Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VI.33 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.
Thou art the champion of the Āryas, O Indra, the defender of those who worship thee with care. The enemies of thy people flee before thy chariot; their fortresses crumble at thy approach. Thou art the war-god in his fury, the striker of all who resist.
How many demons hast thou slain? How many fortresses of the wicked hast thou broken open? The dāsas and dasyus—those hostile tribes who deny the sacrifice—fall before thy thunderbolt like leaves in the wind. Their wealth becomes the spoil of thy faithful servants.
Thou ridest forth in thy golden chariot drawn by steeds that know no weariness. The wheels thunder across the earth; the very ground trembles beneath them. Before thee goes the roar of thy voice; behind thee comes victory and plunder for those who have done thee honor.
The weak man grows strong when thou art near; the fearful warrior becomes bold as a tiger. Thou givest the victory not through mere strength alone, but through thy craft and thy cunning. Thou knowest when to strike and when to wait; thou knowest the hidden weakness of every enemy.
O mighty Indra, hear our prayer! We are thy worshippers; we have pressed the soma and made the offering. Grant us enemies weak and feeble before our spears. Grant us the courage to face our foes and the strength to vanquish them utterly.
Let no hostile tribe conquer thy people; let no demon despoil our herds. Be thou our champion always, O lord of all power, our protector in battle, our victor in the field!
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.33
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.
ya ojiṣṭha indra taṁ su no dā mado vṛṣan svabhiṣṭir dāsvān |
sauvaśvyaṁ yo vanavat svaśvo vṛtrā samatsu sāsahad amitrān || 1 ||
tvāṁ hī3ndrāvase vivāco havante carṣaṇayaḥ śūrasātau |
tvaṁ viprebhir vi paṇīm̐r aśāyas tvota it sanitā vājam arvā || 2 ||
tvaṁ tām̐ indrobhayām̐ amitrān dāsā vṛtrāṇy āryā ca śūra |
vadhīr vaneva sudhitebhir atkair ā pṛtsu darṣi nṛṇāṁ nṛtama || 3 ||
sa tvaṁ na indrākavābhir ūtī sakhā viśvāyur avitā vṛdhe bhūḥ |
svarṣātā yad dhvayāmasi tvā yudhyanto nemadhitā pṛtsu śūra || 4 ||
nūnaṁ na indrāparāya ca syā bhavā mṛḻīka uta no abhiṣṭau |
itthā gṛṇanto mahinasya śarman divi ṣyāma pārye goṣatamāḥ || 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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