Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.6 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 hither, Indra, from afar, from near! We sing thy glory, mighty Bull, and call upon thy name. In the midst of songs thou hast come unto the feast; at the pressing of the Soma thou dost appear.
Hear us, O Indra, who art the mightiest of all the gods. Thy strength is without measure, thy deeds are without limit. The heavens and the earth bow down before thee, and all creatures tremble at thy name.
Thou didst slay Vṛtra, that dragon of old, who held the waters pent in thrall. With thy thunderbolt thou didst smash his strength and set the rivers free to flow. The mountains shook when thou didst strike; the whole world trembled at thy blow.
Thou didst cast down Śambara from his mountain fastness. A hundred cities he had built in stone and gold, and thou didst shatter them all. Thou didst slay Pipru and Cumuri and Dhuni; thy bolt hath conquered all the demons of the air.
The waters flow, the sun doth shine, the dawn appeareth in the sky—all this is thy work, O Indra. Thou hast brought forth the light where darkness dwelt; thou hast made the sun to rise upon the world.
Thou art the giver of all riches, the lord of strength and might. Horses and cattle, gold and grain—all these dost thou bestow upon thy praisers. The man who sings thy hymn and presseth out the Soma for thy draught receiveth gifts without end.
See how we call upon thee! The stones clash loud beneath the pestle; the Soma flowest forth in streams of sweetness. Drink deeply of this offering, O Indra, and let thy glory shine forth upon us.
Thou hast given unto the Kāṇvas great riches and cattle beyond counting. Thou hast brought forth the kine from the mountain's womb; thou hast loosened the pent-up waters. Through thy favour the Soma floweth, and the singers are made glad.
With thy thunderbolt in hand thou goest forth to battle. No foe can stand against thee, no demon can withstand thy might. Thou art unconquered and unconquerable, O Indra. Thy strength is like the sun that shineth upon all the world.
The priests cry out to thee with voice uplifted. The ten maidens ply the pressing-stones; the wooden vessel groweth full of juice. The offering is made, the hymn is sung. O Indra, come thou swift and drink.
Come with thy bay steeds, come with thy chariots, come with thy lightning and thy roar of thunder! The mountains echo with thy voice; the earth doth quake beneath thy wheels. When thou dost move, the three worlds shudder.
Thou whom the gods revere, before whom even the mighty bow—take thou this draught we offer. Let not the wicked harm us, O Indra. Crush thou the demons that would bring us sorrow; shield us from all that would do us ill.
The rain doth fall when thou dost will it; the wind doth blow at thy command. All things in heaven and earth obey thee. Thou art the lord of all that moveth and all that standeth still.
Behold the Soma! It is pressed for thee, this draught of immortality. The singers sing thy praises without ceasing; the poets call upon thy name day and night. From every mouth ascendeth hymn and prayer to thee, O mighty one.
Thou hast been gracious unto us in ages past. The Kāṇvas have felt thy favour; they have received horses and gold from thy hand. Their children's children shall know thy glory; thy name shall be remembered as long as the sun doth shine.
Come then, O Indra! Drink of this Soma and be glad. Let thy bounty flow upon us like the rivers that thou didst release. Let thy friendship rest upon the Kāṇvas; let thy care embrace us unto the end of all days.
Glorify none other than Indra, O ye singers. Set not thy hope in any mortal, in any demon, or in any god but he. Indra alone is worthy of thy praise; Indra alone can grant thee all thy heart desireth.
When the first dawn came forth, Indra was already mighty. When the mountains were yet young, his strength was already ancient. Age upon age hath passed, yet still he sitteth upon his throne, unshaken and eternal.
Like the sun that lighteneth all the world, his glory covereth both the firmaments. No foe can stand before him; his might prevaileth over all that liveth. He hath filled the sky with light; he hath dried up the waters that were drowned in darkness.
Give unto us, O Indra, what we ask—kine and horses, gold and grain. Give unto us brave sons and daughters. Give unto us length of days and victory in battle. Give unto us a name that shall endure forever.
