Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.34 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 friend of mine! O Indra true! I call upon thee in the dawn; for thou hast been my guardian long, my patron in the days of old.
What deeds of valor dost thou boast? What wonders hath thy strength performed? Tell me of all thy glorious acts, that I may sing them with delight.
The mountain that did tower so proud, and held the waters fast confined, was shattered by thy thunderbolt—the Vṛtra fell before thy might.
The waters that were hid and bound within the demon's prison dark, thou loosenedst and set them free to flow like herds across the earth.
The gods themselves do look to thee when danger threatens from without; they know that thou wilt answer swift whenever they do call thy name.
Remember when thy friend was poor and pressed upon by enemies round? I came to thee and thou didst smile—thy bounty poured like rain that day.
The cattle thou gavest unto me, the wealth and riches manifold, the horses and the golden gifts—these came from out thy generous hand.
O mighty one! O strong of heart! I pray thee, be my friend once more; defend me now against the foe, and guard me as thou didst before.
The battles thou hast won in old, the fortresses thou didst destroy—lo! all thy deeds of valor shine like stars across the darkened sky.
Thy friendship hath sustained my life through many a season of distress; when darkness threatened all around, thy thunderbolt became my light.
The Dasyu-man who raised his hand against me in the ancient days, thou heardest my complaint and came—he fell before thy righteous rage.
The demons that did haunt the night and work their wickedness upon the earth, did quail and flee when they beheld thy lightning in the sky.
So now, O Indra! Hear my prayer, and be my guardian once again; come down unto this sacrifice, and accept what we have laid here forth.
The soma drinketh sweet upon thy lips—the pressing of it hath been made with care and love; accept it now and grace our rite.
Increase my cattle and my wealth, give me strong sons who shall be bold; grant me a life that's long and full, grant me prosperity and peace.
Ward off the curse, the evil word, the machinations of the foe; defend me and my household both with thy almighty sacred power.
O friend of truth and friend of right! Thou slayer of the godless foe! Stand by me still as thou hast stood, and I shall praise thy name for aye.
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.34
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.
endra yāhi haribhir upa kaṇvasya suṣṭutim |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 1 ||
ā tvā grāvā vadann iha somī ghoṣeṇa yacchatu |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 2 ||
atrā vi nemir eṣām urāṁ na dhūnute vṛkaḥ |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 3 ||
ā tvā kaṇvā ihāvase havante vājasātaye |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 4 ||
dadhāmi te sutānāṁ vṛṣṇe na pūrvapāyyam |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 5 ||
smatpuraṁdhir na ā gahi viśvatodhīr na ūtaye |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 6 ||
ā no yāhi mahemate sahasrote śatāmagha |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 7 ||
ā tvā hotā manurhito devatrā vakṣad īḍyaḥ |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 8 ||
ā tvā madacyutā harī śyenam pakṣeva vakṣataḥ |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 9 ||
ā yāhy arya ā pari svāhā somasya pītaye |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 10 ||
ā no yāhy upaśruty uktheṣu raṇayā iha |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 11 ||
sarūpair ā su no gahi sambhṛtaiḥ sambhṛtāśvaḥ |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 12 ||
ā yāhi parvatebhyaḥ samudrasyādhi viṣṭapaḥ |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 13 ||
ā no gavyāny aśvyā sahasrā śūra dardṛhi |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 14 ||
ā naḥ sahasraśo bharāyutāni śatāni ca |
divo amuṣya śāsato divaṁ yaya divāvaso || 15 ||
ā yad indraś ca dadvahe sahasraṁ vasurociṣaḥ |
ojiṣṭham aśvyam paśum || 16 ||
ya ṛjrā vātaraṁhaso 'ruṣāso raghuṣyadaḥ |
bhrājante sūryā iva || 17 ||
pārāvatasya rātiṣu dravaccakreṣv āśuṣu |
tiṣṭhaṁ vanasya madhya ā || 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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