Hymn to Indra
Rigveda IX.89 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.
This draught-steed hath poured forth upon the ways; like rain from the high heavens, the self-cleansing one doth run.
With a thousand streams he sitteth now beside us, in his mother’s lap and amidst the wood—yea, Soma.
The king of rivers hath clothed himself in raiment; he hath embarked upon the straightest ship of truth.
The drop, sent flying by the falcon, waxeth strong in the waters.
His father yieldeth him as milk, and he in turn bringeth forth his father’s seed.
They draw nigh to the lion of honey, unbound— the tawny and red-hued lord of this heaven.
The champion, foremost in strife, demandeth the kine for himself; the young bull guardeth them all with his watchful gaze.
The dread, unbridled horse with honeyed back they yoke— that lofty one—to the chariot of wide-spread wheels.
His sisters and kin make him fair; those born of the same cord uphold the prize-winner.
Four, set upon one common base, yield butter as their milk and follow him.
They hasten, cleansed with worship; the many throng him round on every side.
He is the uphold of heaven, the stay of the earth; and all abodes lie within his grasp.
Thy wellspring shall gift steeds to the song-raiser; the honey-rich herb maketh itself clean for Indra's might.
O Soma, thou that smitest and art not smitten, purify thyself for Indra, to chase after the gods.
Take hold of wealth vast and full of gleam; may we be lords of heroes in goodly number.
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.89
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.
pro sya vahniḥ pathyābhir asyān divo na vṛṣṭiḥ pavamāno akṣāḥ |
sahasradhāro asadan ny a1sme mātur upasthe vana ā ca somaḥ || 1 ||
rājā sindhūnām avasiṣṭa vāsa ṛtasya nāvam āruhad rajiṣṭhām |
apsu drapso vāvṛdhe śyenajūto duha īm pitā duha īm pitur jām || 2 ||
siṁhaṁ nasanta madhvo ayāsaṁ harim aruṣaṁ divo asya patim |
śūro yutsu prathamaḥ pṛcchate gā asya cakṣasā pari pāty ukṣā || 3 ||
madhupṛṣṭhaṁ ghoram ayāsam aśvaṁ rathe yuñjanty urucakra ṛṣvam |
svasāra īṁ jāmayo marjayanti sanābhayo vājinam ūrjayanti || 4 ||
catasra īṁ ghṛtaduhaḥ sacante samāne antar dharuṇe niṣattāḥ |
tā īm arṣanti namasā punānās tā īṁ viśvataḥ pari ṣanti pūrvīḥ || 5 ||
viṣṭambho divo dharuṇaḥ pṛthivyā viśvā uta kṣitayo haste asya |
asat ta utso gṛṇate niyutvān madhvo aṁśuḥ pavata indriyāya || 6 ||
vanvann avāto abhi devavītim indrāya soma vṛtrahā pavasva |
śagdhi mahaḥ puruścandrasya rāyaḥ suvīryasya patayaḥ syāma || 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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