Hymn to Uṣas
Rigveda VII.77 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 7 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. She has shone out nearby, like a young woman, stirring every living thing into motion. Agni has come into being for men to kindle; she has made light, pushing back the darknesses.
2. Facing all things, spreading wide, she has risen up; wearing a bright garment, she has grown radiant. Golden in color, fair to look upon, lovely to see, the mother of the cows, the leader of the days, has shone forth.
3. Carrying the eye of the gods, the fortunate one, leading her white, fair-looking horse — Uṣas has been seen, adorned with her rays, rich in wondrous gifts, spreading over everything.
4. Dear one who is near — as you dawn, keep the enemy far away; make for us a wide pasture and safety. Drive off hatred, bring us goods, and stir up bounty for the one who sings your praise, O generous one.
5. Shine out upon us with your finest rays, O goddess Uṣas, lengthening our lifespan, and granting us nourishment, O you who hold every good thing — bounty of cattle, of horses, and of chariots.
6. You, O daughter of heaven, whom the Vasiṣṭhas strengthen with their hymns, O well-born one — place in us wealth, lofty and abundant. Protect us always, all of you, with your blessings.
Translator's note: "antivāmā" (v. 4) is a compound epithet meaning roughly "dear when near," rendered here as "dear one who is near." The closing line of v. 6 ("yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ") shifts to a plural imperative, a standard formula closing many hymns of the Vasiṣṭha family in this book; it is kept literal here rather than smoothed into agreement with the singular Uṣas addressed earlier in the verse.
Colophon
Rigveda VII.77 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 VII.77
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.
upo ruruce yuvatir na yoṣā viśvaṁ jīvam prasuvantī carāyai |
abhūd agniḥ samidhe mānuṣāṇām akar jyotir bādhamānā tamāṁsi || 1 ||
viśvam pratīcī saprathā ud asthād ruśad vāso bibhratī śukram aśvait |
hiraṇyavarṇā sudṛśīkasaṁdṛg gavām mātā netry ahnām aroci || 2 ||
devānāṁ cakṣuḥ subhagā vahantī śvetaṁ nayantī sudṛśīkam aśvam |
uṣā adarśi raśmibhir vyaktā citrāmaghā viśvam anu prabhūtā || 3 ||
antivāmā dūre amitram ucchorvīṁ gavyūtim abhayaṁ kṛdhī naḥ |
yāvaya dveṣa ā bharā vasūni codaya rādho gṛṇate maghoni || 4 ||
asme śreṣṭhebhir bhānubhir vi bhāhy uṣo devi pratirantī na āyuḥ |
iṣaṁ ca no dadhatī viśvavāre gomad aśvāvad rathavac ca rādhaḥ || 5 ||
yāṁ tvā divo duhitar vardhayanty uṣaḥ sujāte matibhir vasiṣṭhāḥ |
sāsmāsu dhā rayim ṛṣvam bṛhantaṁ yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 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).