Hymn to Varuṇa and the Aśvins
Rigveda VIII.42 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. The all-knowing Asura propped up heaven; he measured out the breadth of the earth. He, the sovereign, took his seat over all beings — all these are the ordinances of Varuṇa.
2. So praise great Varuṇa; do homage to the wise one, guardian of the immortal. May he extend to us threefold shelter. Protect us, Heaven and Earth, in your lap.
3. O god, for me who strives with this prayer, sharpen resolve and skill, O Varuṇa, by which we may cross over all dangers; may we climb aboard the easily-crossing boat.
4. The inspired singers have set the pressing stones in motion for you with their prayers, O Aśvins. O Nāsatyas, come for the drinking of soma — let the other, rival pressers fail alike.
5. As the inspired Atri called out to you with songs, O Aśvins — O Nāsatyas, come for the drinking of soma; let the other, rival pressers fail alike.
6. So have I called you for help, as the wise ones called before me. O Nāsatyas, come for the drinking of soma; let the other, rival pressers fail alike.
Translator's note: verses 1–3 address Varuṇa and verses 4–6 address the Aśvins (Nāsatyas) with a fixed refrain shared by other soma-pressing hymns in this maṇḍala; the source text keeps both sections under one continuous numbering, so the translation follows it as given rather than dividing it into two hymns. "Threefold shelter" (śarma trivarūtham) is a fixed Vedic formula for triple protection whose precise sense (three coverings, three generations, or three worlds) is debated; it is kept literal here.
Colophon
Rigveda VIII.42 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.42
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.
astabhnād dyām asuro viśvavedā amimīta varimāṇam pṛthivyāḥ |
āsīdad viśvā bhuvanāni samrāḍ viśvet tāni varuṇasya vratāni || 1 ||
evā vandasva varuṇam bṛhantaṁ namasyā dhīram amṛtasya gopām |
sa naḥ śarma trivarūthaṁ vi yaṁsat pātaṁ no dyāvāpṛthivī upasthe || 2 ||
imāṁ dhiyaṁ śikṣamāṇasya deva kratuṁ dakṣaṁ varuṇa saṁ śiśādhi |
yayāti viśvā duritā tarema sutarmāṇam adhi nāvaṁ ruhema || 3 ||
ā vāṁ grāvāṇo aśvinā dhībhir viprā acucyavuḥ |
nāsatyā somapītaye nabhantām anyake same || 4 ||
yathā vām atrir aśvinā gīrbhir vipro ajohavīt |
nāsatyā somapītaye nabhantām anyake same || 5 ||
evā vām ahva ūtaye yathāhuvanta medhirāḥ |
nāsatyā somapītaye nabhantām anyake same || 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).