Hymn to Indra
Rigveda IX.109 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 9 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.
Run forth in circling splendour for Indra, O Soma, sweet likewise to Mitra, to Pūṣan, and to Bhaga.
Let Indra drink thee, fresh-pressed, that his will and craft be quickened—and with him every god beside.
Flash onward, bright as the milk of heaven, bestower of deathless life and quiet, spacious rest.
Cleanse thyself as doth the mighty sea, O Soma, father of the gods, ranging through every realm.
Shine pure for the immortals, for heaven and for earth, a blessing upon the seed of our loins.
Thou bearest up the sky, gleaming celestial cream; in thine unfurling breadth win yet again the prize.
With starry lustre and gracious streams, glide pure along the sheep-wrought fleece, thou ancient one of old.
Guided by mortal hands at birth, thou pourest all good things abroad—the joy-giver who discovereth the sun.
Chosen and clarified, the drop shall fashion offspring for us, and every treasure.
For strength of mind and deftness of hand be thou refined, like a race-horse washed and ready for the stake.
The press-stones strain thy living sap for rapture—Soma, radiant with vast empyrean light.
They tend the tawny infant new-born, the drop for the gods that sings within the filter.
Beloved stream, thou art purified for gladness in water’s lap, a sage and singer luck-bestowing.
Thou bearest the name that charms Indra, the name wherewith thou shatterest every barrier.
All the gods quaff thee—cow-blent, man-pressed, divinely prepared.
Pressed, thou flowest in a thousand channels through the woollen veil, over the straining-cloth.
Prize-winner, thou spurtest in myriad jets, bathed in waters, enriched with milk of kine.
Speed, O Soma, to Indra’s lips, led by men and driven by the hammering stones.
Loosed across the filter, thou floodest, thousand-streamed, to delight great Indra.
With honeyed essence they anoint thee, the drop for bull-strong Indra, to waken his delight.
Clad in the cloak of waters, tawny one, the gods adorn thee that thou mayst stretch to thy full desire.
The drop pours down—pours ever for Indra—mighty arranger who sets the living rivers free.
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 IX.109
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.
pari pra dhanvendrāya soma svādur mitrāya pūṣṇe bhagāya || 1 ||
indras te soma sutasya peyāḥ kratve dakṣāya viśve ca devāḥ || 2 ||
evāmṛtāya mahe kṣayāya sa śukro arṣa divyaḥ pīyūṣaḥ || 3 ||
pavasva soma mahān samudraḥ pitā devānāṁ viśvābhi dhāma || 4 ||
śukraḥ pavasva devebhyaḥ soma dive pṛthivyai śaṁ ca prajāyai || 5 ||
divo dhartāsi śukraḥ pīyūṣaḥ satye vidharman vājī pavasva || 6 ||
pavasva soma dyumnī sudhāro mahām avīnām anu pūrvyaḥ || 7 ||
nṛbhir yemāno jajñānaḥ pūtaḥ kṣarad viśvāni mandraḥ svarvit || 8 ||
induḥ punānaḥ prajām urāṇaḥ karad viśvāni draviṇāni naḥ || 9 ||
pavasva soma kratve dakṣāyāśvo na nikto vājī dhanāya || 10 ||
taṁ te sotāro rasam madāya punanti somam mahe dyumnāya || 11 ||
śiśuṁ jajñānaṁ harim mṛjanti pavitre somaṁ devebhya indum || 12 ||
induḥ paviṣṭa cārur madāyāpām upasthe kavir bhagāya || 13 ||
bibharti cārv indrasya nāma yena viśvāni vṛtrā jaghāna || 14 ||
pibanty asya viśve devāso gobhiḥ śrītasya nṛbhiḥ sutasya || 15 ||
pra suvāno akṣāḥ sahasradhāras tiraḥ pavitraṁ vi vāram avyam || 16 ||
sa vājy akṣāḥ sahasraretā adbhir mṛjāno gobhiḥ śrīṇānaḥ || 17 ||
pra soma yāhīndrasya kukṣā nṛbhir yemāno adribhiḥ sutaḥ || 18 ||
asarji vājī tiraḥ pavitram indrāya somaḥ sahasradhāraḥ || 19 ||
añjanty enam madhvo rasenendrāya vṛṣṇa indum madāya || 20 ||
devebhyas tvā vṛthā pājase 'po vasānaṁ harim mṛjanti || 21 ||
indur indrāya tośate ni tośate śrīṇann ugro riṇann apaḥ || 22 ||
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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