Hymn to the Ṛbhus
Rigveda I.110 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed to the Ṛbhus, the divine craftsmen, mortal sages who won immortality through their skill. 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.
O Ṛbhus, wondrous ones, ye craftsmen blessed! Ye makers of marvels, greatest of the best! With hands so swift and cunning, wise and bright, ye fashion all the treasures of the night.
Ye took the wooden bowl that once was whole, and split it into four parts for the soul. Ye wrought it with such skill and such great art, that each did shine and play its perfect part. The gods themselves did marvel at the deed, and honored you for meeting every need.
Ye made the axe of stone with sharpened edge; ye carved the wagon from the wooden wedge. Ye fashioned cups that never do run dry, and gave to all the gods what they could spy.
O Ṛbhus, how did ye begin thy days? Were ye but mortals once, who learned thy ways? Ye drank the sacred soma with the gods, and passed into the heavens and their nods.
O what a marvel that ye mortals bold, did rise to join the godly in their fold! Ye labored long with skill and dedication, until ye won thy rightful exaltation.
Ye made for Indra chariot wheels most bright, that roll so swift and carry him through night. Ye wrought for Agni vessels of the flame, and gave to every god his rightful name.
We praise you now, O Ṛbhus, for your deeds, for all the riches that ye did concede. Grant us the skill to fashion what we need, to labor long and true and plant the seed.
Make us as clever as ye ever were, and let our hands and hearts forever stir toward greater works and marvels yet untold. O blessed Ṛbhus, ye most bright and bold!
Colophon
Rigveda I.110 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 Ṛbhus, the divine craftsmen, mortal sages who won immortality through their skill. 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.110
tatam me apas tad u tāyate punaḥ svādiṣṭhā dhītir ucathāya śasyate |
ayaṁ samudra iha viśvadevyaḥ svāhākṛtasya sam u tṛpṇuta ṛbhavaḥ || 1 ||
ābhogayam pra yad icchanta aitanāpākāḥ prāñco mama ke cid āpayaḥ |
saudhanvanāsaś caritasya bhūmanāgacchata savitur dāśuṣo gṛham || 2 ||
tat savitā vo 'mṛtatvam āsuvad agohyaṁ yac chravayanta aitana |
tyaṁ cic camasam asurasya bhakṣaṇam ekaṁ santam akṛṇutā caturvayam || 3 ||
viṣṭvī śamī taraṇitvena vāghato martāsaḥ santo amṛtatvam ānaśuḥ |
saudhanvanā ṛbhavaḥ sūracakṣasaḥ saṁvatsare sam apṛcyanta dhītibhiḥ || 4 ||
kṣetram iva vi mamus tejanenam̐ ekam pātram ṛbhavo jehamānam |
upastutā upamaṁ nādhamānā amartyeṣu śrava icchamānāḥ || 5 ||
ā manīṣām antarikṣasya nṛbhyaḥ sruceva ghṛtaṁ juhavāma vidmanā |
taraṇitvā ye pitur asya saścira ṛbhavo vājam aruhan divo rajaḥ || 6 ||
ṛbhur na indraḥ śavasā navīyān ṛbhur vājebhir vasubhir vasur dadiḥ |
yuṣmākaṁ devā avasāhani priye3 'bhi tiṣṭhema pṛtsutīr asunvatām || 7 ||
niś carmaṇa ṛbhavo gām apiṁśata saṁ vatsenāsṛjatā mātaram punaḥ |
saudhanvanāsaḥ svapasyayā naro jivrī yuvānā pitarākṛṇotana || 8 ||
vājebhir no vājasātāv aviḍḍhy ṛbhumām̐ indra citram ā darṣi rādhaḥ |
tan no mitro varuṇo māmahantām aditiḥ sindhuḥ pṛthivī uta dyauḥ || 9 ||
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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