Verses 1, 2, 3
उ॒षा उ॒च्छंती॑ समिधा॒ने अ॒ग्ना उ॒द्यन्त्सूर्य॑ उर्वि॒या ज्योति॑रश्रेत् । दे॒वो नो॒ अत्र॑ सवि॒ता न्वर्थं॒ प्रासा॑वीद्द्वि॒पत्प्र चतु॑ष्पदि॒त्यै ॥
uṣā́ ucchántī samidhāné agnā́ udyántsū́rya urviyā́ jyótiraśret ǀ devó no átra savitā́ nvártham prā́sāvīddvipátprá cátuṣpadityái ǁ
अमि॑नती॒ दैव्या॑नि व्र॒तानि॑ प्रमिन॒ती म॑नु॒ष्या॑ यु॒गानि॑ । ई॒युषी॑णामुप॒मा शश्व॑तीनामायती॒नां प्र॑थ॒मोषा व्य॑द्यौत् ॥
áminatī dáivyāni vratā́ni praminatī́ manuṣyā́ yugā́ni ǀ īyúṣīṇāmupamā́ śáśvatīnāmāyatīnā́m prathamóṣā́ vyádyaut ǁ
ए॒षा दि॒वो दु॑हि॒ता प्रत्य॑दर्शि॒ ज्योति॒र्वसा॑ना सम॒ना पु॒रस्ता॑त् । ऋ॒तस्य॒ पंथा॒मन्वे॑ति सा॒धु प्र॑जान॒तीव॒ न दिशो॑ मिनाति ॥
eṣā́ divó duhitā́ prátyadarśi jyótirvásānā samanā́ purástāt ǀ ṛtásya pánthāmánveti sādhú prajānatī́va ná díśo mināti ǁ
As the sacred fire of dawn is kindled, Uṣas (Dawn) emerges, shining brilliantly and waking the world. Savitṛ, the divine instigator, sets all living things—two-footed and four-footed—into motion to pursue their daily tasks. The Ṛṣi captures the timeless rhythm of the universe where the luminous goddess maintains the ancient cosmic laws (vratāni), untouched by the passing of human generations. She is the eternal first among all dawns, past and future, shining forth as the radiant daughter of Dyaus, walking the straight, true path of Ṛta.
Verse 1: When Dawn shines forth while Agni is kindled and the radiant Sun ascends, the divine Savitṛ sets all bipeds and quadrupeds moving toward their daily tasks.
Verse 2: Without violating divine ordinances and while transcending mortal generations, the first of all dawns—past, present, and future—shines forth gloriously.
Verse 3: This daughter of heaven appears in the east, clothed in light, walking truly upon the path of Ṛta like one who knows the way, never overstepping the quarters of the sky.
Sāyaṇa interprets these verses as a literal description of morning phenomena, while Sri Aurobindo sees Uṣas as the psychological awakening of divine consciousness in the human soul, where the 'path of Ṛta' represents the supreme spiritual journey.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| उषाः | uṣāḥ | Dawn, the goddess of early morning |
| सूर्यः | sūryaḥ | the Sun |
| सविता | savitā | Savitṛ, the divine impeller and creator |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अमिनती | aminatī | not diminishing or violating |
| व्रतानि | vratāni | divine laws, ordinances |
| प्रथमा | prathamā | the first, primordial |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| दुहिता | duhitā | daughter |
| ऋतस्य | ṛtasya | of cosmic order and truth (Ṛta) |
| ज्योतिः | jyotiḥ | light, radiance |
Picture the primordial clockwork of the universe ticking into motion: as the fire is lit, the golden daughter of heaven walks the straight path of truth, never missing a step across the cosmic sky.
Verses 4, 5, 6
उपो॑ अदर्शि शुं॒ध्युवो॒ न वक्षो॑ नो॒धा इ॑वा॒विर॑कृत प्रि॒याणि॑ । अ॒द्म॒सन्न स॑स॒तो बो॒धयं॑ती शश्वत्त॒मागा॒त्पुन॑रे॒युषी॑णां ॥
úpo adarśi śundhyúvo ná vákṣo nodhā́ ivāvírakṛta priyā́ṇi ǀ admasánná sasató bodháyantī śaśvattamā́gātpúnareyúṣīṇām ǁ
पूर्वे॒ अर्धे॒ रज॑सो अ॒प्त्यस्य॒ गवां॒ जनि॑त्र्यकृत॒ प्र के॒तुं । व्यु॑ प्रथते वित॒रं वरी॑य॒ ओभा पृ॒णंती॑ पि॒त्रोरु॒पस्था॑ ॥
pū́rve árdhe rájaso aptyásya gávām jánitryakṛta prá ketúm ǀ vyú prathate vitarám várīya óbhā́ pṛṇántī pitrórupásthā ǁ
ए॒वेदे॒षा पु॑रु॒तमा॑ दृ॒शे कं नाजा॑मिं॒ न परि॑ वृणक्ति जा॒मिं । अ॒रे॒पसा॑ त॒न्वा॒३॒॑ शाश॑दाना॒ नार्भा॒दीष॑ते॒ न म॒हो वि॑भा॒ती ॥
evédeṣā́ purutámā dṛśé kám nā́jāmim ná pári vṛṇakti jāmím ǀ arepásā tanvā́ śā́śadānā nā́rbhādī́ṣate ná mahó vibhātī́ ǁ
Uṣas reveals her radiant bosom like a pure maiden, manifesting her beloved treasures to the world. She rouses sleepers from their beds just as she has done countless times before. In the eastern half of the watery firmament, she becomes the mother of the glowing red cows (rays of dawn), spreading her light far and wide, filling the vast spaces between earth and sky. She shows no partiality, shining equally upon all without shrinking from small or great.
