Hymn to Pūṣan
Rigveda VI.55 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.
Come now, O Pūṣan, lord of flocks, protector of the wanderer. We call to thee on every road, in every season, rain or shine.
The shepherd knoweth not the way if he should lose thy guiding hand. The caravan is lost in darkness if thy torch doth not shine clear.
Thou art the lord of all the beasts—the cattle, sheep, and gentle goats. Thy care is over every creature that doth graze upon the meadow fair.
The calf that strays is brought back home by thy invisible hand. The lamb that wanders from the fold is gathered in by thy compassion.
O Pūṣan, thou hast seen so much! Ten thousand years thy eye hath watched the great procession of the mortals and the beasts. Yet never once hath thy affection turned away.
Thou art the bridge between the worlds. Thou walkest betwixt the realm of men and the realm of the divine. Thou art the messenger, the herald, the deliverer of prayers.
The merchant prays to thee for safety. The soldier calls to thee for strength. The lover seeks thy blessing when he journeys to his beloved's side.
Grant us this day thy gentle care. Protect us from all harm and strife. Keep us from evil and from those who would do us hurt.
Let our journeys be swift and sure. Let our destinations be reached in peace. Let us return safe to our homes, bearing gifts and glory from afar.
O Pūṣan, golden one, receive our praise. Be thou our guide, our guard, our ever-present friend. Walk with us upon the roads of life, now and forevermore.
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.55
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.
ehi vāṁ vimuco napād āghṛṇe saṁ sacāvahai |
rathīr ṛtasya no bhava || 1 ||
rathītamaṁ kapardinam īśānaṁ rādhaso mahaḥ |
rāyaḥ sakhāyam īmahe || 2 ||
rāyo dhārāsy āghṛṇe vaso rāśir ajāśva |
dhīvato-dhīvataḥ sakhā || 3 ||
pūṣaṇaṁ nv a1jāśvam upa stoṣāma vājinam |
svasur yo jāra ucyate || 4 ||
mātur didhiṣum abravaṁ svasur jāraḥ śṛṇotu naḥ |
bhrātendrasya sakhā mama || 5 ||
ājāsaḥ pūṣaṇaṁ rathe niśṛmbhās te janaśriyam |
devaṁ vahantu bibhrataḥ || 6 ||
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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