Hymn to Savitṛ
Rigveda X.36 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.
Dawn and Night, ye lofty ones, richly adorned— Heaven and Earth, Varuṇa the binder, Mitra the friend, Aryaman the noble—
I call upon Indra the mighty, the Maruts swift as storm, The Mountains, the flowing Waters, the shining Ādityas.
Heaven and Earth, Waters and Sun, be near.
Heaven and Earth, wise pair of truth,
Shield us from narrow straits and harm.
Let not the dark unmaking draw near in might— This day, we take up the gods’ own aid.
Aditi, mother of Mitra and Varuṇa rich in gifts, Ward us from every close-bound fear.
Grant us the sun-drenched light, that light which turneth back the wolf.
This day, we choose the gods’ own aid.
Let the speaking stone, the press, drive forth the fiends:
Away with evil dreams, with loss, with all devouring things.
Let us reach the shelter of the Ādityas, and that of the Maruts fierce and fair.
This day, we choose the gods’ own aid.
Indra, sit thou here upon the holy grass, Let the draught swell sweet and strong.
Let Bṛhaspati, master of the chant, raise up the song beside us.
We shape a thought well-marked for life and good.
This day, we choose the gods’ own aid.
O Aśvins, lift our rite to touch the skies, Full of life and worthy of praise.
Let it ride with reins turned eastward, soaked in holy ghee.
This day, we choose the gods’ own aid.
I call the storm-born host, pure and high, Good to call upon, fair of fate, true comrades.
May we gain the swelling wealth that brings good name.
This day, we choose the gods’ own aid.
We bring forth the One made full with water’s dew, A giver of riches to the quick, a seeker of the gods,
Glory of the rite, Soma bright—
Him, steered with well-held reins, we hold for Indra’s joy.
This day, we choose the gods’ own aid.
Let us win with ease what is to be won,
We, and our sons who live, and walk in blamelessness.
Let them who hate the sacred word take back their sin and flee each way.
This day, we choose the gods’ own aid.
Ye gods who hearken to Manu’s holy call, give ear.
Grant that which we ask: a will that winneth, Glory full of wealth, and filled with valiant men.
This day, we choose the gods’ own aid.
A high and mighty thing we take this day— The help of gods who strike not first, yet stand in strength, That we may win the good born out of heroes.
This day, we choose the gods’ own aid.
Beneath the shelter of great Agni kindling bright, May we be faultless in the eyes of Mitra and of Varuṇa, And under Savitar’s best and holy drive.
This day, we choose the gods’ own aid.
All ye gods beneath Savitar’s command,
Whose urging is true, with Mitra and with Varuṇa— Bestow on us our share: fair stock of kine and men, And wealth that gleams with brightness.
Savitar behind, Savitar before,
Savitar above, and Savitar below—
Let him bring whole-making from all sides; Let him grant to us a life long and full.
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.36
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.
uṣāsānaktā bṛhatī supeśasā dyāvākṣāmā varuṇo mitro aryamā |
indraṁ huve marutaḥ parvatām̐ apa ādityān dyāvāpṛthivī apaḥ svaḥ || 1 ||
dyauś ca naḥ pṛthivī ca pracetasa ṛtāvarī rakṣatām aṁhaso riṣaḥ |
mā durvidatrā nirṛtir na īśata tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 2 ||
viśvasmān no aditiḥ pātv aṁhaso mātā mitrasya varuṇasya revataḥ |
svarvaj jyotir avṛkaṁ naśīmahi tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 3 ||
grāvā vadann apa rakṣāṁsi sedhatu duṣṣvapnyaṁ nirṛtiṁ viśvam atriṇam |
ādityaṁ śarma marutām aśīmahi tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 4 ||
endro barhiḥ sīdatu pinvatām iḻā bṛhaspatiḥ sāmabhir ṛkvo arcatu |
supraketaṁ jīvase manma dhīmahi tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 5 ||
divispṛśaṁ yajñam asmākam aśvinā jīrādhvaraṁ kṛṇutaṁ sumnam iṣṭaye |
prācīnaraśmim āhutaṁ ghṛtena tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 6 ||
upa hvaye suhavam mārutaṁ gaṇam pāvakam ṛṣvaṁ sakhyāya śambhuvam |
rāyas poṣaṁ sauśravasāya dhīmahi tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 7 ||
apām peruṁ jīvadhanyam bharāmahe devāvyaṁ suhavam adhvaraśriyam |
suraśmiṁ somam indriyaṁ yamīmahi tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 8 ||
sanema tat susanitā sanitvabhir vayaṁ jīvā jīvaputrā anāgasaḥ |
brahmadviṣo viṣvag eno bharerata tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 9 ||
ye sthā manor yajñiyās te śṛṇotana yad vo devā īmahe tad dadātana |
jaitraṁ kratuṁ rayimad vīravad yaśas tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 10 ||
mahad adya mahatām ā vṛṇīmahe 'vo devānām bṛhatām anarvaṇām |
yathā vasu vīrajātaṁ naśāmahai tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 11 ||
maho agneḥ samidhānasya śarmaṇy anāgā mitre varuṇe svastaye |
śreṣṭhe syāma savituḥ savīmani tad devānām avo adyā vṛṇīmahe || 12 ||
ye savituḥ satyasavasya viśve mitrasya vrate varuṇasya devāḥ |
te saubhagaṁ vīravad gomad apno dadhātana draviṇaṁ citram asme || 13 ||
savitā paścātāt savitā purastāt savitottarāttāt savitādharāttāt |
savitā naḥ suvatu sarvatātiṁ savitā no rāsatāṁ dīrgham āyuḥ || 14 ||
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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