Hymn to Soma
Rigveda X.170 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.
Let the high flame, shining bright, drink the honey of Soma, granting an unerring span of years to the master of the rite—
He who, by the wind borne, keepeth watch alone; he upholdeth the beings, he reigneth in many lands, his brightness spread far and wide.
The high flame, well-established, best at gaining the prize, true and steadfast, is set deep within the world’s frame, the strong beam beneath the roof of the skies.
Foe-breaker, hindrance-sunderer, bane of the Dasyu’s might— the light is born, that breaks proud lords, that puts down every foe.
Here shineth the fairest, the loftiest light of all lights:
the high one, called the all-conqueror, hoard-winner.
The all-blazing Sun, in his vast fire, spreadeth his wide strength—
a power not to be shaken, made plain to the eye.
As the Sun thou didst shine, flashing thy beam, ascending to the bright courts of the heavens.
Thou upholdest the worlds that stand below, thou bringest all deeds to their end, thou art keeper of all godly things.
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.170
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.
vibhrāḍ bṛhat pibatu somyam madhv āyur dadhad yajñapatāv avihrutam |
vātajūto yo abhirakṣati tmanā prajāḥ pupoṣa purudhā vi rājati || 1 ||
vibhrāḍ bṛhat subhṛtaṁ vājasātamaṁ dharman divo dharuṇe satyam arpitam |
amitrahā vṛtrahā dasyuhaṁtamaṁ jyotir jajñe asurahā sapatnahā || 2 ||
idaṁ śreṣṭhaṁ jyotiṣāṁ jyotir uttamaṁ viśvajid dhanajid ucyate bṛhat |
viśvabhrāḍ bhrājo mahi sūryo dṛśa uru paprathe saha ojo acyutam || 3 ||
vibhrājañ jyotiṣā sva1r agaccho rocanaṁ divaḥ |
yenemā viśvā bhuvanāny ābhṛtā viśvakarmaṇā viśvadevyāvatā || 4 ||
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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