Hymn to Soma
Rigveda VIII.78 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 thou, O Indra, to the soma that we have pressed for thee. Let the juice gladden thy heart and strengthen thy power. When thou dost drink of the soma, thy might is doubled; thy strength becometh irresistible.
The pressing-stones sound forth with their sacred rhythm. The priests move with care and devotion, preparing the divine draught. The soma riseth like a golden liquid, made fragrant and pure by the sacred rite.
O Indra, drink deep of this offering. Let the juice flow through thy being, quickening thy power, magnifying thy strength. The soma filleth thee with might; it maketh thee invincible in battle.
When thou hast drunk of the soma, thy belly swelleth with power. Thy muscles grow taut and mighty; thy sinews become as iron. Thou risest up, transformed, thy eyes blazing with divine fire.
The strength that floweth through thee is without limit. Thou art no longer merely a god, but a force of nature, terrible and beautiful. Thy power stretcheth across heaven and earth; thy voice shaketh the mountains.
The demons tremble at thy approach; the wicked flee before thee in fear. No stronghold can stand against thy fury; no enemy can withstand thy wrath. Thou art the irresistible one, the unconquerable warrior.
We press the soma for thee that thou mayest be exalted. We pour out the juice that thou mayest drink and be gladded. By this rite we call forth thy greatest power, thy most terrible strength.
O Indra, swollen with soma, mighty and fierce—come unto us as our protector and our avenger. Smite those who oppose us; drive away those who mean us harm. Let thy power be our shield and our defense.
The soma that we offer is pressed with joy and devotion. It is the finest thing we have, the best that the earth produceth. We give it to thee freely, asking only that thou hearest our prayer and granteth us thy favor.
When thou hast drunk of the soma and thy power is manifest, go forth to victory on our behalf. Let thy thunder sound across the sky; let thy bolts strike down the enemies of righteousness. Be thou our champion, our lord, our king.
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.78
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.
puroḻāśaṁ no andhasa indra sahasram ā bhara |
śatā ca śūra gonām || 1 ||
ā no bhara vyañjanaṁ gām aśvam abhyañjanam |
sacā manā hiraṇyayā || 2 ||
uta naḥ karṇaśobhanā purūṇi dhṛṣṇav ā bhara |
tvaṁ hi śṛṇviṣe vaso || 3 ||
nakīṁ vṛdhīka indra te na suṣā na sudā uta |
nānyas tvac chūra vāghataḥ || 4 ||
nakīm indro nikartave na śakraḥ pariśaktave |
viśvaṁ śṛṇoti paśyati || 5 ||
sa manyum martyānām adabdho ni cikīṣate |
purā nidaś cikīṣate || 6 ||
kratva it pūrṇam udaraṁ turasyāsti vidhataḥ |
vṛtraghnaḥ somapāvnaḥ || 7 ||
tve vasūni saṁgatā viśvā ca soma saubhagā |
sudātv aparihvṛtā || 8 ||
tvām id yavayur mama kāmo gavyur hiraṇyayuḥ |
tvām aśvayur eṣate || 9 ||
taved indrāham āśasā haste dātraṁ canā dade |
dinasya vā maghavan sambhṛtasya vā pūrdhi yavasya kāśinā || 10 ||
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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