Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.24 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.
O Indra, King of Gods! Thy power is without measure, thy strength is without limit, thy dominion extendeth over all the three worlds. We sing thy praises!
In the beginning of time, didst thou slay the demon Vṛtra, that great serpent who held the waters imprisoned within the mountain. Thy thunderbolt smote him down, and the waters were loosed.
The floods didst flow forth at thy command, O Mighty One, and the rivers didst run full to the sea. Through thy deed was the world made fertile, and mankind was granted the gift of life and increase.
Thy bay steeds are swifter than the wind, O Indra, and they bear thee in thy golden chariot across the heavens. No distance is too far, no obstacle too great for their flying feet.
Thou art the drinker of the soma-lakes, O God of Gods. The soma-juice floweth for thee like rivers without number, and thou dost drink it with thirst unquenched, thy strength growing with every draught.
When thou dost drink the soma, thy might increaseth beyond measure, and thou dost perform deeds of marvellous power. With one hand thou canst hold up the heavens, with the other thou canst strike down thy foes.
Thou art the giver of cattle, O Indra, and the giver of wealth beyond counting. Those who do worship thee faithfully receive from thy hand treasures of gold and herds innumerable.
Thy thunderbolt is the mightiest weapon in all the cosmos. It hath slain countless demons and doth hold at bay all the forces of darkness and chaos that would bring ruin upon the worlds.
When the demon Vṛtra did threaten the universe, it was thy thunderbolt alone that could pierce his armour and lay him low. No other god possessed the power to accomplish this deed.
O Indra, thou dost possess ninety-nine forts and nine and ninety fortresses besides—these are the strongholds of thy foes that thou hast shattered. Their fragments lie scattered across the earth and sky.
Thy voice is thunder, O Mighty One, and when thou dost speak, the very foundations of the mountains do tremble. The gods themselves do listen in awe when thou dost utter thy commands.
Thou art the lord of the storm and the wielder of lightning. When the clouds do gather in the sky and the wind doth blow fierce and strong, it is thy will that they do obey.
The rains fall at thy bidding, O Indra, and without thy command the parched earth would wither and die. The crops would fail, the herds would perish, and mankind would know naught but suffering and want.
Thou hast defeated innumerable demons in battle, O Valiant One. Each victory hath added to thy glory and thy power, until thou hast become the mightiest among all the gods.
We do call upon thee, O Indra, in times of trouble and danger. When our enemies do assail us, we turn to thee for protection and strength. Thou art our champion and our shield.
Grant unto us thy favour, O Mighty God. Let thy blessing fall upon us like the rain upon the earth. Give unto us strength for our daily labours, courage for our trials, and wisdom for our decisions.
The priests do offer unto thee the soma and the clarified butter. The sacrificial fires do burn in thy honour, and the sacred chants do rise like smoke to thy dwelling-place in the heavens.
Accept thou our offerings, O Indra. Come thou down from thy seat in the sky and feast upon what we have prepared for thee. Let thy presence illuminate our sacrifice.
O thou who art clothed in light and adorned with splendour, thou who ridest in a golden chariot drawn by bay steeds—we do bow before thee and do lift up our voices in praise!
Thy deeds are marvellous beyond telling, thy power is incomprehensible, thy glory doth fill all the worlds. There is none like unto thee, O Indra, among all the gods that dwell in heaven.
The mountains do bow before thy might, the rivers do run at thy command, the very earth doth tremble at thy tread. All things in heaven and on earth are subject to thy will.
O Slayer of Demons, O Drinker of Soma, O Giver of Gifts—grant unto us thy protection and thy blessing, that we may live in peace and prosperity under thy watchful eye.
We praise thee, we honour thee, we do exalt thy name. Indra, Indra—O thou who art the greatest among the gods, the mightiest among the mighty, the lord of all the worlds!
Accept thou our worship, O Infinite One. Let thy favour shine upon us. And grant unto us the strength and courage to face whatever trials may come, knowing that we have thee as our guardian and protector.
Thy thunderbolt hath split the mountains asunder. Thy strength hath broken the demon strongholds. Thy wisdom hath ordained the paths of the rivers and the courses of the stars.
O Indra, O King, O Mighty One—we do commit ourselves to thy service and do pledge ourselves to thy worship. Help us, guide us, bless us, and sustain us, now and forever!
The soma floweth, the butter burneth, the mantras are chanted—all in thy honour, O Indra! Come thou now and receive our offering!
