A Hymn of Maṇḍala 2
Rigveda II.24 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 2 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.
Hail unto thee, O Brahmaṇaspati! Thou art the lord of prayer, the cosmic priest who standest before the throne of the Almighty. Thy function is sacred beyond all measure. Thy responsibility is vast beyond comprehension. Upon thy shoulders resteth the fate of all creation.
Thou art the mediator between the mortal and the divine. It is through thy intercession that our prayers reach the ears of the gods. It is through thy guidance that we learn to offer sacrifice in the manner that pleaseth them. Without thee, our worship would be hollow, our words empty of power, our offerings rejected.
The cosmos hath been woven together by thy hands. Thou art the architect of the sacred order—the ṛta—that maintaineth all things in their proper places. The sun riseth and setteth by thy command. The seasons turn in their cycle according to thy will. The stars move through the heavens in the patterns that thou hast ordained.
We honour thee as the supreme priest of heaven. Thy robes are made of light. Thy crown is fashioned from divine glory. Thy scepter commandeth obedience from all the devas. Thy word is law unto the very foundations of existence.
Come unto us now in our ritual. Stand with us at the altar. Accept the prayers that we raise unto thee. Let our offerings be pleasing in thy sight. Guide our hands as we pour the libation. Direct our tongues as we chant the sacred formulae.
For we cannot approach the divine without thee. Thou art our gateway to the gods. Thou art our advocate before the throne of heaven. Accept our worship, O cosmic priest. Bless us with thy presence. Let thy holy influence rest upon all that we do.
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 II.24
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.
semām aviḍḍhi prabhṛtiṁ ya īśiṣe 'yā vidhema navayā mahā girā |
yathā no mīḍhvān stavate sakhā tava bṛhaspate sīṣadhaḥ sota no matim || 1 ||
yo nantvāny anaman ny ojasotādardar manyunā śambarāṇi vi |
prācyāvayad acyutā brahmaṇas patir ā cāviśad vasumantaṁ vi parvatam || 2 ||
tad devānāṁ devatamāya kartvam aśrathnan dṛḻhāvradanta vīḻitā |
ud gā ājad abhinad brahmaṇā valam agūhat tamo vy acakṣayat svaḥ || 3 ||
aśmāsyam avatam brahmaṇas patir madhudhāram abhi yam ojasātṛṇat |
tam eva viśve papire svardṛśo bahu sākaṁ sisicur utsam udriṇam || 4 ||
sanā tā kā cid bhuvanā bhavītvā mādbhiḥ śaradbhir duro varanta vaḥ |
ayatantā carato anyad-anyad id yā cakāra vayunā brahmaṇas patiḥ || 5 ||
abhinakṣanto abhi ye tam ānaśur nidhim paṇīnām paramaṁ guhā hitam |
te vidvāṁsaḥ praticakṣyānṛtā punar yata u āyan tad ud īyur āviśam || 6 ||
ṛtāvānaḥ praticakṣyānṛtā punar āta ā tasthuḥ kavayo mahas pathaḥ |
te bāhubhyāṁ dhamitam agnim aśmani nakiḥ ṣo asty araṇo jahur hi tam || 7 ||
ṛtajyena kṣipreṇa brahmaṇas patir yatra vaṣṭi pra tad aśnoti dhanvanā |
tasya sādhvīr iṣavo yābhir asyati nṛcakṣaso dṛśaye karṇayonayaḥ || 8 ||
sa saṁnayaḥ sa vinayaḥ purohitaḥ sa suṣṭutaḥ sa yudhi brahmaṇas patiḥ |
cākṣmo yad vājam bharate matī dhanād it sūryas tapati tapyatur vṛthā || 9 ||
vibhu prabhu prathamam mehanāvato bṛhaspateḥ suvidatrāṇi rādhyā |
imā sātāni venyasya vājino yena janā ubhaye bhuñjate viśaḥ || 10 ||
yo 'vare vṛjane viśvathā vibhur mahām u raṇvaḥ śavasā vavakṣitha |
sa devo devān prati paprathe pṛthu viśved u tā paribhūr brahmaṇas patiḥ || 11 ||
viśvaṁ satyam maghavānā yuvor id āpaś cana pra minanti vrataṁ vām |
acchendrābrahmaṇaspatī havir no 'nnaṁ yujeva vājinā jigātam || 12 ||
utāśiṣṭhā anu śṛṇvanti vahnayaḥ sabheyo vipro bharate matī dhanā |
vīḻudveṣā anu vaśa ṛṇam ādadiḥ sa ha vājī samithe brahmaṇas patiḥ || 13 ||
brahmaṇas pater abhavad yathāvaśaṁ satyo manyur mahi karmā kariṣyataḥ |
yo gā udājat sa dive vi cābhajan mahīva rītiḥ śavasāsarat pṛthak || 14 ||
brahmaṇas pate suyamasya viśvahā rāyaḥ syāma rathyo3 vayasvataḥ |
vīreṣu vīrām̐ upa pṛṅdhi nas tvaṁ yad īśāno brahmaṇā veṣi me havam || 15 ||
brahmaṇas pate tvam asya yantā sūktasya bodhi tanayaṁ ca jinva |
viśvaṁ tad bhadraṁ yad avanti devā bṛhad vadema vidathe suvīrāḥ || 16 ||
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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