Hymn to the All-Gods

Rigveda X.36 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. The hymn calls on the whole assembly of gods — Dawn and Night, Heaven and Earth, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman, Indra, the Maruts, Aditi, the Aśvins, Bṛhaspati — for protection, well-being, and long life, and closes with the sun-god Savitṛ invoked from all four directions.

1. Dawn and Night, the two great ones, beautifully adorned; Heaven and Earth; Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman —
I call upon Indra, the Maruts, the mountains, the waters, the Ādityas, Heaven and Earth, the waters, the sun.

2. May Heaven and Earth, the wise, the truthful ones, protect us from distress and harm.
Let baneful Nirṛti gain no power over us. This day we choose that help of the gods.

3. May Aditi, mother of bountiful Mitra and Varuṇa, protect us from every distress.
May we reach the sun-filled light, free from the wolf. This day we choose that help of the gods.

4. Let the speaking pressing-stone drive off the demons — bad dreams, Nirṛti, every devouring thing.
May we obtain the shelter of the Ādityas and of the Maruts. This day we choose that help of the gods.

5. Let Indra sit down here on the sacred grass; let Iḷā flow rich and abundant.
Let Bṛhaspati, the chanter, sing with sāman melodies. May we shape a clear-minded thought for life. This day we choose that help of the gods.

6. O Aśvins, make our sacrifice touch the sky, make it lively and full of favor, for our worship.
Its reins turned forward, offered with ghee. This day we choose that help of the gods.

7. I call near the easily-invoked host of the Maruts, pure and lofty, kindly toward friendship.
May we gain increase of wealth for good fame. This day we choose that help of the gods.

8. We bring the vessel of the waters, wealth-giving to the living, dear to the gods, easily called, glory of the rite.
Well-reined Soma, Indra's own, we guide forth. This day we choose that help of the gods.

9. May we win that prize well, with winning powers — we, alive, with living sons, blameless.
May those who hate the sacred word carry their sin away in every direction. This day we choose that help of the gods.

10. You gods who are worthy of Manu's worship, hear us. Grant what we ask of you, gods.
A conquering resolve, rich in wealth, rich in men, glory. This day we choose that help of the gods.

11. Today we choose the great help of the great, of the lofty, unrivaled gods —
so that we may reach wealth that comes of strong sons. This day we choose that help of the gods.

12. In the shelter of great, kindled Agni, blameless before Mitra and Varuṇa, for our well-being —
may we stand in the best impulse sent by Savitṛ. This day we choose that help of the gods.

13. All you gods who stand under Savitṛ, whose impulse is true, under the ordinance of Mitra and Varuṇa —
grant us good fortune rich in sons, in cattle, in gain, and wondrous wealth for us.

14. Savitṛ behind us, Savitṛ before us, Savitṛ above, Savitṛ below —
may Savitṛ impel wholeness for us; may Savitṛ grant us long life.

Translator's note: "sarvatātim" (verse 14) is rendered "wholeness" — it carries the sense of completeness, soundness, and total well-being, with no single English word covering it exactly.

Colophon

Rigveda X.36 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 X.36

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.

uṣāsānaktā bṛhatī supeśasā dyāvākṣāmā varuṇo mitro aryamā |
indraṁ huve marutaḥ parvatām̐ apa ādityān dyāvāpṛthivī apaḥ svaḥ || 1 ||

dyauś ca naḥ pṛthivī ca pracetasa ṛtāvarī rakṣatām aṁhaso riṣaḥ |
mā durvidatrā nirṛtir na īśata tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 2 ||

viśvasmān no aditiḥ pātv aṁhaso mātā mitrasya varuṇasya revataḥ |
svarvaj jyotir avṛkaṁ naśīmahi tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 3 ||

grāvā vadann apa rakṣāṁsi sedhatu duṣṣvapnyaṁ nirṛtiṁ viśvam atriṇam |
ādityaṁ śarma marutām aśīmahi tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 4 ||

endro barhiḥ sīdatu pinvatām iḻā bṛhaspatiḥ sāmabhir ṛkvo arcatu |
supraketaṁ jīvase manma dhīmahi tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 5 ||

divispṛśaṁ yajñam asmākam aśvinā jīrādhvaraṁ kṛṇutaṁ sumnam iṣṭaye |
prācīnaraśmim āhutaṁ ghṛtena tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 6 ||

upa hvaye suhavam mārutaṁ gaṇam pāvakam ṛṣvaṁ sakhyāya śambhuvam |
rāyas poṣaṁ sauśravasāya dhīmahi tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 7 ||

apām peruṁ jīvadhanyam bharāmahe devāvyaṁ suhavam adhvaraśriyam |
suraśmiṁ somam indriyaṁ yamīmahi tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 8 ||

sanema tat susanitā sanitvabhir vayaṁ jīvā jīvaputrā anāgasaḥ |
brahmadviṣo viṣvag eno bharerata tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 9 ||

ye sthā manor yajñiyās te śṛṇotana yad vo devā īmahe tad dadātana |
jaitraṁ kratuṁ rayimad vīravad yaśas tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 10 ||

mahad adya mahatām ā vṛṇīmahe 'vo devānām bṛhatām anarvaṇām |
yathā vasu vīrajātaṁ naśāmahai tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 11 ||

maho agneḥ samidhānasya śarmaṇy anāgā mitre varuṇe svastaye |
śreṣṭhe syāma savituḥ savīmani tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 12 ||

ye savituḥ satyasavasya viśve mitrasya vrate varuṇasya devāḥ |
te saubhagaṁ vīravad gomad apno dadhātana draviṇaṁ citram asme || 13 ||

savitā paścātāt savitā purastāt savitottarāttāt savitādharāttāt |
savitā naḥ suvatu sarvatātiṁ savitā no rāsatāṁ dīrgham āyuḥ || 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).