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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 90 of 1027

Mandala 1: HYMN XC. Viśvedevas.

1.MAY Varuṇa with guidance straight, and Mitra lead us, he who knows, And Aryaman in accord with Gods.

2.For they are dealers forth of wealth, and, not deluded, with their might Guard evermore the holy laws.

3.Shelter may they vouchsafe to us, Immortal Gods to mortal men, Chasing our enemies away.

4.May they mark out our paths to bliss, Indra, the Maruts, Pūṣan, and Bhaga, the Gods to be adored.

5.Yea, Pūṣan, Viṣṇu, ye who run your course, enrich our hymns with kine; Bless us with all prosperity.

6.The winds waft sweets, the rivers pour sweets for the man who keeps the Law So may the plants be sweet for us.

7.Sweet be the night and sweet the dawns, sweet the terrestrial atmosphere; Sweet be our Father Heaven to us.

8.May the tall tree be full of sweets for us, and full of sweets the Sun: May our milch-kine be sweet for us.

9.Be Mitra gracious unto us, and Varuṇa and Aryaman: Indra, Bṛhaspati be kind, and Viṣṇu of the mighty stride.

Asked of Guide

Why do the gods get asked for 'sweet' things so often in this hymn?

The hymn asks gods for things described as “sweet”—night, dawns, atmosphere, trees, cows—because sweetness names blessedness and right order: sweet rivers and winds follow when one “keeps the Law.” The poets link physical sweetness with social and cosmic harmony that Varuṇa, Mitra, and the others maintain as “dealers forth of wealth.” This chapter treats sweetness as a sign of divine favor and proper ritual living, asking Pūṣan, Viṣṇu, Indra and others to “enrich our hymns with kine” and to “mark out our paths to bliss.” The pattern echoes later Vedic texts like the Brāhmaṇas, which also connect ritual observance to prosperity and well-being.

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