Hymn to Uṣas
Rigveda I.48 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed to Uṣas, the goddess of dawn, bringer of light, daughter of heaven, mother of mornings. It is one of the 1,028 hymns of the Rigveda organized within Maṇḍala 1, the first of ten books. The ṛṣi (seer) to whom this hymn is attributed and its precise liturgical context are recorded in the traditional Śākalya Anukramaṇī.
The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas and one of the oldest surviving religious texts in the world, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in the Vedic Sanskrit of the Indus-Sarasvatī region. Its hymns were preserved through oral transmission across millennia before being committed to writing. This is a Good Works Translation produced for the Good Works Library from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
1. Shine forth for us, Uṣas, daughter of Heaven, together with good fortune, together with great splendor — O radiant one, bountiful goddess — together with riches.
2. Rich in horses, rich in cattle, finding every good thing — many dawns have set out to give us dwelling. Stir up for me your generous gifts, O Uṣas; rouse the bounty of the bounteous patrons.
3. Uṣas has shone, and now the swift goddess of the chariots will shine forth again — those who in her comings have held fast to her, like seekers of glory upon the ocean.
4. O Uṣas, those patrons who at your journeys set their minds on giving — here indeed Kaṇva, most Kaṇva-like among them, proclaims the names of these men.
5. Uṣas comes now like a lovely young woman, bringing enjoyment; rousing the encampment, she moves as though on foot, and she sets the birds to flight.
6. She who sends the gathering forth, who drives the seeker on his way like one who whitens the dark — no bird remains at rest once it has flown at your daybreak, O you rich in strength.
7. She has yoked her team from the far distance, from the place where the sun rises; this fortunate Uṣas travels forth with a hundred chariots toward mankind.
8. The whole moving world has bowed before her, to behold her; the lovely one makes light. The bounteous daughter of Heaven, Uṣas, drives away hatred, drives away failure, as she shines forth.
9. Shine here, O Uṣas, with your bright, moon-fair radiance, daughter of Heaven, bringing us much good fortune as you shine forth at the daily offerings.
10. For the breath and life of everything lies in you when you shine forth, O lovely one. With your great chariot, O radiant one, hear our call, O you of wondrous bounty.
11. O Uṣas, win for us the wondrous strength that is prized among mankind; with it bring the pious ones to the rites — those bearers who sing your praise.
12. Bring here from the midair all the gods to drink the soma, O Uṣas. Grant us, O Uṣas, praiseworthy strength rich in cattle, rich in horses, full of good heroism.
13. She whose bright, auspicious rays have been seen — may that Uṣas grant us wealth desired by all, well-adorned, easy to attain.
14. Even the seers of old called upon you for great help and protection. Receive our hymns of praise with a mind toward bounty, O Uṣas, with your bright flame.
15. O Uṣas, when today with your radiance you throw open the two doors of heaven, grant us broad shelter free of harm; grant us, O goddess, sustenance rich in cattle.
16. Mingle for us together with great wealth adorned in every way, together with offerings; together with splendor that overcomes all, O great Uṣas, together with strength, O you rich in strength.
Translator's note: verse 6 (vy arthinaḥ padaṁ na vety odatī) and verse 8 (viśvam asyā nānāma cakṣase) contain compressed, ambiguous phrasing typical of early Rigvedic style; they are rendered conservatively, following the most natural sense of the individual words rather than any settled interpretation.
Colophon
Rigveda I.48 is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation rendered verse by verse from the Sanskrit text printed below. Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation.
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Source Text: ṛgveda I.48
saha vāmena na uṣo vy ucchā duhitar divaḥ |
saha dyumnena bṛhatā vibhāvari rāyā devi dāsvatī || 1 ||
aśvāvatīr gomatīr viśvasuvido bhūri cyavanta vastave |
ud īraya prati mā sūnṛtā uṣaś coda rādho maghonām || 2 ||
uvāsoṣā ucchāc ca nu devī jīrā rathānām |
ye asyā ācaraṇeṣu dadhrire samudre na śravasyavaḥ || 3 ||
uṣo ye te pra yāmeṣu yuñjate mano dānāya sūrayaḥ |
atrāha tat kaṇva eṣāṁ kaṇvatamo nāma gṛṇāti nṛṇām || 4 ||
ā ghā yoṣeva sūnary uṣā yāti prabhuñjatī |
jarayantī vṛjanam padvad īyata ut pātayati pakṣiṇaḥ || 5 ||
vi yā sṛjati samanaṁ vy a1rthinaḥ padaṁ na vety odatī |
vayo nakiṣ ṭe paptivāṁsa āsate vyuṣṭau vājinīvati || 6 ||
eṣāyukta parāvataḥ sūryasyodayanād adhi |
śataṁ rathebhiḥ subhagoṣā iyaṁ vi yāty abhi mānuṣān || 7 ||
viśvam asyā nānāma cakṣase jagaj jyotiṣ kṛṇoti sūnarī |
apa dveṣo maghonī duhitā diva uṣā ucchad apa sridhaḥ || 8 ||
uṣa ā bhāhi bhānunā candreṇa duhitar divaḥ |
āvahantī bhūry asmabhyaṁ saubhagaṁ vyucchantī diviṣṭiṣu || 9 ||
viśvasya hi prāṇanaṁ jīvanaṁ tve vi yad ucchasi sūnari |
sā no rathena bṛhatā vibhāvari śrudhi citrāmaghe havam || 10 ||
uṣo vājaṁ hi vaṁsva yaś citro mānuṣe jane |
tenā vaha sukṛto adhvarām̐ upa ye tvā gṛṇanti vahnayaḥ || 11 ||
viśvān devām̐ ā vaha somapītaye 'ntarikṣād uṣas tvam |
sāsmāsu dhā gomad aśvāvad ukthya1m uṣo vājaṁ suvīryam || 12 ||
yasyā ruśanto arcayaḥ prati bhadrā adṛkṣata |
sā no rayiṁ viśvavāraṁ supeśasam uṣā dadātu sugmyam || 13 ||
ye cid dhi tvām ṛṣayaḥ pūrva ūtaye juhūre 'vase mahi |
sā naḥ stomām̐ abhi gṛṇīhi rādhasoṣaḥ śukreṇa śociṣā || 14 ||
uṣo yad adya bhānunā vi dvārāv ṛṇavo divaḥ |
pra no yacchatād avṛkam pṛthu cchardiḥ pra devi gomatīr iṣaḥ || 15 ||
saṁ no rāyā bṛhatā viśvapeśasā mimikṣvā sam iḻābhir ā |
saṁ dyumnena viśvaturoṣo mahi saṁ vājair vājinīvati || 16 ||
Source Colophon
Sanskrit text of the Rigveda, Śākala recension. The standard scholarly edition is the Bombay Oriental (Vishva Bandhu, 5 vols., 1963–66). IAST transliteration available from GRETIL (Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages) and Vedaweb (University of Cologne). Both sources are open access. IAST transliteration from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).