Verses 1, 2
त्वं राजें॑द्र॒ ये च॑ दे॒वा रक्षा॒ नॄन्पा॒ह्य॑सुर॒ त्वम॒स्मान् । त्वं सत्प॑तिर्म॒घवा॑ न॒स्तरु॑त्र॒स्त्वं स॒त्यो वस॑वानः सहो॒दाः ॥
tvám rā́jendra yé ca devā́ rákṣā nṝ́npāhyásura tvámasmā́n ǀ tvám sátpatirmaghávā nastárutrastvám satyó vásavānaḥ sahodā́ḥ ǁ
दनो॒ विश॑ इंद्र मृ॒ध्रवा॑चः स॒प्त यत्पुरः॒ शर्म॒ शार॑दी॒र्दर्त् । ऋ॒णोर॒पो अ॑नव॒द्यार्णा॒ यूने॑ वृ॒त्रं पु॑रु॒कुत्सा॑य रंधीः ॥
dáno víśa indra mṛdhrávācaḥ saptá yátpúraḥ śárma śā́radīrdárt ǀ ṛṇórapó anavadyā́rṇā yū́ne vṛtrám purukútsāya randhīḥ ǁ
In these opening verses, the Ṛṣi invokes Indra not merely as a local chieftain, but as the supreme king of existence who holds all divine powers in his hands. Indra is addressed as Asura—a term here denoting the supreme, unassailable lord of breath and cosmic force. The petitioner implores this great protector to shield humanity from hostile forces and to safeguard the honest seekers who offer devotion. Moving deeper into cosmic history, the second verse recalls Indra's mighty deeds in shattering the seven autumnal or citadel-like strongholds of resistance. The hostile forces—represented by the mṛdhravācaḥ, those of crooked or distorted speech—are subdued. Indra releases the pent-up waters of consciousness and hands over the dark adversary Vṛtra to the young hero Purukutsa, demonstrating how divine grace acts as an equalizer and conqueror on behalf of evolving human aspiration.
Verse 1: Thou art the king, O Indra, of all gods and men; protect us, O Lord, and shield us from harm, for thou art the true lord of beings, the bountiful giver of wealth, our steadfast deliverer and bestower of conquering might.
Verse 2: Thou hast broken, O Indra, the seven citadel-walls of the hostile speakers, releasing the unblemished waters, and hast subdued Vṛtra for youthful Purukutsa.
Sāyaṇa interprets 'śāradīḥ puraḥ' as autumnal cloud-citadels of the demons, while psychological interpreters like Sri Aurobindo view them as the tiered layers of worldly obscuration that block the light of truth.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| त्वम् | tvam | thou |
| राजन् | rājan | king, sovereign |
| इन्द्र | indra | Indra, the lord of divine power |
| असुर | asura | mighty lord, possessor of asu (life-breath) |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| इन्द्र | indra | Indra |
| पुरः | puraḥ | fortresses, cities, citadels |
| वृत्रम् | vṛtram | Vṛtra, the obstacle or coverer |
Picture a magnificent emperor stepping onto a battlefield, effortlessly shattering seven iron walls with a single wave of his hand to free trapped rivers of pure water.
Verses 3, 4, 5
अजा॒ वृत॑ इंद्र॒ शूर॑पत्नी॒र्द्यां च॒ येभिः॑ पुरुहूत नू॒नं । रक्षो॑ अ॒ग्निम॒शुषं॒ तूर्व॑याणं सिं॒हो न दमे॒ अपां॑सि॒ वस्तोः॑ ॥
ájā vṛ́ta indra śū́rapatnīrdyā́m ca yébhiḥ puruhūta nūnám ǀ rákṣo agnímaśúṣam tū́rvayāṇam siṃhó ná dáme ápāṃsi vástoḥ ǁ
शेष॒न्नु त इं॑द्र॒ सस्मि॒न्योनौ॒ प्रश॑स्तये॒ पवी॑रवस्य म॒ह्ना । सृ॒जदर्णां॒स्यव॒ यद्यु॒धा गास्तिष्ठ॒द्धरी॑ धृष॒ता मृ॑ष्ट॒ वाजा॑न् ॥
śéṣannú tá indra sásminyónau práśastaye pávīravasya mahnā́ ǀ sṛjádárṇāṃsyáva yádyudhā́ gā́stíṣṭhaddhárī dhṛṣatā́ mṛṣṭa vā́jān ǁ
वह॒ कुत्स॑मिंद्र॒ यस्मि॑ञ्चा॒कन्त्स्यू॑म॒न्यू ऋ॒ज्रा वात॒स्याश्वा॑ । प्र सूर॑श्च॒क्रं वृ॑हताद॒भीके॒ऽभि स्पृधो॑ यासिष॒द्वज्र॑बाहुः ॥
váha kútsamindra yásmiñcākántsyūmanyū́ ṛjrā́ vā́tasyā́śvā ǀ prá sū́raścakrám vṛhatādabhī́ke’bhí spṛ́dho yāsiṣadvájrabāhuḥ ǁ
The imagery shifts to raw, potent vitality. Indra is compared to a lion in its lair, fierce, watchful, and performing his daily works with majestic dignity. He is the master of cosmic forces who aligns the heavens and earth, consuming destructive falsehoods like a blazing fire that rapidly sweeps through a dry forest. His presence inspires awe and secures the path of the righteous. In the fourth and fifth verses, the focus narrows to the dynamic action of the sacrifice and the divine chariot. Indra drives forward with his bay steeds, bearing Kutsa—his favored human companion—toward victory. The wheel of the sun is pushed forward in the cosmic encounter, and Indra’s thunderbolt-bearing arm sweeps aside all rivals, clearing the path for divine illumination and temporal triumph alike.
