Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VI.59 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, mightiest of gods, and Agni, bright devourer of the flesh, receive this hymn of praise we sing in unison of voice.
Indra, thou art the lord of war; thy thunderbolt hath never failed. When enemies do rise up, thou strikenest them all down in might.
Agni, thou art the transformer. What is raw, thou makest cooked. What is dead, thou givest honor. What is profane, thou makest sacred through thy sacred flames.
Together these two mighty ones do bind the world together firm. Indra keepeth order through the exercise of force and will. Agni keepeth order through transformation and through sacred rite.
Indra, thou hast conquered enemies without number in the age of old. Thy deeds are sung by every bard; thy glory filleth all the earth.
Agni, thou art present in every hearth, in every offering, in every place where mortals bend the knee. Thou art more intimate than Indra, yet no less mighty in thy way.
Come now, ye mighty ones combined, and bless this place where we have gathered. Accept the soma; accept the butter offered in thy names.
Grant unto us the strength we need to face all trials that come. Grant unto us the wisdom to transform our sorrows into joy.
O Indra and O Agni both, ye who complement each other well, protect us from all evil. Guard us from foe and from disaster.
May thy joint blessings fall upon us all—the might of Indra and the grace of Agni, working as one, forever and aye.
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.59
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.
pra nu vocā suteṣu vāṁ vīryā3 yāni cakrathuḥ |
hatāso vām pitaro devaśatrava indrāgnī jīvatho yuvam || 1 ||
baḻ itthā mahimā vām indrāgnī paniṣṭha ā |
samāno vāṁ janitā bhrātarā yuvaṁ yamāv ihehamātarā || 2 ||
okivāṁsā sute sacām̐ aśvā saptī ivādane |
indrā nv a1gnī avaseha vajriṇā vayaṁ devā havāmahe || 3 ||
ya indrāgnī suteṣu vāṁ stavat teṣv ṛtāvṛdhā |
joṣavākaṁ vadataḥ pajrahoṣiṇā na devā bhasathaś cana || 4 ||
indrāgnī ko asya vāṁ devau martaś ciketati |
viṣūco aśvān yuyujāna īyata ekaḥ samāna ā rathe || 5 ||
indrāgnī apād iyam pūrvāgāt padvatībhyaḥ |
hitvī śiro jihvayā vāvadac carat triṁśat padā ny akramīt || 6 ||
indrāgnī ā hi tanvate naro dhanvāni bāhvoḥ |
mā no asmin mahādhane parā varktaṁ gaviṣṭiṣu || 7 ||
indrāgnī tapanti māghā aryo arātayaḥ |
apa dveṣāṁsy ā kṛtaṁ yuyutaṁ sūryād adhi || 8 ||
indrāgnī yuvor api vasu divyāni pārthivā |
ā na iha pra yacchataṁ rayiṁ viśvāyupoṣasam || 9 ||
indrāgnī ukthavāhasā stomebhir havanaśrutā |
viśvābhir gīrbhir ā gatam asya somasya pītaye || 10 ||
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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