Hymn to Mitra
Rigveda III.59 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 3 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 Mitra, god of friendship true! O lord of bonds and sacred oath! Thy presence filleth all the world; thy word doth hold the cosmos fast. The sun doth ride across the sky because of thee, O Mitra dear. The mortals keep their solemn vows; the kingdoms stand in ordered peace.
Thou art the friend of every man; thou dwellest in each faithful heart. The one who keeps his word with thee shall never know the shame of blame. The oath-breaker who violates the sacred bond shall fall to dust. But he who honoureth the pact shall prosper all his days on earth.
O Mitra, thou and Varuṇa do rule the cosmos hand in hand. One gentle, one of sterner mien, yet both do serve the cosmic good. Together ye do hold the sky; together ye do bind the earth. Together ye do guard the truth; together ye do punish lies.
The friendship that thou grantest, lord, is sweeter far than honey's taste. The mortal bound in bonds of trust with Mitra shall not know despair. His enemies shall turn to flight; his foes shall scatter in the wind. His children shall grow tall and strong; his herds shall multiply and thrive.
The oath-taker who calls on thee doth speak with power and with might. His word doth carry weight and worth; his promise shall not fail nor break. The contract sealed by Mitra's name shall stand through ages yet unborn. The covenant of faithful hearts shall echo down through all of time.
O Mitra, hear our prayer today! We gather here with hearts sincere. Accept this hymn, this soma-gift; grant us thy favour and thy grace. Let peace prevail within our home; let truth prevail in all our deeds. For ever let thy name be blessed; for ever let thy glory shine.
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 III.59
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.
mitro janān yātayati bruvāṇo mitro dādhāra pṛthivīm uta dyām |
mitraḥ kṛṣṭīr animiṣābhi caṣṭe mitrāya havyaṁ ghṛtavaj juhota || 1 ||
pra sa mitra marto astu prayasvān yas ta āditya śikṣati vratena |
na hanyate na jīyate tvoto nainam aṁho aśnoty antito na dūrāt || 2 ||
anamīvāsa iḻayā madanto mitajñavo varimann ā pṛthivyāḥ |
ādityasya vratam upakṣiyanto vayam mitrasya sumatau syāma || 3 ||
ayam mitro namasyaḥ suśevo rājā sukṣatro ajaniṣṭa vedhāḥ |
tasya vayaṁ sumatau yajñiyasyāpi bhadre saumanase syāma || 4 ||
mahām̐ ādityo namasopasadyo yātayajjano gṛṇate suśevaḥ |
tasmā etat panyatamāya juṣṭam agnau mitrāya havir ā juhota || 5 ||
mitrasya carṣaṇīdhṛto 'vo devasya sānasi |
dyumnaṁ citraśravastamam || 6 ||
abhi yo mahinā divam mitro babhūva saprathāḥ |
abhi śravobhiḥ pṛthivīm || 7 ||
mitrāya pañca yemire janā abhiṣṭiśavase |
sa devān viśvān bibharti || 8 ||
mitro deveṣv āyuṣu janāya vṛktabarhiṣe |
iṣa iṣṭavratā akaḥ || 9 ||
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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