ऋग्वेद
The oldest of the four Vedas — 1,028 hymns to the cosmic forces. Foundation of Sanatan Dharma.
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि। धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्॥
tat savitur vareṇyaṁ bhargo devasya dhīmahi | dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt ||
We meditate upon the glorious splendor of the Divine Sun (Savitr). May He illuminate our intellect.
Commentary
The Gayatri Mantra — the most sacred verse in all of Hinduism. Rigveda 3.62.10. Recited daily by millions for thousands of years. It prays not for wealth or power, but for the awakening of the intellect. This is Sanatan Dharma's core prayer — and the most chanted verse in human history.
अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम्। होतारं रत्नधातमम्॥
agnim īḷe purohitaṁ yajñasya devam ṛtvijam | hotāraṁ ratna-dhātamam ||
I praise Agni, the chosen Priest, the divine minister of sacrifice, the invoker, the bestower of treasures.
Commentary
The very first verse of the Rigveda — and of all human literature. The Vedas begin with fire (Agni), symbolizing knowledge that destroys darkness. The first word of the first scripture is a prayer.
अग्निना रयिमश्नवत्पोषमेव दिवेदिवे। यशसं वीरवत्तमम्॥
agninā rayim aśnavat poṣam eva dive-dive | yaśasaṁ vīra-vattamam ||
Through Agni may one obtain wealth and prosperity day by day, glorious and most abounding in heroes.
Commentary
The second verse of the Rigveda. Fire brings light, warmth, and transformation. The Vedic seers worshipped fire not as a god, but as the medium between humans and the divine — the first priest.
अग्निः पूर्वेभिर्ऋषिभर् ईळितो नूतनैरुत। स देवाँ एह वक्षति॥
agniḥ pūrvebhir ṛṣibhir īḷito nūtanair uta | sa devāṁ eha vakṣati ||
Agni, praised by the ancient seers and by the newer ones — may he bring the gods here.
Commentary
The tradition is continuous — both ancient and modern seers praise Agni. The Vedas are not frozen in time; they are alive in every generation that chants them. The fire connects past, present, and future.
अग्निना रयिमश्नवत्पोषमेव दिवेदिवे। यशसं वीरवत्तमम्॥
agninā rayim aśnavat poṣam eva dive-dive | yaśasaṁ vīra-vattamam ||
Through Agni may one obtain wealth and prosperity day by day, glorious and most abounding in heroes.
Commentary
The purpose of Agni worship: daily prosperity and glory. The Vedic seers were practical — they wanted wealth, strength, and fame. But these were always sought through the divine, not through greed.
अग्ने यं यज्ञमध्वरं विश्वतः परिभूरसि। स इद्देवेषु गच्छति॥
agne yaṁ yajñam adhvaraṁ viśvataḥ paribhūr asi | sa id deveṣu gacchati ||
O Agni, the sacrifice which you encompass from all sides — that reaches the gods.
Commentary
Agni is the messenger between humans and gods. The sacrifice (yajna) does not reach the gods directly — it is carried by fire. This is the Vedic understanding of prayer: it needs a medium, a carrier, a priest.
इन्द्रस्य नु वीर्याणि प्र वोचं यानि चकार प्रथमानि वज्री।
indrasya nu vīryāṇi pra vocaṁ yāni cakāra prathamāni vajrī ||
Let me now proclaim the heroic deeds of Indra — the first exploits he performed with his thunderbolt.
Commentary
The Indra Sukta begins the great hymns to the Vedic king of gods. Indra is not a myth — he is the principle of courage, strength, and divine power that destroys darkness. Every warrior who fights for dharma is an expression of Indra.
यदा सुम्नमिन्द्रमाविवासत्।
yadā sumnam indram āvivāsat ||
When they sought the favor of Indra.
Commentary
Indra is the god of thunder and rain — the force that breaks drought and brings life. The Vedic people depended on rain; Indra was their protector. The hymns are not abstract theology — they are survival prayers.
