Hymn to the Viśve Devāḥ (the All-Gods)
Rigveda VIII.27 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. Agni is set foremost in the hymn, the pressing-stones and the sacred grass at the rite; with a verse I approach the Maruts, the Lord of the Sacred Word, seeking the gods' choicest help.
2. You call to the cattle, the earth, the lords of the forest, Dawn and Night, the plants — and may all our Vasus, all-knowing gods, be the furtherers of our hymns.
3. Let our rite go forth well, with Agni, first among the gods, to the Ādityas, to Varuṇa of steadfast ordinances, to the Maruts, all-radiant.
4. For all the all-knowing gods, destroyers of foes, have worked for Manu's growth; with your unfailing guardians, all-knowing ones, grant us a shelter free of harm.
5. Come to us today, all of one mind, all in accord, with verse and song — O Maruts, O goddess Aditi — greatly, to our dwelling, our home.
6. To your dear horse-drawn chariots, O Maruts, to the oblations, O Mitra, you drive forth. Let Indra, Varuṇa, the swift heroes, the Ādityas, take their seat on our sacred grass.
7. We, having strewn the sacred grass for you, our offerings duly set in order, having pressed the soma, O Varuṇa, call upon you as Manu did, with our fires kindled.
8. Come forth, O Maruts, Viṣṇu, the Aśvins, Pūṣan, at our prayer. Let Indra come first, with those eager for the prize — the bull who is praised as the slayer of Vṛtra.
9. Grant us, O guileless gods, unbroken shelter, so that, O Vasus, no one — neither from afar nor from close by — may ever break through our defense.
10. For you have kinship with us, O foe-destroying gods, and friendship too — speak for us, for our ancient well-being, swiftly, for new favor.
11. Now indeed I offer you praise, now for a share of what is good. Bowing before you, all-knowing gods, I have sent forth this hymn, as another was sent before.
12. This Savitṛ of yours, well-guiding, has risen up, erect, worthy of honor; the two-footed and four-footed creatures, pursuing their purposes, the ones that roam, have settled down.
13. Each god of yours, for help; each god, for aid — let us invoke each and every god, for the winning of strength, praising with a godly mind.
14. For the gods, all of one mind, were together for Manu, sharing the same bounty. May they be for us today, and for our children hereafter, finders of freedom and abundance.
15. I proclaim you, guileless gods, at this gathering of praises. No harm touches that mortal, O Varuṇa, O Mitra, who has honored your laws.
16. He extends his dwelling and gains abundant food, who makes offerings to you as you desire. He is blessed with offspring in accordance with the law, and unharmed, prospers in every way.
17. He finds success without strife; he travels his roads by easy paths — the man whom Aryaman, Mitra, and Varuṇa, sharing one bounty and one accord, protect.
18. For him, make level ground even in the open plain, and an easy path even through difficult terrain. May this bolt itself, missing its mark, vanish far away from him.
19. Whatever, today, at sunrise, O you of beloved dominion, you establish as truth — whether at sunset, at dawn, O all-knowing gods, or at midday of the sky —
20. Or whatever shelter you, mighty ones, have extended at nightfall to the pious giver who follows the truth — may we, O Vasus, all-knowing gods, stand within that shelter.
21. Whatever good things, today, at sunrise, at midday, or at evening, you bestow, O all-knowing gods, on Manu, the wise one who offers to you —
22. That gift, O sovereign lords, we choose for ourselves, as a son asks for abundant care. May we obtain it, O Ādityas, as we offer this oblation, by which we may attain to greater well-being.
Translator's note: verses 19–21 form one extended sentence spanning several natural-time formulas (sunrise, sunset, midday, dusk); the syntax is left broken across verses as in the Sanskrit rather than smoothed into a single English sentence. "Vasavaḥ" (Vasus) and "viśvavedasaḥ" (all-knowing/all-possessing ones) are used through the hymn as epithets for the Viśve Devāḥ collectively, not as a separate god-class; rendered literally throughout.
