← Contents
Theme
0647 / 1027

Listen

Dhammapada · narration sample

A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.

Rig Veda · 647 of 1027

Mandala 8: HYMN XXVII. Viśvedevas.

1.CHEIF Priest is Agni at the laud, as stones and grass at sacrifice: With song I seek the Maruts, Brahmaṇaspati, Gods for help much to be desired.

2.I sing to cattle and to Earth, to trees, to Dawns, to Night, to plants. O all ye Vasus, ye possessors of all wealth, be ye the furtherers of our thoughts.

3.Forth go, with Agni, to the Gods our sacrifice of ancient use, To the Ādityas, Varuṇa whose Law stands fast, and the all-lightening Marut troop.

4.Lords of all wealth, may they be strengtheners of man, destroyers of his enemies. Lords of all wealth, do ye, with guards which none may harm, preserve our dwelling free from foes.

5.Come to us with one mind to-day, come to us all with one accord, Maruts with holy song, and, Goddess Aditi, Mighty One, to our house and home.

6.Send us delightful things, ye Maruts, on your steeds: come ye, O Mitra, to our gifts. Let Indra, Varuṇa, and the Ādityas sit, swift Heroes, on our sacred grass.

7.We who have trimmed the grass for you, and set the banquet in array, And pressed the Soma, call you, Varuina, like men, with sacrificial fires aflame.

8.O Maruts, Visinu, Aśvins, Pūṣan, haste away with minds turned hitherward to Me. Let the Strong Indra, famed as Vṛtra’s slayer, come first with the winners of the spoil.

9.Ye Guileless Gods, bestow on us a refuge strong on every side, A sure protection, Vasus, unassailable from near at hand or from afar.

10.Kinship have I with you, and close alliance O ye Gods, destroyers of our foes. Call us to our prosperity of former days, and soon to new klicity.

11.For now have I sent forth to you, that I may win a fair reward, Lords of all wealth, with homage, this my song of praise. like a milch-cow that faileth not.

12.Excellent Savitar hath mounted up on high for you, ye sure and careful Guides. Bipeds and quadrupeds, with several hopes and aims, and birds have settled to their tasks.

13.Singing their praise with God-like thought let us invoke each God for grace, Each God to bring you help, each God to strengthen you.

14.For of one spirit are the Gods with mortal man, co-sharers all of gracious gifts. May they increase our strength hereafter and to-day, providing case and ample room.

15.I laud you, O ye Guileless Gods, here where we meet to render praise. None, Varuṇa and Mitra, harins the mortal, man who honours and obeys your laws.

16.He makes his house endure, he gathers plenteous food who pays obedience to your will. Born in his sons anew he spreads as Law commands, and prospers every way unharmed.

17.E’en without war he gathers wealth, and goes hisway on pleasant paths, Whom Mitra, Varuṇa and Aryaman protect, sharing the gift,of one accord.

18.E’en on the plain for him ye make a sloping path, an easy way where road is none: And far away from him the ineffectual shaft must vanish, shot at him in vain.

19.If ye appoint the rite to-day, kind Rulers, when the Sun ascends, Lords of all wealth, at sunset or at wakingtime, or be it at the noon of day,

20.Or, Asuras, when ye have sheltered the worshipper who goes to sacrifice, at eve may we, O Vasus, ye possessors of all wealth, come then into the midst of You.

21.If ye to-day at sunrise, or at noon, or in the gloom of eve, Lords of all riches, give fair treasure to the man, the wise man who hath sacrificed,

22.Then we, imperial Rulers, claim of you this boon, your wide protection, as a son. May we, Ādityas, offering holy gifts, obtain that which shall bring us greater bliss.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn keep asking the Vasus, Maruts, and Ādityas to come with “one mind” and grant protection?

The poet repeatedly asks the Vasus, Maruts, and Ādityas to come with “one mind” because the hymn frames the gods as co-sharers in blessing: when they act together they strengthen the sacrificer’s house, wealth, and safety. Lines like “For of one spirit are the Gods with mortal man, co-sharers all of gracious gifts” make the request into an appeal for concord that produces tangible goods — prosperity, wide protection, and a lasting house.

The unity called for is practical and ritual: communal attention and timely rites (sunrise, noon, eve) summon the deities to accept the sacrifice and “preserve our dwelling free from foes.” This theme matches what the Brihadaranyaka and other Vedic texts say about ritual efficacy depending on proper order and united invocation of devas to secure social and domestic well‑being.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.