Hymn 1.32 on Indra

This hymn is one of the most famous in the Rig Veda, celebrating Indra’s heroic victory over the serpent-demon Vritra and the consequent release of the waters.

Rishi: Hiranyastupa Angirasa | Devata: Indra | Chandas: Trishtubh

Verse 1.32.1

Sanskrit

इन्द्र॑स्य॒ नु वी॒र्या॑णि॒ प्र वो॑चं॒ यानि॑ च॒कार॑ प्रथ॒मानि॑ व॒ज्री । अह॒न्नहि॒मन्व॒पस्त॑तर्द॒ प्र व॒क्षणा॑ अभिन॒त्पर्व॑तानाम् ॥ १ ॥

Word-by-Word

इन्द्रस्य (of Indra) | नु (now/indeed) | वीर्याणि (heroic deeds/powers) | प्र वोचम् (I declare/proclaim) | यानि (which) | चकार (he performed) | प्रथमानि (the first/foremost) | वज्री (the wielder of the Vajra) | अहन् (he slew) | अहिम् (the serpent) | अनु (after/following) | अपः (the waters) | ततर्द (he let out/bored through) | प्र अभिनत् (he split open) | वक्षणाः (the bellies/cavities) | पर्वतानाम् (of the mountains).

Translation

I now proclaim the heroic deeds of Indra, which the wielder of the Vajra first performed. He slew the serpent (Vritra), released the waters, and split open the bellies of the mountains.

Verse 1.32.2

Sanskrit

अहन्महिं पर्वते शिश्रियाणं त्वष्टास्मै वज्रं स्वर्यं ततक्ष । वाश्रा इव धेनवः स्यन्दमाना अञ्जः समुद्रमव जग्मुरापः ॥ २ ॥

Word-by-Word

अहन् (He slew) | अहिम् (the serpent/dragon) | पर्वते (on the mountain) | शिश्रियाणम् (resting/residing) | त्वष्टा (Tvashtri) | अस्मै (for him/Indra) | वज्रम् (the Vajra) | स्वर्यम् (luminous/resplendent) | ततक्ष (fashioned/forged) | वाश्राः (lowing/bellowing) | इव (like) | धेनवः (cows) | स्यन्दमानाः (flowing/running) | अञ्जः (straightaway/directly) | समुद्रम् (to the ocean) | अव जग्मुः (went down/flowed) | आपः (the waters).

Translation

Indra slew the serpent (Vritra) resting on the mountain; Tvashtri had forged for him the resplendent Vajra. Like lowing cows running to their calves, the released waters flowed rapidly and directly down to the ocean.

Verse 1.32.5

Sanskrit

अह॑न्वृ॒त्रं वृ॑त्र॒तरं॒ व्यं॑स॒मिन्द्रो॒ वज्रे॑ण मह॒ता व॒धेन॑ । स्कन्धां॑सीव॒ कुलि॑शेना॒ विवृ॒क्णाहि॑: शयत उप॒पृक्पृ॑थि॒व्याः ॥ ५ ॥

Word-by-Word

अहन् (He struck/slew) | वृत्रम् (Vritra) | वृत्रतरम् (the greatest of obstructers) | व्यंसम् (the shoulderless/mutilated) | इन्द्रः (Indra) | वज्रेण (with the Vajra) | महता (with the great/vast) | वधेन (weapon/slaying instrument) | स्कन्धांसि (the trunks of trees) | इव (like) | कुलिशेन (by an axe) | विवृक्ण (cut down/felled) | अहिः (the serpent) | शयेत (lies) | उपपृक् (prostrate/touching) | पृथिव्याः (the earth).

Translation

With his vast, destroying thunderbolt, Indra struck the most formidable obstructer, the shoulderless Vritra. Like the trunks of trees felled by an axe, the serpent lies prostrate, touching the earth.