Verse 3: Thou hast bound the heroic powers to heaven, O much-invoked Indra, consuming fierce falsehoods like a blazing fire, roaring like a lion in its lair at the break of dawn.
Verse 4: For the sake of high praise, O Indra, you manifest your great heroic might in this sacred womb, unleashing the flowing waters and urging your fearless steeds to trample the prize.
Verse 5: Carry Kutsa, O Indra, in whose sacrifice you delighted, drawn by your swift, wind-like steeds; thrust forward the wheel of the sun in the clash of battle, and with your thunderbolt arm drive away the foes.
The figure of Kutsa is a recurring motif in Rigvedic mythology, representing the human soul bonded to Indra in a close alliance against darkness.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| सिंहः | siṃhaḥ | lion |
| अग्निम् | agnim | fire |
| पुरुषूत | puruhūta | invoked by many |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| इन्द्र | indra | Indra |
| योनाउ | yonau | in the womb, place of birth |
| वाजान् | vājān | prizes, contests, vital energies |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| कुत्सम् | kutsam | Kutsa (sage and protégé of Indra) |
| वज्रबाहुः | vajrabāhuḥ | wielding the thunderbolt in his arm |
| अश्वा | aśvā | horses, steeds |
Imagine a golden chariot driven by howling winds, carrying a sage across the cosmos while the fiery wheel of the sun spins in its wake.
Verses 6, 7
ज॒घ॒न्वाँ इं॑द्र मि॒त्रेरू॑ञ्चो॒दप्र॑वृद्धो हरिवो॒ अदा॑शून् । प्र ये पश्य॑न्नर्य॒मणं॒ सचा॒योस्त्वया॑ शू॒र्ता वह॑माना॒ अप॑त्यं ॥
jaghanvā́m̐ indra mitrérūñcodápravṛddho harivo ádāśūn ǀ prá yé páśyannaryamáṇam sácāyóstváyā śūrtā́ váhamānā ápatyam ǁ
रप॑त्क॒विरिं॑द्रा॒र्कसा॑तौ॒ क्षां दा॒सायो॑प॒बर्ह॑णीं कः । कर॑त्ति॒स्रो म॒घवा॒ दानु॑चित्रा॒ नि दु॑र्यो॒णे कुय॑वाचं मृ॒धि श्रे॑त् ॥
rápatkavírindrārkásātau kṣā́m dāsā́yopabárhaṇīm kaḥ ǀ kárattisró maghávā dā́nucitrā ní duryoṇé kúyavācam mṛdhí śret ǁ
Here, Indra takes on the role of the moral arbiter of the cosmos. He strikes down those who fail to offer praise or sacrifice (the adāśūn), growing ever more powerful through the devotion of his worshippers. Under his protection, humanity walks safely alongside Aryaman, securing prosperity and an unbroken lineage of descendants. The seventh verse introduces striking imagery: Indra makes the earth a pillow for the Dāsa (the demon or resistant human force) in battle. He shatters the arrogant speakers of crooked language and brings marvelous gifts of wealth to his devoted followers, subverting every hostile power that tries to choke out the light of the divine order.
Verse 6: Thou hast smitten, O Indra, the hostile ones, growing in strength, O lord of the bay steeds, punishing the ungracious; so that under your protection, mortals behold Aryaman and sustain their line of progeny.
Verse 7: The inspired poet chanted in the praise-offering, making the earth a resting-pillow for the Dāsa; the bountiful giver shatters the foes and humbles the hostile speaker in his own homestead.
