Hymn to the Viśvedevāḥ
Rigveda I.105 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed to the Viśvedevāḥ, the All-Gods, the assembled divine powers of heaven, worshipped collectively. It is one of the 1,028 hymns of the Rigveda organized within Maṇḍala 1, the first of ten books. The ṛṣi (seer) to whom this hymn is attributed and its precise liturgical context are recorded in the traditional Śākalya Anukramaṇī.
The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas and one of the oldest surviving religious texts in the world, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in the Vedic Sanskrit of the Indus-Sarasvatī region. Its hymns were preserved through oral transmission across millennia before being committed to writing. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
The rivers have come to me in mine extremity; I stand alone, surrounded and dismay'd. Mine enemies do press upon my head, and I cry out to the All-Gods for aid.
O Viśvedevas, assembly of the divine, come now and hearken to this prayer of mine. I am but one man caught in the abyss, betrayed by those I thought would not dismiss. The waters rise upon every side — nowhere to turn, nowhere left to hide.
There was a man named Trita, wise and bold, who went down, down into the pit so cold. His enemies had cast him there to die, in darkness deep beneath the starless sky. He called upon the gods with voice so hoarse; but none did come to aid him in his course.
Then suddenly the Viśvedevas heard his cry, and came in haste from out the starlit sky. They drew him up from out that dreadful place, and set his feet upon the earth's bright face. The light returned, his enemies did flee, and Trita lived to walk in liberty.
So now I cry to you, O All-Gods great, do not abandon me unto this fate. I stand alone, the waters close me round; in you alone my hope and strength is found.
Come now, O Viśvedevas, strong and wise, come down and open up the blinded eyes. The storm doth rage, my enemies do mock, but you are greater than the hardest rock.
Deliver me from out this pit of woe, and let my enemies in terror go. Grant me the strength to rise and walk once more, and I shall worship you forevermore. Accept this prayer from one who is most small, O mighty gods who hearken unto all.
Colophon
Rigveda I.105 is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, the version that has been transmitted and is considered canonical in the mainstream tradition. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE; this hymn addresses the Viśvedevāḥ, the All-Gods, the assembled divine powers of heaven, worshipped collectively. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation session to be documented during Kshatriya Blood Rule audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda I.105
candramā apsv a1ntar ā suparṇo dhāvate divi |
na vo hiraṇyanemayaḥ padaṁ vindanti vidyuto vittam me asya rodasī || 1 ||
artham id vā u arthina ā jāyā yuvate patim |
tuñjāte vṛṣṇyam payaḥ paridāya rasaṁ duhe vittam me asya rodasī || 2 ||
mo ṣu devā adaḥ sva1r ava pādi divas pari |
mā somyasya śambhuvaḥ śūne bhūma kadā cana vittam me asya rodasī || 3 ||
yajñam pṛcchāmy avamaṁ sa tad dūto vi vocati |
kva ṛtam pūrvyaṁ gataṁ kas tad bibharti nūtano vittam me asya rodasī || 4 ||
amī ye devāḥ sthana triṣv ā rocane divaḥ |
kad va ṛtaṁ kad anṛtaṁ kva pratnā va āhutir vittam me asya rodasī || 5 ||
kad va ṛtasya dharṇasi kad varuṇasya cakṣaṇam |
kad aryamṇo mahas pathāti krāmema dūḍhyo vittam me asya rodasī || 6 ||
ahaṁ so asmi yaḥ purā sute vadāmi kāni cit |
tam mā vyanty ādhyo3 vṛko na tṛṣṇajam mṛgaṁ vittam me asya rodasī || 7 ||
sam mā tapanty abhitaḥ sapatnīr iva parśavaḥ |
mūṣo na śiśnā vy adanti mādhyaḥ stotāraṁ te śatakrato vittam me asya rodasī || 8 ||
amī ye sapta raśmayas tatrā me nābhir ātatā |
tritas tad vedāptyaḥ sa jāmitvāya rebhati vittam me asya rodasī || 9 ||
amī ye pañcokṣaṇo madhye tasthur maho divaḥ |
devatrā nu pravācyaṁ sadhrīcīnā ni vāvṛtur vittam me asya rodasī || 10 ||
suparṇā eta āsate madhya ārodhane divaḥ |
te sedhanti patho vṛkaṁ tarantaṁ yahvatīr apo vittam me asya rodasī || 11 ||
navyaṁ tad ukthyaṁ hitaṁ devāsaḥ supravācanam |
ṛtam arṣanti sindhavaḥ satyaṁ tātāna sūryo vittam me asya rodasī || 12 ||
agne tava tyad ukthyaṁ deveṣv asty āpyam |
sa naḥ satto manuṣvad ā devān yakṣi viduṣṭaro vittam me asya rodasī || 13 ||
satto hotā manuṣvad ā devām̐ acchā viduṣṭaraḥ |
agnir havyā suṣūdati devo deveṣu medhiro vittam me asya rodasī || 14 ||
brahmā kṛṇoti varuṇo gātuvidaṁ tam īmahe |
vy ūrṇoti hṛdā matiṁ navyo jāyatām ṛtaṁ vittam me asya rodasī || 15 ||
asau yaḥ panthā ādityo divi pravācyaṁ kṛtaḥ |
na sa devā atikrame tam martāso na paśyatha vittam me asya rodasī || 16 ||
tritaḥ kūpe 'vahito devān havata ūtaye |
tac chuśrāva bṛhaspatiḥ kṛṇvann aṁhūraṇād uru vittam me asya rodasī || 17 ||
aruṇo mā sakṛd vṛkaḥ pathā yantaṁ dadarśa hi |
uj jihīte nicāyyā taṣṭeva pṛṣṭyāmayī vittam me asya rodasī || 18 ||
enāṅgūṣeṇa vayam indravanto 'bhi ṣyāma vṛjane sarvavīrāḥ |
tan no mitro varuṇo māmahantām aditiḥ sindhuḥ pṛthivī uta dyauḥ || 19 ||
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).
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