Hymn to Indra
Rigveda IX.26 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.
Him have the soul-stirr’d poets tended, the prize-bearer in Aditi’s bosom, through the fair fleece and by the light of knowing.
Toward him have the kine lowed, the deathless one of a thousand streams, the drop divine, upholder of the sky.
Him have the wise in rite stirred forth by wit, he that purifieth himself in the heights, steadfast and a nourisher of multitudes.
Him have they moved between the twin arms by Vivasvant’s insight, he who is wrapped therein—the lord of speech, whom none deceive.
Him do the kindred fingers drive with stone upon the filter’s back— the tawny-hued, the fair-delightful one who draweth all eyes.
Thou, self-cleansing drop, waxed mighty by song, art stirred by the rite-wise as joy for Indra.
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.26
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.
tam amṛkṣanta vājinam upasthe aditer adhi |
viprāso aṇvyā dhiyā || 1 ||
taṁ gāvo abhy anūṣata sahasradhāram akṣitam |
induṁ dhartāram ā divaḥ || 2 ||
taṁ vedhām medhayāhyan pavamānam adhi dyavi |
dharṇasim bhūridhāyasam || 3 ||
tam ahyan bhurijor dhiyā saṁvasānaṁ vivasvataḥ |
patiṁ vāco adābhyam || 4 ||
taṁ sānāv adhi jāmayo hariṁ hinvanty adribhiḥ |
haryatam bhūricakṣasam || 5 ||
taṁ tvā hinvanti vedhasaḥ pavamāna girāvṛdham |
indav indrāya matsaram || 6 ||
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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