हन्ता वृत्रम्।
hantā vṛtram ||
The slayer of Vritra.
Commentary
Indra's greatest deed: slaying Vritra, the serpent of drought who held back the waters. This is not just a myth — it is the cosmic pattern of light overcoming darkness, truth overcoming falsehood, dharma overcoming adharma.
त्वमग्ने यमध्वरं विश्वेषां देव वीतये। त्वं सोमास इन्द्रवत उक्थ्यास इन्द्रवतः।
tvam agne yam adhvaraṁ viśveṣāṁ deva vītaye | tvaṁ somāsa indravata ukthyāsa indravataḥ ||
O Varuna, you are the guardian of the eternal law (Rita). Your decrees are not transgressed by the gods.
Commentary
Varuna is the guardian of Rita — cosmic order, the moral law of the universe. He sees everything, knows everything. He is the divine judge who ensures that dharma is maintained. His thousand eyes see all.
आ चिद् यद् अस्य दूरं विचक्षणं चक्षुर् अस्ति।
ā cid yad asya dūraṁ vicakṣaṇaṁ cakṣur asti ||
Varuna has an eye that sees far — even what is distant is visible to him.
Commentary
Varuna's omniscience — his eye sees even the most distant things. Nothing is hidden from the cosmic guardian. This is the Vedic expression of divine omniscience — the idea that God sees everything, everywhere.
इदं श्रेष्ठं ज्योतिषां ज्योतिरागाच्चित्रः प्रकेतो अजनिष्ट विभ्वा।
idaṁ śreṣṭhaṁ jyotiṣāṁ jyotir āgāc citraḥ praketo ajaniṣṭa vibhvā ||
This best of all lights has come — the brilliant banner of dawn has been born, all-pervading.
Commentary
A hymn to Ushas (Dawn). The Rigveda sees divine beauty in nature — every sunrise is a revelation. Sanatan Dharma does not separate the sacred from the natural.
उद् व् अस्य प्रियतमं भाति भास्वती।
ud v asya priyatamaṁ bhāti bhāsvatī ||
Rising, the most beloved brilliant one shines forth.
Commentary
Ushas is 'priyatama' — the most beloved. The Vedic seers loved dawn not as a metaphor but as a living goddess. Every sunrise is a resurrection — darkness dies, light is born. This is the Vedic understanding of daily renewal.
उद् इद् अस्य प्रियतमं भाति भास्वती।
ud id asya priyatamaṁ bhāti bhāsvatī ||
The most beloved brilliant one shines forth.
Commentary
The Ushas Sukta is one of the longest in the Rigveda — the seers couldn't stop praising the dawn. Each verse is a new angle on the same wonder: the sun rises again. Never jaded, always amazed. This is the Vedic spirit.
यासां त्वं अन्तमो असि या उ त्वं परम्या अपः।
yāsāṁ tvam antamo asi yā u tvaṁ paryā apaḥ ||
Among these rivers, you are the foremost — the most excellent of waters.
Commentary
The Rivers Hymn (Nadi Sukta) praises the sacred rivers of India. The Rigveda lists Saraswati alongside Ganga and Yamuna as a mighty flowing river — satellite imagery confirms this was true before 2000 BCE, proving Vedic antiquity.
इमं मे गङ्गे यमुने सरस्वति शुतुद्रि स्तोमं सचता परुष्ण्या। असिक्न्या मरुद्वृधे वितस्तयार्जीकीये शृणुह्या सुषोमया॥
imaṁ me gaṅge yamune sarasvati śutudri stomaṁ sacata paruṣṇyā | asiknyā marud-vṛdhe vitastayārjīkīye śṛṇuhyā suṣomayā ||
O Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Shutudri, Parushni — listen to my praise. O Marudvrdha, Vitasta, Arjikiya, Sushoma.
Commentary
The rivers are goddesses, not just water. The Vedic seers heard the divine in the roar of rivers. Saraswati — now dried up — was once the mightiest river in India. The Rigveda preserves her memory.
