Hymn to Vāyu
Rigveda VII.91 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.
Hail, O Vāyu! Thou whom we honor with our praises! Thou who art swift and mighty and terrible! The clouds flee before thee; the thunder follows in thy wake. When thou dost stir thyself, all the world trembles.
The offering is prepared, O wind-god! The soma hath been pressed; the butter hath been poured. Come now and join the feast! Sit with the other gods and rejoice in our devotion! Thou who hast journeyed through countless ages, thou who hast witnessed the rising and setting of a thousand suns—come and accept our humble gift!
We mortals do depend upon thee, O Vāyu. Thou bringest the rain that falleth upon our fields; thou stir'st the fire that warmeth our homes; thou dost carry the very breath that keepeth us alive. Without thee, we would surely perish.
Grant us thy blessing, O swift one! Make our herds fertile; make our fields flourish; make our enemies weak! Come with the freshness of the dawn and the coolness of the evening! Dispel the heat of the day; drive away the chill of the night! Be our companion on our journeys; be our protector in our struggles!
Hear us, O Vāyu! Let thy speed carry our prayers to the heavens! Let thy power bring about what we desire! Let thy blessing rest upon us always!
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.91
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.
kuvid aṅga namasā ye vṛdhāsaḥ purā devā anavadyāsa āsan |
te vāyave manave bādhitāyāvāsayann uṣasaṁ sūryeṇa || 1 ||
uśantā dūtā na dabhāya gopā māsaś ca pāthaḥ śaradaś ca pūrvīḥ |
indravāyū suṣṭutir vām iyānā mārḍīkam īṭṭe suvitaṁ ca navyam || 2 ||
pīvoannām̐ rayivṛdhaḥ sumedhāḥ śvetaḥ siṣakti niyutām abhiśrīḥ |
te vāyave samanaso vi tasthur viśven naraḥ svapatyāni cakruḥ || 3 ||
yāvat taras tanvo3 yāvad ojo yāvan naraś cakṣasā dīdhyānāḥ |
śuciṁ somaṁ śucipā pātam asme indravāyū sadatam barhir edam || 4 ||
niyuvānā niyutaḥ spārhavīrā indravāyū sarathaṁ yātam arvāk |
idaṁ hi vām prabhṛtam madhvo agram adha prīṇānā vi mumuktam asme || 5 ||
yā vāṁ śataṁ niyuto yāḥ sahasram indravāyū viśvavārāḥ sacante |
ābhir yātaṁ suvidatrābhir arvāk pātaṁ narā pratibhṛtasya madhvaḥ || 6 ||
arvanto na śravaso bhikṣamāṇā indravāyū suṣṭutibhir vasiṣṭhāḥ |
vājayantaḥ sv avase huvema 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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