Hymn to Indra
Rigveda IX.95 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.
The tawny draught roareth still as he is loosed, as he nestleth in the wooden womb, as his brightness is strained and clarified. Led by mortal hands, he putteth the kine upon him as a shining garment, and forthwith begetteth high-wrought thoughts by virtue of his own wondrous might.
Set free upon the path of Truth, the tawny one guideth his utterance even as a helmsman steereth his barque. A god himself, he bringeth the gods’ secret names to light, that they be cried aloud upon the sacred grass.
Like rolling billows ever out-stripping one another, inspirèd thoughts press on toward Soma. In reverence they draw nigh, they mingle with him; yearning, they enter the Yearner, and are satisfied.
Ceaselessly they milk him—the mountain-bred bull, the living herb—grooming him upon the fleece as men curry a buffalo’s back. While he bellows, the poet-thoughts attend his side; and Trita beareth great Varuṇa upon the sea.
Kindle our speech, O drop, as the Upavaktar quickeneth the Hotar’s voice; while thou art purified, let loose the inspirèd mind. Forasmuch as thou and Indra wield the power of fortune, grant that we may rule in the plenty of valorous men.
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.95
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.
kanikranti harir ā sṛjyamānaḥ sīdan vanasya jaṭhare punānaḥ |
nṛbhir yataḥ kṛṇute nirṇijaṁ gā ato matīr janayata svadhābhiḥ || 1 ||
hariḥ sṛjānaḥ pathyām ṛtasyeyarti vācam ariteva nāvam |
devo devānāṁ guhyāni nāmāviṣ kṛṇoti barhiṣi pravāce || 2 ||
apām ived ūrmayas tarturāṇāḥ pra manīṣā īrate somam accha |
namasyantīr upa ca yanti saṁ cā ca viśanty uśatīr uśantam || 3 ||
tam marmṛjānam mahiṣaṁ na sānāv aṁśuṁ duhanty ukṣaṇaṁ giriṣṭhām |
taṁ vāvaśānam matayaḥ sacante trito bibharti varuṇaṁ samudre || 4 ||
iṣyan vācam upavakteva hotuḥ punāna indo vi ṣyā manīṣām |
indraś ca yat kṣayathaḥ saubhagāya suvīryasya patayaḥ syāma || 5 ||
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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