Bṛhaspati and Agni — The Legend of Devāpi and Śaṃtanu
Rigveda X.98 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 tells of King Śaṃtanu's kingdom suffering drought, and of the seer Devāpi, son of Ṛṣṭiṣeṇa, who is installed as priest and, taught speech by Bṛhaspati and kindling Agni, wins rain from the gods.
1. O Bṛhaspati, go to meet the god for me — whether you are Mitra, or you are Varuṇa, or Pūṣan, or you are with the Ādityas or with the Vasus, accompanied by the Maruts: let him make Parjanya rain for Śaṃtanu.
2. The swift, knowing divine messenger came to me from you, O Devāpi. Turn back and face me — I place in your mouth a shining speech.
3. Place in our mouth, O Bṛhaspati, a shining speech, free of sickness, full of vigor, by which we may win rain for Śaṃtanu. The sweet drop of heaven has entered in.
4. Let the sweet drops enter us. O Indra, give a thousand cows, and a chariot besides. Sit down as Hotar, sacrifice in due season; O Devāpi, honor the gods with the offering.
5. Ārṣṭiṣeṇa, the seer Devāpi, sitting down as Hotar, knowing the gods' good favor, released the heavenly waters from the upper sea down to the lower.
6. In this upper sea the waters stood, held back by the gods. They ran, loosed by Ārṣṭiṣeṇa, sent forth by Devāpi, into their channels.
7. When Devāpi, made priest for Śaṃtanu, chosen for the Hotar's office, longed for it with a caring heart, Bṛhaspati, granting his wish, gave him the speech that is heard by the gods and wins rain.
8. You, O Agni, whom Devāpi Ārṣṭiṣeṇa, a mortal man, kindled and made blaze — approved by all the gods, send forth Parjanya bearing rain.
9. To you the seers of old came with songs; to you, much-invoked one, all came at the rites. There are thousands of cattle beyond the chariot-load for us — come to our sacrifice, chestnut-horsed one.
10. These ninety-nine thousand, beyond the chariot-load, O Agni, have been offered into you. With them strengthen your many bodies, hero; roused, pour down on us the rain of heaven.
11. These ninety thousand, O Agni, hand over as a share to Indra the bull. Knowing the paths that lead to the gods in due order, set Aulāna too among the gods in heaven.
12. O Agni, drive off the scorners, drive off hard straits and sickness, banish the demons. From this great sea of heaven release for us here the abundance of the waters.
Translator's note: verse 6's "mṛkṣiṇīṣu" (rendered here as "channels") is an obscure form, possibly related to tracks worn by friction or currents; its precise sense is uncertain. Verse 11's "Aulāna" is a proper name whose identity is not recoverable from the hymn itself. Verse 12's "apāmīvām" is read as "sickness," though the compound could also suggest "water-borne affliction."
Colophon
Rigveda X.98 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.98
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.
bṛhaspate prati me devatām ihi mitro vā yad varuṇo vāsi pūṣā |
ādityair vā yad vasubhir marutvān sa parjanyaṁ śaṁtanave vṛṣāya || 1 ||
ā devo dūto ajiraś cikitvān tvad devāpe abhi mām agacchat |
pratīcīnaḥ prati mām ā vavṛtsva dadhāmi te dyumatīṁ vācam āsan || 2 ||
asme dhehi dyumatīṁ vācam āsan bṛhaspate anamīvām iṣirām |
yayā vṛṣṭiṁ śaṁtanave vanāva divo drapso madhumām̐ ā viveśa || 3 ||
ā no drapsā madhumanto viśantv indra dehy adhirathaṁ sahasram |
ni ṣīda hotram ṛtuthā yajasva devān devāpe haviṣā saparya || 4 ||
ārṣṭiṣeṇo hotram ṛṣir niṣīdan devāpir devasumatiṁ cikitvān |
sa uttarasmād adharaṁ samudram apo divyā asṛjad varṣyā abhi || 5 ||
asmin samudre adhy uttarasminn āpo devebhir nivṛtā atiṣṭhan |
tā adravann ārṣṭiṣeṇena sṛṣṭā devāpinā preṣitā mṛkṣiṇīṣu || 6 ||
yad devāpiḥ śaṁtanave purohito hotrāya vṛtaḥ kṛpayann adīdhet |
devaśrutaṁ vṛṣṭivaniṁ rarāṇo bṛhaspatir vācam asmā ayacchat || 7 ||
yaṁ tvā devāpiḥ śuśucāno agna ārṣṭiṣeṇo manuṣyaḥ samīdhe |
viśvebhir devair anumadyamānaḥ pra parjanyam īrayā vṛṣṭimantam || 8 ||
tvām pūrva ṛṣayo gīrbhir āyan tvām adhvareṣu puruhūta viśve |
sahasrāṇy adhirathāny asme ā no yajñaṁ rohidaśvopa yāhi || 9 ||
etāny agne navatir nava tve āhutāny adhirathā sahasrā |
tebhir vardhasva tanvaḥ śūra pūrvīr divo no vṛṣṭim iṣito rirīhi || 10 ||
etāny agne navatiṁ sahasrā sam pra yaccha vṛṣṇa indrāya bhāgam |
vidvān patha ṛtuśo devayānān apy aulānaṁ divi deveṣu dhehi || 11 ||
agne bādhasva vi mṛdho vi durgahāpāmīvām apa rakṣāṁsi sedha |
asmāt samudrād bṛhato divo no 'pām bhūmānam upa naḥ sṛjeha || 12 ||
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).