Hymn to Soma
Rigveda VIII.56 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.
Come now, O Indra, lord of might and thunder, we call thee to the pressing of the soma. The juice hath flowed; the stone hath struck it sweetly; the Agni blazes bright upon the altar. Come drink of this, made ready by our hands—come gladdened by the offering we present.
Of old did thy great deeds resound through heaven—the demon Vṛtra thou didst shatter with thy bolt. The Fort of Gold fell down before thee, crumbling; the waters flowed forth at thy word of power. Now once again receive our songs and soma, and come to us as thou hast come of old.
Thou art the hero whom no foe resisteth, the breaker of all strongholds built by demons. Thou holdest in thy hand the bolt of thunder; thou ridest forth to battle on thy chariot. Hear now the voice of those who gather here—we praise thee, mighty Indra, lord of lords.
From thee come forth the cattle and the waters, the riches given to those who love thee well. The singer praiseth thee with voice and hymn-verse; the soma floweth forth at thy command. Grant unto us the treasure of thy bounty; smile upon us with thy generous favour.
Immortal art thou, O Indra of the thunders, yet thou acceptest our mortal gifts with gladness. Come now, be thou our help in all endeavours; ward off the demons, foes, and those that trouble. We cry to thee—accept our hymn and 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.56
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.
prati te dasyave vṛka rādho adarśy ahrayam |
dyaur na prathinā śavaḥ || 1 ||
daśa mahyam pautakrataḥ sahasrā dasyave vṛkaḥ |
nityād rāyo amaṁhata || 2 ||
śatam me gardabhānāṁ śatam ūrṇāvatīnām |
śataṁ dāsām̐ ati srajaḥ || 3 ||
tatro api prāṇīyata pūtakratāyai vyaktā |
aśvānām in na yūthyām || 4 ||
acety agniś cikitur havyavāṭ sa sumadrathaḥ |
agniḥ śukreṇa śociṣā bṛhat sūro arocata divi sūryo arocata || 5 ||
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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