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.24
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.
sakhāya ā śiṣāmahi brahmendrāya vajriṇe |
stuṣa ū ṣu vo nṛtamāya dhṛṣṇave || 1 ||
śavasā hy asi śruto vṛtrahatyena vṛtrahā |
maghair maghono ati śūra dāśasi || 2 ||
sa naḥ stavāna ā bhara rayiṁ citraśravastamam |
nireke cid yo harivo vasur dadiḥ || 3 ||
ā nirekam uta priyam indra darṣi janānām |
dhṛṣatā dhṛṣṇo stavamāna ā bhara || 4 ||
na te savyaṁ na dakṣiṇaṁ hastaṁ varanta āmuraḥ |
na paribādho harivo gaviṣṭiṣu || 5 ||
ā tvā gobhir iva vrajaṁ gīrbhir ṛṇomy adrivaḥ |
ā smā kāmaṁ jaritur ā manaḥ pṛṇa || 6 ||
viśvāni viśvamanaso dhiyā no vṛtrahantama |
ugra praṇetar adhi ṣū vaso gahi || 7 ||
vayaṁ te asya vṛtrahan vidyāma śūra navyasaḥ |
vasoḥ spārhasya puruhūta rādhasaḥ || 8 ||
indra yathā hy asti te 'parītaṁ nṛto śavaḥ |
amṛktā rātiḥ puruhūta dāśuṣe || 9 ||
ā vṛṣasva mahāmaha mahe nṛtama rādhase |
dṛḻhaś cid dṛhya maghavan maghattaye || 10 ||
nū anyatrā cid adrivas tvan no jagmur āśasaḥ |
maghavañ chagdhi tava tan na ūtibhiḥ || 11 ||
nahy a1ṅga nṛto tvad anyaṁ vindāmi rādhase |
rāye dyumnāya śavase ca girvaṇaḥ || 12 ||
endum indrāya siñcata pibāti somyam madhu |
pra rādhasā codayāte mahitvanā || 13 ||
upo harīṇām patiṁ dakṣam pṛñcantam abravam |
nūnaṁ śrudhi stuvato aśvyasya || 14 ||
nahy a1ṅga purā cana jajñe vīrataras tvat |
nakī rāyā naivathā na bhandanā || 15 ||
ed u madhvo madintaraṁ siñca vādhvaryo andhasaḥ |
evā hi vīraḥ stavate sadāvṛdhaḥ || 16 ||
indra sthātar harīṇāṁ nakiṣ ṭe pūrvyastutim |
ud ānaṁśa śavasā na bhandanā || 17 ||
taṁ vo vājānām patim ahūmahi śravasyavaḥ |
aprāyubhir yajñebhir vāvṛdhenyam || 18 ||
eto nv indraṁ stavāma sakhāyaḥ stomyaṁ naram |
kṛṣṭīr yo viśvā abhy asty eka it || 19 ||
agorudhāya gaviṣe dyukṣāya dasmyaṁ vacaḥ |
ghṛtāt svādīyo madhunaś ca vocata || 20 ||
yasyāmitāni vīryā3 na rādhaḥ paryetave |
jyotir na viśvam abhy asti dakṣiṇā || 21 ||
stuhīndraṁ vyaśvavad anūrmiṁ vājinaṁ yamam |
aryo gayam maṁhamānaṁ vi dāśuṣe || 22 ||
evā nūnam upa stuhi vaiyaśva daśamaṁ navam |
suvidvāṁsaṁ carkṛtyaṁ caraṇīnām || 23 ||
vetthā hi nirṛtīnāṁ vajrahasta parivṛjam |
ahar-ahaḥ śundhyuḥ paripadām iva || 24 ||
tad indrāva ā bhara yenā daṁsiṣṭha kṛtvane |
dvitā kutsāya śiśnatho ni codaya || 25 ||
tam u tvā nūnam īmahe navyaṁ daṁsiṣṭha sanyase |
sa tvaṁ no viśvā abhimātīḥ sakṣaṇiḥ || 26 ||
ya ṛkṣād aṁhaso mucad yo vāryāt sapta sindhuṣu |
vadhar dāsasya tuvinṛmṇa nīnamaḥ || 27 ||
yathā varo suṣāmṇe sanibhya āvaho rayim |
vyaśvebhyaḥ subhage vājinīvati || 28 ||
ā nāryasya dakṣiṇā vyaśvām̐ etu sominaḥ |
sthūraṁ ca rādhaḥ śatavat sahasravat || 29 ||
yat tvā pṛcchād ījānaḥ kuhayā kuhayākṛte |
eṣo apaśrito valo gomatīm ava tiṣṭhati || 30 ||
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).
🌲