Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VI.46 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.
Come, O Indra, from afar—those who are near do summon thee. Drink the soma here, made ready; let thy thunderbolt be drawn.
Yea, come to us with power, that thou mayst slay the enemies. Come with the mightiness of thy strength; thy friendship holdeth fast.
We have prepared this drink for thee, as one prepareth gold. Accept our offering, O lord, and make thyself our friend.
The Maruts follow at thy heel; the winds do blow before. Thy steeds are swift as thought itself; they bear thee through the sky.
All that is wide, all that is strong, belongeth unto thee. No power resisteth thy command; no foe standeth against thy hand.
Thou art the king of all the gods, the wielder of the bolt. We, thy servants, bow before thee and cry out for thy aid.
Bring unto us the riches now, the herds, the gold, the fame. Make prosperous our dwellings; guard us from every harm.
The thunderbolt hath shattered all the fortresses of the foe. The enemy is cast into the pit; the kingdom falleth unto thee.
Let the singers call upon thee, O mighty one, with voice. Let the libation flow for thee; let thy great deed be known.
We magnify thee, O Indra, in our hearts and with our words. Be thou our lord, our champion, our protector evermore.
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.46
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.
tvām id dhi havāmahe sātā vājasya kāravaḥ |
tvāṁ vṛtreṣv indra satpatiṁ naras tvāṁ kāṣṭhāsv arvataḥ || 1 ||
sa tvaṁ naś citra vajrahasta dhṛṣṇuyā mahaḥ stavāno adrivaḥ |
gām aśvaṁ rathyam indra saṁ kira satrā vājaṁ na jigyuṣe || 2 ||
yaḥ satrāhā vicarṣaṇir indraṁ taṁ hūmahe vayam |
sahasramuṣka tuvinṛmṇa satpate bhavā samatsu no vṛdhe || 3 ||
bādhase janān vṛṣabheva manyunā ghṛṣau mīḻha ṛcīṣama |
asmākam bodhy avitā mahādhane tanūṣv apsu sūrye || 4 ||
indra jyeṣṭhaṁ na ā bharam̐ ojiṣṭham papuri śravaḥ |
yeneme citra vajrahasta rodasī obhe suśipra prāḥ || 5 ||
tvām ugram avase carṣaṇīsahaṁ rājan deveṣu hūmahe |
viśvā su no vithurā pibdanā vaso 'mitrān suṣahān kṛdhi || 6 ||
yad indra nāhuṣīṣv ām̐ ojo nṛmṇaṁ ca kṛṣṭiṣu |
yad vā pañca kṣitīnāṁ dyumnam ā bhara satrā viśvāni pauṁsyā || 7 ||
yad vā tṛkṣau maghavan druhyāv ā jane yat pūrau kac ca vṛṣṇyam |
asmabhyaṁ tad rirīhi saṁ nṛṣāhye 'mitrān pṛtsu turvaṇe || 8 ||
indra tridhātu śaraṇaṁ trivarūthaṁ svastimat |
chardir yaccha maghavadbhyaś ca mahyaṁ ca yāvayā didyum ebhyaḥ || 9 ||
ye gavyatā manasā śatrum ādabhur abhipraghnanti dhṛṣṇuyā |
adha smā no maghavann indra girvaṇas tanūpā antamo bhava || 10 ||
adha smā no vṛdhe bhavendra nāyam avā yudhi |
yad antarikṣe patayanti parṇino didyavas tigmamūrdhānaḥ || 11 ||
yatra śūrāsas tanvo vitanvate priyā śarma pitṝṇām |
adha smā yaccha tanve3 tane ca chardir acittaṁ yāvaya dveṣaḥ || 12 ||
yad indra sarge arvataś codayāse mahādhane |
asamane adhvani vṛjine pathi śyenām̐ iva śravasyataḥ || 13 ||
sindhūm̐r iva pravaṇa āśuyā yato yadi klośam anu ṣvaṇi |
ā ye vayo na varvṛtaty āmiṣi gṛbhītā bāhvor gavi || 14 ||
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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