Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VI.32 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.
Hail to thee, O Indra, slayer of Vṛtra! Thou didst grasp thy vajra, that bolt of heaven forged by Tvashṭṛ's hand, and didst smite the serpent where he coiled in the waters. Lo, how he fell! How the darkness broke before thy lightning!
The demon lay across the mountain-passes, blocking the rivers from their courses. Vṛtra, that ancient coil of chaos, held back the waters in his belly—but thou didst pierce him through. The vajra split his body; his strength poured out like a broken vessel.
Then the waters rushed forth! The rivers, long imprisoned, burst their bonds and flowed down to the lowlands, swift as war-horses freed from their stalls. The rains descended; the earth drank deep; the pastures grew green again. By thy deed, O Indra, creation was renewed!
The sun rose higher in his chariot; the stars shone clear; the worlds came into order. Chaos was driven back; the cosmic law stood firm once more. All things rejoiced at thy victory—the gods sang thy praise, the mortals cried out in thanksgiving.
This was thy great work, O master of battles: to break the bonds of chaos, to set the waters free, to make the worlds habitable for gods and men. No strength could match thy strength; no wisdom could foresee thy cunning. Thou alone couldst have done this deed.
Remember this triumph, O Indra, when we call upon thee! When we press the soma and raise our voices in thy honor, hear us as thou heardest the ancient call. Let thy mighty arm descend upon our enemies as once it descended upon Vṛtra!
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 VI.32
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.
apūrvyā purutamāny asmai mahe vīrāya tavase turāya |
virapśine vajriṇe śaṁtamāni vacāṁsy āsā sthavirāya takṣam || 1 ||
sa mātarā sūryeṇā kavīnām avāsayad rujad adriṁ gṛṇānaḥ |
svādhībhir ṛkvabhir vāvaśāna ud usriyāṇām asṛjan nidānam || 2 ||
sa vahnibhir ṛkvabhir goṣu śaśvan mitajñubhiḥ purukṛtvā jigāya |
puraḥ purohā sakhibhiḥ sakhīyan dṛḻhā ruroja kavibhiḥ kaviḥ san || 3 ||
sa nīvyābhir jaritāram acchā maho vājebhir mahadbhiś ca śuṣmaiḥ |
puruvīrābhir vṛṣabha kṣitīnām ā girvaṇaḥ suvitāya pra yāhi || 4 ||
sa sargeṇa śavasā takto atyair apa indro dakṣiṇatas turāṣāṭ |
itthā sṛjānā anapāvṛd arthaṁ dive-dive viviṣur apramṛṣyam || 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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