Hymn to Viṣṇu
Rigveda VII.100 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 7 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 Viṣṇu! Thou who takest the three mighty strides! The highest step is thy most secret step—the step that extendeth into that realm which mortals cannot perceive. This is the step beyond the stars, beyond the sky, beyond all earthly knowledge.
In this highest realm doth dwell the blessed ones—the righteous souls who have lived truly and died with honor. They have journeyed to that place that is reserved for the noble, the brave, the pure. It is a realm of eternal light, eternal joy, eternal peace.
Thou, O Viṣṇu, art the guardian of this realm. The gates are in thy hands; thy word decideth who shall enter and who shall be turned away. Thou art the judge of all souls; thou art the bestower of eternal blessings.
We mortals do not know this highest realm; we cannot perceive it with our earthly eyes; we cannot comprehend it with our limited minds. And yet, knowing that it existeth, knowing that thou art its guardian, we take comfort. For if we live rightly, if we speak truthfully, if we act with courage and honor, perhaps one day we too shall be permitted to enter that blessed place.
Grant us thy blessing, O mighty Viṣṇu! Guide our feet so that we may walk the righteous path! Help us to live in such a way that we shall be worthy of thy grace! And when at last we come to the end of our mortal lives, may we be received with honor into that highest realm where thy blessing doth shine eternal!
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 VII.100
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.
nū marto dayate saniṣyan yo viṣṇava urugāyāya dāśat |
pra yaḥ satrācā manasā yajāta etāvantaṁ naryam āvivāsāt || 1 ||
tvaṁ viṣṇo sumatiṁ viśvajanyām aprayutām evayāvo matiṁ dāḥ |
parco yathā naḥ suvitasya bhūrer aśvāvataḥ puruścandrasya rāyaḥ || 2 ||
trir devaḥ pṛthivīm eṣa etāṁ vi cakrame śatarcasam mahitvā |
pra viṣṇur astu tavasas tavīyān tveṣaṁ hy asya sthavirasya nāma || 3 ||
vi cakrame pṛthivīm eṣa etāṁ kṣetrāya viṣṇur manuṣe daśasyan |
dhruvāso asya kīrayo janāsa urukṣitiṁ sujanimā cakāra || 4 ||
pra tat te adya śipiviṣṭa nāmāryaḥ śaṁsāmi vayunāni vidvān |
taṁ tvā gṛṇāmi tavasam atavyān kṣayantam asya rajasaḥ parāke || 5 ||
kim it te viṣṇo paricakṣyam bhūt pra yad vavakṣe śipiviṣṭo asmi |
mā varpo asmad apa gūha etad yad anyarūpaḥ samithe babhūtha || 6 ||
vaṣaṭ te viṣṇav āsa ā kṛṇomi tan me juṣasva śipiviṣṭa havyam |
vardhantu tvā suṣṭutayo giro me yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 7 ||
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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