Hymn to the Maruts
Rigveda V.58 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.
O Maruts, ye liberators! Ye who break the bonds and shatter the chains! The demon Paṇi—that wretched one—hoarded the cattle in a hidden cave, a mountain fastness sealed with sorcery. The waters were imprisoned in that same place, bound by spells and guarded by demons. The light itself was trapped within that terrible vault.
Then came the Maruts! They rolled forth as an avalanche, as a flood, as a lightning-storm that cannot be resisted. They smashed against the mountain. They tore open the sealed cave. The rocks flew like dust before them. The sorcerous bonds shattered like spun glass.
The cattle rushed forth, freed from captivity! The waters gushed from their prison, torrents descending from the heights, bringing life and fertility to the parched lands. The light broke free and filled all the dark places. The Maruts had liberated all that was precious, all that was essential to the life of mortals.
O ye mighty liberators! What captivities do ye break for us? What bonds of ignorance do ye shatter? What prisons of fear do ye tear open? When the demon Āti—greed itself—holds us in thrall, come and break his chains! When sorrow and despair imprison the heart, come and set it free! When darkness covers the mind, come with thy lightning and illumine all!
O Maruts, ye whose strength breaks all barriers! We beseech thee—be thou liberators for us as thou wast liberators in the ancient time. Free us from bondage. Release us from all that constrains and confines. Let us breathe the open air. Let us see the light of heaven. O Maruts, break the chains that bind us!
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.58
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.
tam u nūnaṁ taviṣīmantam eṣāṁ stuṣe gaṇam mārutaṁ navyasīnām |
ya āśvaśvā amavad vahanta uteśire amṛtasya svarājaḥ || 1 ||
tveṣaṁ gaṇaṁ tavasaṁ khādihastaṁ dhunivratam māyinaṁ dātivāram |
mayobhuvo ye amitā mahitvā vandasva vipra tuvirādhaso nṝn || 2 ||
ā vo yantūdavāhāso adya vṛṣṭiṁ ye viśve maruto junanti |
ayaṁ yo agnir marutaḥ samiddha etaṁ juṣadhvaṁ kavayo yuvānaḥ || 3 ||
yūyaṁ rājānam iryaṁ janāya vibhvataṣṭaṁ janayathā yajatrāḥ |
yuṣmad eti muṣṭihā bāhujūto yuṣmat sadaśvo marutaḥ suvīraḥ || 4 ||
arā ived acaramā aheva pra-pra jāyante akavā mahobhiḥ |
pṛśneḥ putrā upamāso rabhiṣṭhāḥ svayā matyā marutaḥ sam mimikṣuḥ || 5 ||
yat prāyāsiṣṭa pṛṣatībhir aśvair vīḻupavibhir maruto rathebhiḥ |
kṣodanta āpo riṇate vanāny avosriyo vṛṣabhaḥ krandatu dyauḥ || 6 ||
prathiṣṭa yāman pṛthivī cid eṣām bharteva garbhaṁ svam ic chavo dhuḥ |
vātān hy aśvān dhury āyuyujre varṣaṁ svedaṁ cakrire rudriyāsaḥ || 7 ||
haye naro maruto mṛḻatā nas tuvīmaghāso amṛtā ṛtajñāḥ |
satyaśrutaḥ kavayo yuvāno bṛhadgirayo bṛhad ukṣamāṇāḥ || 8 ||
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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