Containing 21 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
अ॒स्मा उ॒षास॒ आति॑रन्त॒ याम॒मिन्द्रा॑य॒ नक्त॒मूर्म्याः॑ सु॒वाचः॑ अ॒स्मा आपो॑ मा॒तरः॑ स॒प्त त॑स्थु॒र्नृभ्य॒स्तरा॑य॒ सिन्ध॑वः सुपा॒राः
"FOR him the Mornings made their courses longer, and Nights with pleasant voices spake to Indra. For him the Floods stood still, the Seven Mothers, Streams easy for the heroes to pass over."
अति॑विद्धा विथु॒रेणा॑ चि॒दस्त्रा॒ त्रिः स॒प्त सानु॒ संहि॑ता गिरी॒णाम् न तद्दे॒वो न मर्त्य॑स्तुतुर्या॒द्यानि॒ प्रवृ॑द्धो वृष॒भश्च॒कार॑
"The Darter penetrated, though in trouble, thrice-seven close-pressed ridges of the mountains. Neither might God nor mortal man accomplish what the Strong Hero wrought in full-grown vigour."
इन्द्र॑स्य॒ वज्र॑ आय॒सो निमि॑श्ल॒ इन्द्र॑स्य बा॒ह्वोर्भूयि॑ष्ठ॒मोजः॑ शी॒र्षन्निन्द्र॑स्य॒ क्रत॑वो निरे॒क आ॒सन्नेष॑न्त॒ श्रुत्या॑ उपा॒के
"The mightiest force is Indra's bolt of iron when firmly grasped in both the arms of Indra. His head and mouth have powers that pass all others, and all his people hasten near to listen."
मन्ये॑ त्वा य॒ज्ञियं॑ य॒ज्ञिया॑नां॒ मन्ये॑ त्वा॒ च्यव॑न॒मच्यु॑तानाम् मन्ये॑ त्वा॒ सत्व॑नामिन्द्र के॒तुं मन्ये॑ त्वा वृष॒भं च॑र्षणी॒नाम्
"I count thee as the Holiest of the Holy, the caster-down of what hath ne'er been shaken. I count thee as the Banner of the heroes, I count thee as the Chief of all men living."
आ यद्वज्रं॑ बा॒ह्वोरि॑न्द्र॒ धत्से॑ मद॒च्युत॒मह॑ये॒ हन्त॒वा उ॑ प्र पर्व॑ता॒ अन॑वन्त॒ प्र गावः॒ प्र ब्र॒ह्माणो॑ अभि॒नक्ष॑न्त॒ इन्द्र॑म्
"What time, O Indra, in thine arms thou tookest thy wildly rushing bolt to Slay the Dragon, The mountains roared, the cattle loudly bellowed, the Brahmans with their hymns drew nigh to Indra."
तमु॑ ष्टवाम॒ य इ॒मा ज॒जान॒ विश्वा॑ जा॒तान्यव॑राण्यस्मात् इन्द्रे॑ण मि॒त्रं दि॑धिषेम गी॒र्भिरुपो॒ नमो॑भिर्वृष॒भं वि॑शेम
"Let us praise him who made these worlds and creatures, all things that after him sprang into being. May we win Mitra with our songs, and Indra, and. wait upon our Lord with adoration."
वृ॒त्रस्य॑ त्वा श्व॒सथा॒दीष॑माणा॒ विश्वे॑ दे॒वा अ॑जहु॒र्ये सखा॑यः म॒रुद्भि॑रिन्द्र स॒ख्यं ते॑ अ॒स्त्वथे॒मा विश्वाः॒ पृत॑ना जयासि
"Flying in terror from the snort of Vr̥itra, all Deities who were thy friends forsook thee. So, Indra, be thy friendship with the Maruts: in all these battles thou shalt be the victor."
त्रिः ष॒ष्टिस्त्वा॑ म॒रुतो॑ वावृधा॒ना उ॒स्रा इ॑व रा॒शयो॑ य॒ज्ञिया॑सः उप॒ त्वेमः॑ कृ॒धि नो॑ भाग॒धेयं॒ शुष्मं॑ त ए॒ना ह॒विषा॑ विधेम
"Thrice-sixty Maruts, waxing strong, were with thee, like piles of beaming light, worthy of worship. We come to thee: grant us a happy portion. Let us adore thy might with this oblation."
ति॒ग्ममायु॑धं म॒रुता॒मनी॑कं॒ कस्त॑ इन्द्र॒ प्रति॒ वज्रं॑ दधर्ष अ॒ना॒यु॒धासो॒ असु॑रा अदे॒वाश्च॒क्रेण॒ ताँ अप॑ वप ऋजीषिन्
"A sharpened weapon is the host of Maruts. Who, Indra, dares withstand thy bolt of thunder? Weaponless are the Asuras, the godless: scatter them with thy wheel, Impetuous Hero."
म॒ह उ॒ग्राय॑ त॒वसे॑ सुवृ॒क्तिं प्रेर॑य शि॒वत॑माय प॒श्वः गिर्वा॑हसे॒ गिर॒ इन्द्रा॑य पू॒र्वीर्धे॒हि त॒न्वे॑ कु॒विद॒ङ्ग वेद॑त्
"To him the Strong and Mighty, most auspicious, send up the beauteous hymn for sake of cattle. Lay on his body many songs for Indra invoked with song, for will not he regard them"
उ॒क्थवा॑हसे वि॒भ्वे॑ मनी॒षां द्रुणा॒ न पा॒रमी॑रया न॒दीना॑म् नि स्पृ॑श धि॒या त॒न्वि॑ श्रु॒तस्य॒ जुष्ट॑तरस्य कु॒विद॒ङ्ग वेद॑त्
"To him, the Mighty, who accepts laudation, send forth thy thought as by a boat o’er rivers, Stir with thy hymn the body of the Famous and Dearest One, for will not he regard it?"
