Hymn to the Viśvedevas
Rigveda V.48 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 5 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.
Bless us, O Viśvedevas! Cast forth thy protection as a shield over our dwelling-places. Ward off the demons that prowl in the darkness. Turn away the sorcerer's curse, the evil eye, the poison of the envious heart. Guard our children from sickness and harm.
Ye who are the bulwark against chaos, the eternal guardians of order—stand now as sentries about our threshold. Let no devil cross thy threshold. Let no malice enter this house. Ye are as a fortress wall, impregnable and bright, surrounding all that we hold dear.
Make swift our horses! Make strong our arms! Grant victory to our warriors when they go forth in battle. Let no arrow find its mark against us. Let no spear pierce our shields. Let the enemy flee at the sight of our banners, for they are blessed by the Viśvedevas.
Cast wealth upon us, O gods! Fill our stalls with cattle, our granaries with grain. Let the herds multiply, let the crops flourish in the fields. Grant us sons of valor and daughters of grace. May our houses echo with laughter and the voices of children. May our women bear abundantly, our husbandmen reap bountifully.
O All-Gods, ye whose names are sacred and whose forms are manifold—accept this offering and grant these prayers! Thou art the source of all good, the spring of blessing, the fountain of grace. In thy mercy we live. Through thy strength we endure. By thy will we prosper. Guard us, O Viśvedevas, now and ever.
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 V.48
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.
kad u priyāya dhāmne manāmahe svakṣatrāya svayaśase mahe vayam |
āmenyasya rajaso yad abhra ām̐ apo vṛṇānā vitanoti māyinī || 1 ||
tā atnata vayunaṁ vīravakṣaṇaṁ samānyā vṛtayā viśvam ā rajaḥ |
apo apācīr aparā apejate pra pūrvābhis tirate devayur janaḥ || 2 ||
ā grāvabhir ahanyebhir aktubhir variṣṭhaṁ vajram ā jigharti māyini |
śataṁ vā yasya pracaran sve dame saṁvartayanto vi ca vartayann ahā || 3 ||
tām asya rītim paraśor iva praty anīkam akhyam bhuje asya varpasaḥ |
sacā yadi pitumantam iva kṣayaṁ ratnaṁ dadhāti bharahūtaye viśe || 4 ||
sa jihvayā caturanīka ṛñjate cāru vasāno varuṇo yatann arim |
na tasya vidma puruṣatvatā vayaṁ yato bhagaḥ savitā dāti vāryam || 5 ||
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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