Verses 1, 2
त्वं म॒हाँ इं॑द्र॒ यो ह॒ शुष्मै॒र्द्यावा॑ जज्ञा॒नः पृ॑थि॒वी अमे॑ धाः । यद्ध॑ ते॒ विश्वा॑ गि॒रय॑श्चि॒दभ्वा॑ भि॒या दृ॒ळ्हासः॑ कि॒रणा॒ नैज॑न् ॥
tvám mahā́m̐ indra yó ha śúṣmairdyā́vā jajñānáḥ pṛthivī́ áme dhāḥ ǀ yáddha te víśvā giráyaścidábhvā bhiyā́ dṛḷhā́saḥ kiráṇā náijan ǁ
आ यद्धरी॑ इंद्र॒ विव्र॑ता॒ वेरा ते॒ वज्रं॑ जरि॒ता बा॒ह्वोर्धा॑त् । येना॑विहर्यतक्रतो अ॒मित्रा॒न्पुर॑ इ॒ष्णासि॑ पुरुहूत पू॒र्वीः ॥
ā́ yáddhárī indra vívratā vérā́ te vájram jaritā́ bāhvórdhāt ǀ yénāviharyatakrato amítrānpúra iṣṇā́si puruhūta pūrvī́ḥ ǁ
In these opening verses, the Ṛṣi introduces us to Indra in his most cosmic and awe-inspiring aspect—the primordial architect who establishes the dual realms of heaven and earth at the moment of his birth. By his mighty impulsion, even the immovable mountains tremble with fear, mirroring the sheer magnitude of divine power that rearranges the cosmos. Following this grand cosmic display, the focus shifts to the intimate ritual sphere. The patron or singer (jaritā) harnesses the golden bay steeds (harī) and places the thunderbolt (vajra) directly into the arms of the Lord of Might. Armed with this divine weapon, the unwavering, dynamic Indra is invoked to shatter multitudes of hostile fortresses and dismantle the obstacles set up by opposing forces.
Verse 1: Thou, O mighty Indra, born with divine energy, didst fix heaven and earth by thy might; at thy fearful shock, even all the steadfast mountains trembled like dancing sparks of light.
Verse 2: When the singer places your diverse-willed, roaring steeds and the thunderbolt in your arms, O tireless Indra, you quickly drive away the hostile forces and break down numerous strongholds.
Sāyaṇa interprets 'śuṣmaiḥ' as energetic powers and 'girayaḥ' as literal mountains fixed in place by the deity. Aurobindo extends the cosmic architecture metaphorically to the establishment of the higher mental and physical planes of consciousness.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| त्वम् | tvam | thou |
| महान् | mahān | mighty, great |
| इन्द्र | indra | O Indra (leader of the gods) |
| शुष्मैः | śuṣmaiḥ | by your vital energies or roaring strengths |
| द्यावापृथिवी | dyāvāpṛthivī | heaven and earth |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| इन्द्र | indra | O Indra |
| वज्रम् | vajram | the thunderbolt |
| अमित्रान् | amitrān | enemies, foes |
| पुरः | puraḥ | citadels, fortresses |
Picture a cosmic titan stepping onto the stage, planting his feet so firmly that heaven and earth snap into place, while mountains skip like frightened sparks before his thunderbolt.
