Hymn to Uṣas
Rigveda V.79 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.
Behold! Uṣas appeareth upon the horizon, the radiant goddess wreathed in crimson and gold. She breaketh forth from the eastern sky like a bride adorned for her wedding, and all the earth trembleth at her coming.
She riseth naked and unashamed, her breasts full and gleaming, her thighs glistening with dew from the night just passed. Her bright arms stretch out across the heavens, pushing back the darkness that hath clung to the world through the long watches of the night. The shadows flee before her; the stars grow pale and fade away.
She descendeth upon the earth like a young maiden dancing, her feet swift and graceful, her movements full of life and promise. Where she toucheth, the grass springeth green. Where she passeth, the flowers open their petals. The birds burst into song at the sound of her approach. All creatures stir and awaken, ready to greet the new day.
O Uṣas, eternal dawn, thou who art born anew each morning and yet never dost grow old! Thou art the mother of all things, the giver of life and light. In thee dwelleth the secret of renewal, the promise that no darkness shall endure forever, that no night shall hold the world in thrall.
Come to us, O radiant one. Touch our eyes that we might see. Warm our hearts that we might feel the joy of living. Guide our feet along the paths of righteousness. We worship thee, we honor thee, we are grateful for thy coming. Praise be to Uṣas, the ever-returning dawn.
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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda V.79
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.
mahe no adya bodhayoṣo rāye divitmatī |
yathā cin no abodhayaḥ satyaśravasi vāyye sujāte aśvasūnṛte || 1 ||
yā sunīthe śaucadrathe vy auccho duhitar divaḥ |
sā vy uccha sahīyasi satyaśravasi vāyye sujāte aśvasūnṛte || 2 ||
sā no adyābharadvasur vy ucchā duhitar divaḥ |
yo vy aucchaḥ sahīyasi satyaśravasi vāyye sujāte aśvasūnṛte || 3 ||
abhi ye tvā vibhāvari stomair gṛṇanti vahnayaḥ |
maghair maghoni suśriyo dāmanvantaḥ surātayaḥ sujāte aśvasūnṛte || 4 ||
yac cid dhi te gaṇā ime chadayanti maghattaye |
pari cid vaṣṭayo dadhur dadato rādho ahrayaṁ sujāte aśvasūnṛte || 5 ||
aiṣu dhā vīravad yaśa uṣo maghoni sūriṣu |
ye no rādhāṁsy ahrayā maghavāno arāsata sujāte aśvasūnṛte || 6 ||
tebhyo dyumnam bṛhad yaśa uṣo maghony ā vaha |
ye no rādhāṁsy aśvyā gavyā bhajanta sūrayaḥ sujāte aśvasūnṛte || 7 ||
uta no gomatīr iṣa ā vahā duhitar divaḥ |
sākaṁ sūryasya raśmibhiḥ śukraiḥ śocadbhir arcibhiḥ sujāte aśvasūnṛte || 8 ||
vy ucchā duhitar divo mā ciraṁ tanuthā apaḥ |
net tvā stenaṁ yathā ripuṁ tapāti sūro arciṣā sujāte aśvasūnṛte || 9 ||
etāvad ved uṣas tvam bhūyo vā dātum arhasi |
yā stotṛbhyo vibhāvary ucchantī na pramīyase sujāte aśvasūnṛte || 10 ||
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).
🌲