Hymn to Soma
Rigveda VII.64 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 Mitra and Varuṇa, rulers of the sky! Ye who dwell in the highest heaven, far above the reach of mortal understanding!
The clouds gather at your command; the winds blow at your word. The waters flow according to your law; the earth trembleth at your will. All that existeth existeth by your power!
We mortals dwell below in the shadows, yet our fate resteth in your hands! Ye decide who shall prosper and who shall perish! Ye decide whose children shall be numerous and whose shall be few!
Grant us protection, O mighty ones! Let not the evil one approach us! Let not the curse-bringer touch our household! Keep us safe from all harm!
We offer thee the soma, pressed from the sacred plant! We kindle the fire upon the altar! We spread the holy grass! Accept these gifts from your faithful worshippers! Be gracious unto us! Grant us everything we ask!
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.64
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.
divi kṣayantā rajasaḥ pṛthivyām pra vāṁ ghṛtasya nirṇijo dadīran |
havyaṁ no mitro aryamā sujāto rājā sukṣatro varuṇo juṣanta || 1 ||
ā rājānā maha ṛtasya gopā sindhupatī kṣatriyā yātam arvāk |
iḻāṁ no mitrāvaruṇota vṛṣṭim ava diva invataṁ jīradānū || 2 ||
mitras tan no varuṇo devo aryaḥ pra sādhiṣṭhebhiḥ pathibhir nayantu |
bravad yathā na ād ariḥ sudāsa iṣā madema saha devagopāḥ || 3 ||
yo vāṁ gartam manasā takṣad etam ūrdhvāṁ dhītiṁ kṛṇavad dhārayac ca |
ukṣethām mitrāvaruṇā ghṛtena tā rājānā sukṣitīs tarpayethām || 4 ||
eṣa stomo varuṇa mitra tubhyaṁ somaḥ śukro na vāyave 'yāmi |
aviṣṭaṁ dhiyo jigṛtam puraṁdhīr yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 5 ||
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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