Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.50 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.
Swiftly doth Indra come to the sacrifice when he is called! O Thunderer, thou art eager for the Soma; thou art quick to hear the voice of thy worshippers.
The bull doth gallop forth with mighty strides; the way is cleared before him. The very earth doth bow to let him pass. Come, O Indra, come swiftly to us! We have pressed the Soma; the sweet draught awaiteth thee.
There is none like thee among the gods in readiness to aid thy servants. When we call, thou comest. When we cry out, thou hearest. The weak doth find strength through thee; the poor doth find hope in thy generosity.
Thy hand is always open; thy gift is never refused. Thou art the friend of the singer, the helper of the priest, the protector of the righteous. In thee, we find our refuge.
Come hither, O Mighty One! We have prepared the place for thee. The altar is made ready; the fire burneth bright. The butter is melted; the hymn is sung. Everything awaiteth thy coming.
Drink deeply of the Soma draught! Let thy strength grow even greater. Let thy belly be filled with the sweet juice of the pressed plant. Fill thyself, O Lord, that thou mayest have the power to aid thy servants in their times of need.
We have need of thee, O Indra, in this hour. The demons draw near; the enemies gather. But when thou art with us, there is no fear. Thy thunderbolt is mightier than all the weapons of our foes.
Swift as the wind doth thou come; eager art thou to do battle. The very name of Indra doth cause the hearts of our enemies to tremble. Strike for us, O Lord! Drive back the darkness! Give unto us the victory!
Thou hast always been our friend, O Bull of Heaven. In ages past, thy forefathers did call upon thee, and thou didst not fail them. Now we, their descendants, do call upon thee with the same faith. We trust in thy power; we trust in thy goodness; we trust in thy eternal willingness to aid those that seek thee.
The singing of thy name doth gladden the heart. The thought of thy coming doth fill the spirit with hope. All that we have, we offer unto thee. All that we possess, we lay at thy feet.
Make us victorious, O Indra! Make us strong! Make us blessed! And we shall praise thee forever, from this day unto the end of time.
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.50
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.
pra su śrutaṁ surādhasam arcā śakram abhiṣṭaye |
yaḥ sunvate stuvate kāmyaṁ vasu sahasreṇeva maṁhate || 1 ||
śatānīkā hetayo asya duṣṭarā indrasya samiṣo mahīḥ |
girir na bhujmā maghavatsu pinvate yad īṁ sutā amandiṣuḥ || 2 ||
yad īṁ sutāsa indavo 'bhi priyam amandiṣuḥ |
āpo na dhāyi savanam ma ā vaso dughā ivopa dāśuṣe || 3 ||
anehasaṁ vo havamānam ūtaye madhvaḥ kṣaranti dhītayaḥ |
ā tvā vaso havamānāsa indava upa stotreṣu dadhire || 4 ||
ā naḥ some svadhvara iyāno atyo na tośate |
yaṁ te svadāvan svadanti gūrtayaḥ paure chandayase havam || 5 ||
pra vīram ugraṁ viviciṁ dhanaspṛtaṁ vibhūtiṁ rādhaso mahaḥ |
udrīva vajrinn avato vasutvanā sadā pīpetha dāśuṣe || 6 ||
yad dha nūnam parāvati yad vā pṛthivyāṁ divi |
yujāna indra haribhir mahemata ṛṣva ṛṣvebhir ā gahi || 7 ||
rathirāso harayo ye te asridha ojo vātasya piprati |
yebhir ni dasyum manuṣo nighoṣayo yebhiḥ svaḥ parīyase || 8 ||
etāvatas te vaso vidyāma śūra navyasaḥ |
yathā prāva etaśaṁ kṛtvye dhane yathā vaśaṁ daśavraje || 9 ||
yathā kaṇve maghavan medhe adhvare dīrghanīthe damūnasi |
yathā gośarye asiṣāso adrivo mayi gotraṁ hariśriyam || 10 ||
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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