Hymn to the Ādityas
Rigveda II.27 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 the Ādityas, the solar deities! Ye sons of Aditi, the infinite mother! Ye are the guardians of cosmic order, the keepers of the sacred ṛta. All of creation shineth beneath your radiance.
Ye are multitudinous yet one. Each of you manifesteth a different aspect of divine power, yet all of you are expressions of the same eternal principle. Mitra and Varuṇa, Aryaman and Bhaga—each name calleth forth a different face of the divine, yet all are the Ādityas.
Ye stand eternal in the sky, circling the earth day after day, never ceasing, never faltering. Ye are the measurers of time, the markers of the seasons, the witnesses to all that transpirets beneath your gaze. Nothing escapeth your sight. Nothing hideth from your knowledge.
It is through your divine influence that order is maintained. Chaos would rush in and swallow all creation were it not for your constant vigilance. The ṛta—the cosmic order—is upheld by your will and your power. You are the pillars upon which all existence resteth.
We mortals live in the light of your favour. Each day the sun riseth, and we know that you continue to protect us. Each day the sun setteth, and we trust that you will bring it forth again on the morrow. Your constancy is our hope. Your eternal presence is our assurance.
We invoke you now, O cosmic guardians! Let your rays fall upon us with blessing. Let your order extend into our lives. Grant us wisdom to live in accordance with ṛta. Grant us strength to resist chaos and disorder. Guard us as you guard all creation. Accept our worship and our gratitude.
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.27
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.
imā gira ādityebhyo ghṛtasnūḥ sanād rājabhyo juhvā juhomi |
śṛṇotu mitro aryamā bhago nas tuvijāto varuṇo dakṣo aṁśaḥ || 1 ||
imaṁ stomaṁ sakratavo me adya mitro aryamā varuṇo juṣanta |
ādityāsaḥ śucayo dhārapūtā avṛjinā anavadyā ariṣṭāḥ || 2 ||
ta ādityāsa uravo gabhīrā adabdhāso dipsanto bhūryakṣāḥ |
antaḥ paśyanti vṛjinota sādhu sarvaṁ rājabhyaḥ paramā cid anti || 3 ||
dhārayanta ādityāso jagat sthā devā viśvasya bhuvanasya gopāḥ |
dīrghādhiyo rakṣamāṇā asuryam ṛtāvānaś cayamānā ṛṇāni || 4 ||
vidyām ādityā avaso vo asya yad aryaman bhaya ā cin mayobhu |
yuṣmākam mitrāvaruṇā praṇītau pari śvabhreva duritāni vṛjyām || 5 ||
sugo hi vo aryaman mitra panthā anṛkṣaro varuṇa sādhur asti |
tenādityā adhi vocatā no yacchatā no duṣparihantu śarma || 6 ||
pipartu no aditī rājaputrāti dveṣāṁsy aryamā sugebhiḥ |
bṛhan mitrasya varuṇasya śarmopa syāma puruvīrā ariṣṭāḥ || 7 ||
tisro bhūmīr dhārayan trīm̐r uta dyūn trīṇi vratā vidathe antar eṣām |
ṛtenādityā mahi vo mahitvaṁ tad aryaman varuṇa mitra cāru || 8 ||
trī rocanā divyā dhārayanta hiraṇyayāḥ śucayo dhārapūtāḥ |
asvapnajo animiṣā adabdhā uruśaṁsā ṛjave martyāya || 9 ||
tvaṁ viśveṣāṁ varuṇāsi rājā ye ca devā asura ye ca martāḥ |
śataṁ no rāsva śarado vicakṣe 'śyāmāyūṁṣi sudhitāni pūrvā || 10 ||
na dakṣiṇā vi cikite na savyā na prācīnam ādityā nota paścā |
pākyā cid vasavo dhīryā cid yuṣmānīto abhayaṁ jyotir aśyām || 11 ||
yo rājabhya ṛtanibhyo dadāśa yaṁ vardhayanti puṣṭayaś ca nityāḥ |
sa revān yāti prathamo rathena vasudāvā vidatheṣu praśastaḥ || 12 ||
śucir apaḥ sūyavasā adabdha upa kṣeti vṛddhavayāḥ suvīraḥ |
nakiṣ ṭaṁ ghnanty antito na dūrād ya ādityānām bhavati praṇītau || 13 ||
adite mitra varuṇota mṛḻa yad vo vayaṁ cakṛmā kac cid āgaḥ |
urv aśyām abhayaṁ jyotir indra mā no dīrghā abhi naśan tamisrāḥ || 14 ||
ubhe asmai pīpayataḥ samīcī divo vṛṣṭiṁ subhago nāma puṣyan |
ubhā kṣayāv ājayan yāti pṛtsūbhāv ardhau bhavataḥ sādhū asmai || 15 ||
yā vo māyā abhidruhe yajatrāḥ pāśā ādityā ripave vicṛttāḥ |
aśvīva tām̐ ati yeṣaṁ rathenāriṣṭā urāv ā śarman syāma || 16 ||
māham maghono varuṇa priyasya bhūridāvna ā vidaṁ śūnam āpeḥ |
mā rāyo rājan suyamād ava sthām bṛhad vadema vidathe suvīrāḥ || 17 ||
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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