Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VII.51 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.
O Ādityas, ye sons of the infinite mother! Ye who dwell in the highest heaven, beyond the reach of mortal sight, receive our prayer! Ye are the givers of all good things, the guardians of cosmic order, the judges of all creatures great and small.
May we live under your protection! May your kindness flow down upon us like the waters of a river! Deliver us from all evil; guard us from those who would do us harm!
The sun riseth at your command; the moon obeyeth your word. The winds blow at your behest; the waters flow in the channels you have appointed. All things move according to the law you have established, and there is neither chaos nor disorder.
O Mitra and Varuṇa, mighty lords of justice! O Aryaman, giver of prosperity! O Bhaga, bestower of wealth! O Indra, king of the gods! Hearken unto our cry!
We are your worshippers, O mighty ones! We offer you the soma, pressed from the sacred plant. We kindle the fire upon the altar; we spread the holy grass. Accept these gifts and be gracious unto us! Grant us long life, good health, and the strength to overcome our enemies!
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.51
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.
ādityānām avasā nūtanena sakṣīmahi śarmaṇā śaṁtamena |
anāgāstve adititve turāsa imaṁ yajñaṁ dadhatu śroṣamāṇāḥ || 1 ||
ādityāso aditir mādayantām mitro aryamā varuṇo rajiṣṭhāḥ |
asmākaṁ santu bhuvanasya gopāḥ pibantu somam avase no adya || 2 ||
ādityā viśve marutaś ca viśve devāś ca viśva ṛbhavaś ca viśve |
indro agnir aśvinā tuṣṭuvānā yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 3 ||
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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