Hymn to Ṛtu
Rigveda I.15 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed to Ṛtu, the lord of the sacred seasons, orderer of the year. 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 Ṛtu, thou lord of the sacred seasons! Thou art he who orderest the course of the year. Spring cometh at thy command; summer followeth in its turn. Autumn and winter do obey thy will. O Ṛtu, all the seasons bow before thee.
The spring doth bring the flowers and the rains. The fields do grow green with new growth. The beasts do bear their young; the birds do build their nests. O Ṛtu, through the spring thou dost grant new life unto all things.
The summer doth bring the heat and the plenty. The sun doth shine with mighty power. The crops do grow tall and strong. The waters flow in abundance. O Ṛtu, through the summer thou dost bring increase unto all the world.
The autumn doth bring the harvest. The fields do yield their treasure unto the farmer. The granaries are filled; the barns are full. O Ṛtu, through the autumn thou dost reward the labors of the faithful.
The winter doth bring the rest and the renewal. The earth doth sleep beneath the snow. The heart doth turn inward and doth reflect upon all that hath passed. O Ṛtu, through the winter thou dost grant peace and restoration.
O Ṛtu, at the time of the great rite the sacrifice is performed. The priest doth measure the seasons; the singer doth mark the turning year. This offering we make unto thee that thou mayest guide the seasons well. Grant us a year of plenty; grant us peace in all the seasons.
Colophon
Rigveda I.15 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 Ṛtu, the lord of the sacred seasons, orderer of the year. 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.15
indra somam piba ṛtunā tvā viśantv indavaḥ |
matsarāsas tadokasaḥ || 1 ||
marutaḥ pibata ṛtunā potrād yajñam punītana |
yūyaṁ hi ṣṭhā sudānavaḥ || 2 ||
abhi yajñaṁ gṛṇīhi no gnāvo neṣṭaḥ piba ṛtunā |
tvaṁ hi ratnadhā asi || 3 ||
agne devām̐ ihā vaha sādayā yoniṣu triṣu |
pari bhūṣa piba ṛtunā || 4 ||
brāhmaṇād indra rādhasaḥ pibā somam ṛtūm̐r anu |
taved dhi sakhyam astṛtam || 5 ||
yuvaṁ dakṣaṁ dhṛtavrata mitrāvaruṇa dūḻabham |
ṛtunā yajñam āśāthe || 6 ||
draviṇodā draviṇaso grāvahastāso adhvare |
yajñeṣu devam īḻate || 7 ||
draviṇodā dadātu no vasūni yāni śṛṇvire |
deveṣu tā vanāmahe || 8 ||
draviṇodāḥ pipīṣati juhota pra ca tiṣṭhata |
neṣṭrād ṛtubhir iṣyata || 9 ||
yat tvā turīyam ṛtubhir draviṇodo yajāmahe |
adha smā no dadir bhava || 10 ||
aśvinā pibatam madhu dīdyagnī śucivratā |
ṛtunā yajñavāhasā || 11 ||
gārhapatyena santya ṛtunā yajñanīr asi |
devān devayate yaja || 12 ||
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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