Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.1 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 8 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.
Glorify none other, O friends; go not astray. Praise Indra alone, the Bull, when the juice is shed, and utter your hymns again and again.
And may the dear voice among dear voices be for Indra, day upon day. Flow forth unto us by thy greatness, O worthy of praise, as toward a prize upon the course.
This is the priest who keepeth the sacred seasons—Soma, pressed for thee, O Indra, at the rite. With Gāyatrī metres and their songs, may he come richly horsed unto thy call.
Now as of old the wise singers praise thee with their hymns. None other hath, O thou of many invocations, aught of gift or greatness like unto thine.
None like thee in heaven nor on earth is born, nor shall ever be. Desiring steeds and seeking prizes, O bounteous Indra, we thy praisers call upon thee.
He, the mighty one, whose bounties stream in a hundred courses—Indra, breaker of strongholds, lord of might—to him go forth our songs, even as the waters seek the hollow.
Thou didst pierce the demon Śuṣṇa's swiftly-flying fort with bolts of thunder; thou didst shatter it like an ancient jar. Thou hast brought forth the kine, thou hast won the Soma; thou hast loosed the seven rivers to their course.
Not the might of heaven nor of earth containeth thee, nor the breadth of the two worlds. With the thunderbolt in thy arm thou hast gone forth to battle; to strife with Vṛtra goest thou alone.
When thou, O Indra, bravest of warriors, hurledst the bolt against the dragon, the mountains shook, the heaven trembled, and the whole earth swayed with fear.
O Caster of the Stone, I would not sell thee for a mighty price—not for a thousand, Thunderer, not for ten thousand, not for any gift. I would not give thee up, O crusher of foes.
For thou art the true helper, the shining champion of the singer, the refuge that none may break. Indra, thunder-armed, destroyer of the darksome lair—we seek thee, mightiest of all.
Thou dost hold the wealth that strengtheneth; thou art lord of every gift. Indra, thy generosity is matchless, nor doth any god nor mortal surpass thy bounty.
The singers of the hymn invoke thee, they who love the pressing; the chanters of the sacred verse cry out to thee. Indra, thee alone they laud among the gods, for thou dost hearken when they call.
Even the lowliest singer thou dost raise with aid; the weakest thou dost strengthen, O hero of a hundred powers. Indra, thy care for the faithful faileth not, nor doth thy friendship wane.
Come hither, mightiest Indra, who with Bull-power smashest every fastness. Drink thou the Soma, Lord of the Bays, for keenest rapture.
Set free the wave of heavenly water; bring forth the kine, O vanquisher of Vṛtra. Thou hast shattered ninety-nine strong cities; thou hast slain the serpent with thy bolt.
He who hath overthrown Śambara's mountain fortresses, who in his fury crushed the hundred citadels of the demon—unto that Indra bring the Soma draught, bring praise.
For Indra, the hero, flow the drops; for Indra are the hymns upraised; for Indra do the streams of pressed juice hasten to the wooden vessel.
Go forth, O Indra, forth to victory; let thy steeds be yoked, the tawny ones. Let the pressed Soma cheer thee as thou ridest unto battle, and may the hymns attend thy course.
The draught is pressed, the song is sung; come, Indra, to the singer's call. Rejoice in this our offering, feast with us upon the sweet effusion, and let thy bounty grow.
Like the sun that lighteth all the world, thy glory covereth both the firmaments. No foe withstandeth thee, O Thunderer; thy might prevaileth over all that liveth.
With steeds a thousandfold, with gifts a hundredfold, thy worshipper thou loadest, Indra. Thou givest freely, uncoerced, to him that singeth; thy hand is bounteous beyond reckoning.
Who among the gods is thine equal, O Indra, in majesty and might? Who dareth set himself beside thee? Thy deeds of prowess reach to every quarter, nor hath a limit yet been found.
When the morning dawns and the fires are kindled, the pressing-stones ring forth for thee. The ten sisters ply the task; the sacrifice is spread. O Indra, come to drink.
