HYMN XCVIII. The Gods. – Rig Veda – Book 10

बर्हस्पते परति मे देवतामिहि मित्रो वा यद वरुणो वासिपूषा |
आदित्यैर्वा यद वसुभिर्मरुत्वान स पर्जन्यंशन्तनवे वर्षाय ||

आ देवो दूतो अजिरश्चिकित्वान तवद देवापे अभि मामगछत |
परतीचीनः परति मामा वव्र्त्स्व दधामि ते दयुमतींवाचमासन ||

अस्मे धेहि दयुमतीं वाचमासन बर्हस्पते अनमीवामिषिराम |
यया वर्ष्टिं शन्तनवे वनाव दिवो दरप्सोमधुमाना विवेश ||

आ नो दरप्सा मधुमन्तो विशन्त्विन्द्र देह्यधिरथंसहस्रम |
नि षीद होत्रं रतुथा यजस्व देवान देवापेहविषा सपर्य ||

आर्ष्टिषेणो होत्रं रषिर्निषीदन देवापिर्देवसुमतिंचिकित्वान |
स उत्तरस्मादधरं समुद्रमपो दिव्या अस्र्जद्वर्ष्या अभि ||

अस्मिन समुद्रे अध्युत्तरस्मिन्नापो देवेभिर्निव्र्ता अतिष्ठन |
ता अद्रवन्नार्ष्टिषेणेन सर्ष्टा देवापिना परेषिताम्र्क्षिणीषु ||

यद देवापिः शन्तनवे पुरोहितो होत्राय वर्तः कर्पयन्नदीधेत |
देवश्रुतं वर्ष्टिवनिं रराणो बर्हस्पतिर्वाचमस्मा अयछत ||

यं तवा देवापिः शुशुचानो अग्न आर्ष्टिषेणो मनुष्यःसमीधे |
विश्वेभिर्देवैरनुमद्यमानः पर पर्जन्यमीरया वर्ष्टिमन्तम ||

तवां पूर्व रषयो गीर्भिरायन तवामध्वरेषु पुरुहूतविश्वे |
सहस्राण्यधिरथान्यस्मे आ नो यज्ञंरोहिदश्वोप याहि ||

एतान्यग्ने नवतिर्नव तवे आहुतान्यधिरथा सहस्र |
तेभिर्वर्धस्व तन्वः शूर पूर्वीर्दिवो नो वर्ष्टिमिषितोरिरीहि ||

एतान्यग्ने नवतिं सहस्रा सं पर यछ वर्ष्ण इन्द्रायभागम |
विद्वान पथ रतुशो देवयानानप्यौलानं दिविदेवेषु धेहि ||

अग्ने बाधस्व वि मर्धो वि दुर्गहापामीवामपरक्षांसि सेध |
अस्मात समुद्राद बर्हतो दिवो नो.अपाम्भूमानमुप नः सर्जेह ||

bṛhaspate prati me devatāmihi mitro vā yad varuṇo vāsipūṣā |
ādityairvā yad vasubhirmarutvān sa parjanyaṃśantanave vṛṣāya ||

ā devo dūto ajiraścikitvān tvad devāpe abhi māmaghachat |
pratīcīnaḥ prati māmā vavṛtsva dadhāmi te dyumatīṃvācamāsan ||

asme dhehi dyumatīṃ vācamāsan bṛhaspate anamīvāmiṣirām |
yayā vṛṣṭiṃ śantanave vanāva divo drapsomadhumānā viveśa ||

ā no drapsā madhumanto viśantvindra dehyadhirathaṃsahasram |
ni ṣīda hotraṃ ṛtuthā yajasva devān devāpehaviṣā saparya ||

ārṣṭiṣeṇo hotraṃ ṛṣirniṣīdan devāpirdevasumatiṃcikitvān |
sa uttarasmādadharaṃ samudramapo divyā asṛjadvarṣyā abhi ||

asmin samudre adhyuttarasminnāpo devebhirnivṛtā atiṣṭhan |
tā adravannārṣṭiṣeṇena sṛṣṭā devāpinā preṣitāmṛkṣiṇīṣu ||

yad devāpiḥ śantanave purohito hotrāya vṛtaḥ kṛpayannadīdhet |
devaśrutaṃ vṛṣṭivaniṃ rarāṇo bṛhaspatirvācamasmā ayachat ||

yaṃ tvā devāpiḥ śuśucāno aghna ārṣṭiṣeṇo manuṣyaḥsamīdhe |
viśvebhirdevairanumadyamānaḥ pra parjanyamīrayā vṛṣṭimantam ||

tvāṃ pūrva ṛṣayo ghīrbhirāyan tvāmadhvareṣu puruhūtaviśve |
sahasrāṇyadhirathānyasme ā no yajñaṃrohidaśvopa yāhi ||

etānyaghne navatirnava tve āhutānyadhirathā sahasra |
tebhirvardhasva tanvaḥ śūra pūrvīrdivo no vṛṣṭimiṣitorirīhi ||

etānyaghne navatiṃ sahasrā saṃ pra yacha vṛṣṇa indrāyabhāgham |
vidvān patha ṛtuśo devayānānapyaulānaṃ divideveṣu dhehi ||

aghne bādhasva vi mṛdho vi durghahāpāmīvāmaparakṣāṃsi sedha |
asmāt samudrād bṛhato divo no.apāmbhūmānamupa naḥ sṛjeha ||

English Translation

Translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith

1. COME, be thou Mitra, Varuṇa, or Pūṣan, come, O Bṛhaspati, to mine oblation:
With Maruts, Vasus, or Ādityas, make thou Parjanya pour for Santanu his rain-drops.

2 The God, intelligent, the speedy envoy whom thou hast sent hath come to me, Devapi:
Address thyself to me and turn thee hither within thy lips will I put brilliant language.

3 Within my mouth, Bṛhaspati, deposit speech lucid, vigorous, and free from weakness,
Thereby to win for Santanu the rain-fall. The meath-rich drop from heaven hath passed within it.

4 Let the sweet drops descend on us, O Indra: give us enough to lade a thousand wagons.
Sit to thy Hotar task; pay worship duly, and serve the Gods, Devapi, with oblation.

5 Knowing the God’s good-will, Devapi, Ṛṣi, the son of Rstisena, sate as Hotar.
He hath brought down from heaven’s most lofty summit the ocean of the rain, celestial waters.

6 Gathered together in that highest ocean, the waters stood by deities obstructed.
They burried down set free by Arstisena, in gaping clefts, urged onward by Devapi.

7 When as chief priest for Santanu, Devapi, chosen for Hotar’s duty, prayed beseeching,
Graciously pleased Bṛhaspati vouchsafed him a voice that reached the Gods and won the waters.

8 O Agni whom Devapi Arstisena, the mortal man, hath kindled in his glory,
Joying in him with all the Gods together, urge on the sender of the rain, Parjanya.

9 All ancient Ṛṣis with their songs approached thee, even thee, O Much-invoked, at sacrifices.
We have provided wagon-loads in thousands: come to the solemn rite, Lord of Red Horses.

10 The wagon-loads, the nine-and-ninety thousand, these have been offered up to thee, O Agni.
Hero, with these increase thy many bodies, and, stimulated, send us rain from heaven.

11 Give thou these ninety thousand loads, O Agni, to Indra, to the Bull, to be his portion.
Knowing the paths which Deities duly travel, set mid the Gods in heaven Aulana also.

12 O Agni, drive afar our foes, our troubles chase malady away and wicked demons.
From this air-ocean, from the lofty heavens, send down on us a mighty flood of waters.