तद्वि॑विड्ढि॒ यत्त॒ इन्द्रो॒ जुजो॑षत्स्तु॒हि सु॑ष्टु॒तिं नम॒सा वि॑वास उप॑ भूष जरित॒र्मा रु॑वण्यः श्रा॒वया॒ वाचं॑ कु॒विद॒ङ्ग वेद॑त्
"Serve him with gifts of thine which Indra welcomes: praise with fair praise, invite him with thine homage. Draw near, O singer, and refrain from outcry. Make thy voice heard, for will not he regard it?"
अव॑ द्र॒प्सो अं॑शु॒मती॑मतिष्ठदिया॒नः कृ॒ष्णो द॒शभिः॑ स॒हस्रैः॑ आव॒त्तमिन्द्रः॒ शच्या॒ धम॑न्त॒मप॒ स्नेहि॑तीर्नृ॒मणा॑ अधत्त
"The Black Drop sank in Anṣumatîs bosom, advancing with ten thousand round about it. Indra with might longed for it as it panted: the hero-hearted laid aside his weapons."
द्र॒प्सम॑पश्यं॒ विषु॑णे॒ चर॑न्तमुपह्व॒रे न॒द्यो॑ अंशु॒मत्याः॑ नभो॒ न कृ॒ष्णम॑वतस्थि॒वांस॒मिष्या॑मि वो वृषणो॒ युध्य॑ता॒जौ
"I saw the Drop in the far distance moving, on the slope bank of Anṣumatîs river, Like a black cloud that sank into the water. Heroes, I send you forth. Go, fight in battle."
अध॑ द्र॒प्सो अं॑शु॒मत्या॑ उ॒पस्थेऽधा॑रयत्त॒न्वं॑ तित्विषा॒णः विशो॒ अदे॑वीर॒भ्या॒३॒॑चर॑न्ती॒र्बृह॒स्पति॑ना यु॒जेन्द्रः॑ ससाहे
"And then the Drop in Anṣumatîs bosom, splendid with light, assumed its proper body; And Indra, with Br̥ihaspati to aid him, conquered the godless tribes that came against him."
त्वं ह॒ त्यत्स॒प्तभ्यो॒ जाय॑मानोऽश॒त्रुभ्यो॑ अभवः॒ शत्रु॑रिन्द्र गू॒ळ्हे द्यावा॑पृथि॒वी अन्व॑विन्दो विभु॒मद्भ्यो॒ भुव॑नेभ्यो॒ रणं॑ धाः
"Then, at thy birth, thou wast the foeman, Indra, of those the seven who ne'er had met a rival. The hidden Pair, the Heaven and Earth, thou foundest, and to the mighty worlds thou gavest pleasure."
त्वं ह॒ त्यद॑प्रतिमा॒नमोजो॒ वज्रे॑ण वज्रिन्धृषि॒तो ज॑घन्थ त्वं शुष्ण॒स्यावा॑तिरो॒ वध॑त्रै॒स्त्वं गा इ॑न्द्र॒ शच्येद॑विन्दः
"So, Thunder-armed! thou with thy bolt of thunder didst boldly smite that power which none might equal; With weapons broughtest low the phght of Sushna, and, Indra, foundest by thy strength the cattle."
त्वं ह॒ त्यद्वृ॑षभ चर्षणी॒नां घ॒नो वृ॒त्राणां॑ तवि॒षो ब॑भूथ त्वं सिन्धूँ॑रसृजस्तस्तभा॒नान्त्वम॒पो अ॑जयो दा॒सप॑त्नीः
"Then wast thou, Chieftain of all living mortals, the very mighty slayer of the Vritras. Then didst thou set the obstructed rivers flowing, and win the floods that were enthralled by Dâsas."
स सु॒क्रतू॒ रणि॑ता॒ यः सु॒तेष्वनु॑त्तमन्यु॒र्यो अहे॑व रे॒वान् य एक॒ इन्नर्यपां॑सि॒ कर्ता॒ स वृ॑त्र॒हा प्रतीद॒न्यमा॑हुः
"Most wise is he, rejoicing in libations, splendid as day, resistless in his anger. He only doth great deeds, the only Hero, sole Vritra-slayer he, with none beside him."
स वृ॑त्र॒हेन्द्र॑श्चर्षणी॒धृत्तं सु॑ष्टु॒त्या हव्यं॑ हुवेम स प्रा॑वि॒ता म॒घवा॑ नोऽधिव॒क्ता स वाज॑स्य श्रव॒स्य॑स्य दा॒ता
"Indra is Vritra’s slayer, man’s sustainer: he must be called; with fair praise let us call him. Maghavan is our Helper, our Protector, giver of spoil and wealth to make us famous."
स वृ॑त्र॒हेन्द्र॑ ऋभु॒क्षाः स॒द्यो ज॑ज्ञा॒नो हव्यो॑ बभूव कृ॒ण्वन्नपां॑सि॒ नर्या॑ पु॒रूणि॒ सोमो॒ न पी॒तो हव्यः॒ सखि॑भ्यः
"This Indra, Vritra-slayer, this Ribhukshan, even at his birth, was meet for invocation. Doer of many deeds for man’s advantage, like Soma quaffed, for friends we must invoke him."