In the earliest time thou smotest the firstborn of dragons; then thou didst loose the pent-up torrents, setting free the rivers. Thou foundest the light that was hidden, Indra, and gavest forth the Dawn upon her way.
The heaven and earth cannot contain thy glory, nor the broad expanse between them. In battle thou exceedest all; with the thunderbolt thou goest forth, matchless and unconquered.
Wax mighty with these hymns, O Indra; let the drops exalt thee. Let our praises make thee glad, and may the offering of the singer satisfy thy heart.
We have told thy prowess, Indra; we have named thy deeds. The pressing-stones have sounded, the songs are sung. Come hither to our feast, O wielder of the bolt, and drink thyself to ecstasy.
Thou art the giver of horses, giver of kine, giver of grain, O Indra; thou art the lord of wealth, the lord of strength. We call on thee to aid the singer, to enrich the pious, to bestow the prize.
Hasten hither, Indra, from afar, from near—wherever thou dost dwell. Leave not the singer empty-handed; come with the steeds of wind, and bring thy gifts.
For thee the bright drops flow, for thee the pressing-stones clash one upon the other; for thee the priests arrange the rite. Indra, drink of the Soma, quicken thyself, and be our friend.
Let not the wicked harm us, O hero; drive off the hateful, scatter those who mean us ill. Be thou our wall of iron, our fortress sure, and bring us safe through every peril.
Thy praisers, Indra, cry to thee as kine unto the pasture. Be not wrathful; turn not away from us. Drink deeply of the juice we offer, and fill thy belly with the pressed-out stream.
Thus do the Kāṇvas praise thee, O Indra; thus is the hymn upraised for the Bull, the Thunderer. Be gracious to the chanters, be bounteous, invincible—and may we speak as the mighty in the assembly of the wise.
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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda VIII.1
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.
mā cid anyad vi śaṁsata sakhāyo mā riṣaṇyata |
indram it stotā vṛṣaṇaṁ sacā sute muhur ukthā ca śaṁsata || 1 ||
avakrakṣiṇaṁ vṛṣabhaṁ yathājuraṁ gāṁ na carṣaṇīsaham |
vidveṣaṇaṁ saṁvananobhayaṁkaram maṁhiṣṭham ubhayāvinam || 2 ||
yac cid dhi tvā janā ime nānā havanta ūtaye |
asmākam brahmedam indra bhūtu te 'hā viśvā ca vardhanam || 3 ||
vi tartūryante maghavan vipaścito 'ryo vipo janānām |
upa kramasva pururūpam ā bhara vājaṁ nediṣṭham ūtaye || 4 ||
mahe cana tvām adrivaḥ parā śulkāya deyām |
na sahasrāya nāyutāya vajrivo na śatāya śatāmagha || 5 ||
vasyām̐ indrāsi me pitur uta bhrātur abhuñjataḥ |
mātā ca me chadayathaḥ samā vaso vasutvanāya rādhase || 6 ||
kveyatha kved asi purutrā cid dhi te manaḥ |
alarṣi yudhma khajakṛt puraṁdara pra gāyatrā agāsiṣuḥ || 7 ||
prāsmai gāyatram arcata vāvātur yaḥ puraṁdaraḥ |
yābhiḥ kāṇvasyopa barhir āsadaṁ yāsad vajrī bhinat puraḥ || 8 ||