नासदासीन्नो सदासीत्तदानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमा परो यत्।
nāsad āsīn no sad āsīt tadānīṁ nāsīd rajo no vyomā paro yat ||
There was neither non-existence nor existence then. There was no realm of space nor the sky beyond.
Commentary
The Nasadiya Sukta — the most philosophical hymn in the Rigveda. Before creation, there was neither being nor non-being. This is not a contradiction — it is pointing to a state beyond all categories. The Big Bang theory echoes this verse.
न मृत्युरासीदमृतं न तर्हि न रात्र्या अह्न आसीत्प्रकेतः।
na mṛtyur āsīd amṛtaṁ na tarhi na rātryā ahna āsīt praketaḥ ||
There was no death, no immortality then. There was no distinction between night and day.
Commentary
Before creation, there were no opposites — no life/death, no light/dark, no time. Opposites arise together; one cannot exist without the other. This is the Vedic understanding of duality — it is a feature of creation, not of ultimate reality.
तम आसीत्तमसा गूढमग्रे।
tama āsīt tamasā gūḍham agre ||
There was darkness hidden by darkness in the beginning.
Commentary
The pre-creation state is not void but 'tamas' — darkness, potentiality, the unmanifest. This is the Vedic equivalent of the quantum vacuum — seemingly empty but seething with potential. Darkness is not absence; it is the womb of light.
को अद्धा वेद क इह प्र वोचत् कुत आजाता कुत इयं विसृष्टिः।
ko addhā veda ka iha pra vocat kuta ājātā kuta iyaṁ visṛṣṭiḥ ||
Who truly knows? Who can declare it here? Whence was it born? Whence came this creation?
Commentary
The Rigveda asks the question that science still cannot answer: where did creation come from? The seers don't pretend to know. This is intellectual honesty at its finest — thousands of years before the scientific method.
इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न।
iyaṁ visṛṣṭir yata ābabhūva yadi vā dadhe yadi vā na ||
Whence this creation has arisen — perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not.
Commentary
Even the gods don't know! The Rigveda presents creation as a mystery that even the divine does not fully understand. This is unique in world scripture — no other religious text admits that God might not know.
इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न। यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन् सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद॥
iyaṁ visṛṣṭir yata ābabhūva yadi vā dadhe yadi vā na | yo asyādhyakṣaḥ parame vyoman so aṅga veda yadi vā na veda ||
He who surveys it in the highest heaven — only He knows. Or perhaps even He does not know.
Commentary
The most astonishing verse in all of scripture. The Rigveda admits: even God may not know how creation began. This intellectual honesty is unique to Sanatan Dharma. No other religion dares such humility.
इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न। यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद॥
iyaṁ visṛṣṭir yata ābabhūva yadi vā dadhe yadi vā na | yo asyādhyakṣaḥ parame vyomantso aṅga veda yadi vā na veda ||
Whence this creation has arisen — perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not. He who surveys it in the highest heaven, only He knows — or perhaps even He does not know.
Commentary
The final verse: the ultimate mystery remains unresolved. The Rigveda ends not with an answer but with a question. This is the Vedic spirit — the pursuit of truth is more important than any answer.
सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात्।
sahasra-śīrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasra-pāt ||
The Cosmic Being has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet.
Commentary
The Purusha Sukta — the cosmic being who IS the universe. A thousand = infinite. Every head is His head, every eye is His eye. God is not outside creation; God IS creation.
स भूमिं विश्वतो वृत्वाऽत्यतिष्ठद्दशाङ्गुलम्।
sa bhūmiṁ viśvato vṛtvā 'tyatiṣṭhad daśāṅgulam ||
Having covered the earth on all sides, He stood beyond it by ten fingers.
Commentary
The Purusha pervades the entire earth — yet transcends it by ten fingers (a small amount). This is the paradox of the divine: fully immanent AND fully transcendent. God is everywhere in creation, yet beyond it.
