Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.53 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, swift of foot and strong, the lord of all the gods on high,
We summon thee with hymn and prayer to come unto us in this hour.
Thy strides are mighty and are sure, thou reachest to the farthest bounds.
When thou dost march unto the war, the enemies do flee in fear.
Thy advance is like the flood that rusheth forth when banks do break.
No army of the foes can stand before thy terrible and swift assault.
O mighty one, thy charge is irresistible and none can bar thy way.
The very earth doth quake and tremble when thou comest forth to fight.
Thou art the protector of the faithful ones who pour the soma and who sing.
O Indra, hear our voices raised, we cry to thee from every side.
Grant unto us thy favours now and shield us from the eyes of foes.
Thou art our defence and our strength, the one on whom we rely.
The faithful ones who give thee praise shall never lack for anything.
Their enemies shall turn and flee, their trials shall be turned to ease.
O generous lord, remember those whose hearts are fixed upon thy name.
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.53
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.
upamaṁ tvā maghonāṁ jyeṣṭhaṁ ca vṛṣabhāṇām |
pūrbhittamam maghavann indra govidam īśānaṁ rāya īmahe || 1 ||
ya āyuṁ kutsam atithigvam ardayo vāvṛdhāno dive-dive |
taṁ tvā vayaṁ haryaśvaṁ śatakratuṁ vājayanto havāmahe || 2 ||
ā no viśveṣāṁ rasam madhvaḥ siñcantv adrayaḥ |
ye parāvati sunvire janeṣv ā ye arvāvatīndavaḥ || 3 ||
viśvā dveṣāṁsi jahi cāva cā kṛdhi viśve sanvantv ā vasu |
śīṣṭeṣu cit te madirāso aṁśavo yatrā somasya tṛmpasi || 4 ||
indra nedīya ed ihi mitamedhābhir ūtibhiḥ |
ā śaṁtama śaṁtamābhir abhiṣṭibhir ā svāpe svāpibhiḥ || 5 ||
ājituraṁ satpatiṁ viśvacarṣaṇiṁ kṛdhi prajāsv ābhagam |
pra sū tirā śacībhir ye ta ukthinaḥ kratum punata ānuṣak || 6 ||
yas te sādhiṣṭho 'vase te syāma bhareṣu te |
vayaṁ hotrābhir uta devahūtibhiḥ sasavāṁso manāmahe || 7 ||
ahaṁ hi te harivo brahma vājayur ājiṁ yāmi sadotibhiḥ |
tvām id eva tam ame sam aśvayur gavyur agre mathīnām || 8 ||
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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