Hymn to Vāyu and Indra-Vāyu
Rigveda VII.90 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. The bright, sweet-pressed somas have flowed forth for you two through the vigor of the adhvaryu priests. Drive here your yoked team, O Vāyu, come to us; drink of the pressed juice for your exhilaration.
2. Whoever brings to you, O ruling one, an offering — the pure soma, to you, O Vāyu, drinker of the pure — him you make renowned among mortals; generation after generation, his son is born a champion.
3. For wealth these two world-halves gave birth to him; for wealth the goddess Dhiṣaṇā sustains the god. Then his own yoked team follows Vāyu — and follows the bright bestower of wealth in his own domain.
4. The dawns break forth, fair and unblemished; the meditating sages have found the wide light. The zealous seers uncovered even the cattle-enclosure; following them, from ancient times, the waters have flowed.
5. They, meditating with a truthful mind, yoked by their own insight, draw the chariot onward. O Indra-Vāyu, the hero-carrying chariot of you two rulers — nourishing powers accompany it.
6. O ruling ones who bestow upon us the light of heaven with cattle, horses, goods, and gold — O Indra-Vāyu, may our patrons have a full lifetime, and with swift steeds and heroes may they prevail in battles.
7. Like racehorses craving renown, we the Vasiṣṭhas call upon Indra-Vāyu with fine praise-hymns; striving for the prize, may we call on you for your good protection. Protect us always, all of you, with your blessings.
Translator's note: verse 3's "dhiṣaṇā" is kept as the proper name of the goddess associated with the pressing-stone and poetic insight, rather than translated as a common noun. Verse 4's "uśijaḥ" (eager ones) is rendered "zealous seers," following its standard use for ardent priestly figures in the Rigveda. Verse 2's "vājī" (prize-winner/strong one) is rendered "champion" for readability.
Colophon
Rigveda VII.90 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.90
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.
pra vīrayā śucayo dadrire vām adhvaryubhir madhumantaḥ sutāsaḥ |
vaha vāyo niyuto yāhy acchā pibā sutasyāndhaso madāya || 1 ||
īśānāya prahutiṁ yas ta ānaṭ chuciṁ somaṁ śucipās tubhyaṁ vāyo |
kṛṇoṣi tam martyeṣu praśastaṁ jāto-jāto jāyate vājy asya || 2 ||
rāye nu yaṁ jajñatū rodasīme rāye devī dhiṣaṇā dhāti devam |
adha vāyuṁ niyutaḥ saścata svā uta śvetaṁ vasudhitiṁ nireke || 3 ||
ucchann uṣasaḥ sudinā ariprā uru jyotir vividur dīdhyānāḥ |
gavyaṁ cid ūrvam uśijo vi vavrus teṣām anu pradivaḥ sasrur āpaḥ || 4 ||
te satyena manasā dīdhyānāḥ svena yuktāsaḥ kratunā vahanti |
indravāyū vīravāhaṁ rathaṁ vām īśānayor abhi pṛkṣaḥ sacante || 5 ||
īśānāso ye dadhate svar ṇo gobhir aśvebhir vasubhir hiraṇyaiḥ |
indravāyū sūrayo viśvam āyur arvadbhir vīraiḥ pṛtanāsu sahyuḥ || 6 ||
arvanto na śravaso bhikṣamāṇā indravāyū suṣṭutibhir vasiṣṭhāḥ |
vājayantaḥ sv avase huvema yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 7 ||
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).