Hymn to Many Gods
Rigveda VIII.101 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 8 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. That mortal has truly labored in a special way for the worship of the gods, who has now made Mitra and Varuṇa his own for help, for the giving of oblations.
2. Those two men, those two kings, holding the highest dominion, wide-seeing, most far-famed, race on with their might, together with the rays of the sun.
3. O Mitra and Varuṇa, your swift messenger has run forth — iron-headed, rushing with fierce speed.
4. He does not linger to converse, nor to be called back again, nor to parley. Therefore protect us today from disaster — protect us with your two arms.
5. Sing forth, O you rich in the sacred order, a fitting hymn to Mitra and to Aryaman; sing to Varuṇa a sheltering, pleasing speech — a hymn of praise to the kings.
6. They speed onward the ruddy, noble one, the single son of the three. They, the immortal, undeceivable ones, watch over the abodes of mortals.
7. My uplifted words, most brilliant, are ready to be made into song. Come, both of you, O Nāsatyas, of one accord, to the oblations, to partake of them.
8. When we call upon your bounty, free of malice, from you two, O rich in steeds — come, O heroes, extending the forward rite, praised through the hymn of Jamadagni.
9. Come to our sacrifice that touches heaven, O Vāyu, with our good thoughts. This bright soma, being prepared within the filter, above, is offered to you.
10. The Adhvaryu priest goes by the straightest paths toward the oblations, for their enjoyment. So then, O you of the swift steeds, drink of both our offerings — the bright soma mixed with milk.
11. Lo, you are great, O Sūrya! Verily, O Āditya, you are great! Your greatness, being so great, is marveled at — truly, O god, you are great.
12. Lo, O Sūrya, you are great in fame; entirely great, O god, are you. By the greatness of the gods, the mighty lord, set foremost, you are the far-reaching light that cannot be deceived.
13. This one, descending, radiant, made in a ruddy form, appeared, like a wondrous thing, coming amid the ten arms.
14. Three of the creatures indeed have passed beyond this one; others have settled down around the sun. The vast one indeed stands within the worlds; the purifying one has entered the tawny ones.
15. Mother of the Rudras, daughter of the Vasus, sister of the Ādityas, the navel of immortality — let me now proclaim to the discerning people: let no one slay the guiltless cow, Aditi.
16. The goddess, skilled in speech, uttering speech, attended by all our prayers, going about among the gods as the cow — let not the mortal of little understanding do her harm.
Translator's note: Verses 6, 13, and 14 use compressed, riddling imagery (a "single son of the three," a red descending shape "amid ten arms," "three creatures" that "pass beyond") whose precise referents are not settled in the Sanskrit itself; they are rendered literally rather than resolved into a guessed identification.
Colophon
Rigveda VIII.101 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 VIII.101
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.
ṛdhag itthā sa martyaḥ śaśame devatātaye |
yo nūnam mitrāvaruṇāv abhiṣṭaya ācakre havyadātaye || 1 ||
varṣiṣṭhakṣatrā urucakṣasā narā rājānā dīrghaśruttamā |
tā bāhutā na daṁsanā ratharyataḥ sākaṁ sūryasya raśmibhiḥ || 2 ||
pra yo vām mitrāvaruṇājiro dūto adravat |
ayaḥśīrṣā maderaghuḥ || 3 ||
na yaḥ sampṛcche na punar havītave na saṁvādāya ramate |
tasmān no adya samṛter uruṣyatam bāhubhyāṁ na uruṣyatam || 4 ||
pra mitrāya prāryamṇe sacathyam ṛtāvaso |
varūthya1ṁ varuṇe chandyaṁ vacaḥ stotraṁ rājasu gāyata || 5 ||
te hinvire aruṇaṁ jenyaṁ vasv ekam putraṁ tisṝṇām |
te dhāmāny amṛtā martyānām adabdhā abhi cakṣate || 6 ||
ā me vacāṁsy udyatā dyumattamāni kartvā |
ubhā yātaṁ nāsatyā sajoṣasā prati havyāni vītaye || 7 ||
rātiṁ yad vām arakṣasaṁ havāmahe yuvābhyāṁ vājinīvasū |
prācīṁ hotrām pratirantāv itaṁ narā gṛṇānā jamadagninā || 8 ||
ā no yajñaṁ divispṛśaṁ vāyo yāhi sumanmabhiḥ |
antaḥ pavitra upari śrīṇāno3 'yaṁ śukro ayāmi te || 9 ||
vety adhvaryuḥ pathibhī rajiṣṭhaiḥ prati havyāni vītaye |
adhā niyutva ubhayasya naḥ piba śuciṁ somaṁ gavāśiram || 10 ||
baṇ mahām̐ asi sūrya baḻ āditya mahām̐ asi |
mahas te sato mahimā panasyate 'ddhā deva mahām̐ asi || 11 ||
baṭ sūrya śravasā mahām̐ asi satrā deva mahām̐ asi |
mahnā devānām asuryaḥ purohito vibhu jyotir adābhyam || 12 ||
iyaṁ yā nīcy arkiṇī rūpā rohiṇyā kṛtā |
citreva praty adarśy āyaty a1ntar daśasu bāhuṣu || 13 ||
prajā ha tisro atyāyam īyur ny a1nyā arkam abhito viviśre |
bṛhad dha tasthau bhuvaneṣv antaḥ pavamāno harita ā viveśa || 14 ||
mātā rudrāṇāṁ duhitā vasūnāṁ svasādityānām amṛtasya nābhiḥ |
pra nu vocaṁ cikituṣe janāya mā gām anāgām aditiṁ vadhiṣṭa || 15 ||
vacovidaṁ vācam udīrayantīṁ viśvābhir dhībhir upatiṣṭhamānām |
devīṁ devebhyaḥ pary eyuṣīṁ gām ā māvṛkta martyo dabhracetāḥ || 16 ||
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).