Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.45 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! Mightiest of all the gods, whose strength is beyond compare!
Thou wast born from thy mother's womb already mighty and full-grown, girt about with power.
In that same hour when first thou didst draw breath, thou didst seize thy thunderbolt and laugh.
What creature dared confront thee on the day of thy birth? What god dared stand against thy will?
Thou look'st upon the sky and earth and spake thy first commands to gods and men alike.
The very heavens trembled at thy first cry; the mountains shook; the waters fled thy path.
Thou art the lord of hosts, the champion of battles; no enemy can stand before thy might.
Thy arm is strong as iron; thy fury is a whirlwind that none can withstand or turn aside.
When thou dost lift thy thunderbolt and hurl it forth, it splinteredth the foes like brittle stone.
The great serpent Vritra, mighty as a mountain, coiled in the darkness of the ancient days.
He held the waters captive in his belly; no creature could draw forth a single drop.
But thou, O Indra, didst go forth alone to meet him in that terrible and fateful hour.
Thou strike'st him with thy bolt; his scales did shatter; his body broke asunder like a clay pot.
The waters burst forth roaring from his corpse and rushed down to the fields and fertile plains.
Ten thousand rivers born from that one blow did flow forth ever after unto all the ages.
In glory thou did'st stride forth from that battle, thy chest heaving, thy limbs awash with sweat.
The gods did raise their voices in great triumph; the lesser powers did bow before thy throne.
Thou wast proclaimed the king of all the deities, the unconquered and the undefeated one.
Yet thou dost love to drink and make merry; thou dost call for Soma wine and quaff it deep.
With your wild companions thou dost feast and revel, making much noise and laughter loud.
No priest can say when Indra last grew sober; thy thirst is great beyond all mortal reckoning.
A thousand times a thousand men have drunk with thee beside the sacred sacrificial fire.
Thou hast led them forth to battle; thou hast granted them the victory and the spoils.
The treasures of the foe have fallen into their hands because thou dost smite the enemy with might.
O Indra, thou art generous beyond measure to those who offer thee their praise and worship.
The singer who doth hymn thy deeds with truth shall find his cattle multiplied and his crops abound.
Thy favour bringeth wealth and sons and daughters; thy blessing leadeth all men into joy.
Yet those who slight thee or forget thy deeds shall find their enemies ascending over them.
The curse of an offended Indra is a terrible thing; his wrath shaketh the very foundations of the world.
So let us ever keep thee in remembrance and make ready our offerings at each sacrifice.
Thou ridest in a chariot drawn by two bay horses, swift as the wind across the sky.
The reins are held in thy strong hands; the wheels do rumble as thou racest forth to war.
No chariot can outpace thee; no foe can flee before thy terrible advance and mighty sound.
The gods do gather round thee when thou summonest them, for thou art first among their number.
They seek thy counsel and thy strength in all their undertakings and their various contests.
So too do we seek thee, O Indra, thou most mighty and most noble of the immortal powers.
I sing to thee this hymn of praise and tell of all thy victories both great and small.
Accept my words as thou dost accept the Soma poured upon the sacred fire at dawn.
Be ever victorious, O Indra; protect us; grant us fortune; lead us unto glory and peace.
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.45
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.
