Hymn to Vāc
Rigveda X.182 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 Br̥haspati bear our thought across the deep and perilous flood; yet the speaker of wickedness, he turneth back upon himself.
He casteth forth the curse, and striketh down all spite; then bringeth he forth fortune and breath to him that offereth.
Let Narāśaṃsa aid us at the forepart of the gift; let the after-offering be for us a token of blessing at the calling of names.
He casteth forth the curse, and striketh down all spite; then bringeth he forth fortune and breath to him that offereth.
Let him whose head doth burn with flame scorch the brood of demons; and them that scorn the hallowed speech, let his shaft strike through.
He casteth forth the curse, and striketh down all spite; then bringeth he forth fortune and breath to him that offereth.
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.182
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.
bṛhaspatir nayatu durgahā tiraḥ punar neṣad aghaśaṁsāya manma |
kṣipad aśastim apa durmatiṁ hann athā karad yajamānāya śaṁ yoḥ || 1 ||
narāśaṁso no 'vatu prayāje śaṁ no astv anuyājo haveṣu |
kṣipad aśastim apa durmatiṁ hann athā karad yajamānāya śaṁ yoḥ || 2 ||
tapurmūrdhā tapatu rakṣaso ye brahmadviṣaḥ śarave hantavā u |
kṣipad aśastim apa durmatiṁ hann athā karad yajamānāya śaṁ yoḥ || 3 ||
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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