Colophon
Rigveda VIII.27 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.27
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.
agnir ukthe purohito grāvāṇo barhir adhvare |
ṛcā yāmi maruto brahmaṇas patiṁ devām̐ avo vareṇyam || 1 ||
ā paśuṁ gāsi pṛthivīṁ vanaspatīn uṣāsā naktam oṣadhīḥ |
viśve ca no vasavo viśvavedaso dhīnām bhūta prāvitāraḥ || 2 ||
pra sū na etv adhvaro3 'gnā deveṣu pūrvyaḥ |
ādityeṣu pra varuṇe dhṛtavrate marutsu viśvabhānuṣu || 3 ||
viśve hi ṣmā manave viśvavedaso bhuvan vṛdhe riśādasaḥ |
ariṣṭebhiḥ pāyubhir viśvavedaso yantā no 'vṛkaṁ chardiḥ || 4 ||
ā no adya samanaso gantā viśve sajoṣasaḥ |
ṛcā girā maruto devy adite sadane pastye mahi || 5 ||
abhi priyā maruto yā vo aśvyā havyā mitra prayāthana |
ā barhir indro varuṇas turā nara ādityāsaḥ sadantu naḥ || 6 ||
vayaṁ vo vṛktabarhiṣo hitaprayasa ānuṣak |
sutasomāso varuṇa havāmahe manuṣvad iddhāgnayaḥ || 7 ||
ā pra yāta maruto viṣṇo aśvinā pūṣan mākīnayā dhiyā |
indra ā yātu prathamaḥ saniṣyubhir vṛṣā yo vṛtrahā gṛṇe || 8 ||
vi no devāso adruho 'cchidraṁ śarma yacchata |
na yad dūrād vasavo nū cid antito varūtham ādadharṣati || 9 ||
asti hi vaḥ sajātyaṁ riśādaso devāso asty āpyam |
pra ṇaḥ pūrvasmai suvitāya vocata makṣū sumnāya navyase || 10 ||
idā hi va upastutim idā vāmasya bhaktaye |
upa vo viśvavedaso namasyur ām̐ asṛkṣy anyām iva || 11 ||
ud u ṣya vaḥ savitā supraṇītayo 'sthād ūrdhvo vareṇyaḥ |
ni dvipādaś catuṣpādo arthino 'viśran patayiṣṇavaḥ || 12 ||
devaṁ-devaṁ vo 'vase devaṁ-devam abhiṣṭaye |
devaṁ-devaṁ huvema vājasātaye gṛṇanto devyā dhiyā || 13 ||
devāso hi ṣmā manave samanyavo viśve sākaṁ sarātayaḥ |
te no adya te aparaṁ tuce tu no bhavantu varivovidaḥ || 14 ||
pra vaḥ śaṁsāmy adruhaḥ saṁstha upastutīnām |
na taṁ dhūrtir varuṇa mitra martyaṁ yo vo dhāmabhyo 'vidhat || 15 ||
pra sa kṣayaṁ tirate vi mahīr iṣo yo vo varāya dāśati |
pra prajābhir jāyate dharmaṇas pary ariṣṭaḥ sarva edhate || 16 ||
ṛte sa vindate yudhaḥ sugebhir yāty adhvanaḥ |
aryamā mitro varuṇaḥ sarātayo yaṁ trāyante sajoṣasaḥ || 17 ||
ajre cid asmai kṛṇuthā nyañcanaṁ durge cid ā susaraṇam |
eṣā cid asmād aśaniḥ paro nu sāsredhantī vi naśyatu || 18 ||
yad adya sūrya udyati priyakṣatrā ṛtaṁ dadha |
yan nimruci prabudhi viśvavedaso yad vā madhyaṁdine divaḥ || 19 ||
yad vābhipitve asurā ṛtaṁ yate chardir yema vi dāśuṣe |
vayaṁ tad vo vasavo viśvavedasa upa stheyāma madhya ā || 20 ||
yad adya sūra udite yan madhyaṁdina ātuci |
vāmaṁ dhattha manave viśvavedaso juhvānāya pracetase || 21 ||
vayaṁ tad vo samrāja ā vṛṇīmahe putro na bahupāyyam |
aśyāma tad ādityā juhvato havir yena vasyo 'naśāmahai || 22 ||
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).