Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.21 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.
Hail to thee, O Indra, mightiest of the gods! Thy strength shattereth the demon strongholds, and thy steeds do run swift as the wind itself.
O drinker of the soma-draughts most copious, thou who drinkest lakes full to the brim, and yet thy thirst remaineth unquenched—sing we thy praise!
The Kāṇvas do exalt thee, O golden-bodied one, for thou art the giver of their cattle and their gold, thou art their champion in the fray.
Thy two bay steeds pull thy golden chariot across the heavens, their eyes flash like lightning, their manes stream with light as they bear thee forth.
In thy right hand thou holdest the thunderbolt, that dread and mighty weapon, the slayer of demons, the breaker of ramparts. It hath no equal beneath the sky.
When thou didst smite the demon Vṛtra in the mountainous deep, the waters were loosed, the streams ran forth, and the earth drank deep of the rains that thou didst bring.
Thou art the lord of the herds, O Indra, and the cattle low to thee as thou passest by their pastures. Thou givest them increase and plenty.
The soma-plants are pressed in thy honour, the sacred draughts are made ready, the butter burneth upon the altar—come, O Mighty One, and receive our gifts!
Thy gifts are numberless, O Bountiful God. Thou givest cattle, thou givest gold, thou givest the broad domain to those who call upon thee with praise.
The warriors gather round thee, O Indra, seeking thy favour and the strength of thy arm. Thou leadest them to victory against their foes.
Thy name shineth like the sun itself, and the sound of thy deeds doth echo through all the three worlds. The gods themselves do bow before thy majesty.
O Thou who art clothed in light, we beseech thee—grant unto us the blessings thou bestowest upon those who worship thee with a faithful heart.
The Kāṇvas sing thy praises, O Indra, as the morning birds do sing when the sun appeareth above the eastern hills.
Thy thunderbolt hath drunk the blood of countless demons who sought to darken the heavens and bring ruin upon the worlds of men.
O God of the Golden Realm, accept our offerings, and let thy favour shine upon us as the sun shineth upon the awakening earth.
The sacrificial fires crackle and roar, the priests do chant the sacred hymns, the soma floweth like a river—come thou and feast upon our worship!
Indra, Indra! The name is thunder, the name is victory, the name is the eternal strength that holdeth up the worlds against the darkness.
We cry out unto thee across the mountains and the valleys, our voices are carried upon the wind to thy heavenly seat: accept us, O Mighty One, accept our praise!
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 VIII.21
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.
vayam u tvām apūrvya sthūraṁ na kac cid bharanto 'vasyavaḥ |
vāje citraṁ havāmahe || 1 ||
upa tvā karmann ūtaye sa no yuvograś cakrāma yo dhṛṣat |
tvām id dhy avitāraṁ vavṛmahe sakhāya indra sānasim || 2 ||
ā yāhīma indavo 'śvapate gopata urvarāpate |
somaṁ somapate piba || 3 ||
vayaṁ hi tvā bandhumantam abandhavo viprāsa indra yemima |
yā te dhāmāni vṛṣabha tebhir ā gahi viśvebhiḥ somapītaye || 4 ||
sīdantas te vayo yathā gośrīte madhau madire vivakṣaṇe |
abhi tvām indra nonumaḥ || 5 ||
acchā ca tvainā namasā vadāmasi kim muhuś cid vi dīdhayaḥ |
santi kāmāso harivo dadiṣ ṭvaṁ smo vayaṁ santi no dhiyaḥ || 6 ||
nūtnā id indra te vayam ūtī abhūma nahi nū te adrivaḥ |
vidmā purā parīṇasaḥ || 7 ||
vidmā sakhitvam uta śūra bhojya1m ā te tā vajrinn īmahe |
uto samasminn ā śiśīhi no vaso vāje suśipra gomati || 8 ||
yo na idam-idam purā pra vasya ānināya tam u vaḥ stuṣe |
sakhāya indram ūtaye || 9 ||
haryaśvaṁ satpatiṁ carṣaṇīsahaṁ sa hi ṣmā yo amandata |
ā tu naḥ sa vayati gavyam aśvyaṁ stotṛbhyo maghavā śatam || 10 ||
tvayā ha svid yujā vayam prati śvasantaṁ vṛṣabha bruvīmahi |
saṁsthe janasya gomataḥ || 11 ||
jayema kāre puruhūta kāriṇo 'bhi tiṣṭhema dūḍhyaḥ |
nṛbhir vṛtraṁ hanyāma śūśuyāma cāver indra pra ṇo dhiyaḥ || 12 ||
abhrātṛvyo anā tvam anāpir indra januṣā sanād asi |
yudhed āpitvam icchase || 13 ||
nakī revantaṁ sakhyāya vindase pīyanti te surāśvaḥ |
yadā kṛṇoṣi nadanuṁ sam ūhasy ād it piteva hūyase || 14 ||
mā te amājuro yathā mūrāsa indra sakhye tvāvataḥ |
ni ṣadāma sacā sute || 15 ||
mā te godatra nir arāma rādhasa indra mā te gṛhāmahi |
dṛḻhā cid aryaḥ pra mṛśābhy ā bhara na te dāmāna ādabhe || 16 ||
indro vā ghed iyan maghaṁ sarasvatī vā subhagā dadir vasu |
tvaṁ vā citra dāśuṣe || 17 ||
citra id rājā rājakā id anyake yake sarasvatīm anu |
parjanya iva tatanad dhi vṛṣṭyā sahasram ayutā dadat || 18 ||
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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