Hymn to Manyu
Rigveda X.83 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. Whoever has honored you, Manyu, wielder of the bolt, the dart — he steadily nurtures all strength without pause. May we, with you as our ally, overcome the Dāsa and the Ārya, made powerful by power, strong with strength.
2. Manyu was Indra; Manyu alone was the god. Manyu was the Hotar, Varuṇa, Jātavedas. The tribes born of Manu call upon Manyu in worship. Protect us, Manyu, in accord with your fervor.
3. Advance, Manyu, mightier than the mighty; with fervor as your ally, strike down our enemies. Slayer of foes, slayer of Vṛtra, slayer of Dasyus — bring us every kind of wealth.
4. For you, Manyu, are strength that overpowers, wrath self-born, victor over hostile plots. Lord of all peoples, enduring, powerful — place strength in us for battle.
5. Without a share, I have gone away, by your will, O powerful and wise one. Without resolve, I have angered you, Manyu. Come yourself, in your own person, to grant me strength.
6. Here I am, yours — come near, turn toward me, powerful one who sustains all. Manyu, wielder of the bolt, turn toward me; let us together slay the Dasyus, and be mindful of your friend.
7. Go forth; stand at my right side. Then let us together strike down many foes. I offer you the first portion, the finest of the honeyed draught. Let us both drink first, in silence.
Translator's note: verse 5 turns on two compressed words — "pracetaḥ" (wise/perceptive one) and "akratuḥ" (without resolve/purpose) — rendered here conservatively; verse 7's "upāṁśu" is a ritual term for the silent, low-voiced pressing and drinking of the offering, kept here as "in silence."
Colophon
Rigveda X.83 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.83
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.
yas te manyo 'vidhad vajra sāyaka saha ojaḥ puṣyati viśvam ānuṣak |
sāhyāma dāsam āryaṁ tvayā yujā sahaskṛtena sahasā sahasvatā || 1 ||
manyur indro manyur evāsa devo manyur hotā varuṇo jātavedāḥ |
manyuṁ viśa īḻate mānuṣīr yāḥ pāhi no manyo tapasā sajoṣāḥ || 2 ||
abhīhi manyo tavasas tavīyān tapasā yujā vi jahi śatrūn |
amitrahā vṛtrahā dasyuhā ca viśvā vasūny ā bharā tvaṁ naḥ || 3 ||
tvaṁ hi manyo abhibhūtyojāḥ svayambhūr bhāmo abhimātiṣāhaḥ |
viśvacarṣaṇiḥ sahuriḥ sahāvān asmāsv ojaḥ pṛtanāsu dhehi || 4 ||
abhāgaḥ sann apa pareto asmi tava kratvā taviṣasya pracetaḥ |
taṁ tvā manyo akratur jihīḻāhaṁ svā tanūr baladeyāya mehi || 5 ||
ayaṁ te asmy upa mehy arvāṅ pratīcīnaḥ sahure viśvadhāyaḥ |
manyo vajrinn abhi mām ā vavṛtsva hanāva dasyūm̐r uta bodhy āpeḥ || 6 ||
abhi prehi dakṣiṇato bhavā me 'dhā vṛtrāṇi jaṅghanāva bhūri |
juhomi te dharuṇam madhvo agram ubhā upāṁśu prathamā pibāva || 7 ||
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).