ā ghā ye agnim indhate stṛṇanti barhir ānuṣak |
yeṣām indro yuvā sakhā || 1 ||
bṛhann id idhma eṣām bhūri śastam pṛthuḥ svaruḥ |
yeṣām indro yuvā sakhā || 2 ||
ayuddha id yudhā vṛtaṁ śūra ājati satvabhiḥ |
yeṣām indro yuvā sakhā || 3 ||
ā bundaṁ vṛtrahā dade jātaḥ pṛcchad vi mātaram |
ka ugrāḥ ke ha śṛṇvire || 4 ||
prati tvā śavasī vadad girāv apso na yodhiṣat |
yas te śatrutvam ācake || 5 ||
uta tvam maghavañ chṛṇu yas te vaṣṭi vavakṣi tat |
yad vīḻayāsi vīḻu tat || 6 ||
yad ājiṁ yāty ājikṛd indraḥ svaśvayur upa |
rathītamo rathīnām || 7 ||
vi ṣu viśvā abhiyujo vajrin viṣvag yathā vṛha |
bhavā naḥ suśravastamaḥ || 8 ||
asmākaṁ su ratham pura indraḥ kṛṇotu sātaye |
na yaṁ dhūrvanti dhūrtayaḥ || 9 ||
vṛjyāma te pari dviṣo 'raṁ te śakra dāvane |
gamemed indra gomataḥ || 10 ||
śanaiś cid yanto adrivo 'śvāvantaḥ śatagvinaḥ |
vivakṣaṇā anehasaḥ || 11 ||
ūrdhvā hi te dive-dive sahasrā sūnṛtā śatā |
jaritṛbhyo vimaṁhate || 12 ||
vidmā hi tvā dhanaṁjayam indra dṛḻhā cid ārujam |
ādāriṇaṁ yathā gayam || 13 ||
kakuhaṁ cit tvā kave mandantu dhṛṣṇav indavaḥ |
ā tvā paṇiṁ yad īmahe || 14 ||
yas te revām̐ adāśuriḥ pramamarṣa maghattaye |
tasya no veda ā bhara || 15 ||
ima u tvā vi cakṣate sakhāya indra sominaḥ |
puṣṭāvanto yathā paśum || 16 ||
uta tvābadhiraṁ vayaṁ śrutkarṇaṁ santam ūtaye |
dūrād iha havāmahe || 17 ||
yac chuśrūyā imaṁ havaṁ durmarṣaṁ cakriyā uta |
bhaver āpir no antamaḥ || 18 ||
yac cid dhi te api vyathir jaganvāṁso amanmahi |
godā id indra bodhi naḥ || 19 ||
ā tvā rambhaṁ na jivrayo rarabhmā śavasas pate |
uśmasi tvā sadhastha ā || 20 ||
stotram indrāya gāyata purunṛmṇāya satvane |
nakir yaṁ vṛṇvate yudhi || 21 ||
abhi tvā vṛṣabhā sute sutaṁ sṛjāmi pītaye |
tṛmpā vy aśnuhī madam || 22 ||
mā tvā mūrā aviṣyavo mopahasvāna ā dabhan |
mākīm brahmadviṣo vanaḥ || 23 ||
iha tvā goparīṇasā mahe mandantu rādhase |
saro gauro yathā piba || 24 ||
yā vṛtrahā parāvati sanā navā ca cucyuve |
tā saṁsatsu pra vocata || 25 ||
apibat kadruvaḥ sutam indraḥ sahasrabāhve |
atrādediṣṭa pauṁsyam || 26 ||
satyaṁ tat turvaśe yadau vidāno ahnavāyyam |
vy ānaṭ turvaṇe śami || 27 ||
taraṇiṁ vo janānāṁ tradaṁ vājasya gomataḥ |
samānam u pra śaṁsiṣam || 28 ||
ṛbhukṣaṇaṁ na vartava uktheṣu tugryāvṛdham |
indraṁ some sacā sute || 29 ||
yaḥ kṛntad id vi yonyaṁ triśokāya girim pṛthum |
gobhyo gātuṁ niretave || 30 ||
yad dadhiṣe manasyasi mandānaḥ pred iyakṣasi |
mā tat kar indra mṛḻaya || 31 ||
dabhraṁ cid dhi tvāvataḥ kṛtaṁ śṛṇve adhi kṣami |
jigātv indra te manaḥ || 32 ||
taved u tāḥ sukīrtayo 'sann uta praśastayaḥ |
yad indra mṛḻayāsi naḥ || 33 ||
mā na ekasminn āgasi mā dvayor uta triṣu |
vadhīr mā śūra bhūriṣu || 34 ||
bibhayā hi tvāvata ugrād abhiprabhaṅgiṇaḥ |
dasmād aham ṛtīṣahaḥ || 35 ||
mā sakhyuḥ śūnam ā vide mā putrasya prabhūvaso |
āvṛtvad bhūtu te manaḥ || 36 ||
ko nu maryā amithitaḥ sakhā sakhāyam abravīt |
jahā ko asmad īṣate || 37 ||
evāre vṛṣabhā sute 'sinvan bhūry āvayaḥ |
śvaghnīva nivatā caran || 38 ||
ā ta etā vacoyujā harī gṛbhṇe sumadrathā |
yad īm brahmabhya id dadaḥ || 39 ||
bhindhi viśvā apa dviṣaḥ pari bādho jahī mṛdhaḥ |
vasu spārhaṁ tad ā bhara || 40 ||
yad vīḻāv indra yat sthire yat parśāne parābhṛtam |
vasu spārhaṁ tad ā bhara || 41 ||
yasya te viśvamānuṣo bhūrer dattasya vedati |
vasu spārhaṁ tad ā bhara || 42 ||
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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