Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VI.57 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.
O Indra and O Pūṣan both, come now to this sacred rite. The soma is poured out for you; the altar is prepared with care.
Indra, thou art the mightiest; thy thunderbolt is feared by all. Pūṣan, thou art the gentlest; thy hand doth lead and heal and mend.
Together they do complement the full extent of godly power—the strength to overcome the foe, the wisdom to go forth in peace.
Indra, thou hast shattered all the fortresses of the foe. Pūṣan, thou hast guided home the wanderer who was lost.
Indra, thy voice is like the thunder; Pūṣan, thy voice is soft and kind. Yet each doth speak a truth divine; each doth convey the will of all.
Come now, accept our offering. Drink deep of the sweet soma pressed. Let all the gods take note of us and bless our assembly here.
O Indra, grant us courage, that we may face all enemies that come. O Pūṣan, grant us guidance, that we may walk the righteous path.
Together, mighty ones, do thou join in one great act of grace. Let thy strength and thy wisdom meld as one, that all the world may benefit.
The warrior needeth both of you—the might to strike the blow, the sight to know which blow to strike. The traveler needeth both as well—the courage to venture far, the guidance to come home again.
So bless us now with both thy gifts. Accept our praise with gladness deep. And let thy names be honored ever, now and in all ages yet to come.
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.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.
indrā nu pūṣaṇā vayaṁ sakhyāya svastaye |
huvema vājasātaye || 1 ||
somam anya upāsadat pātave camvoḥ sutam |
karambham anya icchati || 2 ||
ajā anyasya vahnayo harī anyasya sambhṛtā |
tābhyāṁ vṛtrāṇi jighnate || 3 ||
yad indro anayad rito mahīr apo vṛṣantamaḥ |
tatra pūṣābhavat sacā || 4 ||
tām pūṣṇaḥ sumatiṁ vayaṁ vṛkṣasya pra vayām iva |
indrasya cā rabhāmahe || 5 ||
ut pūṣaṇaṁ yuvāmahe 'bhīśūm̐r iva sārathiḥ |
mahyā indraṁ svastaye || 6 ||
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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