Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VI.21 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 6 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.
I.
Come, Indra, with the Viśvedevas, all together,
Come with the whole assembly of the deities bright,
Accept the soma poured this day in fellowship,
Let us sing praises to you all, ye hosts of heaven.
II.
The Viśvedevas gather round the fire,
In counsel deep they sit and contemplate the worlds,
They speak the sacred words, they know all mysteries,
Come all of you and hear the prayers of mortal men.
III.
O Indra, first among all the devas,
Lead thou the others to our sacrifice,
Let them behold our reverence and devotion,
And carry back our gifts unto the highest gods.
IV.
The Aśvins come on horses white and swift,
The Maruts dance in circles round the storm,
The Vasus gather, the Rudras stand in glory,
All the great powers of heaven attend thy summons.
V.
What gifts shall we lay down before such majesty?
What words shall we speak that are worthy of your ears?
We have but simple offerings, humble prayer and song,
Yet take them as the measure of our grateful hearts.
VI.
O Indra and ye Viśvedevas all,
Accept these fruits that mortals bring to you,
For ye are mighty, ye are strong and noble,
Ye are the guardians of the worlds of light.
VII.
Together rule the cosmic order sacred,
Together hold the heavens in their place,
Together send the rains and grant the harvests,
Together bless the homes of mortal men.
VIII.
Grant us to live beneath your watchful blessing,
To know your glory all the days of life,
To walk in wisdom, to stand firm in battle,
And at the last to join you in the heavens high.
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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda VI.21
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.
imā u tvā purutamasya kāror havyaṁ vīra havyā havante |
dhiyo ratheṣṭhām ajaraṁ navīyo rayir vibhūtir īyate vacasyā || 1 ||
tam u stuṣa indraṁ yo vidāno girvāhasaṁ gīrbhir yajñavṛddham |
yasya divam ati mahnā pṛthivyāḥ purumāyasya ririce mahitvam || 2 ||
sa it tamo 'vayunaṁ tatanvat sūryeṇa vayunavac cakāra |
kadā te martā amṛtasya dhāmeyakṣanto na minanti svadhāvaḥ || 3 ||
yas tā cakāra sa kuha svid indraḥ kam ā janaṁ carati kāsu vikṣu |
kas te yajño manase śaṁ varāya ko arka indra katamaḥ sa hotā || 4 ||
idā hi te veviṣataḥ purājāḥ pratnāsa āsuḥ purukṛt sakhāyaḥ |
ye madhyamāsa uta nūtanāsa utāvamasya puruhūta bodhi || 5 ||
tam pṛcchanto 'varāsaḥ parāṇi pratnā ta indra śrutyānu yemuḥ |
arcāmasi vīra brahmavāho yād eva vidma tāt tvā mahāntam || 6 ||
abhi tvā pājo rakṣaso vi tasthe mahi jajñānam abhi tat su tiṣṭha |
tava pratnena yujyena sakhyā vajreṇa dhṛṣṇo apa tā nudasva || 7 ||
sa tu śrudhīndra nūtanasya brahmaṇyato vīra kārudhāyaḥ |
tvaṁ hy ā3piḥ pradivi pitṝṇāṁ śaśvad babhūtha suhava eṣṭau || 8 ||
protaye varuṇam mitram indram marutaḥ kṛṣvāvase no adya |
pra pūṣaṇaṁ viṣṇum agnim puraṁdhiṁ savitāram oṣadhīḥ parvatām̐ś ca || 9 ||
ima u tvā puruśāka prayajyo jaritāro abhy arcanty arkaiḥ |
śrudhī havam ā huvato huvāno na tvāvām̐ anyo amṛta tvad asti || 10 ||
nū ma ā vācam upa yāhi vidvān viśvebhiḥ sūno sahaso yajatraiḥ |
ye agnijihvā ṛtasāpa āsur ye manuṁ cakrur uparaṁ dasāya || 11 ||
sa no bodhi puraetā sugeṣūta durgeṣu pathikṛd vidānaḥ |
ye aśramāsa uravo vahiṣṭhās tebhir na indrābhi vakṣi vājam || 12 ||
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).
🌲