Hymn to Sūrya
Rigveda VII.63 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 Sūrya, thou who ridest in thy golden chariot across the heavens! The horses that draw thy chariot are swift and tireless. The wheels turn ceaselessly; the axle never breaks. Thy journey is unchanging, eternal, perfect!
Thou art the eye of the universe, O golden one! Thy gaze reacheth to every corner of creation. Thou seest the deeds of gods and mortals alike. Thou knowest the truth of all things!
The morning cometh at thy word. The night passeth at thy command. The seasons turn according to thy path through the sky. All life dependeth upon thy coming and thy going!
We are warmed by thy touch; we see by thy light. Without thee, O Sūrya, all would be darkness and cold. Nothing would grow; nothing would live; the universe itself would perish.
Therefore, we sing thy praises! Therefore, we offer unto thee the finest of our gifts! Come to us each morning as thou hast come since the beginning of time! Shine upon our fields and our homes! Make us prosperous and strong! Grant us health and long life! Accept our worship, O mighty sun!
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.63
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.
ud v eti subhago viśvacakṣāḥ sādhāraṇaḥ sūryo mānuṣāṇām |
cakṣur mitrasya varuṇasya devaś carmeva yaḥ samavivyak tamāṁsi || 1 ||
ud v eti prasavītā janānām mahān ketur arṇavaḥ sūryasya |
samānaṁ cakram paryāvivṛtsan yad etaśo vahati dhūrṣu yuktaḥ || 2 ||
vibhrājamāna uṣasām upasthād rebhair ud ety anumadyamānaḥ |
eṣa me devaḥ savitā cacchanda yaḥ samānaṁ na pramināti dhāma || 3 ||
divo rukma urucakṣā ud eti dūrearthas taraṇir bhrājamānaḥ |
nūnaṁ janāḥ sūryeṇa prasūtā ayann arthāni kṛṇavann apāṁsi || 4 ||
yatrā cakrur amṛtā gātum asmai śyeno na dīyann anv eti pāthaḥ |
prati vāṁ sūra udite vidhema namobhir mitrāvaruṇota havyaiḥ || 5 ||
nū mitro varuṇo aryamā nas tmane tokāya varivo dadhantu |
sugā no viśvā supathāni santu yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā 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).
🌲