The priest who honoureth thee shall never lack; the singer who praiseth thee shall be made glad. The man who poureth out the Soma for thy draught shall reap a hundredfold return. Such is thy covenant with those that love thee, O Indra.
Thou art the true helper, the shining champion of the faithful. When the warrior calleth unto thee in the hour of battle, thou hearest and dost grant him victory. When the ploughman calleth unto thee at the time of planting, thou sendest forth the rains.
We gather round the altar; we kindle the holy fire. The Soma floweth forth; the hymn riseth up to heaven. O Indra, hear our prayer! Come down to us from thy seat above. Drink of this offering and let thy love rest upon us.
The Kāṇvas are thy chosen priests. We serve thee with hymn and with sacrifice. We honour thy name; we praise thy deeds. Accept our offering, O Indra, and be unto us a shield and a fortress.
For thee the stones are beaten; for thee the juice floweth forth. For thee we sing the sacred hymns; for thee we kindle the holy fires. Come, O Indra, come swift as the wind! Let thy chariot roar across the heavens; let thy thunder shake the earth.
Thou art the first among the gods, the mightiest in strength. No god can match thy glory; no demon can withstand thy rage. The heavens tremble at thy voice; the earth trembles at thy footfall.
When thou dost move, the clouds do gather; when thou dost speak, the rains do fall. The rivers flow at thy command; the sun doth rise at thy decree. All things in the three worlds await thy will.
Thus do we praise thee, Indra, mighty Bull. Thus do we call upon thy name. Accept our offering, grant us thy favour, and let thy blessing rest upon us forever. We are thine, O Indra; we are thy servants and thy priests.
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.6
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.
mahām̐ indro ya ojasā parjanyo vṛṣṭimām̐ iva |
stomair vatsasya vāvṛdhe || 1 ||
prajām ṛtasya piprataḥ pra yad bharanta vahnayaḥ |
viprā ṛtasya vāhasā || 2 ||
kaṇvā indraṁ yad akrata stomair yajñasya sādhanam |
jāmi bruvata āyudham || 3 ||
sam asya manyave viśo viśvā namanta kṛṣṭayaḥ |
samudrāyeva sindhavaḥ || 4 ||
ojas tad asya titviṣa ubhe yat samavartayat |
indraś carmeva rodasī || 5 ||
vi cid vṛtrasya dodhato vajreṇa śataparvaṇā |
śiro bibheda vṛṣṇinā || 6 ||
imā abhi pra ṇonumo vipām agreṣu dhītayaḥ |
agneḥ śocir na didyutaḥ || 7 ||
guhā satīr upa tmanā pra yac chocanta dhītayaḥ |
kaṇvā ṛtasya dhārayā || 8 ||
pra tam indra naśīmahi rayiṁ gomantam aśvinam |
pra brahma pūrvacittaye || 9 ||
aham id dhi pituṣ pari medhām ṛtasya jagrabha |
ahaṁ sūrya ivājani || 10 ||
aham pratnena manmanā giraḥ śumbhāmi kaṇvavat |
yenendraḥ śuṣmam id dadhe || 11 ||
ye tvām indra na tuṣṭuvur ṛṣayo ye ca tuṣṭuvuḥ |
mamed vardhasva suṣṭutaḥ || 12 ||
