Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.63 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.
Thou art my friend, O Indra, and I am thy devoted follower. Thou failest not them that trust in thee. Thy thunderbolt is swift as lightning, and there is none among the gods who can withstand its force.
I sing thy praises, O mighty one! The path that was barred is now open wide before the people. The waters flow down from the high mountains, where thy terrible hand did smite them free. Thou art the liberator, the breaker of bonds, the god who giveth liberty unto those that cry unto thee.
Thy horses, yoked unto thy chariot, are swift as the wind that sweepeth across the desert. Thy golden crown shineth brighter than the noonday sun. When thou comest forth, the clouds gather, and the rain falleth upon the thirsty earth.
Grant unto me the gifts that I desire—horses fleet of foot, cattle without number, gold and precious stones. Make me victorious over my foes. Let them flee before me as the darkness fleeth before the dawn.
Thou hast shown thyself faithful unto me in times of trouble. When my enemies rose up against me, thou didst stand by my side and smote them down. Thou art the ever-living, ever-faithful friend upon whom I may lean.
The priests call thee the slayer of demons, the destroyer of darkness, the giver of light. Thou art these things, and more than these. Thou art the strength that dwelleth in the heart of the warrior, the wisdom that dwelleth in the mind of the sage.
O Indra, accept the soma that we pour for thee! Hear the hymns that we sing! Let thy favor rest upon us, that we may prosper in all our undertakings. Grant us sons of valor, daughters of grace, and wealth that shall endure forever.
Be thou our friend and protector, our refuge and our strength. In thee do we place our trust. In thee do we find our hope. Accept our offerings and bless us with thy mighty hand.
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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda VIII.63
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.
sa pūrvyo mahānāṁ venaḥ kratubhir ānaje |
yasya dvārā manuṣ pitā deveṣu dhiya ānaje || 1 ||
divo mānaṁ not sadan somapṛṣṭhāso adrayaḥ |
ukthā brahma ca śaṁsyā || 2 ||
sa vidvām̐ aṅgirobhya indro gā avṛṇod apa |
stuṣe tad asya pauṁsyam || 3 ||
sa pratnathā kavivṛdha indro vākasya vakṣaṇiḥ |
śivo arkasya homany asmatrā gantv avase || 4 ||
ād ū nu te anu kratuṁ svāhā varasya yajyavaḥ |
śvātram arkā anūṣatendra gotrasya dāvane || 5 ||
indre viśvāni vīryā kṛtāni kartvāni ca |
yam arkā adhvaraṁ viduḥ || 6 ||
yat pāñcajanyayā viśendre ghoṣā asṛkṣata |
astṛṇād barhaṇā vipo3 'ryo mānasya sa kṣayaḥ || 7 ||
iyam u te anuṣṭutiś cakṛṣe tāni pauṁsyā |
prāvaś cakrasya vartanim || 8 ||
asya vṛṣṇo vyodana uru kramiṣṭa jīvase |
yavaṁ na paśva ā dade || 9 ||
tad dadhānā avasyavo yuṣmābhir dakṣapitaraḥ |
syāma marutvato vṛdhe || 10 ||
baḻ ṛtviyāya dhāmna ṛkvabhiḥ śūra nonumaḥ |
jeṣāmendra tvayā yujā || 11 ||
asme rudrā mehanā parvatāso vṛtrahatye bharahūtau sajoṣāḥ |
yaḥ śaṁsate stuvate dhāyi pajra indrajyeṣṭhā asmām̐ avantu devāḥ || 12 ||
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).
🌲