Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VII.18 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 7 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.
Hear now the tale of Indra's glory! The tale that Vasiṣṭha, the bard divine, doth sing unto the warriors and unto the gods themselves. In days of old, the great king Sudās did call upon the mighty Indra, and behold, the thunderer did come forth to battle.
For Sudās was beset upon all sides by enemies unnumbered. Ten kings—ten mighty kings—did gather against him, their armies flowing like a plague of locusts across the land. From every quarter they came: Bheda the fierce, and Śambara the master of illusions. There came the Turvaśas with their terrible might; there came the Yakṣus crying out for blood. The Anu-s gathered; the Druhyus marched forth. Five more kings did assemble their hosts: Pakthas and Bhalānas and Ālinas, each one seeking to crush the king of the Tritsu people.
The Paruṣṇī River ran between them—the sacred river, giver of life. But now it became a barrier, now a weapon in the hands of the gods themselves.
Then Indra came—the Bull, the Thunderer, the Lord of the Bay Horses. With him came the Maruts, the storm gods, and the Ṛbhus, those clever workers of divine crafts. Indra's voice was like unto ten thousand thunders; his laughter shook the very foundations of the earth. The enemies beheld him and their hearts grew cold as winter stone.
The battle was joined! Arrows flew like hail; spears like lightning bolts. The clash of shield on shield was a sound like mountains grinding one against the other. The ten kings, with their armies countless as the stars, pressed forth against Sudās—but Indra stood between them like an iron wall.
And then the god did raise his voice unto the Paruṣṇī River, and lo, the waters that had been calm became as turbulent as a wrathful serpent. The river rose up—rose up in a great flood against the enemies of Sudās. The armies of the ten kings were caught upon its banks. Those on horseback were swept away; those on foot were drowned. The chariots were shattered like toys of clay.
Bheda the fierce king—he perished in those waters. Śambara the master of demons was cast down. The Turvaśas, screaming, were overwhelmed. The Yakṣus, who had thought themselves mighty, were reduced to nothing.
The Paruṣṇī River flowed red with the blood of the enemies. The field was strewn with broken chariots and the bodies of the slain. The survivors fled in terror before the thunderer's wrath.
Thus did Indra deliver his chosen king! Thus did he prove that none can stand against the Bull of heaven. Sudās, by the grace of Indra, was victorious. His enemies were vanquished; his kingdom was secure.
O Indra, thou mighty one! Thou drinkest of the soma that the priests do press for thee. When thou drinkest, thy belly is filled with rapture, and thy strength increaseth a thousandfold. All the gods obey thy will; all the demons flee from thy approach.
Be thou our protector as thou wast the protector of Sudās! Grant unto us victory over our enemies; grant unto us triumph in our struggles. When we call upon thy name with voices raised in hymn, hear thou our prayer and come forth to aid us.
The story of the ten kings shall be told forevermore. The bards shall sing it; the mothers shall tell it unto their children. Let all men know that Indra, the Thunderer, the Bull, the Lord of the Bay Horses, is the greatest of all gods—and that whosoever placeth his faith in Indra shall never want for victory.
We praise thee, O mighty Indra! We honor thee with our hymns and our offerings of soma. Be thou our friend and our protector, now and forevermore.
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 VII.18
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.