Verse 1.32.10

Sanskrit

अति॑ष्ठन्तीनामनिवेश॒नानां॒ काष्ठा॑नां॒ मध्ये॒ निहि॑तं॒ शरी॑रम् । वृ॒त्रस्य॑ नि॒ण्यं वि च॑र॒न्त्यापो॑ दी॒र्घं तम॒ आश॑य॒दिन्द्र॑शत्रुः ॥ १० ॥

Word-by-Word

अतिष्ठन्तीनाम् (of the never-stopping) | अनिवेशनानाम् (of the never-resting) | काष्ठानाम् (of the water-currents/floods) | मध्ये (in the midst/middle) | निहितम् (deposited/cast) | शरीरम् (the body) | वृत्रस्य (of Vritra) | निण्यम् (the nameless/hidden) | वि चरन्ति (flow over/wander through) | आपः (the waters) | दीर्घम् (long/eternal) | तमः (darkness) | आशयत् (lies/sunk) | इन्द्रशत्रुः (the enemy of Indra).

Translation

In the midst of the never-stopping, never-resting currents, the nameless body of Vritra is cast. The waters flow over his hidden remains; he, the enemy of Indra, has sunk into long (eternal) darkness.

Verse 1.32.12

Sanskrit

अश्व्यो॒ वारो॑ अभव॒स्तदि॑न्द्र सृ॒के यत्त्वा॑ प्र॒त्यह॑न्दे॒व एक॑: । अज॑यो॒ गा अज॑यः शूर॒ सोम॒मवा॑सृज॒: सर्त॑वे स॒प्त सिन्धू॑न् ॥ १२ ॥

Word-by-Word

अश्व्यः (of a horse) | वारः (tail/hair) | अभवः (you became) | तत् (then) | इन्द्र (O Indra) | सृके (on the weapon/spear) | यत् (when) | त्वा (you) | प्रत्यहन् (struck back) | देवः (the god/shining one) | एकः (the one/Vritra) | अजयः (you won) | गाः (the cows) | अजयः (you won) | शूर (O Hero) | सोमम् (the Soma) | अवासृजः (you let loose/released) | सर्तवे (to flow) | सप्त सिन्धून् (the seven rivers).

Translation

O Indra, you became like a horse’s tail (shaking off the enemy) when the lone god (Vritra) struck back at your weapon. You won the cows, O Hero; you won the Soma; you let loose the Seven Rivers to flow freely.

Verse 1.32.14

Sanskrit

अहे॑र्या॒तारं॒ कम॑पश्य इन्द्र हृ॒दि यत्ते॑ ज॒घ्नुषो॒ भीरग॑च्छत् । नव॑ च॒ यन्न॑व॒तिं च॒ स्रव॑न्तीः श्ये॒नो न भी॒तो अत॑रो॒ रजां॑सि ॥ १४ ॥

Word-by-Word

अहेः (of the serpent) | यातारम् (the avenger/slayer) | कम (whom) | अपश्यः (did you see) | इन्द्र (O Indra) | हृदि (in the heart) | यत् (when) | ते (to you) | जघ्नुषः (having slain) | भीः (fear) | अगच्छत् (came/entered) | नव च (and nine) | नवतिम् च (and ninety) | स्रवन्तीः (flowing streams) | श्येनः न (like a hawk) | भीतः (frightened) | अतरः (you crossed) | रजांसि (the worlds/spaces).

Translation

Whom did you see, O Indra, as the avenger of the serpent, when fear entered your heart after you had slain him? That you, alarmed, did traverse the ninety-nine flowing streams and the wide spaces like a swift hawk?

Verse 1.32.15

Sanskrit

इन्द्रो॑ या॒तोऽव॑सितस्य॒ राजा॒ शम॑स्य च शृ॒ङ्गिणो॒ वज्र॑बाहुः । सेदु॒ राजा॑ क्षयति चर्षणी॒नाम॒रान्न ने॒मिः परि॒ ता ब॑भूव ॥ १५ ॥

Word-by-Word

इन्द्रः (Indra) | यातः (of the moving) | अवसितस्य (of the resting/immobile) | राजा (the King) | शमस्य (of the hornless/tame) | च (and) | शृङ्गिणः (of the horned/wild) | वज्रबाहुः (he with the Vajra in his arm) | सः इत् उ (He alone) | राजा (the King) | क्षयति (rules/dwells over) | चर्षणीनाम् (of all men/people) | अरान् न (like the spokes) | नेमिः (the rim of a wheel) | परि ता बभूव (encompasses them all).

Translation

Indra, who holds the Vajra in his arm, is the King of all that moves and all that rests, of the hornless and the horned. He alone rules as the King of all people; he encompasses all things just as the rim of a wheel encompasses the spokes.

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Reference: Rig Veda