Hymn to Pūṣan
Rigveda VI.53 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 Pūṣan, golden-haired, who knowest all the pathways of the world—guide us aright upon our way. Let not our feet go astray in darkness or in doubt.
Thou art the herder of the flocks; thou keepest watch o'er all that go on four feet or on two. No creature wandereth lost when thou dost watch.
Thy eye is sharp; thy hand is sure. Thou knowest every mountain pass, every hidden road. Thou leadest travelers safely home.
The merchant calleth upon thee when he would venture far from home. The warrior prayeth to thee when he goeth forth to battle. The pilgrim trusteth to thy care when journeying to sacred ground.
O Pūṣan, thou art never harsh or cruel to the wanderer. But gentle is thy guiding hand; compassionate thy golden gaze.
The sun doth follow thy same path across the sky each day. The rivers flow at thy command. The winds do blow at thy behest.
Thou art the lord of all the roads—the high road and the low, the road through forest dark, the way across the desert bare, the path along the mountain steep.
So guard us, O Pūṣan, we who venture forth today. Grant us that we may travel safe and return again to our beloved homes. Let no harm befall us on our way.
Give us companions true and kind. Give us provisions for the road. Give us horses swift and strong, and asses sure of foot.
Thou art the ever-present friend of all who journey far. Accept our praise and honor due, and guide us evermore.
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.53
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.
vayam u tvā pathas pate rathaṁ na vājasātaye |
dhiye pūṣann ayujmahi || 1 ||
abhi no naryaṁ vasu vīram prayatadakṣiṇam |
vāmaṁ gṛhapatiṁ naya || 2 ||
aditsantaṁ cid āghṛṇe pūṣan dānāya codaya |
paṇeś cid vi mradā manaḥ || 3 ||
vi patho vājasātaye cinuhi vi mṛdho jahi |
sādhantām ugra no dhiyaḥ || 4 ||
pari tṛndhi paṇīnām ārayā hṛdayā kave |
athem asmabhyaṁ randhaya || 5 ||
vi pūṣann ārayā tuda paṇer iccha hṛdi priyam |
athem asmabhyaṁ randhaya || 6 ||
ā rikha kikirā kṛṇu paṇīnāṁ hṛdayā kave |
athem asmabhyaṁ randhaya || 7 ||
yām pūṣan brahmacodanīm ārām bibharṣy āghṛṇe |
tayā samasya hṛdayam ā rikha kikirā kṛṇu || 8 ||
yā te aṣṭrā goopaśāghṛṇe paśusādhanī |
tasyās te sumnam īmahe || 9 ||
uta no goṣaṇiṁ dhiyam aśvasāṁ vājasām uta |
nṛvat kṛṇuhi vītaye || 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).
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