Sukta 17

Mantra 1

पिबा सोममभि यमुग्र तर्द ऊर्वं गव्यं महि गृणान इन्द्र । वि यो धृष्णो वधिषो वज्रहस्त विश्वा वृत्रममित्रिया शवोभिः ॥

Drink the Soma, O Indra, and with it break open, O puissant one, the vast pen of luminous rays; praised by our speech, you—bold slayer with the thunder in your hand—shatter every Coverer and hostile force by your mighty energies.

Mantra 2

स ईं पाहि य ऋजीषी तरुत्रो यः शिप्रवान्वृषभो यो मतीनाम् । यो गोत्रभिद्वज्रभृद्यो हरिष्ठाः स इन्द्र चित्राँ अभि तृन्धि वाजान् ॥

Guard and foster this Soma for us—you who are the impetuous, the overpassing, the strong-bull, the lord of inspired thoughts; you who break the pens, who bear the thunderbolt, who stand upon the shining steeds: O Indra, drive towards us the varied plenitudes of force.

Mantra 3

एवा पाहि प्रत्नथा मन्दतु त्वा श्रुधि ब्रह्म वावृधस्वोत गीर्भिः । आविः सूर्यं कृणुहि पीपिहीषो जहि शत्रूँरभि गा इन्द्र तृन्धि ॥

So guard and accept it as of old; let it delight you—hear the mantra and grow by our hymns. Make the Sun manifest; swelling with the Soma, strike down the enemies; drive the rays/cows towards us, O Indra.

Mantra 4

ते त्वा मदा बृहदिन्द्र स्वधाव इमे पीता उक्षयन्त द्युमन्तम् । महामनूनं तवसं विभूतिं मत्सरासो जर्हृषन्त प्रसाहम् ॥

These great intoxications of Soma, O Indra, self-powered, once drunk, increase your luminous might—your vast, undiminished strength and wide mastery; the rapturous draughts exult in you, the overcomer.

Mantra 5

येभिः सूर्यमुषसं मन्दसानोऽवासयोऽप दृळ्हानि दर्द्रत् । महामद्रिं परि गा इन्द्र सन्तं नुत्था अच्युतं सदसस्परि स्वात् ॥

With those powers by which, rejoicing, you made the Sun and Dawn shine forth and shattered the firm-held obstructions—so too, O Indra, break open the great stone that holds the rays; thrust it away, unmoved till now, from its seat in the being.

Mantra 6

तव क्रत्वा तव तद्दंसनाभिरामासु पक्वं शच्या नि दीधः । और्णोर्दुर उस्रियाभ्यो वि दृळ्होदूर्वाद्गा असृजो अङ्गिरस्वान् ॥

By your will and by your acts of power, by your effective skill, you set the ripe result within the unripe; you opened the doors for the radiant ones, you broke apart the firm barriers, and from the enclosure you released the cows—the rays—along with the Angiras power of the seers.

Mantra 7

पप्राथ क्षां महि दंसो व्युर्वीमुप द्यामृष्वो बृहदिन्द्र स्तभायः । अधारयो रोदसी देवपुत्रे प्रत्ने मातरा यह्वी ऋतस्य ॥

Thou hast widened the earth by thy mighty power and upheld the vast heaven, O Indra of the Greatness. Thou didst sustain the two worlds, the divine daughters, the ancient Mothers, wide-flowing in the Truth (ṛta).

Mantra 8

अध त्वा विश्वे पुर इन्द्र देवा एकं तवसं दधिरे भराय । अदेवो यदभ्यौहिष्ट देवान्त्स्वर्षाता वृणत इन्द्रमत्र ॥

Then all the gods set thee in front, O Indra, as the one strong power for the bearing of the battle. When the godless pressed hard upon the gods, the winners of the Light chose Indra here.

Mantra 9

अध द्यौश्चित्ते अप सा नु वज्राद्द्वितानमद्भियसा स्वस्य मन्योः । अहिं यदिन्द्रो अभ्योहसानं नि चिद्विश्वायुः शयथे जघान ॥

Then even Heaven withdrew from thy thunderbolt; twice it bent away in fear of thy own wrath. When Indra smote the serpent-power that pressed forward, even the all-life lay down, slain in its very lair.

Mantra 10

अध त्वष्टा ते मह उग्र वज्रं सहस्रभृष्टिं ववृतच्छताश्रिम् । निकाममरमणसं येन नवन्तमहिं सं पिणगृजीषिन् ॥

Then Tvashṭṛ fashioned for thee, O mighty one, the fierce thunder-force, thousand-edged, hundred-pointed. With it—irresistible, not to be turned aside—thou didst crush the ninefold serpent, O wielder of the tawny steeds.

Mantra 11

वर्धान्यं विश्वे मरुतः सजोषाः पचच्छतं महिषाँ इन्द्र तुभ्यम् । पूषा विष्णुस्त्रीणि सरांसि धावन्वृत्रहणं मदिरमंशुमस्मै ॥

All the Maruts in one accord cooked for thee, O Indra, the strengthening draught—an hundred measures of force. Pūṣan and Viṣṇu ran the three streams, pressing for him the intoxicating Soma, the slayer of the Coverer.

Mantra 12

आ क्षोदो महि वृतं नदीनां परिष्ठितमसृज ऊर्मिमपाम् । तासामनु प्रवत इन्द्र पन्थां प्रार्दयो नीचीरपसः समुद्रम् ॥

Thou didst drive away the great barrier that hemmed the rivers; thou didst release the wave of the waters. Following their downward flow, O Indra, thou didst cleave for them a path; thou didst urge the waters downward to the ocean of fullness.

Mantra 13

एवा ता विश्वा चकृवांसमिन्द्रं महामुग्रमजुर्यं सहोदाम् । सुवीरं त्वा स्वायुधं सुवज्रमा ब्रह्म नव्यमवसे ववृत्यात् ॥

Thus, as the doer of all these works, Indra—great, fierce, unaging, giver of force—thou art the hero with good weapons and a good thunder-force. May a new inspired word turn hither to thee for help.

Mantra 14

स नो वाजाय श्रवस इषे च राये धेहि द्युमत इन्द्र विप्रान् । भरद्वाजे नृवत इन्द्र सूरीन्दिवि च स्मैधि पार्ये न इन्द्र ॥

Set for us, O Indra, the inspired seers who are full of light, for plenitude of force, for fame, for the impulsion and for the inner riches. In Bharadvāja’s line, O Indra, increase our illumined leaders; be for us in heaven and in the farther world.

Mantra 15

अया वाजं देवहितं सनेम मदेम शतहिमाः सुवीराः ॥

By this (path of offering and force) may we win the plenitude set by the gods; may we rejoice, hundredfold in our capacities, rich in true heroism.