Verses 3, 4, 5
त्वं स॒त्य इं॑द्र धृ॒ष्णुरे॒तान्त्वमृ॑भु॒क्षा नर्य॒स्त्वं षाट् । त्वं शुष्णं॑ वृ॒जने॑ पृ॒क्ष आ॒णौ यूने॒ कुत्सा॑य द्यु॒मते॒ सचा॑हन् ॥
tvám satyá indra dhṛṣṇúretā́ntvámṛbhukṣā́ náryastvám ṣā́ṭ ǀ tvám śúṣṇam vṛjáne pṛkṣá āṇáu yū́ne kútsāya dyumáte sácāhan ǁ
त्वं ह॒ त्यदिं॑द्र चोदीः॒ सखा॑ वृ॒त्रं यद्व॑ज्रिन्वृषकर्मन्नु॒भ्नाः । यद्ध॑ शूर वृषमणः परा॒चैर्वि दस्यूँ॒र्योना॒वकृ॑तो वृथा॒षाट् ॥
tvám ha tyádindra codīḥ sákhā vṛtrám yádvajrinvṛṣakarmannubhnā́ḥ ǀ yáddha śūra vṛṣamaṇaḥ parācáirví dásyūm̐ryónāvákṛto vṛthāṣā́ṭ ǁ
त्वं ह॒ त्यदिं॒द्रारि॑षण्यंदृ॒ळ्हस्य॑ चि॒न्मर्ता॑ना॒मजु॑ष्टौ । व्य१॒॑स्मदा काष्ठा॒ अर्व॑ते वर्घ॒नेव॑ वज्रिंछ्नथिह्य॒मित्रा॑न् ॥
tvám ha tyádindrā́riṣaṇyandṛḷhásya cinmártānāmájuṣṭau ǀ vyásmádā́ kā́ṣṭhā árvate varghanéva vajriñchnathihyamítrān ǁ
Moving deeper into the heroic exploits of the deity, the Ṛṣi extols Indra as the true, bold conqueror, the high-dwelling protector (ṛbhukṣā) who acts as a true friend to humanity. Here, Indra strikes down the demon Śuṣṇa in the battle-field of waters to aid the youthful and brilliant Kutsa, proving his unwavering commitment to his devotees. The narrative intensifies as the Ṛṣi recalls past victories where Indra, armed with the vajra, crushed Vṛtra and hurled the hostile Dasyus back into their dark origins. Whether dealing with malicious mortals or obstructing forces, Indra sweeps across the battlefield like a heavy battering ram, clearing the paths for the seeker of truth.
Verse 3: Thou art the true, bold Indra; thou art the high-dwelling protector and helper of man, the conqueror. Together with youthful Kutsa, you smote down Śuṣṇa in the battle among the waters.
Verse 4: Thou didst truly urge on that friendship, O Vajra-bearer, when you struck Vṛtra and cast down the Dasyus far away into their native darkness, effortlessly conquering all.
Verse 5: Even when hostile mortals disdained your firm support, O Indra, you cleared wide pathways for your worshipper like a charging war-steed. Smash our enemies with your heavy club!
The defeat of Śuṣṇa and Vṛtra are traditional mythological accounts of the release of waters. Mystically, they represent the breaking of psychological inertia and ignorance within the spiritual seeker.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| सत्यः | satyaḥ | true, real |
| धृष्णुः | dhṛṣṇuḥ | bold, aggressive in battle |
| शुष्णम् | śuṣṇam | Śuṣṇa (the drought demon) |
| कुत्साय | kutsāya | for Kutsa (the Ṛṣi's protégé) |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| वज्रिन् | vajrin | armed with the thunderbolt |
| वृत्रम् | vṛtram | Vṛtra (the enclosing obstacle) |
| दस्यून् | dasyūn | the Dasyus, inimical beings |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अरिषण्यन् | ariṣaṇyan | striving to harm |
| अमित्रान् | amitrān | enemies |
| घना इव | ghanā iva | like a heavy club or crushing hammer |
Visualize a valiant champion wielding a glowing mace, clearing a choked riverbed of demonic debris so that the pure waters of life can flow freely again.
