Hymn to Sūrya
Rigveda I.50 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed to Sūrya, the sun-god, the all-seeing eye of heaven, rider of the celestial chariot. 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.
All hail to Sūrya, the Sun! Behold his golden chariot drawn by swift steeds across the vault of heaven. Seven horses bear him, or horses of every color, or golden-maned steeds that gleam brighter than polished bronze. He rideth high, visible to all the world.
Thou art the all-seeing eye, O Sūrya! Nothing escapeth thy gaze. Not the deeds done in secret chambers, not the cruelty hidden in the heart, not the sin whispered in darkness. Thy eye pierceth all shadows. Thy light revealeth all things. From thy station in the sky, thou dost behold the entire world—mountains and valleys, cities and deserts, all the works of men and gods.
By thy light do we live and labor. Thou dost ripen the grain in the fields. Thou dost warm the waters. Thou dost give vigor to all creatures. The cow giveth milk because of thy heat. The tree beareth fruit beneath thy rays. All life springeth from thy bounty.
Yet we know also thy terrible power. The drought cometh when thou dost withhold thy rays. The land becometh barren; the cattle die; the children weep with thirst. But thou art merciful—thou returnest again, and the world is made whole. The rains fall, the grass groweth green, life doth flourish anew.
Thou art the keeper of time itself, O Sūrya! The day is thy domain; the night belongeth to the moon. Thou markest the seasons; thou numbest the years. By thee do we know when to plant and when to reap, when to journey and when to stay.
We make our offering unto thee, O sun-god! Accept the smoke of our sacrifice! Let thy rays fall gently upon our fields. Grant us health and strength. Guard us from sickness. Keep us beneath thy benevolent eye. Thus do we praise thee, O Sūrya, charioteer of heaven, eye of the world, sustainer of all life.
Colophon
Rigveda I.50 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 Sūrya, the sun-god, the all-seeing eye of heaven, rider of the celestial chariot. 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.50
ud u tyaṁ jātavedasaṁ devaṁ vahanti ketavaḥ |
dṛśe viśvāya sūryam || 1 ||
apa tye tāyavo yathā nakṣatrā yanty aktubhiḥ |
sūrāya viśvacakṣase || 2 ||
adṛśram asya ketavo vi raśmayo janām̐ anu |
bhrājanto agnayo yathā || 3 ||
taraṇir viśvadarśato jyotiṣkṛd asi sūrya |
viśvam ā bhāsi rocanam || 4 ||
pratyaṅ devānāṁ viśaḥ pratyaṅṅ ud eṣi mānuṣān |
pratyaṅ viśvaṁ svar dṛśe || 5 ||
yenā pāvaka cakṣasā bhuraṇyantaṁ janām̐ anu |
tvaṁ varuṇa paśyasi || 6 ||
vi dyām eṣi rajas pṛthv ahā mimāno aktubhiḥ |
paśyañ janmāni sūrya || 7 ||
sapta tvā harito rathe vahanti deva sūrya |
śociṣkeśaṁ vicakṣaṇa || 8 ||
ayukta sapta śundhyuvaḥ sūro rathasya naptyaḥ |
tābhir yāti svayuktibhiḥ || 9 ||
ud vayaṁ tamasas pari jyotiṣ paśyanta uttaram |
devaṁ devatrā sūryam aganma jyotir uttamam || 10 ||
udyann adya mitramaha ārohann uttarāṁ divam |
hṛdrogam mama sūrya harimāṇaṁ ca nāśaya || 11 ||
śukeṣu me harimāṇaṁ ropaṇākāsu dadhmasi |
atho hāridraveṣu me harimāṇaṁ ni dadhmasi || 12 ||
ud agād ayam ādityo viśvena sahasā saha |
dviṣantam mahyaṁ randhayan mo ahaṁ dviṣate radham || 13 ||
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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