Hymn to Savitṛ
Rigveda VI.71 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 6 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. This god Savitṛ, of good power, has raised up his two golden arms for the pressing-time. He sprinkles his hands with ghee — the vigorous young one, skillful, in the ordering of the world's expanse.
2. May we have the best share in the impelling of the god Savitṛ, and in his giving of goods — he who governs the settling to rest and the setting-forth of every two-footed and four-footed creature, of all abundance.
3. O Savitṛ, guard our household all around today with your unfailing, kindly protections. Golden-tongued one, for fresh well-being, protect us — let no speaker of evil have power over us.
4. This god Savitṛ, our kinsman, golden-handed, iron-jawed, worthy of worship, sweet-voiced, has risen up at every nightfall; he sends abundant good things to the one who brings offerings.
5. Savitṛ has raised his two golden, well-formed arms, like one about to speak. He has climbed from the earth to the heights of heaven; he has stilled whatever monstrous thing was in flight.
6. Good today, O Savitṛ, and good tomorrow — day by day may you send good things to us. For, god, of the abundant good dwelling-place, through this devotion of ours may we become sharers in the good.
Translator's note: "abhvam" in verse 5 (rendered "monstrous thing") is a rare word for a formless or monstrous being; its exact referent is uncertain and it is translated conservatively here. "rajasaḥ vidharmaṇi" in verse 1 (the "ordering of the world's expanse") refers to Savitṛ's governance of the atmospheric/earthly realm (rajas).
Colophon
Rigveda VI.71 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 VI.71
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.
ud u ṣya devaḥ savitā hiraṇyayā bāhū ayaṁsta savanāya sukratuḥ |
ghṛtena pāṇī abhi pruṣṇute makho yuvā sudakṣo rajaso vidharmaṇi || 1 ||
devasya vayaṁ savituḥ savīmani śreṣṭhe syāma vasunaś ca dāvane |
yo viśvasya dvipado yaś catuṣpado niveśane prasave cāsi bhūmanaḥ || 2 ||
adabdhebhiḥ savitaḥ pāyubhiṣ ṭvaṁ śivebhir adya pari pāhi no gayam |
hiraṇyajihvaḥ suvitāya navyase rakṣā mākir no aghaśaṁsa īśata || 3 ||
ud u ṣya devaḥ savitā damūnā hiraṇyapāṇiḥ pratidoṣam asthāt |
ayohanur yajato mandrajihva ā dāśuṣe suvati bhūri vāmam || 4 ||
ud ū ayām̐ upavakteva bāhū hiraṇyayā savitā supratīkā |
divo rohāṁsy aruhat pṛthivyā arīramat patayat kac cid abhvam || 5 ||
vāmam adya savitar vāmam u śvo dive-dive vāmam asmabhyaṁ sāvīḥ |
vāmasya hi kṣayasya deva bhūrer ayā dhiyā vāmabhājaḥ syāma || 6 ||
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).