Hymn to Soma
Rigveda X.25 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 fair thought, skillful hand, and steadfast will be ever near to us.
Then shall we rejoice in thy fellowship, O Soma, even as kine do gladly graze in open field.
In the lift of my spirit, I would sing thy praise, ye gods.
Thy touch upon the heart, thou sittest among all thy realms, O Soma.
Then forth go my yearnings, seeking what is good.
In the lift of my spirit, I would sing thy praise, ye gods.
Yea, I have wandered from thy ways, O Soma, through my unknowing.
Yet as a father forgiveth the child, so show us mercy; shield us from the deadly dart.
In the lift of my spirit, I would sing thy praise, ye gods.
Our knowings stream forth together, as waters rushing to the spring.
Hold fast our will, O Soma, as one holdeth cups upright, that we may yet live.
In the lift of my spirit, I would sing thy praise, ye gods.
By thy might, O wise and stalwart Soma,
these keen of mind, eager-hearted, unbar the pens of kine and steeds.
In the lift of my spirit, I would sing thy praise, ye gods.
Thou keepest our herds, O Soma, and the lively ones scattered throughout the world.
Thou gatherest them in, for life’s sake, watching over all that breathes.
In the lift of my spirit, I would sing thy praise, ye gods.
Be thou our herdsman sure and ever true, O Soma, on every side.
Turn aside our ruin, O king;
let not the slanderer rise in power o’er us.
In the lift of my spirit, I would sing thy praise, ye gods.
Stand guard, O Soma, with mind set firm, granting us the breath of life.
Thou knowest the land more surely than man— keep us from guile and the narrow path.
In the lift of my spirit, I would sing thy praise, ye gods.
O drop that breaketh all hindrance, thou art to us the boon-friend of Indra, when men cry to him in the press of strife, striving for seed and heirs.
In the lift of my spirit, I would sing thy praise, ye gods.
Lo, here is the strong one, joy-bringer, dear to Indra, waxing in might; he uplifteth the mind of great Kakṣīvant, the god-touched seer.
In the lift of my spirit, I would sing thy praise, ye gods.
To the seer and the holy one he sendeth the gift of kine.
By his will, he shall raise the blind and the halt, for the sake of the sevenfold kind.
In the lift of my spirit, I would sing thy praise, ye gods.
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.25
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.
bhadraṁ no api vātaya mano dakṣam uta kratum |
adhā te sakhye andhaso vi vo made raṇan gāvo na yavase vivakṣase || 1 ||
hṛdispṛśas ta āsate viśveṣu soma dhāmasu |
adhā kāmā ime mama vi vo made vi tiṣṭhante vasūyavo vivakṣase || 2 ||
uta vratāni soma te prāham mināmi pākyā |
adhā piteva sūnave vi vo made mṛḻā no abhi cid vadhād vivakṣase || 3 ||
sam u pra yanti dhītayaḥ sargāso 'vatām̐ iva |
kratuṁ naḥ soma jīvase vi vo made dhārayā camasām̐ iva vivakṣase || 4 ||
tava tye soma śaktibhir nikāmāso vy ṛṇvire |
gṛtsasya dhīrās tavaso vi vo made vrajaṁ gomantam aśvinaṁ vivakṣase || 5 ||
paśuṁ naḥ soma rakṣasi purutrā viṣṭhitaṁ jagat |
samākṛṇoṣi jīvase vi vo made viśvā sampaśyan bhuvanā vivakṣase || 6 ||
tvaṁ naḥ soma viśvato gopā adābhyo bhava |
sedha rājann apa sridho vi vo made mā no duḥśaṁsa īśatā vivakṣase || 7 ||
tvaṁ naḥ soma sukratur vayodheyāya jāgṛhi |
kṣetravittaro manuṣo vi vo made druho naḥ pāhy aṁhaso vivakṣase || 8 ||
tvaṁ no vṛtrahantamendrasyendo śivaḥ sakhā |
yat sīṁ havante samithe vi vo made yudhyamānās tokasātau vivakṣase || 9 ||
ayaṁ gha sa turo mada indrasya vardhata priyaḥ |
ayaṁ kakṣīvato maho vi vo made matiṁ viprasya vardhayad vivakṣase || 10 ||
ayaṁ viprāya dāśuṣe vājām̐ iyarti gomataḥ |
ayaṁ saptabhya ā varaṁ vi vo made prāndhaṁ śroṇaṁ ca tāriṣad vivakṣase || 11 ||
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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