ye te santi daśagvinaḥ śatino ye sahasriṇaḥ |
aśvāso ye te vṛṣaṇo raghudruvas tebhir nas tūyam ā gahi || 9 ||
ā tv a1dya sabardughāṁ huve gāyatravepasam |
indraṁ dhenuṁ sudughām anyām iṣam urudhārām araṁkṛtam || 10 ||
yat tudat sūra etaśaṁ vaṅkū vātasya parṇinā |
vahat kutsam ārjuneyaṁ śatakratuḥ tsarad gandharvam astṛtam || 11 ||
ya ṛte cid abhiśriṣaḥ purā jatrubhya ātṛdaḥ |
saṁdhātā saṁdhim maghavā purūvasur iṣkartā vihrutam punaḥ || 12 ||
mā bhūma niṣṭyā ivendra tvad araṇā iva |
vanāni na prajahitāny adrivo duroṣāso amanmahi || 13 ||
amanmahīd anāśavo 'nugrāsaś ca vṛtrahan |
sakṛt su te mahatā śūra rādhasā anu stomam mudīmahi || 14 ||
yadi stomam mama śravad asmākam indram indavaḥ |
tiraḥ pavitraṁ sasṛvāṁsa āśavo mandantu tugryāvṛdhaḥ || 15 ||
ā tv a1dya sadhastutiṁ vāvātuḥ sakhyur ā gahi |
upastutir maghonām pra tvāvatv adhā te vaśmi suṣṭutim || 16 ||
sotā hi somam adribhir em enam apsu dhāvata |
gavyā vastreva vāsayanta in naro nir dhukṣan vakṣaṇābhyaḥ || 17 ||
adha jmo adha vā divo bṛhato rocanād adhi |
ayā vardhasva tanvā girā mamā jātā sukrato pṛṇa || 18 ||
indrāya su madintamaṁ somaṁ sotā vareṇyam |
śakra eṇam pīpayad viśvayā dhiyā hinvānaṁ na vājayum || 19 ||
mā tvā somasya galdayā sadā yācann ahaṁ girā |
bhūrṇim mṛgaṁ na savaneṣu cukrudhaṁ ka īśānaṁ na yāciṣat || 20 ||
madeneṣitam madam ugram ugreṇa śavasā |
viśveṣāṁ tarutāram madacyutam made hi ṣmā dadāti naḥ || 21 ||
śevāre vāryā puru devo martāya dāśuṣe |
sa sunvate ca stuvate ca rāsate viśvagūrto ariṣṭutaḥ || 22 ||
endra yāhi matsva citreṇa deva rādhasā |
saro na prāsy udaraṁ sapītibhir ā somebhir uru sphiram || 23 ||
ā tvā sahasram ā śataṁ yuktā rathe hiraṇyaye |
brahmayujo haraya indra keśino vahantu somapītaye || 24 ||
ā tvā rathe hiraṇyaye harī mayūraśepyā |
śitipṛṣṭhā vahatām madhvo andhaso vivakṣaṇasya pītaye || 25 ||
pibā tv a1sya girvaṇaḥ sutasya pūrvapā iva |
pariṣkṛtasya rasina iyam āsutiś cārur madāya patyate || 26 ||
ya eko asti daṁsanā mahām̐ ugro abhi vrataiḥ |
gamat sa śiprī na sa yoṣad ā gamad dhavaṁ na pari varjati || 27 ||
tvam puraṁ cariṣṇvaṁ vadhaiḥ śuṣṇasya sam piṇak |
tvam bhā anu caro adha dvitā yad indra havyo bhuvaḥ || 28 ||
mama tvā sūra udite mama madhyaṁdine divaḥ |
mama prapitve apiśarvare vasav ā stomāso avṛtsata || 29 ||
stuhi stuhīd ete ghā te maṁhiṣṭhāso maghonām |
ninditāśvaḥ prapathī paramajyā maghasya medhyātithe || 30 ||
ā yad aśvān vananvataḥ śraddhayāhaṁ rathe ruham |
uta vāmasya vasunaś ciketati yo asti yādvaḥ paśuḥ || 31 ||
ya ṛjrā mahyam māmahe saha tvacā hiraṇyayā |
eṣa viśvāny abhy astu saubhagāsaṅgasya svanadrathaḥ || 32 ||
adha plāyogir ati dāsad anyān āsaṅgo agne daśabhiḥ sahasraiḥ |
adhokṣaṇo daśa mahyaṁ ruśanto naḻā iva saraso nir atiṣṭhan || 33 ||
anv asya sthūraṁ dadṛśe purastād anastha ūrur avarambamāṇaḥ |
śaśvatī nāry abhicakṣyāha subhadram arya bhojanam bibharṣi || 34 ||
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).
🌲