Hymn to Uṣas
Rigveda VI.65 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.
As the sun riseth in the east, so doth Uṣas, the dawn, illuminate all things. She cometh with her chariot drawn by red steeds, bringing warmth and life-giving light to every corner of the world.
Thou art ever young, O goddess, though countless ages have passed since thy first arising. Thou art ever joyful, though thy task be endless and without respite. Each morning thou bringest renewal; each dawn thou bestowest fresh opportunity upon all living things.
The animals stir in their lairs at thy coming. The plants stretch forth their leaves to receive thy warmth. The waters of the rivers and the seas do sparkle with thy reflection. All creation doth respond to thy approach with gladness and celebration.
We praise thee for thy constancy, O Uṣas! For never dost thou fail, never dost thou become weary of thy sacred work. Through storm and through fair weather, through winter's bitter cold and summer's blazing heat, thou art ever faithful to thy duty.
Grant us, we pray, that we may greet each new day with hearts as fresh and grateful as thy own. Let us rise with thee from the couch of night and embrace the tasks that await us. Give us strength to labor in thy light, and wisdom to use the hours thou givest us with purpose and righteousness.
O beautiful maiden of the dawn! O radiant opener of the heavens! Accept our morning hymn and bless us with thy favor.
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.65
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.
eṣā syā no duhitā divojāḥ kṣitīr ucchantī mānuṣīr ajīgaḥ |
yā bhānunā ruśatā rāmyāsv ajñāyi tiras tamasaś cid aktūn || 1 ||
vi tad yayur aruṇayugbhir aśvaiś citram bhānty uṣasaś candrarathāḥ |
agraṁ yajñasya bṛhato nayantīr vi tā bādhante tama ūrmyāyāḥ || 2 ||
śravo vājam iṣam ūrjaṁ vahantīr ni dāśuṣa uṣaso martyāya |
maghonīr vīravat patyamānā avo dhāta vidhate ratnam adya || 3 ||
idā hi vo vidhate ratnam astīdā vīrāya dāśuṣa uṣāsaḥ |
idā viprāya jarate yad ukthā ni ṣma māvate vahathā purā cit || 4 ||
idā hi ta uṣo adrisāno gotrā gavām aṅgiraso gṛṇanti |
vy a1rkeṇa bibhidur brahmaṇā ca satyā nṛṇām abhavad devahūtiḥ || 5 ||
ucchā divo duhitaḥ pratnavan no bharadvājavad vidhate maghoni |
suvīraṁ rayiṁ gṛṇate rirīhy urugāyam adhi dhehi śravo naḥ || 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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