Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.31 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.
Come, Indra-Agni! With your might, smite down the godless and the fiend; let blazing flame arise to rend the demon's breast and break his arm.
O foes of all that grow and thrive, ye serpents dire of deadly breath—this pair of gods shall cast ye down into the abyss of death.
The two together in their rage make weak the foe's own fortress wall; they drink the soma—both at once—and grow in power to overcome.
Indra, the strongest, wields the bolt; Agni, with jaws of gleaming fire, doth burn the wicked and the proud—O come ye both unto our aid!
We offer up the foaming drink, the choice and holiest soma draught; accept ye both of this, our gift, and grant us safety and defense.
The fire-god drinks within the wood; the thunderer drinks within the sky; both dwell in heaven, both dwell on earth, both dwell within the heart of man.
Ye shared the soma in the depths when first the gods did sacrifice; ye drank the sweetness of the press—O grant us riches manifold.
With golden gear and gem-bright throne they gleam upon the heaven's edge, these two whom mortals call upon in terror and in sacred fright.
The kine increase when Indra drinks; the earth grows firm when Agni burns; the storms obey them when they move, and all the heaven's children flee.
So now I call upon you both, the mighty and the fierce of mien; combine your power for our good, like kings in battle joined as one.
The flaming god with Indra shakes the mountains till they shake and rend; together they defend our folk from him who speaks in lies and scorn.
On high they sit, these two made great, by all the gods thereof assured; they drink before the mortal kind, they drink before the Maruts strong.
Agni, thy fires shall ward us round; Indra, thy thunders shall defend; in battle and in desperate need, turn back the arrows of the curse.
The two shall cleanse the sacrifice, the two shall make the offering whole; the two in union shall increase the sacrificer's wealth and fame.
With might the thunderer crushes foes, with flames the fire-god burns them all; these two whom mortals never trick shall guard us from the demon-horde.
Come down together to our rite, O Indra and O Agni fierce! Drink of this soma mixed with curds, and give us every boon we seek.
The gods themselves doth honor thee, O Agni, first within the stone; and Indra, lord of clouds, doth bow before thy majesty supreme.
So grant we beg you both of ye—grant aid in battle and in strife; grant us the cattle, grant us sons, grant victory over every foe.
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.31
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.
yo yajāti yajāta it sunavac ca pacāti ca |
brahmed indrasya cākanat || 1 ||
puroḻāśaṁ yo asmai somaṁ rarata āśiram |
pād it taṁ śakro aṁhasaḥ || 2 ||
tasya dyumām̐ asad ratho devajūtaḥ sa śūśuvat |
viśvā vanvann amitriyā || 3 ||
asya prajāvatī gṛhe 'saścantī dive-dive |
iḻā dhenumatī duhe || 4 ||
yā dampatī samanasā sunuta ā ca dhāvataḥ |
devāso nityayāśirā || 5 ||
prati prāśavyām̐ itaḥ samyañcā barhir āśāte |
na tā vājeṣu vāyataḥ || 6 ||
na devānām api hnutaḥ sumatiṁ na jugukṣataḥ |
śravo bṛhad vivāsataḥ || 7 ||
putriṇā tā kumāriṇā viśvam āyur vy aśnutaḥ |
ubhā hiraṇyapeśasā || 8 ||
vītihotrā kṛtadvasū daśasyantāmṛtāya kam |
sam ūdho romaśaṁ hato deveṣu kṛṇuto duvaḥ || 9 ||
ā śarma parvatānāṁ vṛṇīmahe nadīnām |
ā viṣṇoḥ sacābhuvaḥ || 10 ||
aitu pūṣā rayir bhagaḥ svasti sarvadhātamaḥ |
urur adhvā svastaye || 11 ||
aramatir anarvaṇo viśvo devasya manasā |
ādityānām aneha it || 12 ||
yathā no mitro aryamā varuṇaḥ santi gopāḥ |
sugā ṛtasya panthāḥ || 13 ||
agniṁ vaḥ pūrvyaṁ girā devam īḻe vasūnām |
saparyantaḥ purupriyam mitraṁ na kṣetrasādhasam || 14 ||
makṣū devavato rathaḥ śūro vā pṛtsu kāsu cit |
devānāṁ ya in mano yajamāna iyakṣaty abhīd ayajvano bhuvat || 15 ||
na yajamāna riṣyasi na sunvāna na devayo |
devānāṁ ya in mano yajamāna iyakṣaty abhīd ayajvano bhuvat || 16 ||
nakiṣ ṭaṁ karmaṇā naśan na pra yoṣan na yoṣati |
devānāṁ ya in mano yajamāna iyakṣaty abhīd ayajvano bhuvat || 17 ||
asad atra suvīryam uta tyad āśvaśvyam |
devānāṁ ya in mano yajamāna iyakṣaty abhīd ayajvano bhuvat || 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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