Hymn to Pūṣan
Rigveda VI.54 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, guide of all the ways, receive this hymn of praise we sing. We honor thee, O nourisher of all, thou keeper of the sacred path.
When dawn breaketh and the travelers rise to go upon their journey far, they call upon thy name, and thou dost hear them in that golden hour.
Thou art the lord who beareth gifts. Thy hands are full of blessings rich. To those who honor thee, thou givest all that they have need.
The roads run like the threads of fate through the great fabric of the earth. Thou art the weaver; thou art the guide; thou art the guardian of them all.
O golden-bearded one, thou shinest bright. Thy figure groweth clear as one approacheth thee upon the road. Thy presence giveth courage to the faint and strength unto the weary.
Thou hast ten thousand eyes to see all that doth pass. No movement escapeth thy regard. No creature cometh before thee unobserved.
The thief doth slink away when he beholdeth thee. The wild beast croucheth down and letteth the travelers pass in peace. By thy presence all the dangers of the road are turned away.
So grant to us, O Pūṣan wise, that we may travel without fear. Let not the mountain lion spring upon us in the night. Let not the serpent coil across our path.
Give us companions true and loyal. Give us provisions without end. Give us the blessing of thy care from the beginning to the destination of our way.
O Pūṣan, nourisher of all, receive our worship and our hymn. Be thou our guide, be thou our friend, be thou our guardian 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.54
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.
sam pūṣan viduṣā naya yo añjasānuśāsati |
ya evedam iti bravat || 1 ||
sam u pūṣṇā gamemahi yo gṛhām̐ abhiśāsati |
ima eveti ca bravat || 2 ||
pūṣṇaś cakraṁ na riṣyati na kośo 'va padyate |
no asya vyathate paviḥ || 3 ||
yo asmai haviṣāvidhan na tam pūṣāpi mṛṣyate |
prathamo vindate vasu || 4 ||
pūṣā gā anv etu naḥ pūṣā rakṣatv arvataḥ |
pūṣā vājaṁ sanotu naḥ || 5 ||
pūṣann anu pra gā ihi yajamānasya sunvataḥ |
asmākaṁ stuvatām uta || 6 ||
mākir neśan mākīṁ riṣan mākīṁ saṁ śāri kevaṭe |
athāriṣṭābhir ā gahi || 7 ||
śṛṇvantam pūṣaṇaṁ vayam iryam anaṣṭavedasam |
īśānaṁ rāya īmahe || 8 ||
pūṣan tava vrate vayaṁ na riṣyema kadā cana |
stotāras ta iha smasi || 9 ||
pari pūṣā parastād dhastaṁ dadhātu dakṣiṇam |
punar no naṣṭam ājatu || 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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