Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.8 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.
To thee, O Indra, go our songs of praise, even as the waters seek the hollow ground. Thou art the mighty one whose bounties stream in a hundred courses. Come unto us with thy favor, thunderbolt-wielder, breaker of strongholds, thou lord of strength.
We sing to thee, Indra of the bay horses, the tawny steeds that bear thee swift through heaven and earth. Thou art the giver of horses, the giver of kine, the giver of grain—lord of all abundance. Accept our hymn as the thirsty earth drinks the rain.
Thy weapon, the thunderbolt of gold, hath shattered the mountains and smote the serpent dark. With thy bolt of thunder didst thou free the waters, and the rivers came forth in their might, coursing down from the high places. The foe is broken beneath thy foot, O Indra, and his fortress falleth before thy rage.
We behold thy glory in the breaking of the dawn. The sun rideth forth as one whom thou hast granted. The very mountains bow before thee, and the sky itself stretcheth wide at thy command. Thou art the lord of the wide air and the earth below.
The Kāṇva singers call upon thee this day, O Indra. Thou art our kinsman and our friend. In ages past thy strength upheld our fathers, and thy bolt didst crush the enemies of old. The spoil of battle came to those whom thou didst favor; their cattle grew without number, their horses multiplied upon the plains.
Drink the soma that we have pressed for thee, O Indra! The milky draught, the honey-sweet offering, doth fill thy heart with gladness. When thou hast drunk and art made mighty, then dost thou go forth to victory, thy thunderbolt bright in thy hand.
We ask of thee, O generous one, the gift of horses. Grant us steeds swift as the wind, their manes flowing, their bodies bright. We ask of thee herds of cattle, numerous as the stars, with hides of gold and horns that gleam. Grant us grain in plenty, that our granaries burst full and our children hunger not.
Protect us from the evil foe, O mighty Indra! Be thou a wall about our dwellings. Turn aside the arrow of the enemy; make his chariot wheel sink into the mud. Let his spear be blunted, and his courage fail him when he standeth against those whom thou dost love.
Thou art the guardian of the dawn, and the protector of the day. When danger cometh, we do call upon thy name. Thy strength is without measure, thy valor without bound. No foe hath withstood thee; no stronghold hath resisted thy approach. The very gods themselves do honor thee and yield thee the highest place.
We make our offering and we sing our praise. Accept this hymn, O Indra, thou breaker of mountains, thou slayer of the dragon! Be gracious unto us in battle and in peace. Grant us thy favor, thy friendship, thy protection. Let thy hand be lifted in our defense.
So do we call upon thee, O mighty Indra, from the rising of the sun unto its setting. From the far shores of the eastern ocean to the western waters where the sun descendeth—over all this realm dost thou hold dominion. Thou art the king of gods and men, the lord supreme.
Come unto us, hear our songs, accept our offerings. Grant us what we have asked: the strength to overcome our foes, the bounty to sustain our life, the protection that only thou canst give. O Indra of the thunderbolt, O Indra of the bay horses, O Indra the mighty—we praise thee this day and forever.
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.8
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.
ā no viśvābhir ūtibhir aśvinā gacchataṁ yuvam |
dasrā hiraṇyavartanī pibataṁ somyam madhu || 1 ||
ā nūnaṁ yātam aśvinā rathena sūryatvacā |
bhujī hiraṇyapeśasā kavī gambhīracetasā || 2 ||
ā yātaṁ nahuṣas pary āntarikṣāt suvṛktibhiḥ |
pibātho aśvinā madhu kaṇvānāṁ savane sutam || 3 ||
ā no yātaṁ divas pary āntarikṣād adhapriyā |
putraḥ kaṇvasya vām iha suṣāva somyam madhu || 4 ||
ā no yātam upaśruty aśvinā somapītaye |
svāhā stomasya vardhanā pra kavī dhītibhir narā || 5 ||
yac cid dhi vām pura ṛṣayo juhūre 'vase narā |
ā yātam aśvinā gatam upemāṁ suṣṭutim mama || 6 ||
divaś cid rocanād adhy ā no gantaṁ svarvidā |
dhībhir vatsapracetasā stomebhir havanaśrutā || 7 ||
kim anye pary āsate 'smat stomebhir aśvinā |
putraḥ kaṇvasya vām ṛṣir gīrbhir vatso avīvṛdhat || 8 ||
ā vāṁ vipra ihāvase 'hvat stomebhir aśvinā |
ariprā vṛtrahantamā tā no bhūtam mayobhuvā || 9 ||
ā yad vāṁ yoṣaṇā ratham atiṣṭhad vājinīvasū |
viśvāny aśvinā yuvam pra dhītāny agacchatam || 10 ||
ataḥ sahasranirṇijā rathenā yātam aśvinā |
vatso vām madhumad vaco 'śaṁsīt kāvyaḥ kaviḥ || 11 ||
purumandrā purūvasū manotarā rayīṇām |
stomam me aśvināv imam abhi vahnī anūṣātām || 12 ||
ā no viśvāny aśvinā dhattaṁ rādhāṁsy ahrayā |
kṛtaṁ na ṛtviyāvato mā no rīradhataṁ nide || 13 ||
yan nāsatyā parāvati yad vā stho adhy ambare |
ataḥ sahasranirṇijā rathenā yātam aśvinā || 14 ||
yo vāṁ nāsatyāv ṛṣir gīrbhir vatso avīvṛdhat |
tasmai sahasranirṇijam iṣaṁ dhattaṁ ghṛtaścutam || 15 ||
prāsmā ūrjaṁ ghṛtaścutam aśvinā yacchataṁ yuvam |
yo vāṁ sumnāya tuṣṭavad vasūyād dānunas patī || 16 ||
ā no gantaṁ riśādasemaṁ stomam purubhujā |
kṛtaṁ naḥ suśriyo naremā dātam abhiṣṭaye || 17 ||
ā vāṁ viśvābhir ūtibhiḥ priyamedhā ahūṣata |
rājantāv adhvarāṇām aśvinā yāmahūtiṣu || 18 ||
ā no gantam mayobhuvāśvinā śambhuvā yuvam |
yo vāṁ vipanyū dhītibhir gīrbhir vatso avīvṛdhat || 19 ||
yābhiḥ kaṇvam medhātithiṁ yābhir vaśaṁ daśavrajam |
yābhir gośaryam āvataṁ tābhir no 'vataṁ narā || 20 ||
yābhir narā trasadasyum āvataṁ kṛtvye dhane |
tābhiḥ ṣv a1smām̐ aśvinā prāvataṁ vājasātaye || 21 ||
pra vāṁ stomāḥ suvṛktayo giro vardhantv aśvinā |
purutrā vṛtrahantamā tā no bhūtam puruspṛhā || 22 ||
trīṇi padāny aśvinor āviḥ sānti guhā paraḥ |
kavī ṛtasya patmabhir arvāg jīvebhyas pari || 23 ||
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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