Hymn to Rudra
Rigveda I.64 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed to Rudra, the fierce healer, lord of storms and mountains, father of the Maruts. 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.
Hark! Dost thou hear that thunder rolling across the heavens? The Maruts approach! The storm-hosts gather with glittering spears and golden armor. Their war-chariots shake the very earth beneath them. The wind precedes them, and the rain follows in their wake.
Who are these fierce ones, born of Rudra and of heaven? They are the immortal warriors, the fierce and terrible ones, the bright-gleaming hosts that fear no foe. Their hair streams in the wind like golden fire. Their eyes flash with the fury of the storm. When they come forth, the weaker gods draw back in awe.
Beautiful are the Maruts in their array! Comely their forms, adorned with gold and silver. Their weapons are keen and terrible—the lightning-bolt, the thunderstone, the cosmic spear. They wear the golden helmets of conquest. They ride upon the wind itself, swift as thought, swift as light.
The mountains hear their coming and tremble. The forests bow before their passage. The waters leap and dance at their approach. All living things feel the power of the Maruts when they ride forth in their fury.
Yet they are not cruel, these storm-hosts! Nay, for they bring the life-giving rains. They water the earth and make the crops to flourish. They scatter the demons and the dark powers. They guard the order of the cosmos against the forces of chaos.
Come now, O Maruts, to our sacrifice! Drink of the soma we have poured. Let your fury fall upon our enemies and lift your favor upon our people. Grant us victory, grant us strength, grant us the beauty and power that flows through you eternally!
Colophon
Rigveda I.64 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 Rudra, the fierce healer, lord of storms and mountains, father of the Maruts. 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.64
vṛṣṇe śardhāya sumakhāya vedhase nodhaḥ suvṛktim pra bharā marudbhyaḥ |
apo na dhīro manasā suhastyo giraḥ sam añje vidatheṣv ābhuvaḥ || 1 ||
te jajñire diva ṛṣvāsa ukṣaṇo rudrasya maryā asurā arepasaḥ |
pāvakāsaḥ śucayaḥ sūryā iva satvāno na drapsino ghoravarpasaḥ || 2 ||
yuvāno rudrā ajarā abhogghano vavakṣur adhrigāvaḥ parvatā iva |
dṛḻhā cid viśvā bhuvanāni pārthivā pra cyāvayanti divyāni majmanā || 3 ||
citrair añjibhir vapuṣe vy añjate vakṣaḥsu rukmām̐ adhi yetire śubhe |
aṁseṣv eṣāṁ ni mimṛkṣur ṛṣṭayaḥ sākaṁ jajñire svadhayā divo naraḥ || 4 ||
īśānakṛto dhunayo riśādaso vātān vidyutas taviṣībhir akrata |
duhanty ūdhar divyāni dhūtayo bhūmim pinvanti payasā parijrayaḥ || 5 ||
pinvanty apo marutaḥ sudānavaḥ payo ghṛtavad vidatheṣv ābhuvaḥ |
atyaṁ na mihe vi nayanti vājinam utsaṁ duhanti stanayantam akṣitam || 6 ||
mahiṣāso māyinaś citrabhānavo girayo na svatavaso raghuṣyadaḥ |
mṛgā iva hastinaḥ khādathā vanā yad āruṇīṣu taviṣīr ayugdhvam || 7 ||
siṁhā iva nānadati pracetasaḥ piśā iva supiśo viśvavedasaḥ |
kṣapo jinvantaḥ pṛṣatībhir ṛṣṭibhiḥ sam it sabādhaḥ śavasāhimanyavaḥ || 8 ||
rodasī ā vadatā gaṇaśriyo nṛṣācaḥ śūrāḥ śavasāhimanyavaḥ |
ā vandhureṣv amatir na darśatā vidyun na tasthau maruto ratheṣu vaḥ || 9 ||
viśvavedaso rayibhiḥ samokasaḥ sammiślāsas taviṣībhir virapśinaḥ |
astāra iṣuṁ dadhire gabhastyor anantaśuṣmā vṛṣakhādayo naraḥ || 10 ||
hiraṇyayebhiḥ pavibhiḥ payovṛdha ujjighnanta āpathyo3 na parvatān |
makhā ayāsaḥ svasṛto dhruvacyuto dudhrakṛto maruto bhrājadṛṣṭayaḥ || 11 ||
ghṛṣum pāvakaṁ vaninaṁ vicarṣaṇiṁ rudrasya sūnuṁ havasā gṛṇīmasi |
rajasturaṁ tavasam mārutaṁ gaṇam ṛjīṣiṇaṁ vṛṣaṇaṁ saścata śriye || 12 ||
pra nū sa martaḥ śavasā janām̐ ati tasthau va ūtī maruto yam āvata |
arvadbhir vājam bharate dhanā nṛbhir āpṛcchyaṁ kratum ā kṣeti puṣyati || 13 ||
carkṛtyam marutaḥ pṛtsu duṣṭaraṁ dyumantaṁ śuṣmam maghavatsu dhattana |
dhanaspṛtam ukthyaṁ viśvacarṣaṇiṁ tokam puṣyema tanayaṁ śataṁ himāḥ || 14 ||
nū ṣṭhiram maruto vīravantam ṛtīṣāhaṁ rayim asmāsu dhatta |
sahasriṇaṁ śatinaṁ śūśuvāṁsam prātar makṣū dhiyāvasur jagamyāt || 15 ||
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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