पुरुष एवेदं सर्वं यद्भूतं यच्च भव्यम्।
puruṣa evedaṁ sarvaṁ yad bhūtaṁ yac ca bhavyam ||
The Purusha alone is all this — what has been and what will be.
Commentary
The Purusha IS everything — past, present, future. There is nothing that is not Purusha. This is the most radical statement of monism: the entire universe, with all its diversity, is one Being.
तस्माद् विराडजायत विराजो अधि पुरुषः।
tasmād virāḍ ajāyata virājo adhi puruṣaḥ ||
From Him was born Virat (the cosmic form); from Virat came the Purusha.
Commentary
Creation unfolds from the Purusha — first the cosmic form (Virat), then the individual being. The universe is not made from matter; it is made from consciousness. Matter is condensed consciousness.
तस्माद् यज्ञात् सर्वहुत ऋचः सामानि जज्ञिरे।
tasmād yajñāt sarvahuta ṛcaḥ sāmāni jajñire ||
From that universal sacrifice, the Rig and Sama hymns were born.
Commentary
The Vedas themselves were born from the cosmic sacrifice. The Purusha sacrificed himself to create the universe — every form, every being, every hymn emerged from this self-offering. Creation is an act of divine generosity.
तस्माद् यज्ञात् सर्वहुत ऋचः सामानि जज्ञिरे। छन्दांसि जज्ञिरे तस्माद् यजुस्तस्मादजायत॥
tasmād yajñāt sarvahuta ṛcaḥ sāmāni jajñire | chandāṁsi jajñire tasmād yajus tasmād ajāyata ||
From that sacrifice, the Rig and Sama hymns were born. The meters were born from it; the Yajur was born from it.
Commentary
The three Vedas — Rig, Sama, Yajur — all emerged from the cosmic sacrifice. Knowledge itself is an offering. The Vedic tradition sees no separation between worship and learning.
तस्मादश्वा अजायन्ते ये के चोभयादतः।
tasmād aśvā ajāyante ye ke cobhayādataḥ ||
From Him were born horses and all creatures with two rows of teeth.
Commentary
The Purusha Sukta traces the origin of all species from the cosmic sacrifice. Horses, cattle, goats, humans — all are expressions of the one Being. This is not evolution from matter; it is manifestation from consciousness.
यत्पुरुषं व्यदधुः कतिधा व्यकल्पयन्।
yat puruṣaṁ vyadadhuḥ katidhā vyakalpayan ||
When they divided the Purusha — into how many parts did they form Him?
Commentary
The cosmic sacrifice: the gods divided the Purusha into parts to create the universe. The Brahmin from His mouth, the Kshatriya from His arms, the Vaishya from His thighs, the Shudra from His feet. Every human is part of the divine body.
ब्रह्मणोऽस्य मुखमासीद् बाहू राजन्यः कृतः।
brahmaṇo 'sya mukham āsīd bāhū rājanyaḥ kṛtaḥ ||
The Brahmin was His mouth; the Kshatriya was made from His arms.
Commentary
The original varna system: every part of society is a limb of the divine body. The Brahmin (mouth = teaching), Kshatriya (arms = protection), Vaishya (thighs = sustenance), Shudra (feet = service). All are equally divine — all are parts of one body.
वैश्यः पद्भ्याम्। शूद्रो अजायत॥
vaiśyaḥ padbhyām | śūdro ajāyata ||
The Vaishya from His thighs; the Shudra from His feet.
Commentary
The feet are not lesser than the mouth — try walking without them. The Purusha Sukta does not establish hierarchy; it establishes interdependence. Every part of the body is essential. Society is one organism.
यत्पुरुषं व्यदधुः कतिधा व्यकल्पयन्। विश्वा भूतानि तस्य शरीरम्।
yat puruṣaṁ vyadadhuḥ katidhā vyakalpayan | viśvā bhūtāni tasya śarīram ||
When they divided the Purusha — all beings became His body.
Commentary
The final teaching: every being in the universe is a part of the cosmic body. The dog, the tree, the river, the human — all are limbs of one Purusha. To harm any being is to harm the body of God.
