Hymn to Soma
Rigveda VIII.29 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 8 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.
Great Indra, lord of thunder, who dost shake the skies with thy resounding voice, come thou and take the soma here prepared for thee. Thy deeds are sung by every man from east to west.
Agni, the golden messenger, the tongue of gods, who feedest on the sacred wood and drinkest in the butter's stream, accept our offering and bear it up to heaven on high.
Soma, the wise and holy one, the healer of all ills, the plant that groweth in the mountains high, ye whom the gods do love, ye whom the sages praise, come thou and fill our vessels with thy healing draught.
Varuṇa, the all-seeing one, who watcheth from the sky, whose eye doth pierce the darkness and discovereth all deeds, accept our hymn and grant us grace and thy protection sure.
Viṣṇu, the mighty one whose strides do measure out the earth and heaven both, who holdeth all the worlds within his hands, we call on thee to bless us with thy sovereign might and strength.
Mitra, the gentle lord, the friend of all mankind, who bindeth all the world in bonds of truth and love, come thou and smile upon us and our enterprise.
Tvaṣṭṛ, the shaper of all forms, the craftsman of the gods, who fashioned every creature that doth live and breathe, we praise thee for thy wisdom and thy mighty hands.
Pūṣan, the nourisher, the keeper of the way, who guideth all the travelers and the wanderers lost, come thou and lead us safe unto the journey's end.
The Aśvins twain, the healers swift, the lords of dawn and dew, ye who do rescue all the lost and heal the weak, accept our song and grant us vigor and good health.
Ye Viśvedevas, all of you, the mighty host of heaven and earth, accept this offering made with reverence and care, and grant unto this people all prosperity and peace 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 VIII.29
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.
babhrur eko viṣuṇaḥ sūnaro yuvāñjy aṅkte hiraṇyayam || 1 ||
yonim eka ā sasāda dyotano 'ntar deveṣu medhiraḥ || 2 ||
vāśīm eko bibharti hasta āyasīm antar deveṣu nidhruviḥ || 3 ||
vajram eko bibharti hasta āhitaṁ tena vṛtrāṇi jighnate || 4 ||
tigmam eko bibharti hasta āyudhaṁ śucir ugro jalāṣabheṣajaḥ || 5 ||
patha ekaḥ pīpāya taskaro yathām̐ eṣa veda nidhīnām || 6 ||
trīṇy eka urugāyo vi cakrame yatra devāso madanti || 7 ||
vibhir dvā carata ekayā saha pra pravāseva vasataḥ || 8 ||
sado dvā cakrāte upamā divi samrājā sarpirāsutī || 9 ||
arcanta eke mahi sāma manvata tena sūryam arocayan || 10 ||
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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