Hymn to Bṛhaspati
Rigveda I.18 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed to Bṛhaspati, lord of sacred speech and divine knowledge, priest of the gods. 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 Brahmaṇaspati, thou lord of sacred speech! Thou art he through whom the words of power are spoken. All that the priest uttereth is made manifest through thee. All that the singer hymn with thy aid.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was power. Thou didst speak the world into being; thou didst ordain all things through thy utterance. The gods themselves do obey thy word. O Brahmaṇaspati, thou art mightier than all others.
The prayer that is spoken with truth and with sincerity doth reach unto the gods through thy intercession. The hymn that is sung in harmony with the cosmic order doth have power because of thee. O Brahmaṇaspati, thou art the channel through which all prayer floweth.
Give unto us eloquence that we may speak truly. Give unto us wisdom that we may know what ought to be said. Give unto us courage that we may speak when silence would be easier. O Brahmaṇaspati, make us thy instruments.
In the assembly of the wise, be thou at our side that our words may carry weight. In the council of the gods, speak thou for us that our petition may be heard. In the heart of every mortal who trusteth in thee, abide thou that all speech might be blessed.
O Brahmaṇaspati, thou lord of sacred utterance! Accept our hymn as it is offered unto thee. Let it ascend upon the wings of truth and power. Make it acceptable before the gods. O thou master of speech, bless the words that we speak and make them fruitful.
Colophon
Rigveda I.18 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 Bṛhaspati, lord of sacred speech and divine knowledge, priest of the gods. 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.18
somānaṁ svaraṇaṁ kṛṇuhi brahmaṇas pate |
kakṣīvantaṁ ya auśijaḥ || 1 ||
yo revān yo amīvahā vasuvit puṣṭivardhanaḥ |
sa naḥ siṣaktu yas turaḥ || 2 ||
mā naḥ śaṁso araruṣo dhūrtiḥ praṇaṅ martyasya |
rakṣā ṇo brahmaṇas pate || 3 ||
sa ghā vīro na riṣyati yam indro brahmaṇas patiḥ |
somo hinoti martyam || 4 ||
tvaṁ tam brahmaṇas pate soma indraś ca martyam |
dakṣiṇā pātv aṁhasaḥ || 5 ||
sadasas patim adbhutam priyam indrasya kāmyam |
sanim medhām ayāsiṣam || 6 ||
yasmād ṛte na sidhyati yajño vipaścitaś cana |
sa dhīnāṁ yogam invati || 7 ||
ād ṛdhnoti haviṣkṛtim prāñcaṁ kṛṇoty adhvaram |
hotrā deveṣu gacchati || 8 ||
narāśaṁsaṁ sudhṛṣṭamam apaśyaṁ saprathastamam |
divo na sadmamakhasam || 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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