Hymn to Varuṇa
Rigveda X.132 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.
He that hath offered for his own soul—
Heaven itself with its hallowed gifts doth minister unto him; Earth likewise bendeth her care toward the one who hath poured his own offering.
The twin gods, the Aśvins, with grace and favor, have made strong the man who sacrificeth for himself.
By the call of rite do we offer unto you, O Mitra and Varuṇa, upholders of the folk, bestowers of worthy blessings.
By your fellowship with him that serveth his own rite, may we be made to prevail against fiends and foul spirits.
And even now, as we seek to set you aright among us, to lay hold of the dear inheritance that is ours by right, or when the giver waxeth great in his bequeathment, let no man dash his blessings against the stone.
Heaven, the one on high, was anointed king; but thou, O Varuṇa, art now king over all.
As lord of hosts thou delightest in the war-cart— yet no such wrong, no stray path, brands a man as oath-breaker.
But lo, upon Śakapūta, foully cleansed, lieth the trespass:
though truce was struck, still doth he strike down the fallen heroes.
When the fire-steed hath laid the strength of you twain within his own beloved frame, made meet for the rite—
Because, O wise ones, Aditi, your mother, even as Heaven and Earth, doth cleanse with her milk— do ye then allot what is dear unto us;
bathe us in the golden shafts of the sun.
Forasmuch as ye, the wardens of wealth, have now taken seat, the priest hath climbed, as a rider his chariot, the fire that sitteth at the yoke of the cart, upon the holy wood.
Those women of ours, wandering and waiflike, hath Nr̥medha drawn out from their narrow plight, and “Most-Wise” Sumedha likewise hath delivered them from straits.
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.132
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.
ījānam id dyaur gūrtāvasur ījānam bhūmir abhi prabhūṣaṇi |
ījānaṁ devāv aśvināv abhi sumnair avardhatām || 1 ||
tā vām mitrāvaruṇā dhārayatkṣitī suṣumneṣitatvatā yajāmasi |
yuvoḥ krāṇāya sakhyair abhi ṣyāma rakṣasaḥ || 2 ||
adhā cin nu yad didhiṣāmahe vām abhi priyaṁ rekṇaḥ patyamānāḥ |
dadvām̐ vā yat puṣyati rekṇaḥ sam v āran nakir asya maghāni || 3 ||
asāv anyo asura sūyata dyaus tvaṁ viśveṣāṁ varuṇāsi rājā |
mūrdhā rathasya cākan naitāvatainasāntakadhruk || 4 ||
asmin sv e3tac chakapūta eno hite mitre nigatān hanti vīrān |
avor vā yad dhāt tanūṣv avaḥ priyāsu yajñiyāsv arvā || 5 ||
yuvor hi mātāditir vicetasā dyaur na bhūmiḥ payasā pupūtani |
ava priyā didiṣṭana sūro ninikta raśmibhiḥ || 6 ||
yuvaṁ hy apnarājāv asīdataṁ tiṣṭhad rathaṁ na dhūrṣadaṁ vanarṣadam |
tā naḥ kaṇūkayantīr nṛmedhas tatre aṁhasaḥ sumedhas tatre aṁhasaḥ || 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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