Traditional commentators view the Dāsa here as human tribes hostile to Vedic culture, whereas spiritual commentaries interpret 'Dāsa' as the lower, egoistic tendencies subdued by spiritual awakening.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| इन्द्र | indra | Indra |
| अदाशून् | adāśūn | the ungenerous, those who do not offer sacrifice |
| अपत्यम् | apatyam | offspring, progeny |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| कविः | kaviḥ | seer, poet |
| दासाय | dāsāya | for the Dāsa (enemy/demon) |
| मघवा | maghavā | the bountiful one |
Envision a mighty king effortlessly laying his adversary down to sleep upon the very dust of the earth, while his people thrive in peace.
Verses 8, 9, 10
सना॒ ता त॑ इंद्र॒ नव्या॒ आगुः॒ सहो॒ नभोऽवि॑रणाय पू॒र्वीः । भि॒नत्पुरो॒ न भिदो॒ अदे॑वीर्न॒नमो॒ वध॒रदे॑वस्य पी॒योः ॥
sánā tā́ ta indra návyā ā́guḥ sáho nábhó’viraṇāya pūrvī́ḥ ǀ bhinátpúro ná bhído ádevīrnanámo vádharádevasya pīyóḥ ǁ
त्वं धुनि॑रिंद्र॒ धुनि॑मतीर्ऋ॒णोर॒पः सी॒रा न स्रवं॑तीः । प्र यत्स॑मु॒द्रमति॑ शूर॒ पर्षि॑ पा॒रया॑ तु॒र्वशं॒ यदुं॑ स्व॒स्ति ॥
tvám dhúnirindra dhúnimatīrṛṇórapáḥ sīrā́ ná srávantīḥ ǀ prá yátsamudrámáti śūra párṣi pāráyā turváśam yádum svastí ǁ
त्वम॒स्माक॑मिंद्र वि॒श्वध॑ स्या अवृ॒कत॑मो न॒रां नृ॑पा॒ता । स नो॒ विश्वा॑सां स्पृ॒धां स॑हो॒दा वि॒द्यामे॒षं वृ॒जनं॑ जी॒रदा॑नुं ॥
tvámasmā́kamindra viśvádha syā avṛkátamo narā́m nṛpātā́ ǀ sá no víśvāsām spṛdhā́m sahodā́ vidyā́meṣám vṛjánam jīrádānum ǁ
The Sūkta culminates in a grand synthesis of ancient memory and present renewal. The Ṛṣi declares that Indra's ancient powers have come anew, vast and cloud-like, to shower grace. He breaks down ungodly fortresses and bends the weapons of the malicious. The ninth verse highlights Indra's mastery over the rushing waters and rivers, carrying his devotees—such as Turvaśa and Yadu—safely across the great ocean of existence. The final verse is a tender yet powerful benediction. The Ṛṣi asks Indra to be forever the most wolf-free (avṛkatama)—the safest, most benevolent guardian of men—and prays for the ultimate boon: complete victory in all spiritual and material contests, coupled with the nourishment of abundant, flowing energy (iṣam, vṛjanam, jīradānum).
Verse 8: Ancient and new are the powers that have come to you, O Indra, vast as the storm-cloud for the eager worshipper; you shatter the ungodly citadels and bend back the weapon of the malicious mocker.
Verse 9: Thou art the roaring one, O Indra, who sets the rushing waters flowing like swift rivers; when you carry Turvaśa and Yadu safely across the great ocean, O hero!
Verse 10: May you be ever our protector, O Indra, most free from rapacity among men; grant us conquering might in all contests, and may we attain refreshing food, strength, and life-giving bounty.
The terms Turvaśa and Yadu refer to historical or legendary Aryan clans in the Vedic framework, while 'samudra' points both to earthly rivers merging into the sea and the infinite ocean of cosmic consciousness.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| इन्द्र | indra | Indra |
| पुरः | puraḥ | citadels, fortresses |
| वधः | vadhaḥ | weapon, blow, destruction |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| इन्द्र | indra | Indra |
| समुद्रम् | samudram | ocean, gathering of waters |
| तुर्वशम् | turvaśam | Turvaśa (name of a Vedic tribe/prince) |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अवृकतमो | avṛkatamo | most free from wolves/harm, most benevolent |
| नृपाता | nṛpātā | protector of men |
| इषम् | iṣam | refreshment, nourishment, vigour |
Picture a fearless ship guided by a celestial captain safely navigating through raging ocean storms to reach a harbor of endless abundance.