Hymn to the Ṛbhus
Rigveda IV.36 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.
1. A chariot born without horses, without reins, worthy of praise, three-wheeled, circles the atmosphere — great is that proclamation of your divine power, O Ṛbhus, that you sustain heaven and earth.
2. You who, wise of mind, made the smooth-rolling, unswerving chariot by thought alone — to you now, for the drinking of this pressed offering, O Ṛbhus, we make known our gifts.
3. That, O Ṛbhus — O Vāja — is your well-proclaimed deed: your greatness became manifest among the gods, when you fashioned the two aged parents, worn with age, young again, fit to move about.
4. You turned the single cup into four; you drew forth a living cow from a hide by your skill. Then you won immortality among the gods — through your readiness, O Ṛbhus, that is your praiseworthy deed.
5. Wealth from the Ṛbhu, of foremost fame, whom men renowned for their strength-gifts brought forth; fashioned by Vibhvan, to be proclaimed in the sacrificial gatherings — he whom the gods favor, that vigorous one.
6. He is a prize courser, he is a seer through his speech, he is a hero, an unconquerable archer in battles; he holds increase of wealth, he holds true valor — he whom Vāja, Vibhvan, and the Ṛbhus have favored.
7. The finest, fair form has been bestowed upon you; enjoy this hymn of praise, O Ṛbhus. For you are wise, seers, full of insight; with this sacred formula we proclaim you.
8. You, who know all goods worthy of men, beyond our prayers — fashion for us, O Ṛbhus, a shining strength, bull-mighty and supreme, wealth, and vigor.
9. Granting here offspring, here wealth, fashion for us here fame rich in heroic sons, by which we might outshine other peoples — give us that wondrous strength, O Ṛbhus.
Translator's note: Verses 5–6 shift from addressing the Ṛbhus as a trio to describing a wealth/prize (rayi) or champion favored by the three named Ṛbhus — Ṛbhu, Vibhvan, and Vāja — individually; the syntax is compressed and the referent (a personified gift, or the patron who receives it) is left ambiguous in the Sanskrit itself, so the rendering stays close to the literal images rather than resolving the ambiguity.
Colophon
Rigveda IV.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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda IV.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.
anaśvo jāto anabhīśur ukthyo3 rathas tricakraḥ pari vartate rajaḥ |
mahat tad vo devyasya pravācanaṁ dyām ṛbhavaḥ pṛthivīṁ yac ca puṣyatha || 1 ||
rathaṁ ye cakruḥ suvṛtaṁ sucetaso 'vihvarantam manasas pari dhyayā |
tām̐ ū nv a1sya savanasya pītaya ā vo vājā ṛbhavo vedayāmasi || 2 ||
tad vo vājā ṛbhavaḥ supravācanaṁ deveṣu vibhvo abhavan mahitvanam |
jivrī yat santā pitarā sanājurā punar yuvānā carathāya takṣatha || 3 ||
ekaṁ vi cakra camasaṁ caturvayaṁ niś carmaṇo gām ariṇīta dhītibhiḥ |
athā deveṣv amṛtatvam ānaśa śruṣṭī vājā ṛbhavas tad va ukthyam || 4 ||
ṛbhuto rayiḥ prathamaśravastamo vājaśrutāso yam ajījanan naraḥ |
vibhvataṣṭo vidatheṣu pravācyo yaṁ devāso 'vathā sa vicarṣaṇiḥ || 5 ||
sa vājy arvā sa ṛṣir vacasyayā sa śūro astā pṛtanāsu duṣṭaraḥ |
sa rāyas poṣaṁ sa suvīryaṁ dadhe yaṁ vājo vibhvām̐ ṛbhavo yam āviṣuḥ || 6 ||
śreṣṭhaṁ vaḥ peśo adhi dhāyi darśataṁ stomo vājā ṛbhavas taṁ jujuṣṭana |
dhīrāso hi ṣṭhā kavayo vipaścitas tān va enā brahmaṇā vedayāmasi || 7 ||
yūyam asmabhyaṁ dhiṣaṇābhyas pari vidvāṁso viśvā naryāṇi bhojanā |
dyumantaṁ vājaṁ vṛṣaśuṣmam uttamam ā no rayim ṛbhavas takṣatā vayaḥ || 8 ||
iha prajām iha rayiṁ rarāṇā iha śravo vīravat takṣatā naḥ |
yena vayaṁ citayemāty anyān taṁ vājaṁ citram ṛbhavo dadā naḥ || 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).