Hymn to Viṣṇu (with Indra)
Rigveda VII.99 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. Growing beyond all measure in your body, they cannot reach the extent of your greatness. We know both your realms that touch the earth; but you, Viṣṇu, god, know the highest one.
2. Neither one already born nor one now being born, Viṣṇu, god, has reached the far end of your greatness. You propped up the lofty, vast vault of heaven; you fixed firm the eastern ridge of the earth.
3. May the two worlds be rich in nourishment, rich in cattle, rich in good pasture, favoring humankind. You, Viṣṇu, propped these two worlds apart; you held the earth fast on every side with your rays.
4. You two made wide room for the sacrifice, bringing forth the sun, the dawn, and fire. Even the magic of the bull-jawed dāsa you two heroes struck down in the battles.
5. Indra and Viṣṇu, you shattered the ninety-nine fortified strongholds of Śambara. Together, unopposed, you struck down a hundred and a thousand warriors of Varcin.
6. This lofty hymn, to you two great wide-striding gods, mighty, magnifying you — I offer you this praise at the sacrificial gatherings. Viṣṇu, Indra, make the offerings of food swell full in our settlements.
7. I raise the vaṣaṭ-cry to you, Viṣṇu, with my mouth; accept this offering of mine, Śipiviṣṭa. May my well-sung praises, my songs, exalt you. Protect us always, all of you, with blessings.
Translator's note: verse 4's "bull-jawed" renders vṛṣaśipra, an epithet of the demon whose exact sense (of the jaw, muzzle, or helmet) is debated; it is kept literal rather than resolved. Verse 7's Śipiviṣṭa is a standing epithet of Viṣṇu whose etymology is uncertain — traditionally read as "clothed in rays" — and is left untranslated as a name. The closing line of verse 7 addresses the gods in the plural, following a stock refrain used across many Rigvedic hymns.
Colophon
Rigveda VII.99 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.99
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.
paro mātrayā tanvā vṛdhāna na te mahitvam anv aśnuvanti |
ubhe te vidma rajasī pṛthivyā viṣṇo deva tvam paramasya vitse || 1 ||
na te viṣṇo jāyamāno na jāto deva mahimnaḥ param antam āpa |
ud astabhnā nākam ṛṣvam bṛhantaṁ dādhartha prācīṁ kakubham pṛthivyāḥ || 2 ||
irāvatī dhenumatī hi bhūtaṁ sūyavasinī manuṣe daśasyā |
vy astabhnā rodasī viṣṇav ete dādhartha pṛthivīm abhito mayūkhaiḥ || 3 ||
uruṁ yajñāya cakrathur u lokaṁ janayantā sūryam uṣāsam agnim |
dāsasya cid vṛṣaśiprasya māyā jaghnathur narā pṛtanājyeṣu || 4 ||
indrāviṣṇū dṛṁhitāḥ śambarasya nava puro navatiṁ ca śnathiṣṭam |
śataṁ varcinaḥ sahasraṁ ca sākaṁ hatho apraty asurasya vīrān || 5 ||
iyam manīṣā bṛhatī bṛhantorukramā tavasā vardhayantī |
rare vāṁ stomaṁ vidatheṣu viṣṇo pinvatam iṣo vṛjaneṣv indra || 6 ||
vaṣaṭ te viṣṇav āsa ā kṛṇomi tan me juṣasva śipiviṣṭa havyam |
vardhantu tvā suṣṭutayo giro me 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).