Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.66 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.
Hear now the praise of Indra, mightiest of all the gods! His strength is as the strength of mountains piled upon mountains. His will is sovereign over all that moveth and all that standeth still.
The demon Śuṣṇa built his fortress high, and barred the waters in its keep. He said, "The floods shall flow no more; the cattle shall perish; the land shall turn to dust." But Indra came forth with his thunderbolt raised high.
One stroke! The mountain split asunder. The stones cried out. The very heavens trembled at that blow. The waters broke their chains and rushed forth in torrents, bounding down the slopes like deer unleashed. The cattle came forth from the cave, lowing in gladness. The singers raised their voices to praise the liberator.
Now come the bay steeds of the god, fleet-footed and tireless. Their hooves strike sparks upon the stone. They bear the chariot of the Thunderer swiftly toward the altar where the soma floweth. The priests stand ready with the pressing-stone. The sacred juice is poured into the vessels.
Indra! We offer thee the soma, that drink of ecstasy and might. We call upon thee at the stone where the juice is pressed, day after day. Come to us, mighty one. Drink of this oblation that we have made with reverent hands.
The singers gather round the fire. Their voices rise in unison, chanting the ancient hymn. "Indra! Indra!" they cry. "Hear us! Come to the feast! Drink and be glad!" The smoke of the sacrifice ascendeth unto heaven, bearing with it the prayers of the faithful.
Thou hast shattered the demon's stronghold; thou hast set the waters free. Now we beseech thee, grant unto us thy bounty! Give us cattle in abundance, that our herds may multiply. Give us gold, that we may ornament the temple and honor the gods with rich gifts.
The poor man crieth out, "Indra, I have no oxen to plough my field." The merchant crieth out, "Indra, grant me safe passage through the mountain passes." The warrior crieth out, "Indra, give me strength in battle." And thou, O generous god, turnest not away from any prayer.
Thou art the lord of a thousand blessings. Thy hand is ever open. The gifts that flow from thee are as countless as the grains of sand upon the shore, as the stars in the firmament above. No god is so bountiful as thou; no mortal hath ever known such generosity.
We praise thee, O Indra, slayer of demons, breaker of fortresses, liberator of the waters! Come to the soma-stone and drink deeply. Rejoice with us at the feast. Let thy strength grow mighty through the sacred draught, that thou mayest go forth and conquer all thy foes.
May thy bay steeds run swiftly; may thy thunderbolt strike true. May thy arm be ever raised to defend the faithful. May thy bounty flow upon us without measure or end. So do we pray to thee, O mightiest of all the gods.
Thus the Kāṇvas lift their voices unto Indra, the lord of the soma-drinkers, the champion of the gods. Hear us, O Thunderer! Come to our altar. Drink and be glad, and grant unto us the blessings we seek.
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.66
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.
tarobhir vo vidadvasum indraṁ sabādha ūtaye |
bṛhad gāyantaḥ sutasome adhvare huve bharaṁ na kāriṇam || 1 ||
na yaṁ dudhrā varante na sthirā muro made suśipram andhasaḥ |
ya ādṛtyā śaśamānāya sunvate dātā jaritra ukthyam || 2 ||
yaḥ śakro mṛkṣo aśvyo yo vā kījo hiraṇyayaḥ |
sa ūrvasya rejayaty apāvṛtim indro gavyasya vṛtrahā || 3 ||
nikhātaṁ cid yaḥ purusambhṛtaṁ vasūd id vapati dāśuṣe |
vajrī suśipro haryaśva it karad indraḥ kratvā yathā vaśat || 4 ||
yad vāvantha puruṣṭuta purā cic chūra nṛṇām |
vayaṁ tat ta indra sam bharāmasi yajñam ukthaṁ turaṁ vacaḥ || 5 ||
sacā someṣu puruhūta vajrivo madāya dyukṣa somapāḥ |
tvam id dhi brahmakṛte kāmyaṁ vasu deṣṭhaḥ sunvate bhuvaḥ || 6 ||
vayam enam idā hyo 'pīpemeha vajriṇam |
tasmā u adya samanā sutam bharā nūnam bhūṣata śrute || 7 ||
vṛkaś cid asya vāraṇa urāmathir ā vayuneṣu bhūṣati |
semaṁ naḥ stomaṁ jujuṣāṇa ā gahīndra pra citrayā dhiyā || 8 ||
kad ū nv a1syākṛtam indrasyāsti pauṁsyam |
keno nu kaṁ śromatena na śuśruve januṣaḥ pari vṛtrahā || 9 ||
kad ū mahīr adhṛṣṭā asya taviṣīḥ kad u vṛtraghno astṛtam |
indro viśvān bekanāṭām̐ ahardṛśa uta kratvā paṇīm̐r abhi || 10 ||
vayaṁ ghā te apūrvyendra brahmāṇi vṛtrahan |
purūtamāsaḥ puruhūta vajrivo bhṛtiṁ na pra bharāmasi || 11 ||
pūrvīś cid dhi tve tuvikūrminn āśaso havanta indrotayaḥ |
tiraś cid aryaḥ savanā vaso gahi śaviṣṭha śrudhi me havam || 12 ||
vayaṁ ghā te tve id v indra viprā api ṣmasi |
nahi tvad anyaḥ puruhūta kaś cana maghavann asti marḍitā || 13 ||
tvaṁ no asyā amater uta kṣudho3 'bhiśaster ava spṛdhi |
tvaṁ na ūtī tava citrayā dhiyā śikṣā śaciṣṭha gātuvit || 14 ||
soma id vaḥ suto astu kalayo mā bibhītana |
aped eṣa dhvasmāyati svayaṁ ghaiṣo apāyati || 15 ||
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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