Saraṇyū, Pūṣan, Sarasvatī, and the Waters
Rigveda X.17 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 10 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced for the Good Works Library from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
1. "Tvaṣṭar makes a wedding procession for his daughter" — at this saying the whole world comes together. Yama's mother, being borne along in the bridal procession, the great wife of Vivasvant, vanished.
2. They hid the immortal one from mortals; having made one of like appearance, they gave her to Vivasvant instead. And she bore the two Aśvins from that union — that was how it was — and Saraṇyū left behind the twin pair.
3. Let Pūṣan, the knowing one, whose herds are never lost, the herdsman of the world, drive you forth from here. Let him hand you over to the Fathers, and Agni to the gods who are easy to find.
4. Āyu, whose name is Lifetime, guards you on every side; let Pūṣan protect you on the road ahead, in front. Where the doers of good deeds sit, where they have gone, there may the god Savitar set you down.
5. Pūṣan knows all these regions well; may he lead us by the safest way. Giver of well-being, glowing, attended by all his men, unfailing, let him go before us, knowing the way.
6. On the forward path of paths Pūṣan was born — on the forward path of heaven, the forward path of earth. He travels to and fro between both beloved dwelling-places, knowing the way.
7. Those devoted to the gods call upon Sarasvatī; they call Sarasvatī during the rite as it unfolds. The doers of good deeds have called upon her; may Sarasvatī give the worshipper a choice gift.
8. O Sarasvatī, who rode in the same chariot with the Fathers of old, O goddess, rejoicing at the svadhā-offerings — having taken your seat on this sacred grass, be glad; grant us food that brings no harm.
9. Sarasvatī, whom the Fathers call as they approach the sacrifice from the south — here set down a thousandfold share of refreshment, and growth of wealth, among the sacrificers.
10. May the Waters, our mothers, cleanse us; may the ghee-bearing ones purify us with ghee. For the goddesses carry off all impurity; I rise up from them shining, made pure.
11. The drop has fallen, following the first days — toward this womb and toward the one before it. I offer the drop that moves on through the same womb, following the seven acts of offering.
12. The drop of yours that drips, the shoot of yours stirred by the arms, from the lap of the offering-bowl, or from the Adhvaryu's hand, or from the filter — that I offer you in mind, at the cry of vaṣaṭ.
13. The drop of yours that has fallen, your shoot, whether beneath the ladle or beyond it — may this god Bṛhaspati pour it all together for our reward.
14. Full of milk are the plants, full of milk is my humble speech; full of milk indeed is the milk of the waters. With that, purify me through and through.
Translator's note: verses 11–13 concern a "drop" (drapsa) and "shoot" (aṁśu) of the pressed soma plant during the ritual; the imagery is condensed and technical in the Sanskrit, and the rendering here stays close to the literal sense rather than supplying interpretive expansion.
Colophon
Rigveda X.17 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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda X.17
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
tvaṣṭā duhitre vahatuṁ kṛṇotītīdaṁ viśvam bhuvanaṁ sam eti |
yamasya mātā paryuhyamānā maho jāyā vivasvato nanāśa || 1 ||
apāgūhann amṛtām martyebhyaḥ kṛtvī savarṇām adadur vivasvate |
utāśvināv abharad yat tad āsīd ajahād u dvā mithunā saraṇyūḥ || 2 ||
pūṣā tvetaś cyāvayatu pra vidvān anaṣṭapaśur bhuvanasya gopāḥ |
sa tvaitebhyaḥ pari dadat pitṛbhyo 'gnir devebhyaḥ suvidatriyebhyaḥ || 3 ||
āyur viśvāyuḥ pari pāsati tvā pūṣā tvā pātu prapathe purastāt |
yatrāsate sukṛto yatra te yayus tatra tvā devaḥ savitā dadhātu || 4 ||
pūṣemā āśā anu veda sarvāḥ so asmām̐ abhayatamena neṣat |
svastidā āghṛṇiḥ sarvavīro 'prayucchan pura etu prajānan || 5 ||
prapathe pathām ajaniṣṭa pūṣā prapathe divaḥ prapathe pṛthivyāḥ |
ubhe abhi priyatame sadhasthe ā ca parā ca carati prajānan || 6 ||
sarasvatīṁ devayanto havante sarasvatīm adhvare tāyamāne |
sarasvatīṁ sukṛto ahvayanta sarasvatī dāśuṣe vāryaṁ dāt || 7 ||
sarasvati yā sarathaṁ yayātha svadhābhir devi pitṛbhir madantī |
āsadyāsmin barhiṣi mādayasvānamīvā iṣa ā dhehy asme || 8 ||
sarasvatīṁ yām pitaro havante dakṣiṇā yajñam abhinakṣamāṇāḥ |
sahasrārgham iḻo atra bhāgaṁ rāyas poṣaṁ yajamāneṣu dhehi || 9 ||
āpo asmān mātaraḥ śundhayantu ghṛtena no ghṛtapvaḥ punantu |
viśvaṁ hi ripram pravahanti devīr ud id ābhyaḥ śucir ā pūta emi || 10 ||
drapsaś caskanda prathamām̐ anu dyūn imaṁ ca yonim anu yaś ca pūrvaḥ |
samānaṁ yonim anu saṁcarantaṁ drapsaṁ juhomy anu sapta hotrāḥ || 11 ||
yas te drapsaḥ skandati yas te aṁśur bāhucyuto dhiṣaṇāyā upasthāt |
adhvaryor vā pari vā yaḥ pavitrāt taṁ te juhomi manasā vaṣaṭkṛtam || 12 ||
yas te drapsaḥ skanno yas te aṁśur avaś ca yaḥ paraḥ srucā |
ayaṁ devo bṛhaspatiḥ saṁ taṁ siñcatu rādhase || 13 ||
payasvatīr oṣadhayaḥ payasvan māmakaṁ vacaḥ |
apām payasvad it payas tena mā saha śundhata || 14 ||
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).