Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.91 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.
Afflicted in my skin, with itch and sore malady—O Indra, see me here—I took the soma plant and crushed it twixt my teeth. The juices I did press out, and offered unto thee, that thou mightst heed my call and heal the wound that vexeth me.
So prithee, drink of this pressed draught, O mightiest god; let it uplift thy heart as once it hath uplifted mine. For I, a woman low and broken, bring to thee what neither king nor priest could offer—my own flesh's bitter remedy, given in faith and need.
Thou who dost master all the worlds, who smashest strongholds with thy hand—canst thou not see the beauty that once was mine? The skin that was as lotus-petal, smooth and fair, hath turned to wrinkled bark. Yet still I come. Still do I hold the cup for thee.
Look upon me, Indra; hear my voice that riseth from no wealth of herds or gold, but from the truth of my own suffering. I have nothing else to give—only this faith, only this soma, only the trembling hope that thou wilt turn thy face toward one so lowly.
And he doth hear. The god doth drink. His lightning breaks across the sky, and in that moment—in that sacred breaking—the poison drains. The itching ceases. My skin grows whole again, bright and fair as it was in days long gone.
Now do I stand before all men renewed. My form is beauteous once more, and all who gaze upon me marvel at the work of Indra. I am whole because I dared to press the soma and to speak my need unto the thunderer.
O god, accept forever the praise of this woman's heart. Thou hast proven that even the humblest may approach thee when the truth doth fill their cup.
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.91
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.
kanyā3 vār avāyatī somam api srutāvidat |
astam bharanty abravīd indrāya sunavai tvā śakrāya sunavai tvā || 1 ||
asau ya eṣi vīrako gṛhaṁ-gṛhaṁ vicākaśad |
imaṁ jambhasutam piba dhānāvantaṁ karambhiṇam apūpavantam ukthinam || 2 ||
ā cana tvā cikitsāmo 'dhi cana tvā nemasi |
śanair iva śanakair ivendrāyendo pari srava || 3 ||
kuvic chakat kuvit karat kuvin no vasyasas karat |
kuvit patidviṣo yatīr indreṇa saṁgamāmahai || 4 ||
imāni trīṇi viṣṭapā tānīndra vi rohaya |
śiras tatasyorvarām ād idam ma upodare || 5 ||
asau ca yā na urvarād imāṁ tanva1m mama |
atho tatasya yac chiraḥ sarvā tā romaśā kṛdhi || 6 ||
khe rathasya khe 'nasaḥ khe yugasya śatakrato |
apālām indra triṣ pūtvy akṛṇoḥ sūryatvacam || 7 ||
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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