HYMN CXVII. Liberality. – Rig Veda – Book 10
न वा उ देवाः कषुधमिद वधं ददुरुताशितमुपगछन्ति मर्त्यवः |
उतो रयिः पर्णतो नोप दस्यत्युताप्र्णन्मर्डितारं न विन्दते ||
य आध्राय चकमानाय पित्वो.अन्नवान सन्रफितायोपजग्मुषे |
सथिरं मनः कर्णुते सेवते पुरोतोचित स मर्डितारं न विन्दते ||
स इद भोजो यो गर्हवे ददात्यन्नकामाय चरते कर्शाय |
अरमस्मै भवति यामहूता उतापरीषु कर्णुते सखायम ||
न स सखा यो न ददाति सख्ये सचाभुवे सचमानायपित्वः |
अपास्मात परेयान न तदोको अस्ति पर्णन्तमन्यमरणं चिदिचःेत ||
पर्णीयादिन नाधमानाय तव्यान दराघीयांसमनुपश्येत पन्थाम |
ओ हि वर्तन्ते रथ्येव चक्रान्यम-अन्यमुप तिष्ठन्त रायः ||
मोघमन्नं विन्दते अप्रचेताः सत्यं बरवीमि वध इत सतस्य |
नार्यमणं पुष्यति नो सखायं केवलाघो भवतिकेवलादी ||
कर्षन्नित फाल आशितं कर्णोति यन्नध्वानमप वर्ङकतेचरित्रैः |
वदन बरह्मावदतो वनीयान पर्णन्नापिरप्र्णन्तमभि षयात ||
एकपाद भूयो दविपदो वि चक्रमे दविपात तरिपादमभ्येतिपश्चात |
चतुष्पादेति दविपदामभिस्वरे सम्पश्यन्पङकतीरुपतिष्ठमानः ||
समौ चिद धस्तौ न समं विविष्टः सम्मातरा चिन नसमं दुहाते |
यमयोश्चिन न समा वीर्याणि जञाती चित्सन्तौ न समं पर्णीतः ||
na vā u devāḥ kṣudhamid vadhaṃ dadurutāśitamupaghachanti mṛtyavaḥ |
uto rayiḥ pṛṇato nopa dasyatyutāpṛṇanmarḍitāraṃ na vindate ||
ya ādhrāya cakamānāya pitvo.annavān sanraphitāyopajaghmuṣe |
sthiraṃ manaḥ kṛṇute sevate purotocit sa marḍitāraṃ na vindate ||
sa id bhojo yo ghṛhave dadātyannakāmāya carate kṛśāya |
aramasmai bhavati yāmahūtā utāparīṣu kṛṇute sakhāyam ||
na sa sakhā yo na dadāti sakhye sacābhuve sacamānāyapitvaḥ |
apāsmāt preyān na tadoko asti pṛṇantamanyamaraṇaṃ cidicḥet ||
pṛṇīyādin nādhamānāya tavyān drāghīyāṃsamanupaśyeta panthām |
o hi vartante rathyeva cakrānyam-anyamupa tiṣṭhanta rāyaḥ ||
moghamannaṃ vindate apracetāḥ satyaṃ bravīmi vadha it satasya |
nāryamaṇaṃ puṣyati no sakhāyaṃ kevalāgho bhavatikevalādī ||
kṛṣannit phāla āśitaṃ kṛṇoti yannadhvānamapa vṛṅktecaritraiḥ |
vadan brahmāvadato vanīyān pṛṇannāpirapṛṇantamabhi ṣyāt ||
ekapād bhūyo dvipado vi cakrame dvipāt tripādamabhyetipaścāt |
catuṣpādeti dvipadāmabhisvare sampaśyanpaṅktīrupatiṣṭhamānaḥ ||
samau cid dhastau na samaṃ viviṣṭaḥ sammātarā cin nasamaṃ duhāte |
yamayościn na samā vīryāṇi jñātī citsantau na samaṃ pṛṇītaḥ ||
English Translation
Translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith
1. THE Gods have not ordained hunger to be our death: even to the well-fed man comes death in varied shape.
The riches of the liberal never waste away, while he who will not give finds none to comfort him.
2 The man with food in store who, when the needy comes in miserable case begging for bread to eat,
Hardens his heart against him-even when of old he did him service-finds not one to comfort him.
3 Bounteous is he who gives unto the beggar who comes to him in want of food and feeble.
Success attends him in the shout of battle. He makes a friend of him in future troubles.
4 No friend is he who to his friend and comrade who comes imploring food, will offer nothing.
Let him depart-no home is that to rest in-, and rather seek a stranger to support him.
5 Let the rich satisfy the poor implorer, and bend his eye upon a longer pathway.
Riches come now to one, now to another, and like the wheels of cars are ever rolling.
6 The foolish man wins food with fruitless labour: that food -I speak the truth- shall be his ruin.
He feeds no trusty friend, no man to love him. All guilt is he who eats with no partaker.
7 The ploughshare ploughing makes the food that feeds us, and with its feet cuts through the path it follows.
Better the speaking than the silent Brahman: the liberal friend outyalues him who gives not.
8 He with one foot hath far outrun the biped, and the two-footed catches the three-footed.
Four-footed creatures come when bipeds call them, and stand and look where five are met together.
9 The hands are both alike: their labour differs. The yield of sister milch-kine is unequal.
Twins even diffier in their strength and vigour: two, even kinsmen, differ in their bounty.