Hymn to Uṣas
Rigveda VII.81 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. Now she is seen, coming, shining forth — the daughter of Heaven. She sweeps away the great darkness so we can see; the gracious one turns darkness into light.
2. The sun sends up his ruddy rays, rising together with the flaming star. At your dawning, Uṣas, and at the sun's, may we come into our share.
3. We who woke quickly have met you, Uṣas, daughter of Heaven — you who bring much that is longed for, loving one, a delight like a jewel for the one who makes offerings.
4. You who, shining forth, generously reveal the great light, goddess, so the sun's brightness can be seen — we ask you for a share of that treasure; may we be like sons to a mother.
5. Bring that wondrous gift, the one most widely renowned; grant us that sustenance for mortals which is yours, daughter of Heaven, so we may enjoy it.
6. Fame for our patrons, imperishable wealth, and for us prizes rich in cattle. Uṣas the truthful, rouser of the generous giver, has shone forth, driving away all failure.
Translator's note: line 2's "nakṣatram arcivat" ("flaming star/asterism") is compact and may describe either a companion star or Uṣas's own brightness; rendered conservatively as "the flaming star." In line 6, "codayitrī maghonaḥ" ("rouser of the generous one") is read as referring to Uṣas spurring on the patron/giver of offerings; the exact referent of "maghonaḥ" is left as the text presents it, without added specification.
Colophon
Rigveda VII.81 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.81
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.
praty u adarśy āyaty u1cchantī duhitā divaḥ |
apo mahi vyayati cakṣase tamo jyotiṣ kṛṇoti sūnarī || 1 ||
ud usriyāḥ sṛjate sūryaḥ sacām̐ udyan nakṣatram arcivat |
taved uṣo vyuṣi sūryasya ca sam bhaktena gamemahi || 2 ||
prati tvā duhitar diva uṣo jīrā abhutsmahi |
yā vahasi puru spārhaṁ vananvati ratnaṁ na dāśuṣe mayaḥ || 3 ||
ucchantī yā kṛṇoṣi maṁhanā mahi prakhyai devi svar dṛśe |
tasyās te ratnabhāja īmahe vayaṁ syāma mātur na sūnavaḥ || 4 ||
tac citraṁ rādha ā bharoṣo yad dīrghaśruttamam |
yat te divo duhitar martabhojanaṁ tad rāsva bhunajāmahai || 5 ||
śravaḥ sūribhyo amṛtaṁ vasutvanaṁ vājām̐ asmabhyaṁ gomataḥ |
codayitrī maghonaḥ sūnṛtāvaty uṣā ucchad apa sridhaḥ || 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).