Hymn to Soma
Rigveda X.109 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 10 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
They were the first to speak at the wrong done unto the Brahmin: the endless Sea, Mātariśvan the wind-bearer, the mighty Flame of Fervor, grim in wrath yet joy in his essence, and the divine Waters, born first by their own truth.
Soma the king gave the Brahmin’s wife back first, and showed no anger. Varuṇa, his fellow, bore her beside him; and Agni, the priestly fire, took her hand in his and brought her hither.
The pledged one is to be taken by her own hand alone, and only when the cry is raised: “Lo, here standeth the Brahmin’s wife.” She doth not suffer a go-between to fetch her. Thus is the kingship of the high-lord kept whole.
The gods of old and the seven seers, who sat themselves down in long-suffering might, spake among themselves of her: “A dread thing is the Brahmin’s wife when she draweth nigh; she setteth that which is hard to set in heaven’s farthest height.”
He who giveth shape to holy speech toilest ever in his toil. He becometh as one limb of the gods. With him, Br̥haspati found the Brahmin’s wife again, she whom Soma had led, as ye gods once found the tongue of the rite.
The gods, yea, have returned her; and the sons of Manu have likewise returned her. The lords of men, the Ādityas, fulfilling the word, have given the Brahmin’s wife again.
And having restored her, having made good the trespass with the gods beside them, and having partaken of the earth’s fullness, they draw nigh in worship unto the great wide space.
Colophon
This hymn is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation are to be documented during audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda X.109
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
te 'vadan prathamā brahmakilbiṣe 'kūpāraḥ salilo mātariśvā |
vīḻuharās tapa ugro mayobhūr āpo devīḥ prathamajā ṛtena || 1 ||
somo rājā prathamo brahmajāyām punaḥ prāyacchad ahṛṇīyamānaḥ |
anvartitā varuṇo mitra āsīd agnir hotā hastagṛhyā nināya || 2 ||
hastenaiva grāhya ādhir asyā brahmajāyeyam iti ced avocan |
na dūtāya prahye tastha eṣā tathā rāṣṭraṁ gupitaṁ kṣatriyasya || 3 ||
devā etasyām avadanta pūrve saptaṛṣayas tapase ye niṣeduḥ |
bhīmā jāyā brāhmaṇasyopanītā durdhāṁ dadhāti parame vyoman || 4 ||
brahmacārī carati veviṣad viṣaḥ sa devānām bhavaty ekam aṅgam |
tena jāyām anv avindad bṛhaspatiḥ somena nītāṁ juhva1ṁ na devāḥ || 5 ||
punar vai devā adaduḥ punar manuṣyā uta |
rājānaḥ satyaṁ kṛṇvānā brahmajāyām punar daduḥ || 6 ||
punardāya brahmajāyāṁ kṛtvī devair nikilbiṣam |
ūrjam pṛthivyā bhaktvāyorugāyam upāsate || 7 ||
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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