Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.94 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.
O Indra, lord of all that is precious, thou art the giver of every good thing. From thy hand floweth the wealth that maketh men prosperous. Thou givest the cattle, thou givest the horses, thou givest the grain, thou givest the gold.
None may compare with thee in generosity. None among the gods giveth so freely, so abundantly, so without grudging. When the singer cometh before thee with Soma and with song, thou dost not turn him away. Instead, thou dost pour forth thy blessings like water in the flood season.
Thou art the lord of strength, O Indra. In thy hand dwell the powers that sustain all life. The weak are made strong through thy aid; the poor are made rich through thy gifts; the fearful are made bold through thy protection.
Therefore, O Indra, we come before thee with pressed Soma and with hymns of praise. We offer unto thee all that we have—our devotion, our songs, our hearts filled with reverence and gratitude.
Hear us, O mighty god. See the sincerity of our faith. Know that we worship thee with all our strength, that we praise thee with all our skill, that we serve thee with all our will.
And in return, we ask but this—that thou wilt grant unto us the good things that flow from thy hand. Give us cattle in abundance; give us horses swift and strong; give us grain for our sustenance; give us gold for our adornment and our trade.
Make us prosperous, O Indra. Make us strong. Make us victorious. Let our enemies fall before us. Let our families flourish. Let our fields bear fruit. Let our herds multiply beyond count.
For thou art the giver, and we are thy grateful receivers. Thou art mighty, and we are thy humble worshippers. Thou art supreme, and we bow before thee.
Therefore, O Indra, accept our offering. Drink deep of the Soma. Let thy heart be gladdened by our songs. And grant unto us, in return, all the blessings that come from thy hand.
This is our prayer. This is our plea. Hear us, O mighty one, and be pleased with us 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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda VIII.94
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.
gaur dhayati marutāṁ śravasyur mātā maghonām |
yuktā vahnī rathānām || 1 ||
yasyā devā upasthe vratā viśve dhārayante |
sūryāmāsā dṛśe kam || 2 ||
tat su no viśve arya ā sadā gṛṇanti kāravaḥ |
marutaḥ somapītaye || 3 ||
asti somo ayaṁ sutaḥ pibanty asya marutaḥ |
uta svarājo aśvinā || 4 ||
pibanti mitro aryamā tanā pūtasya varuṇaḥ |
triṣadhasthasya jāvataḥ || 5 ||
uto nv asya joṣam ām̐ indraḥ sutasya gomataḥ |
prātar hoteva matsati || 6 ||
kad atviṣanta sūrayas tira āpa iva sridhaḥ |
arṣanti pūtadakṣasaḥ || 7 ||
kad vo adya mahānāṁ devānām avo vṛṇe |
tmanā ca dasmavarcasām || 8 ||
ā ye viśvā pārthivāni paprathan rocanā divaḥ |
marutaḥ somapītaye || 9 ||
tyān nu pūtadakṣaso divo vo maruto huve |
asya somasya pītaye || 10 ||
tyān nu ye vi rodasī tastabhur maruto huve |
asya somasya pītaye || 11 ||
tyaṁ nu mārutaṁ gaṇaṁ giriṣṭhāṁ vṛṣaṇaṁ huve |
asya somasya pītaye || 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).
🌲