हिरण्यगर्भः समवर्तताग्रे भूतस्य जातः पतिरेकासीत्।
hiraṇyagarbhaḥ sam avartatāgre bhūtasya jātaḥ patir ekāsīt ||
The Golden Embryo arose in the beginning — the one lord of all creation.
Commentary
The Hiranyagarbha Sukta: the universe began as a golden egg — a single point of luminous potential. From this egg, the creator (Brahma) emerged. The 'golden womb' is the Vedic name for the primordial consciousness from which all matter arises.
य आत्मदा बलदा यस्य विश्व उपासते प्रशिषं यस्य देवाः।
ya ātmadā baladā yasya viśva upāsate praśiṣaṁ yasya devāḥ ||
He who gives the Self, who gives strength — whom all the gods worship according to His command.
Commentary
The Hiranyagarbha is the source of both the Self (atma) and strength (bala). Even the gods worship him. This is the Vedic hierarchy: Hiranyagarbha → gods → humans → nature. Everything flows from the one source.
यो देवानां प्रभवश्चोद्भवश्च विश्वाधिपो रुद्रो महर्षिः।
yo devānāṁ prabhavaś codbhavaś ca viśvādhipo rudro maharṣiḥ ||
He who is the origin and dissolution of the gods, the ruler of the universe, the great sage Rudra.
Commentary
The Hiranyagarbha Sukta ends with every verse asking: 'Who is the one God to whom sacrifice is offered?' The answer is Hiranyagarbha — who is also called Rudra, Prajapati, Brahman. One God, infinite names.
अहं रुद्रेभिर्वसुभिश्चराम्यहमादित्यैरुत विश्वदेवैः।
ahaṁ rudrebhir vasubhiś carāmy aham ādityair uta viśvadevaiḥ ||
I move with the Rudras, the Vasus, the Adityas, and all the gods.
Commentary
Vak (Speech/Word) speaks as the goddess — she is the power behind all the gods. Every deity, every force, every element is expressed through Vak. This is the Vedic understanding of the Word — not just communication, but the very substance of reality.
अहं सुवे पितरमस्य मूर्धन्मम योनिरप्स्वन्तः समुद्रे।
ahaṁ suve pitaram asya mūrdhan mama yonir apsv antaḥ samudre ||
I give birth to the father on the head of this (world). My origin is in the waters, in the ocean.
Commentary
Vak claims to be the mother of even the father (creator). Her origin is in the cosmic waters — the primordial ocean. The Word arises from the silence of the deep. Sound emerges from stillness.
अहमेव स्वयमिदं वदामि जुष्टं देवेभिरुत मानुषेभिः।
aham eva svayam idaṁ vadāmi juṣṭaṁ devebhir uta mānuṣebhiḥ ||
I myself declare this — which is pleasing to gods and humans alike.
Commentary
Vak speaks through the poet — the Vedic hymns are not human compositions but the goddess speaking through human vessels. The seer (rishi) is the instrument; Vak is the author. This is the basis of Shruti — 'that which is heard.'
इन्द्रं मित्रं वरुणमग्निमाहुरथो दिव्यः स सुपर्णो गरुत्मान्। एकं सद्विप्रा बहुधा वदन्त्यग्निं यमं मातरिश्वानमाहुः॥
indraṁ mitraṁ varuṇam agnim āhur atho divyaḥ sa suparṇo garutmān | ekaṁ sad viprā bahudhā vadanty agniṁ yamaṁ mātariśvānam āhuḥ ||
They call it Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, and it is the divine bird Garutman. The wise speak of that which is One in many ways — they call it Agni, Yama, Matarishvan.
Commentary
Ekam Sat — Truth is One, the wise call it by many names. This is the Rigvedic foundation of religious pluralism. One reality, infinite names. This verse alone refutes all claims of monopoly on truth.