yad asya manyur adhvanīd vi vṛtram parvaśo rujan |
apaḥ samudram airayat || 13 ||
ni śuṣṇa indra dharṇasiṁ vajraṁ jaghantha dasyavi |
vṛṣā hy ugra śṛṇviṣe || 14 ||
na dyāva indram ojasā nāntarikṣāṇi vajriṇam |
na vivyacanta bhūmayaḥ || 15 ||
yas ta indra mahīr apaḥ stabhūyamāna āśayat |
ni tam padyāsu śiśnathaḥ || 16 ||
ya ime rodasī mahī samīcī samajagrabhīt |
tamobhir indra taṁ guhaḥ || 17 ||
ya indra yatayas tvā bhṛgavo ye ca tuṣṭuvuḥ |
mamed ugra śrudhī havam || 18 ||
imās ta indra pṛśnayo ghṛtaṁ duhata āśiram |
enām ṛtasya pipyuṣīḥ || 19 ||
yā indra prasvas tvāsā garbham acakriran |
pari dharmeva sūryam || 20 ||
tvām ic chavasas pate kaṇvā ukthena vāvṛdhuḥ |
tvāṁ sutāsa indavaḥ || 21 ||
taved indra praṇītiṣūta praśastir adrivaḥ |
yajño vitantasāyyaḥ || 22 ||
ā na indra mahīm iṣam puraṁ na darṣi gomatīm |
uta prajāṁ suvīryam || 23 ||
uta tyad āśvaśvyaṁ yad indra nāhuṣīṣv ā |
agre vikṣu pradīdayat || 24 ||
abhi vrajaṁ na tatniṣe sūra upākacakṣasam |
yad indra mṛḻayāsi naḥ || 25 ||
yad aṅga taviṣīyasa indra prarājasi kṣitīḥ |
mahām̐ apāra ojasā || 26 ||
taṁ tvā haviṣmatīr viśa upa bruvata ūtaye |
urujrayasam indubhiḥ || 27 ||
upahvare girīṇāṁ saṁgathe ca nadīnām |
dhiyā vipro ajāyata || 28 ||
ataḥ samudram udvataś cikitvām̐ ava paśyati |
yato vipāna ejati || 29 ||
ād it pratnasya retaso jyotiṣ paśyanti vāsaram |
paro yad idhyate divā || 30 ||
kaṇvāsa indra te matiṁ viśve vardhanti pauṁsyam |
uto śaviṣṭha vṛṣṇyam || 31 ||
imām ma indra suṣṭutiṁ juṣasva pra su mām ava |
uta pra vardhayā matim || 32 ||
uta brahmaṇyā vayaṁ tubhyam pravṛddha vajrivaḥ |
viprā atakṣma jīvase || 33 ||
abhi kaṇvā anūṣatāpo na pravatā yatīḥ |
indraṁ vananvatī matiḥ || 34 ||
indram ukthāni vāvṛdhuḥ samudram iva sindhavaḥ |
anuttamanyum ajaram || 35 ||
ā no yāhi parāvato haribhyāṁ haryatābhyām |
imam indra sutam piba || 36 ||
tvām id vṛtrahantama janāso vṛktabarhiṣaḥ |
havante vājasātaye || 37 ||
anu tvā rodasī ubhe cakraṁ na varty etaśam |
anu suvānāsa indavaḥ || 38 ||
mandasvā su svarṇara utendra śaryaṇāvati |
matsvā vivasvato matī || 39 ||
vāvṛdhāna upa dyavi vṛṣā vajry aroravīt |
vṛtrahā somapātamaḥ || 40 ||
ṛṣir hi pūrvajā asy eka īśāna ojasā |
indra coṣkūyase vasu || 41 ||
asmākaṁ tvā sutām̐ upa vītapṛṣṭhā abhi prayaḥ |
śataṁ vahantu harayaḥ || 42 ||
imāṁ su pūrvyāṁ dhiyam madhor ghṛtasya pipyuṣīm |
kaṇvā ukthena vāvṛdhuḥ || 43 ||
indram id vimahīnām medhe vṛṇīta martyaḥ |
indraṁ saniṣyur ūtaye || 44 ||
arvāñcaṁ tvā puruṣṭuta priyamedhastutā harī |
somapeyāya vakṣataḥ || 45 ||
śatam ahaṁ tirindire sahasram parśāv ā dade |
rādhāṁsi yādvānām || 46 ||
trīṇi śatāny arvatāṁ sahasrā daśa gonām |
daduṣ pajrāya sāmne || 47 ||
ud ānaṭ kakuho divam uṣṭrāñ caturyujo dadat |
śravasā yādvaṁ janam || 48 ||
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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