Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VII.28 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.
Thou alone dost make the earth to shake, O Indra. Thy voice is as thunder; thy footsteps echo across all the worlds. The very foundations of the mountains do shift at thy command.
We pray unto thee for protection from our foes. Guard us from the wicked, from those who work evil deeds. Let thy thunderbolt strike down all who would harm the righteous.
The kine do praise thee, O Bull of Heaven. They know that thou dost provide for them; thou dost keep them safe from the wolf and the wild beast. Even the smallest creature hath a share in thy care.
We offer unto thee the pressed Soma. It floweth forth like honey; the color is as liquid gold. Drink deeply, O Indra, and let thy strength grow ever greater!
In thee we place our trust, O Mighty One. Thou hast never failed those who call upon thy name. Be our friend forever, O Thunderer, and let thy bounty never cease.
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.28
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.
brahmā ṇa indropa yāhi vidvān arvāñcas te harayaḥ santu yuktāḥ |
viśve cid dhi tvā vihavanta martā asmākam ic chṛṇuhi viśvaminva || 1 ||
havaṁ ta indra mahimā vy ānaḍ brahma yat pāsi śavasinn ṛṣīṇām |
ā yad vajraṁ dadhiṣe hasta ugra ghoraḥ san kratvā janiṣṭhā aṣāḻhaḥ || 2 ||
tava praṇītīndra johuvānān saṁ yan nṝn na rodasī ninetha |
mahe kṣatrāya śavase hi jajñe 'tūtujiṁ cit tūtujir aśiśnat || 3 ||
ebhir na indrāhabhir daśasya durmitrāso hi kṣitayaḥ pavante |
prati yac caṣṭe anṛtam anenā ava dvitā varuṇo māyī naḥ sāt || 4 ||
vocemed indram maghavānam enam maho rāyo rādhaso yad dadan naḥ |
yo arcato brahmakṛtim aviṣṭho yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 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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