अपश्यं गोपामनिचमेनमाचरन्तम्। चतुर्भुजं भूमिर्यत्र विचरन्तम्॥
apaśyaṁ gopām anicam enam ācarantam | catur-bhujaṁ bhūmir ytra vicarantam ||
I saw the divine shepherd moving everywhere, unborn and ever-active, in whom the universe rests.
Commentary
The Rigvedic vision of the cosmic shepherd — God moving through creation, sustaining all beings. Thousands of years before the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedic seers saw the same divine presence.
आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वतोऽदब्धासो अपरीतास उद्भिदः।
ā no bhadrāḥ kratavo yantu viśvato 'dabdhāso aparītāsa udbhidaḥ ||
Let noble thoughts come to us from every direction.
Commentary
The Rigvedic prayer for open-mindedness — the foundation of Sanatan Dharma's universal outlook. This is the opposite of dogmatism. Truth can come from anywhere; reject no source.
गावो विश्वस्य मातरः
gāvo viśvasya mātaraḥ
Cows are the mothers of the world.
Commentary
The Rigvedic reverence for the cow. Not because Hindus worship cows, but because the cow sustains life — milk, butter, ghee, fuel, fertilizer. The cow is the symbol of selfless giving.
कतमस्वित्कतमो देवानां कतमस्वित्कतमो मर्त्यानाम्।
katamasvit katamo devānāṁ katamasvit katamo martyānām ||
Which of the gods? Which of the mortals?
Commentary
The Rigveda's question to Varuna: who is the one true God among the many? The answer comes through experience, not argument. Each person must discover the one God through their own seeking.
विश्वानि देव सवितर्दुरितानि परा सुव।
viśvāni deva savitar duritāni parā suva ||
O divine Savitr, remove all evils from us.
Commentary
The Savitr prayer — seeking divine protection from all evil. The Vedic seers were not naïve — they knew the world contained evil. Their response was not denial but prayer: 'Remove it from us.'
इमं नरो मेधया यन्तु विप्रा वसूयवो वसुपतिं वसूनाम्।
imaṁ naro medhayā yantu viprā vasūyavo vasupatiṁ vasūnām ||
Let the wise men go to the lord of treasures through wisdom.
Commentary
The path to divine treasures is through wisdom (medha), not through ritual alone. The Vedic seers valued knowledge above all — even above sacrifice. Wisdom is the highest offering.
इन्द्रं विश्वा अवीवृधन्समुद्रव्यचसं गिरः।
indraṁ viśvā avīvṛdhan samudra-vyacasaṁ giraḥ ||
All the hymns have magnified Indra, who is vast as the ocean.
Commentary
Indra — the king of gods — is magnified by all the hymns. He is 'samudra-vyacasam' — vast as the ocean. The Vedic gods are not small beings in heaven; they are cosmic principles, vast and all-encompassing.
द्यौर्मे पिता जनिता नाभिरत्र बन्धुर्मे माता पृथिवी महीयम्।
dyaur me pitā janitā nābhir atra bandhur me mātā pṛthivī mahīyam ||
Heaven is my father; the navel is here; the great earth is my mother.
Commentary
The Vedic seers saw heaven (Dyaus) as father and earth (Prithvi) as mother. This is not just poetry — it is the recognition that we are children of the cosmos. The sky nourishes; the earth sustains. We are literally made of heaven and earth.
उपेमा अश्विना हवे दिवो न महिमा गिरः।
upemā aśvinā have divo na mahimā giraḥ ||
I call upon the two Ashvins — the twin horsemen of heaven.
Commentary
The Ashvins — twin horsemen of the dawn — are the Vedic gods of healing and rescue. They appear whenever someone is in danger. They represent the divine help that comes when you call with sincerity.
देवा ह यज्ञं नक्षत प्रियम्।
devā ha yajñaṁ nakṣata priyam ||
The gods attended the beloved sacrifice.
Commentary
When the sacrifice is performed with sincerity and knowledge, the gods attend. The Vedic yajna is not a bribe to the gods — it is a celebration of the relationship between humans and the divine. The gods come because they are invited, not because they are paid.