Hymn to the Ṛbhus
Rigveda IV.35 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 4 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 Ṛbhus — Ṛbhu, Vibhvan, and Vāja, sons of Sudhanvan — were craftsmen who, in Vedic myth, worked such wonders (making one cup into four, making an aged couple young again, fashioning Indra's horses) that they earned immortality and a share in the sacrifice among the gods. This hymn calls them to the third and final soma-pressing of the day, the pressing traditionally reserved for them, and recounts the feats of skill by which they rose from mortal craftsmen to companions of Indra.
1. Come here, sons of strength, sons of Sudhanvan, Ṛbhus — do not stay away. For in this pressing your share of the gift is set; may your exhilarations go along with Indra's.
2. Here has come the Ṛbhus' share of the gift; the well-pressed soma has been drunk — for by good skill, by good craftsmanship, they made the one cup into four.
3. You made the cup fourfold — "Friend, show your skill," each said to the other. Then you went, prize-winners, along the path of immortality, to the company of the gods, skillful-handed Ṛbhus.
4. Of what was this cup made, which by their skill they turned into four? Now press the offering for exhilaration — drink, Ṛbhus, of the sweet soma.
5. By your skill you made the aged parents young again; by your skill you made the cup fit for the gods to drink from; by your skill you fashioned the two bay steeds, swifter runners, carriers of Indra — Ṛbhus, rich in the treasure of prizes.
6. Whoever presses soma for you at the close of day, a strong pressing for exhilaration, mighty ones — for him, Ṛbhus, fashion wealth rich in heroes, bulls, well pleased.
7. In the morning you drank the pressed soma, tawny-horsed Indra; the midday pressing is yours alone. Drink together with the Ṛbhus, the treasure-givers, the friends whom you made, Indra, through their skillful deed.
8. You who became gods through your skillful deed, and settled in heaven like falcons — bestow treasure, sons of strength; sons of Sudhanvan, you became immortal.
9. The third pressing's gift, which you made by your good craftsmanship, skillful-handed ones — that, Ṛbhus, is poured out here for you; drink it together, with the exhilarations of your strength.
Translator's note: "śacyā" (verses 5–6, rendered "by skill/power") carries both senses of capability and might; the Ṛbhus' feats are elsewhere told across the Ṛbhu hymns (esp. I.161, IV.33–34) and are only alluded to here. "Abhipitve ahnām" (v.6, "at the close of day") points to the third, evening soma-pressing named explicitly in verse 9, the Ṛbhus' own share of the rite.
Colophon
Rigveda IV.35 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 IV.35
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.
ihopa yāta śavaso napātaḥ saudhanvanā ṛbhavo māpa bhūta |
asmin hi vaḥ savane ratnadheyaṁ gamantv indram anu vo madāsaḥ || 1 ||
āgann ṛbhūṇām iha ratnadheyam abhūt somasya suṣutasya pītiḥ |
sukṛtyayā yat svapasyayā cam̐ ekaṁ vicakra camasaṁ caturdhā || 2 ||
vy akṛṇota camasaṁ caturdhā sakhe vi śikṣety abravīta |
athaita vājā amṛtasya panthāṁ gaṇaṁ devānām ṛbhavaḥ suhastāḥ || 3 ||
kimmayaḥ svic camasa eṣa āsa yaṁ kāvyena caturo vicakra |
athā sunudhvaṁ savanam madāya pāta ṛbhavo madhunaḥ somyasya || 4 ||
śacyākarta pitarā yuvānā śacyākarta camasaṁ devapānam |
śacyā harī dhanutarāv ataṣṭendravāhāv ṛbhavo vājaratnāḥ || 5 ||
yo vaḥ sunoty abhipitve ahnāṁ tīvraṁ vājāsaḥ savanam madāya |
tasmai rayim ṛbhavaḥ sarvavīram ā takṣata vṛṣaṇo mandasānāḥ || 6 ||
prātaḥ sutam apibo haryaśva mādhyaṁdinaṁ savanaṁ kevalaṁ te |
sam ṛbhubhiḥ pibasva ratnadhebhiḥ sakhīm̐r yām̐ indra cakṛṣe sukṛtyā || 7 ||
ye devāso abhavatā sukṛtyā śyenā ived adhi divi niṣeda |
te ratnaṁ dhāta śavaso napātaḥ saudhanvanā abhavatāmṛtāsaḥ || 8 ||
yat tṛtīyaṁ savanaṁ ratnadheyam akṛṇudhvaṁ svapasyā suhastāḥ |
tad ṛbhavaḥ pariṣiktaṁ va etat sam madebhir indriyebhiḥ pibadhvam || 9 ||
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).