A Hymn of Maṇḍala 10
Rigveda X.68 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.
Ever murmuring, like waterfowl that call one to another, like the voice of thunder that breaketh from the cloud, and lifting up their joy as waves whose crests stand high as hills, the songs rose up in mighty roar unto Br̥haspati.
With the kine they bellowed, and Br̥haspati of the Aṅgiras came nigh, gathering them as Bhaga guideth Aryaman, and as a hearth-lord blesseth man and wife, so did he bless the Aṅgirases.
Rouse them, O Br̥haspati, like fleet steeds loosed for the prize.
The kine, well-tended, home-bearing, strong of limb, belov’d, fair of hue and flawless of frame—
Br̥haspati led them forth, strewing them from the mountains as grain is flung from bursting sacks.
He cast down honey into the womb of truth, as fire from heaven falleth with the voice of song.
He raised the kine from stone and brake the skin of Earth as one might break soft clay with water’s touch.
With shining might he chased the dark from the mid-air, as wind doth drive the floating weed from water’s face.
When he stroked the womb of Vala as wind doth stir the cloud, he claimed the kine as his rightful own.
When he broke the feeble mocking of Vala with fire-kindled song, he devoured the kine, as tongue with teeth taketh food, and laid bare the hoards of the ruddy-hided wealth.
Br̥haspati called forth the name of those who rang within the sacred seat— a name kept hid.
He clove the womb of the hill as a bird breaketh shell, and drove the red-hued kine aloft by his own hand.
He saw the honey shut within the stone,
like a fish that hideth in shallow tide.
He drew it out as one doth carve a drinking cup from tree— Br̥haspati, who with shattering cry split the mount in twain.
He found the dawn, the sun, the fire;
with song he thrust aside the shade.
From Vala he drew forth the kine, whose beauty was their own, as marrow is drawn from bone’s deep heart.
As woods bewail their leafage taken by the cold, so Vala wept for kine lost unto Br̥haspati.
A deed he wrought none else may match while sun and moon in turn shall rise.
Like a dark steed decked with pearls, the Fathers strewed the sky with stars.
By night they set the shade, by day the gleam.
Br̥haspati broke the stone and found the kine.
This rite of honor have we made for him of the stormful cry, who belloweth still after the many:
Br̥haspati—who shall bestow upon us strength and kine, and steeds and heroes and men of high worth.
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.68
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.
udapruto na vayo rakṣamāṇā vāvadato abhriyasyeva ghoṣāḥ |
giribhrajo normayo madanto bṛhaspatim abhy a1rkā anāvan || 1 ||
saṁ gobhir āṅgiraso nakṣamāṇo bhaga ived aryamaṇaṁ nināya |
jane mitro na dampatī anakti bṛhaspate vājayāśūm̐r ivājau || 2 ||
sādhvaryā atithinīr iṣirāḥ spārhāḥ suvarṇā anavadyarūpāḥ |
bṛhaspatiḥ parvatebhyo vitūryā nir gā ūpe yavam iva sthivibhyaḥ || 3 ||
āpruṣāyan madhuna ṛtasya yonim avakṣipann arka ulkām iva dyoḥ |
bṛhaspatir uddharann aśmano gā bhūmyā udneva vi tvacam bibheda || 4 ||
apa jyotiṣā tamo antarikṣād udnaḥ śīpālam iva vāta ājat |
bṛhaspatir anumṛśyā valasyābhram iva vāta ā cakra ā gāḥ || 5 ||
yadā valasya pīyato jasum bhed bṛhaspatir agnitapobhir arkaiḥ |
dadbhir na jihvā pariviṣṭam ādad āvir nidhīm̐r akṛṇod usriyāṇām || 6 ||
bṛhaspatir amata hi tyad āsāṁ nāma svarīṇāṁ sadane guhā yat |
āṇḍeva bhittvā śakunasya garbham ud usriyāḥ parvatasya tmanājat || 7 ||
aśnāpinaddham madhu pary apaśyan matsyaṁ na dīna udani kṣiyantam |
niṣ ṭaj jabhāra camasaṁ na vṛkṣād bṛhaspatir viraveṇā vikṛtya || 8 ||
soṣām avindat sa sva1ḥ so agniṁ so arkeṇa vi babādhe tamāṁsi |
bṛhaspatir govapuṣo valasya nir majjānaṁ na parvaṇo jabhāra || 9 ||
himeva parṇā muṣitā vanāni bṛhaspatinākṛpayad valo gāḥ |
anānukṛtyam apunaś cakāra yāt sūryāmāsā mitha uccarātaḥ || 10 ||
abhi śyāvaṁ na kṛśanebhir aśvaṁ nakṣatrebhiḥ pitaro dyām apiṁśan |
rātryāṁ tamo adadhur jyotir ahan bṛhaspatir bhinad adriṁ vidad gāḥ || 11 ||
idam akarma namo abhriyāya yaḥ pūrvīr anv ānonavīti |
bṛhaspatiḥ sa hi gobhiḥ so aśvaiḥ sa vīrebhiḥ sa nṛbhir no vayo dhāt || 12 ||
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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