Hymn to Soma
Rigveda VI.52 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 6 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 All-Gods, hear us now as the dawn doth break. We lift to you the soma cup, the butter poured upon the fire.
The morning light spreadeth across the earth. The birds do sing; the creatures wake. All things in heaven and earth do turn their face toward thee.
Ye gods of old, ye gods of now, ye gods who shall be forevermore—accept this rite that we have made with purified and reverent hands.
The grass hath been laid out; the fire is bright. The waters flow; the winds do blow. All nature joineth in this song, this great and wondrous hymn of praise.
O Indra, thou art strong and bold; O Agni, thou art wise and pure. O Soma, thou art sweet and good. O Vayu, thou art life itself.
The mountains stand; the sky is high; the ocean stretcheth far and wide. All these obey thy will, O Gods, and answer to thy call.
The men do gather; the women sing. The children play around our feet. The whole community doth bow before thy mighty throne.
From the beginning until the end of time, thy power shall prevail. No force can overcome thee; no wisdom can resist thy will.
So grant to us this day thy blessings—health and strength and peace of mind. Grant us good fortune in our work; grant us success in all we do.
And at the end of all our days, when we must pass beyond the veil, we pray that we shall dwell with thee in that eternal realm of light.
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 VI.52
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.
na tad divā na pṛthivyānu manye na yajñena nota śamībhir ābhiḥ |
ubjantu taṁ subhva1ḥ parvatāso ni hīyatām atiyājasya yaṣṭā || 1 ||
ati vā yo maruto manyate no brahma vā yaḥ kriyamāṇaṁ ninitsāt |
tapūṁṣi tasmai vṛjināni santu brahmadviṣam abhi taṁ śocatu dyauḥ || 2 ||
kim aṅga tvā brahmaṇaḥ soma gopāṁ kim aṅga tvāhur abhiśastipāṁ naḥ |
kim aṅga naḥ paśyasi nidyamānān brahmadviṣe tapuṣiṁ hetim asya || 3 ||
avantu mām uṣaso jāyamānā avantu mā sindhavaḥ pinvamānāḥ |
avantu mā parvatāso dhruvāso 'vantu mā pitaro devahūtau || 4 ||
viśvadānīṁ sumanasaḥ syāma paśyema nu sūryam uccarantam |
tathā karad vasupatir vasūnāṁ devām̐ ohāno 'vasāgamiṣṭhaḥ || 5 ||
indro nediṣṭham avasāgamiṣṭhaḥ sarasvatī sindhubhiḥ pinvamānā |
parjanyo na oṣadhībhir mayobhur agniḥ suśaṁsaḥ suhavaḥ piteva || 6 ||
viśve devāsa ā gata śṛṇutā ma imaṁ havam |
edam barhir ni ṣīdata || 7 ||
yo vo devā ghṛtasnunā havyena pratibhūṣati |
taṁ viśva upa gacchatha || 8 ||
upa naḥ sūnavo giraḥ śṛṇvantv amṛtasya ye |
sumṛḻīkā bhavantu naḥ || 9 ||
viśve devā ṛtāvṛdha ṛtubhir havanaśrutaḥ |
juṣantāṁ yujyam payaḥ || 10 ||
stotram indro marudgaṇas tvaṣṭṛmān mitro aryamā |
imā havyā juṣanta naḥ || 11 ||
imaṁ no agne adhvaraṁ hotar vayunaśo yaja |
cikitvān daivyaṁ janam || 12 ||
viśve devāḥ śṛṇutemaṁ havam me ye antarikṣe ya upa dyavi ṣṭha |
ye agnijihvā uta vā yajatrā āsadyāsmin barhiṣi mādayadhvam || 13 ||
viśve devā mama śṛṇvantu yajñiyā ubhe rodasī apāṁ napāc ca manma |
mā vo vacāṁsi paricakṣyāṇi vocaṁ sumneṣv id vo antamā madema || 14 ||
ye ke ca jmā mahino ahimāyā divo jajñire apāṁ sadhasthe |
te asmabhyam iṣaye viśvam āyuḥ kṣapa usrā varivasyantu devāḥ || 15 ||
agnīparjanyāv avataṁ dhiyam me 'smin have suhavā suṣṭutiṁ naḥ |
iḻām anyo janayad garbham anyaḥ prajāvatīr iṣa ā dhattam asme || 16 ||
stīrṇe barhiṣi samidhāne agnau sūktena mahā namasā vivāse |
asmin no adya vidathe yajatrā viśve devā haviṣi mādayadhvam || 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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