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Rig Veda · 220 of 1027
Mandala 2: HYMN XXIX. Viśvedevas.
1.UPHOLDERS of the Law, ye strong Ādityas, remove my sin like her who bears in secret. You, Varuṇa, Mitra and all Gods who listen, I call to help me, I who know your goodness.
2.Ye, Gods, are providence and ye are power: remove ye utterly all those who hate us. As givers of good things deal with us kindly: this day be gracious to us and hereafter.
3.What service may we do you with our future, what service, Vasus, with our ancient friendship? O Aditi, and Varuṇa and Mitra, Indra and Maruts, make us well and happy.
4.Ye, O ye Gods, are verily our kinsmen as such be kind to me who now implore you. Let not your car come slowly to our worship: of kinsmen such as you ne’er let us weary.
5.I singly have sinned many a sin against you, and ye chastised me as a sire the gambler. Far be your nets, far, Gods, be mine offences: seize me not like a bird upon her offspring.
6.Turn yourselves hitherward this day, ye Holy, that fearing in my heart I may approach you. Protect us, God; let not the wolf destroy us. Save us, ye Holy, from the pit and falling.
7.May I not live, O Varuṇa, to witness my wealthy, liberal, dear friend’s destitution. King, may I never lack well-ordered riches. Loud may we speak, with heroes, in assembly.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn call the gods 'kinsmen' and ask them to 'come' to worship?
The hymn treats the gods as ‘kinsmen’ to make the relationship intimate and reciprocal: the worshipper appeals to Aditi, Varuṇa, Mitra, Indra and the Maruts as family who owe protection and hospitality. Calling them ‘kinsmen’ frames prayer as asking relatives to uphold law, remove enemies and restore well‑being, so the requests—‘remove my sin,’ ‘protect us,’ ‘make us well and happy’—sit inside a social obligation rather than a distant cosmic command.
When the poet asks the gods to ‘come’ to worship he asks for their active presence and immediate aid; lines like ‘Turn yourselves hitherward this day’ and ‘Let not your car come slowly’ insist on timely intervention. This matches other Vedic hymns (for example in Rigveda Mandala 1) where deity presence validates sacrifice and secures prosperity, linking divine attendance to protection, wealth and communal honor.
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