A Hymn of Maṇḍala 10
Rigveda X.121 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.
The golden seed stirred in the first beginning.
Born was the lord of all that came to be—he alone was.
He upholdeth earth and the heavens alike.
Who is the god to whom we should bring our gift and honor?
Who is the giver of breath, the bringer of might, whose will is heeded by all, yea, even the gods bow to his word?
His shade is death, his shade is life without end.
Who is the god to whom we should bring our gift and honor?
He it was who reigned o’er all that breathe and move, who alone by his greatness stood above all.
He is the lord of all that walk on two legs or four.
Who is the god to whom we should bring our gift and honor?
His are the snow-crowned hills in their stately hush, his the sea and the river that run with the world.
His are the far bounds of the sky, his the height and the deep.
Who is the god to whom we should bring our gift and honor?
By his hand were heaven and earth made strong; by his might was the sun set firm, the sky made steady; he marked the middle air, and meted its reach.
Who is the god to whom we should bring our gift and honor?
To him looked the twin hosts, heaven and earth, in their fear, held firm by his help, though their hearts did tremble— they, on whom the sun now shineth.
Who is the god to whom we should bring our gift and honor?
When the high waters drew near, bearing all in their womb, and brought forth the fire from their depth, then came forth alone the life of the gods.
Who is the god to whom we should bring our gift and honor?
He saw the waters by his greatness alone, bearing within them the seed of the rite and birth of the flame.
He, the god of gods, stood alone.
Who is the god to whom we should bring our gift and honor?
Let him bring us no harm—he, the begetter of earth, he who by sure foundations did bring forth the sky, he who brought forth the bright and towering waters.
Who is the god to whom we should bring our gift and honor?
O Prajāpati—none beside thee hath held all this in thine embrace.
May that which we seek in our worship be given, that we might be lords of wealth and grace
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.121
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.
hiraṇyagarbhaḥ sam avartatāgre bhūtasya jātaḥ patir eka āsīt |
sa dādhāra pṛthivīṁ dyām utemāṁ kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema || 1 ||
ya ātmadā baladā yasya viśva upāsate praśiṣaṁ yasya devāḥ |
yasya chāyāmṛtaṁ yasya mṛtyuḥ kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema || 2 ||
yaḥ prāṇato nimiṣato mahitvaika id rājā jagato babhūva |
ya īśe asya dvipadaś catuṣpadaḥ kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema || 3 ||
yasyeme himavanto mahitvā yasya samudraṁ rasayā sahāhuḥ |
yasyemāḥ pradiśo yasya bāhū kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema || 4 ||
yena dyaur ugrā pṛthivī ca dṛḻhā yena svaḥ stabhitaṁ yena nākaḥ |
yo antarikṣe rajaso vimānaḥ kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema || 5 ||
yaṁ krandasī avasā tastabhāne abhy aikṣetām manasā rejamāne |
yatrādhi sūra udito vibhāti kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema || 6 ||
āpo ha yad bṛhatīr viśvam āyan garbhaṁ dadhānā janayantīr agnim |
tato devānāṁ sam avartatāsur ekaḥ kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema || 7 ||
yaś cid āpo mahinā paryapaśyad dakṣaṁ dadhānā janayantīr yajñam |
yo deveṣv adhi deva eka āsīt kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema || 8 ||
mā no hiṁsīj janitā yaḥ pṛthivyā yo vā divaṁ satyadharmā jajāna |
yaś cāpaś candrā bṛhatīr jajāna kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema || 9 ||
prajāpate na tvad etāny anyo viśvā jātāni pari tā babhūva |
yatkāmās te juhumas tan no astu vayaṁ syāma patayo rayīṇām || 10 ||
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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