Hymn to the Maruts
Rigveda VII.56 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 Maruts, ye storm troop! Ye violent sons of Rudra! Ye riders upon the winds! Come hither with your golden armor gleaming! Come hither with your spears of lightning flashing!
Who can stand before you? Who can withstand your fury? The mountains tremble at your approach; the earth shakes beneath your feet. The sky itself roars with your coming!
Your voice is the thunder that rends the clouds asunder. Your breath is the wind that bends the tallest trees. Your touch is the lightning that burneth all it toucheth. Yet we sing your praises, O mighty ones!
Ye are terrible in your wrath, yet kind to those who honor you. Ye stir up the waters and bring the rains to the thirsty earth. Ye blow away the clouds that hang heavy in the sky. Ye refresh the world with your passage!
The earth drinks deep when you pass by, O Maruts! The plants grow tall; the crops flourish. The cattle drink of the sweet water; the birds sing for joy. All creatures are glad when you come!
Come to our aid, O warriors of the sky! Stand beside us in battle! With your spears of lightning, slay our enemies! With your mighty winds, scatter our foes! O Maruts, terrible and glorious, receive our prayer!
The priest prepares the offering; the soma floweth into the vessel. Come down, ye storm gods, and drink of the sweet draught! Accept this gift from your faithful worshippers! Be our protectors; be our champions; be our friends forever!
O Maruts, ye whose golden chariots race across the heavens! Ye who are strong as mountains, swift as eagles, fierce as serpents! We bow before you! We honor you! We call upon you with voices full of awe and reverence!
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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda VII.56
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.
ka īṁ vyaktā naraḥ sanīḻā rudrasya maryā adha svaśvāḥ || 1 ||
nakir hy eṣāṁ janūṁṣi veda te aṅga vidre mitho janitram || 2 ||
abhi svapūbhir mitho vapanta vātasvanasaḥ śyenā aspṛdhran || 3 ||
etāni dhīro niṇyā ciketa pṛśnir yad ūdho mahī jabhāra || 4 ||
sā viṭ suvīrā marudbhir astu sanāt sahantī puṣyantī nṛmṇam || 5 ||
yāmaṁ yeṣṭhāḥ śubhā śobhiṣṭhāḥ śriyā sammiślā ojobhir ugrāḥ || 6 ||
ugraṁ va ojaḥ sthirā śavāṁsy adhā marudbhir gaṇas tuviṣmān || 7 ||
śubhro vaḥ śuṣmaḥ krudhmī manāṁsi dhunir munir iva śardhasya dhṛṣṇoḥ || 8 ||
sanemy asmad yuyota didyum mā vo durmatir iha praṇaṅ naḥ || 9 ||
priyā vo nāma huve turāṇām ā yat tṛpan maruto vāvaśānāḥ || 10 ||
svāyudhāsa iṣmiṇaḥ suniṣkā uta svayaṁ tanva1ḥ śumbhamānāḥ || 11 ||
śucī vo havyā marutaḥ śucīnāṁ śuciṁ hinomy adhvaraṁ śucibhyaḥ |
ṛtena satyam ṛtasāpa āyañ chucijanmānaḥ śucayaḥ pāvakāḥ || 12 ||
aṁseṣv ā marutaḥ khādayo vo vakṣaḥsu rukmā upaśiśriyāṇāḥ |
vi vidyuto na vṛṣṭibhī rucānā anu svadhām āyudhair yacchamānāḥ || 13 ||
pra budhnyā va īrate mahāṁsi pra nāmāni prayajyavas tiradhvam |
sahasriyaṁ damyam bhāgam etaṁ gṛhamedhīyam maruto juṣadhvam || 14 ||
yadi stutasya maruto adhīthetthā viprasya vājino havīman |
makṣū rāyaḥ suvīryasya dāta nū cid yam anya ādabhad arāvā || 15 ||
atyāso na ye marutaḥ svañco yakṣadṛśo na śubhayanta maryāḥ |
te harmyeṣṭhāḥ śiśavo na śubhrā vatsāso na prakrīḻinaḥ payodhāḥ || 16 ||
daśasyanto no maruto mṛḻantu varivasyanto rodasī sumeke |
āre gohā nṛhā vadho vo astu sumnebhir asme vasavo namadhvam || 17 ||
ā vo hotā johavīti sattaḥ satrācīṁ rātim maruto gṛṇānaḥ |
ya īvato vṛṣaṇo asti gopāḥ so advayāvī havate va ukthaiḥ || 18 ||
ime turam maruto rāmayantīme sahaḥ sahasa ā namanti |
ime śaṁsaṁ vanuṣyato ni pānti guru dveṣo araruṣe dadhanti || 19 ||
ime radhraṁ cin maruto junanti bhṛmiṁ cid yathā vasavo juṣanta |
apa bādhadhvaṁ vṛṣaṇas tamāṁsi dhatta viśvaṁ tanayaṁ tokam asme || 20 ||
mā vo dātrān maruto nir arāma mā paścād daghma rathyo vibhāge |
ā naḥ spārhe bhajatanā vasavye3 yad īṁ sujātaṁ vṛṣaṇo vo asti || 21 ||
saṁ yad dhananta manyubhir janāsaḥ śūrā yahvīṣv oṣadhīṣu vikṣu |
adha smā no maruto rudriyāsas trātāro bhūta pṛtanāsv aryaḥ || 22 ||
bhūri cakra marutaḥ pitryāṇy ukthāni yā vaḥ śasyante purā cit |
marudbhir ugraḥ pṛtanāsu sāḻhā marudbhir it sanitā vājam arvā || 23 ||
asme vīro marutaḥ śuṣmy astu janānāṁ yo asuro vidhartā |
apo yena sukṣitaye taremādha svam oko abhi vaḥ syāma || 24 ||
tan na indro varuṇo mitro agnir āpa oṣadhīr vanino juṣanta |
śarman syāma marutām upasthe yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 25 ||
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).
🌲