Verses 6, 7, 8, 9
त्वां ह॒ त्यदिं॒द्रार्ण॑सातौ॒ स्व॑र्मीळ्हे॒ नर॑ आ॒जा ह॑वंते । तव॑ स्वधाव इ॒यमा स॑म॒र्य ऊ॒तिर्वाजे॑ष्वत॒साय्या॑ भूत् ॥
tvā́m ha tyádindrā́rṇasātau svármīḷhe nára ājā́ havante ǀ táva svadhāva iyámā́ samaryá ūtírvā́jeṣvatasā́yyā bhūt ǁ
त्वं ह॒ त्यदिं॑द्र स॒प्त युध्य॒न्पुरो॑ वज्रिन्पुरु॒कुत्सा॑य दर्दः । ब॒र्हिर्न यत्सु॒दासे॒ वृथा॒ वर्गं॒हो रा॑ज॒न्वरि॑वः पू॒रवे॑ कः ॥
tvám ha tyádindra saptá yúdhyanpúro vajrinpurukútsāya dardaḥ ǀ barhírná yátsudā́se vṛ́thā várgaṃhó rājanvárivaḥ pūráve kaḥ ǁ
त्वं त्यां न॑ इंद्र देव चि॒त्रामिष॒मापो॒ न पी॑पयः॒ परि॑ज्मन् । यया॑ शूर॒ प्रत्य॒स्मभ्यं॒ यंसि॒ त्मन॒मूर्जं॒ न वि॒श्वध॒ क्षर॑ध्यै ॥
tvám tyā́m na indra deva citrā́míṣamā́po ná pīpayaḥ párijman ǀ yáyā śūra prátyasmábhyam yáṃsi tmánamū́rjam ná viśvádha kṣáradhyai ǁ
अका॑रि त इंद्र॒ गोत॑मेभि॒र्ब्रह्मा॒ण्योक्ता॒ नम॑सा॒ हरि॑भ्यां । सु॒पेश॑सं॒ वाज॒मा भ॑रा नः प्रा॒तर्म॒क्षू धि॒याव॑सुर्जगम्यात् ॥
ákāri ta indra gótamebhirbráhmāṇyóktā námasā háribhyām ǀ supéśasam vā́jamā́ bharā naḥ prātármakṣū́ dhiyā́vasurjagamyāt ǁ
The final movement shifts to the collective invocation of heroes in times of supreme crisis—during the winning of waters and the contest for the radiant sun. Warriors and leaders call upon Indra in the heat of battle, relying on his unfailing grace as their ultimate refuge and armor in the quest for spiritual and material wealth (vājas). In a profound historical-mythological reflection, the Ṛṣi reminds Indra of his ancient alliance with Purukuktsa and Sudās, where he shattered the seven citadels and secured vast spaces for the Pūru lineage. The Sūkta culminates in a tender yet powerful plea for divine nourishment: just as flowing waters swell the earth, may Indra pour down rich, multifaceted illumination and bountiful energy (iṣam) upon the Gotama lineage, ensuring their daily dawn is filled with divine grace.
Verse 6: The heroes invoke thee, O self-sustained Indra, in the contests for winning waters and in the glorious assemblies of war. May your protection be ever present to us in our race for the prize.
Verse 7: Thou didst destroy the seven fortresses for Purukutsa while fighting, O Vajra-bearer; and like grass cleared away, you swept aside distress and secured wide, safe expanses for Sudās and Pūru.
Verse 8: Do thou, O divine Indra, cause our brilliant nourishment to swell like flowing rivers on every side, so that, O hero, you may ever bestow upon us vibrant energy to flow forth continuously.
Verse 9: These prayers have been fashioned for thee by the Gotamas, accompanied by reverence to thy bay steeds. Bring us rich, beautiful sustenance, and may the wealth-bestower come to us swiftly at dawn.
Sāyaṇa focuses heavily on the historical alliances of kings like Purukuktsa and Sudās, treating them as literal ancient rulers. The Gotama family authorship stamps the hymn with a specific lineage signature dedicated to securing ritual prosperity and poetic inspiration.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अर्णसातौ | arṇa-sātau | in the winning of waters or rushing floods |
| स्वर्मीळ्हे | svar-mīḷhe | in the contest or prize-winning battle for light/heaven |
| ऊतिः | ūtiḥ | aid, protection, help |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| पुरः | puraḥ | citadels, towns |
| पुरुकुत्साय | purukutsāya | for king Purukutsa |
| वरिवः | varivaḥ | wide space, freedom, relief |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| इषम् | iṣam | refreshment, nourishment, vigor |
| आपः न | āpaḥ na | like waters |
| ऊर्जम् | ūrjam | vital sap, energy |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| गोतमेभिः | gotamebhiḥ | by the Gotamas (the Ṛṣi family) |
| ब्रह्माणि | brahmāṇi | prayers, formulations of truth |
| वाजम् | vājam | prize, treasure, vigor |
Imagine a river at the break of dawn, overflowing its banks with crystal-clear water, bringing sudden green life and nourishment to an entire valley of waiting worshippers.