Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.4 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.
Sing ye of Indra, the mighty one, the wielder of strength, the exalted bringer of victory—he who goeth forth in battle, O priest, and shineth as the true victor.
The winds have shaped thee, O Indra, thou who art supreme and swiftly-moving; in truth, the mind of Indra is to be perceived and understood.
Indra, by thy mighty power and strength we come to hear thee; in the sacrifice and in thy vast potency, as in the Sun, art thou revealed.
Indra, the word hath flowed forth unto plenty, for he doth rule over all that is; the winds, bound by thee, rush forth with mighty force.
Indra, thou art the drinker of Soma, immortal one, O god; thou art a hero, mighty in thy strength, devourer of the strong.
Thou art unto mortals a chariot of battle, O hero, unconquerable; thou art the lord of steeds, mighty in the sacred rites.
Thou art the bull of all cattle, O Indra; thou rulest over all herds; thou art the ruler of men in distant realms and waters.
Thou art, O Indra, by law as the Sun; thou art called upon by many; thou art the first, the keeper—to thee come forth our praises and songs.
Thou art, O Indra, the lord of the gods, the great king, firm in thy might; thou, O priest, art magnified by waters and groweth strong.
O Indra, make thou the hymns to bear good fruit; may the meditations remain rightly ordered, O priest who swalloweth the waters.
O Indra, thy drinkers of Soma feast upon thee in days of old and in many ways; do thou hearken to our word and song.
Thou art, O Indra, of ghee-rich abundance; the wealth, the cosmic order, and the wisdom—the sacrifice they bear for thy aid.
Thou art, O Indra, the wealth, the treasure that strengtheneth; the protectors stand firm in thy gift, O priest, and are made glad.
Indra, both the gift and the delight—in fellowship and friendship, do thy followers appeal to thee, O devourer of the strong.
Thou art, O Indra, the warrior of long life, the man of might; O Indra, thy power and strength—thou, O priest, art the bearer of the burden.
Thou art, O Indra, the mighty bull of the village; O Soma, thou art cherished by the sons; thou, O priest, art the chariot of deliverance.
Indra, thou art the blessing of the twin gods; thou art the blessing of cattle and of firm things; thou, O priest, art the beloved of the swift.
Thou art, O Indra, that from which strength is born; thou art, O priest, our prosperity; thou, O priest, art the devourer of the strong.
Indra, well-born is the fortune; fortune divine ruleth all the world; thou, O priest, art the lord of those who hold the cup.
O Indra, with a hundredfold course dost thou go forth upon the path of plenty; a hundredfold is the song—so the hymn-singers speak with Soma.
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.4
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.
yad indra prāg apāg udaṅ nyag vā hūyase nṛbhiḥ |
simā purū nṛṣūto asy ānave 'si praśardha turvaśe || 1 ||
yad vā rume ruśame śyāvake kṛpa indra mādayase sacā |
kaṇvāsas tvā brahmabhiḥ stomavāhasa indrā yacchanty ā gahi || 2 ||
yathā gauro apā kṛtaṁ tṛṣyann ety averiṇam |
āpitve naḥ prapitve tūyam ā gahi kaṇveṣu su sacā piba || 3 ||
mandantu tvā maghavann indrendavo rādhodeyāya sunvate |
āmuṣyā somam apibaś camū sutaṁ jyeṣṭhaṁ tad dadhiṣe sahaḥ || 4 ||
pra cakre sahasā saho babhañja manyum ojasā |
viśve ta indra pṛtanāyavo yaho ni vṛkṣā iva yemire || 5 ||
sahasreṇeva sacate yavīyudhā yas ta ānaḻ upastutim |
putram prāvargaṁ kṛṇute suvīrye dāśnoti namaüktibhiḥ || 6 ||
mā bhema mā śramiṣmograsya sakhye tava |
mahat te vṛṣṇo abhicakṣyaṁ kṛtam paśyema turvaśaṁ yadum || 7 ||
savyām anu sphigyaṁ vāvase vṛṣā na dāno asya roṣati |
madhvā sampṛktāḥ sāragheṇa dhenavas tūyam ehi dravā piba || 8 ||
aśvī rathī surūpa id gomām̐ id indra te sakhā |
śvātrabhājā vayasā sacate sadā candro yāti sabhām upa || 9 ||
ṛśyo na tṛṣyann avapānam ā gahi pibā somaṁ vaśām̐ anu |
nimeghamāno maghavan dive-diva ojiṣṭhaṁ dadhiṣe sahaḥ || 10 ||
adhvaryo drāvayā tvaṁ somam indraḥ pipāsati |
upa nūnaṁ yuyuje vṛṣaṇā harī ā ca jagāma vṛtrahā || 11 ||
svayaṁ cit sa manyate dāśurir jano yatrā somasya tṛmpasi |
idaṁ te annaṁ yujyaṁ samukṣitaṁ tasyehi pra dravā piba || 12 ||
ratheṣṭhāyādhvaryavaḥ somam indrāya sotana |
adhi bradhnasyādrayo vi cakṣate sunvanto dāśvadhvaram || 13 ||
upa bradhnaṁ vāvātā vṛṣaṇā harī indram apasu vakṣataḥ |
arvāñcaṁ tvā saptayo 'dhvaraśriyo vahantu savaned upa || 14 ||
pra pūṣaṇaṁ vṛṇīmahe yujyāya purūvasum |
sa śakra śikṣa puruhūta no dhiyā tuje rāye vimocana || 15 ||
saṁ naḥ śiśīhi bhurijor iva kṣuraṁ rāsva rāyo vimocana |
tve tan naḥ suvedam usriyaṁ vasu yaṁ tvaṁ hinoṣi martyam || 16 ||
vemi tvā pūṣann ṛñjase vemi stotava āghṛṇe |
na tasya vemy araṇaṁ hi tad vaso stuṣe pajrāya sāmne || 17 ||
parā gāvo yavasaṁ kac cid āghṛṇe nityaṁ rekṇo amartya |
asmākam pūṣann avitā śivo bhava maṁhiṣṭho vājasātaye || 18 ||
sthūraṁ rādhaḥ śatāśvaṁ kuruṅgasya diviṣṭiṣu |
rājñas tveṣasya subhagasya rātiṣu turvaśeṣv amanmahi || 19 ||
dhībhiḥ sātāni kāṇvasya vājinaḥ priyamedhair abhidyubhiḥ |
ṣaṣṭiṁ sahasrānu nirmajām aje nir yūthāni gavām ṛṣiḥ || 20 ||
vṛkṣāś cin me abhipitve arāraṇuḥ |
gām bhajanta mehanāśvam bhajanta mehanā || 21 ||
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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