A Hymn of Maṇḍala 2
Rigveda II.26 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.
O Brahmaṇaspati, fountain of wisdom! From thy boundless mind floweth all knowledge that is worth knowing. Thou art the teacher of the gods and the enlightener of mortals. All wisdom findeth its source in thee.
Thou hast revealed to us the sacred hymns by which the divine may be approached. Thou hast taught us the rituals by which we may commune with the gods. Thou hast shown us the paths by which we may ascend from ignorance to enlightenment. Without thy teaching, we would wander in darkness forever.
The wise ones among mortals are wise because thy Spirit dwelleth within them. They see what others cannot see. They understand what others cannot comprehend. They speak truth where others speak falsehood. They walk the righteous path where others stumble in confusion.
Grant us wisdom, O lord! Open our eyes that we might perceive the truth. Sharpen our intellects that we might grasp the deep mysteries of existence. Let thy light shine within our hearts, dispelling ignorance as dawn dispelleth night.
But wisdom is not thy only gift. Thou art also the giver of wealth. Those who learn thy lessons prosper in all their endeavours. The blessed ones who follow thy guidance find success in their undertakings. Abundance floweth toward those who have won thy favour.
Therefore we beseech thee: grant us both wisdom and wealth. Make us wise in our dealings, that we might avoid folly and sin. Make us prosperous in our labours, that we might have security and comfort. Let thy blessings rest upon us in both realms—the intellectual and the material.
We honour thee as the supreme giver of all good things. Accept our gratitude. Accept our worship. Grant us what we ask.
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.26
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.
ṛjur ic chaṁso vanavad vanuṣyato devayann id adevayantam abhy asat |
suprāvīr id vanavat pṛtsu duṣṭaraṁ yajved ayajyor vi bhajāti bhojanam || 1 ||
yajasva vīra pra vihi manāyato bhadram manaḥ kṛṇuṣva vṛtratūrye |
haviṣ kṛṇuṣva subhago yathāsasi brahmaṇas pater ava ā vṛṇīmahe || 2 ||
sa ij janena sa viśā sa janmanā sa putrair vājam bharate dhanā nṛbhiḥ |
devānāṁ yaḥ pitaram āvivāsati śraddhāmanā haviṣā brahmaṇas patim || 3 ||
yo asmai havyair ghṛtavadbhir avidhat pra tam prācā nayati brahmaṇas patiḥ |
uruṣyatīm aṁhaso rakṣatī riṣo3 'ṁhoś cid asmā urucakrir adbhutaḥ || 4 ||
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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