Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.61 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, mighty Indra, with thy bay-hued steeds, swift as the wind that rideth over the earth. Thou drinkest soma at the pressing-stone, growing terrible in strength, thy limbs made mighty by the sweet draughts of the priests.
The demons have fallen, struck down by thy thunderbolt. The mountains bend before thy terrible wrath. Thou art the slayer of the serpent Vr̥tra, him who barred the waters—thou hast broken through his hundred fortresses, and the rivers flow free in their ancient course.
Praise be unto thee, O Indra, lord of hosts! Thy chariot, drawn by steeds of gold, rideth forth in the morning light. The earth trembleth at thy coming. Thou bringst rain upon the thirsty fields, and the cattle grow fat from the grass that springeth up.
Thine is the kingdom of heaven above, and thine the dominion of the earth below. All creatures that live do bow before thee. Thou grantest wealth to the generous giver, and stretchest forth thy hand unto the devotee who singeth thy praise.
Hear us, O mighty one! We press the soma for thee at this sacred hour. Come thou to our gathering, drink deeply, and grant us victory in battle. Grant us abundant kine, swift horses, and gold that shall not perish.
The singers call upon thee, Indra, as a child crieth unto his father. Do not turn away thine ear. Thou art the ever-faithful ally, the breaker of hostile ranks, the giver of wealth beyond measure.
Thou hast hundred hands, O strong one, and thy strength is as the strength of a thousand warriors. Thy thunderbolt, which no god can withstand, hath cleared the pathway through which mankind doth travel. The bold priest who offers thee soma with a faithful heart shall never lack for thy protection.
Come, beloved of the soma-drinkers, thou whose golden chariot roareth like the storm! We have prepared the sacred vessels. We have poured forth the sweet juice that gladdeneth thy heart. Descend from the heavens above, and sit thou in the place of honor at our sacrifice.
The bay steeds are harnessed to thy yoke. The morning breaketh forth in splendor. Lo, the priests raise up their voices in hymns of praise. Thou comest unto them as Indra, the mighty, the terrible, the giver of all blessings.
Let thy wrath fall upon our enemies, as hailstones fall upon the dry earth. Let thy strong arm crush the fortress of the foe. And grant unto us, O lord, the gift that we most desire—victory, wealth, and the favor of the immortal gods.
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.61
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.
ubhayaṁ śṛṇavac ca na indro arvāg idaṁ vacaḥ |
satrācyā maghavā somapītaye dhiyā śaviṣṭha ā gamat || 1 ||
taṁ hi svarājaṁ vṛṣabhaṁ tam ojase dhiṣaṇe niṣṭatakṣatuḥ |
utopamānām prathamo ni ṣīdasi somakāmaṁ hi te manaḥ || 2 ||
ā vṛṣasva purūvaso sutasyendrāndhasaḥ |
vidmā hi tvā harivaḥ pṛtsu sāsahim adhṛṣṭaṁ cid dadhṛṣvaṇim || 3 ||
aprāmisatya maghavan tathed asad indra kratvā yathā vaśaḥ |
sanema vājaṁ tava śiprinn avasā makṣū cid yanto adrivaḥ || 4 ||
śagdhy ū3 ṣu śacīpata indra viśvābhir ūtibhiḥ |
bhagaṁ na hi tvā yaśasaṁ vasuvidam anu śūra carāmasi || 5 ||
pauro aśvasya purukṛd gavām asy utso deva hiraṇyayaḥ |
nakir hi dānam parimardhiṣat tve yad-yad yāmi tad ā bhara || 6 ||
tvaṁ hy ehi cerave vidā bhagaṁ vasuttaye |
ud vāvṛṣasva maghavan gaviṣṭaya ud indrāśvamiṣṭaye || 7 ||
tvam purū sahasrāṇi śatāni ca yūthā dānāya maṁhase |
ā puraṁdaraṁ cakṛma vipravacasa indraṁ gāyanto 'vase || 8 ||
avipro vā yad avidhad vipro vendra te vacaḥ |
sa pra mamandat tvāyā śatakrato prācāmanyo ahaṁsana || 9 ||
ugrabāhur mrakṣakṛtvā puraṁdaro yadi me śṛṇavad dhavam |
vasūyavo vasupatiṁ śatakratuṁ stomair indraṁ havāmahe || 10 ||
na pāpāso manāmahe nārāyāso na jaḻhavaḥ |
yad in nv indraṁ vṛṣaṇaṁ sacā sute sakhāyaṁ kṛṇavāmahai || 11 ||
ugraṁ yuyujma pṛtanāsu sāsahim ṛṇakātim adābhyam |
vedā bhṛmaṁ cit sanitā rathītamo vājinaṁ yam id ū naśat || 12 ||
yata indra bhayāmahe tato no abhayaṁ kṛdhi |
maghavañ chagdhi tava tan na ūtibhir vi dviṣo vi mṛdho jahi || 13 ||
tvaṁ hi rādhaspate rādhaso mahaḥ kṣayasyāsi vidhataḥ |
taṁ tvā vayam maghavann indra girvaṇaḥ sutāvanto havāmahe || 14 ||
indraḥ spaḻ uta vṛtrahā paraspā no vareṇyaḥ |
sa no rakṣiṣac caramaṁ sa madhyamaṁ sa paścāt pātu naḥ puraḥ || 15 ||
tvaṁ naḥ paścād adharād uttarāt pura indra ni pāhi viśvataḥ |
āre asmat kṛṇuhi daivyam bhayam āre hetīr adevīḥ || 16 ||
adyādyā śvaḥ-śva indra trāsva pare ca naḥ |
viśvā ca no jaritṝn satpate ahā divā naktaṁ ca rakṣiṣaḥ || 17 ||
prabhaṅgī śūro maghavā tuvīmaghaḥ sammiślo viryāya kam |
ubhā te bāhū vṛṣaṇā śatakrato ni yā vajram mimikṣatuḥ || 18 ||
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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