tve ha yat pitaraś cin na indra viśvā vāmā jaritāro asanvan |
tve gāvaḥ sudughās tve hy aśvās tvaṁ vasu devayate vaniṣṭhaḥ || 1 ||
rājeva hi janibhiḥ kṣeṣy evāva dyubhir abhi viduṣ kaviḥ san |
piśā giro maghavan gobhir aśvais tvāyataḥ śiśīhi rāye asmān || 2 ||
imā u tvā paspṛdhānāso atra mandrā giro devayantīr upa sthuḥ |
arvācī te pathyā rāya etu syāma te sumatāv indra śarman || 3 ||
dhenuṁ na tvā sūyavase dudukṣann upa brahmāṇi sasṛje vasiṣṭhaḥ |
tvām in me gopatiṁ viśva āhā na indraḥ sumatiṁ gantv accha || 4 ||
arṇāṁsi cit paprathānā sudāsa indro gādhāny akṛṇot supārā |
śardhantaṁ śimyum ucathasya navyaḥ śāpaṁ sindhūnām akṛṇod aśastīḥ || 5 ||
puroḻā it turvaśo yakṣur āsīd rāye matsyāso niśitā apīva |
śruṣṭiṁ cakrur bhṛgavo druhyavaś ca sakhā sakhāyam atarad viṣūcoḥ || 6 ||
ā pakthāso bhalānaso bhanantālināso viṣāṇinaḥ śivāsaḥ |
ā yo 'nayat sadhamā āryasya gavyā tṛtsubhyo ajagan yudhā nṝn || 7 ||
durādhyo3 aditiṁ srevayanto 'cetaso vi jagṛbhre paruṣṇīm |
mahnāvivyak pṛthivīm patyamānaḥ paśuṣ kavir aśayac cāyamānaḥ || 8 ||
īyur arthaṁ na nyartham paruṣṇīm āśuś caned abhipitvaṁ jagāma |
sudāsa indraḥ sutukām̐ amitrān arandhayan mānuṣe vadhrivācaḥ || 9 ||
īyur gāvo na yavasād agopā yathākṛtam abhi mitraṁ citāsaḥ |
pṛśnigāvaḥ pṛśninipreṣitāsaḥ śruṣṭiṁ cakrur niyuto rantayaś ca || 10 ||
ekaṁ ca yo viṁśatiṁ ca śravasyā vaikarṇayor janān rājā ny astaḥ |
dasmo na sadman ni śiśāti barhiḥ śūraḥ sargam akṛṇod indra eṣām || 11 ||
adha śrutaṁ kavaṣaṁ vṛddham apsv anu druhyuṁ ni vṛṇag vajrabāhuḥ |
vṛṇānā atra sakhyāya sakhyaṁ tvāyanto ye amadann anu tvā || 12 ||
vi sadyo viśvā dṛṁhitāny eṣām indraḥ puraḥ sahasā sapta dardaḥ |
vy ānavasya tṛtsave gayam bhāg jeṣma pūruṁ vidathe mṛdhravācam || 13 ||
ni gavyavo 'navo druhyavaś ca ṣaṣṭiḥ śatā suṣupuḥ ṣaṭ sahasrā |
ṣaṣṭir vīrāso adhi ṣaḍ duvoyu viśved indrasya vīryā kṛtāni || 14 ||
indreṇaite tṛtsavo veviṣāṇā āpo na sṛṣṭā adhavanta nīcīḥ |
durmitrāsaḥ prakalavin mimānā jahur viśvāni bhojanā sudāse || 15 ||
ardhaṁ vīrasya śṛtapām anindram parā śardhantaṁ nunude abhi kṣām |
indro manyum manyumyo mimāya bheje patho vartanim patyamānaḥ || 16 ||
ādhreṇa cit tad v ekaṁ cakāra siṁhyaṁ cit petvenā jaghāna |
ava sraktīr veśyāvṛścad indraḥ prāyacchad viśvā bhojanā sudāse || 17 ||
śaśvanto hi śatravo rāradhuṣ ṭe bhedasya cic chardhato vinda randhim |
martām̐ enaḥ stuvato yaḥ kṛṇoti tigmaṁ tasmin ni jahi vajram indra || 18 ||
āvad indraṁ yamunā tṛtsavaś ca prātra bhedaṁ sarvatātā muṣāyat |
ajāsaś ca śigravo yakṣavaś ca baliṁ śīrṣāṇi jabhrur aśvyāni || 19 ||
na ta indra sumatayo na rāyaḥ saṁcakṣe pūrvā uṣaso na nūtnāḥ |
devakaṁ cin mānyamānaṁ jaghanthāva tmanā bṛhataḥ śambaram bhet || 20 ||
pra ye gṛhād amamadus tvāyā parāśaraḥ śatayātur vasiṣṭhaḥ |
na te bhojasya sakhyam mṛṣantādhā sūribhyaḥ sudinā vy ucchān || 21 ||
dve naptur devavataḥ śate gor dvā rathā vadhūmantā sudāsaḥ |
arhann agne paijavanasya dānaṁ hoteva sadma pary emi rebhan || 22 ||
catvāro mā paijavanasya dānāḥ smaddiṣṭayaḥ kṛśanino nireke |
ṛjrāso mā pṛthiviṣṭhāḥ sudāsas tokaṁ tokāya śravase vahanti || 23 ||
yasya śravo rodasī antar urvī śīrṣṇe-śīrṣṇe vibabhājā vibhaktā |
sapted indraṁ na sravato gṛṇanti ni yudhyāmadhim aśiśād abhīke || 24 ||
imaṁ naro marutaḥ saścatānu divodāsaṁ na pitaraṁ sudāsaḥ |
aviṣṭanā paijavanasya ketaṁ dūṇāśaṁ kṣatram ajaraṁ duvoyu || 25 ||
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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