts strike in concert. When he cries out in victory, the Maruts echo his cry across the heavens.
Ye are the bridge between the fierce and the kingly. Ye are the wild and the ordered together. From Rudra ye take thy untamed power. From Indra ye take thy purpose and thy counsel. Ye are wild yet not chaotic. Ye are fierce yet not evil. Ye are terrible yet not cruel.
Ye come to the sacrifice as companions to the great god. When Indra drinks the soma and is exalted, ye drink and are exalted. When Indra receives the praise and the oblation, ye receive it as well. Ye are honored equally with the king of gods. Ye are worthy of the soma. Ye are worthy of the hymn. Ye are worthy of the worship of mortals.
O sons of Rudra, brothers of Indra! Accept this hymn that praises thee. We sing thy strength and thy loyalty. We honor thy place in the divine assembly. Guide us as Indra guides us. Protect us as thy father protects us. Stand beside us as ye stand beside the king of gods. O Maruts, remain forever our companions and our guardians!
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.57
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 rudrāsa indravantaḥ sajoṣaso hiraṇyarathāḥ suvitāya gantana |
iyaṁ vo asmat prati haryate matis tṛṣṇaje na diva utsā udanyave || 1 ||
vāśīmanta ṛṣṭimanto manīṣiṇaḥ sudhanvāna iṣumanto niṣaṅgiṇaḥ |
svaśvāḥ stha surathāḥ pṛśnimātaraḥ svāyudhā maruto yāthanā śubham || 2 ||
dhūnutha dyām parvatān dāśuṣe vasu ni vo vanā jihate yāmano bhiyā |
kopayatha pṛthivīm pṛśnimātaraḥ śubhe yad ugrāḥ pṛṣatīr ayugdhvam || 3 ||
vātatviṣo maruto varṣanirṇijo yamā iva susadṛśaḥ supeśasaḥ |
piśaṅgāśvā aruṇāśvā arepasaḥ pratvakṣaso mahinā dyaur ivoravaḥ || 4 ||
purudrapsā añjimantaḥ sudānavas tveṣasaṁdṛśo anavabhrarādhasaḥ |
sujātāso januṣā rukmavakṣaso divo arkā amṛtaṁ nāma bhejire || 5 ||
ṛṣṭayo vo maruto aṁsayor adhi saha ojo bāhvor vo balaṁ hitam |
nṛmṇā śīrṣasv āyudhā ratheṣu vo viśvā vaḥ śrīr adhi tanūṣu pipiśe || 6 ||
gomad aśvāvad rathavat suvīraṁ candravad rādho maruto dadā naḥ |
praśastiṁ naḥ kṛṇuta rudriyāso bhakṣīya vo 'vaso daivyasya || 7 ||
haye naro maruto mṛḻatā nas tuvīmaghāso amṛtā ṛtajñāḥ |
satyaśrutaḥ kavayo yuvāno bṛhadgirayo bṛhad ukṣamāṇāḥ || 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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