Verse 4: Dawn appears like a pure bosom, making her dear forms visible, awakening the sleeping from their couches; she arrives, most constant among all returning dawns.
Verse 5: In the eastern half of the watery realm, the mother of cows creates her banner of light, spreading far and wide, fulfilling the expanses of heaven and earth.
Verse 6: Thus this most frequent dawn is seen by all, turning away from neither close kin nor stranger; shining with an immaculate body, she shrinks from neither small nor great.
The 'cows' (gavām) here are interpreted by traditional commentators on two levels: literal cattle waiting for dawn, and symbolic rays of spiritual illumination or divine wealth released into the mind.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अदर्शि | adarśi | she became visible, appeared |
| बोधयन्ती | bodhayantī | awakening |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| जनित्री | janitrī | mother, generator |
| रजसः | rajasaḥ | of the atmosphere or realm |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अरेपसा | arepasā | spotless, immaculate |
| तन्वा | tanvā | with her body |
Imagine a mother gently walking through a sleeping house at sunrise, throwing open the curtains to bathe every corner—large and small—in an impartial, spotless golden glow.
Verses 7, 8, 9
अ॒भ्रा॒तेव॑ पुं॒स ए॑ति प्रती॒ची ग॑र्ता॒रुगि॑व स॒नये॒ धना॑नां । जा॒येव॒ पत्य॑ उश॒ती सु॒वासा॑ उ॒षा ह॒स्रेव॒ नि रि॑णीते॒ अप्सः॑ ॥
abhrātéva puṃsá eti pratīcī́ gartārúgiva sanáye dhánānām ǀ jāyéva pátya uśatī́ suvā́sā uṣā́ hasréva ní riṇīte ápsaḥ ǁ
स्वसा॒ स्वस्रे॒ ज्याय॑स्यै॒ योनि॑मारै॒गपै॑त्यस्याः प्रति॒चक्ष्ये॑व । व्यु॒च्छंती॑ र॒श्मिभिः॒ सूर्य॑स्यां॒ज्यं॑क्ते समन॒गा इ॑व॒ व्राः ॥
svásā svásre jyā́yasyai yónimāraigápaityasyāḥ praticákṣyeva ǀ vyucchántī raśmíbhiḥ sū́ryasyāñjyáṅkte samanagā́ iva vrā́ḥ ǁ
आ॒सां पूर्वा॑सा॒मह॑सु॒ स्वसॄ॑णा॒मप॑रा॒ पूर्वा॑म॒भ्ये॑ति प॒श्चात् । ताः प्र॑त्न॒वन्नव्य॑सीर्नू॒नम॒स्मे रे॒वदु॑च्छंतु सु॒दिना॑ उ॒षासः॑ ॥
āsā́m pū́rvāsāmáhasu svásṝṇāmáparā pū́rvāmabhyéti paścā́t ǀ tā́ḥ pratnavánnávyasīrnūnámasmé reváducchantu sudínā uṣā́saḥ ǁ
The Ṛṣi employs striking domestic and daring metaphors: Uṣas approaches men like an unbefriended maiden seeking a home, or like a brave winner of wealth rushing into the prize arena, or like a beautifully dressed wife eager for her husband, baring her bosom. As the younger sister making way for the elder (Night or Sūrya), she steps aside. Yet the sister dawns follow one another in an endless, renewing chain of days, bright and auspicious.
Verse 7: Like a brotherless maiden approaching men, like a champion rushing to win wealth, like a well-attired wife desiring her husband, Dawn uncovers her beauty.
Verse 8: The younger sister yields her place to the elder; moving away, she shines forth with the sun's rays like crowds gathered at a festival.
Verse 9: Of these sisters, each later dawn follows closely behind the earlier one. May these ancient yet ever-new dawns bring us prosperous, wealth-filled days!
The rich similes in verse 7 ('brotherless maiden', 'wife desiring her husband') are noted by Yāska as classic Vedic tropes illustrating intense longing, self-revelation, and the dynamic pursuit of grace.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अभ्रातेव | abhrātā iva | like one without a brother (dependent or seeking protection) |
| जायेव | jāyā iva | like a wife |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| स्वसा | svasā | sister |
| रश्मिभिः | raśmibhiḥ | with rays |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| नव्यसीः | navyasīḥ | ever-new, fresher |
| सुदिना | sudinā | days of good light, prosperous days |
Visualize a series of elegant dancers taking the stage one after another—each younger sister bowing to the elder, yet bringing a brand-new vibrancy to the grand performance of time.
Verses 10, 11, 12, 13
प्र बो॑धयोषः पृण॒तो म॑घो॒न्यबु॑ध्यमानाः प॒णयः॑ ससंतु । रे॒वदु॑च्छ म॒घव॑द्भ्यो मघोनि रे॒वत्स्तो॒त्रे सू॑नृते जा॒रयं॑ती ॥
prá bodhayoṣaḥ pṛṇató maghonyábudhyamānāḥ paṇáyaḥ sasantu ǀ reváduccha maghávadbhyo maghoni revátstotré sūnṛte jāráyantī ǁ
अवे॒यम॑श्वैद्युव॒तिः पु॒रस्ता॑द्युं॒क्ते गवा॑मरु॒णाना॒मनी॑कं । वि नू॒नमु॑च्छा॒दस॑ति॒ प्र के॒तुर्गृ॒हंगृ॑ह॒मुप॑ तिष्ठाते अ॒ग्निः ॥
áveyámaśvaidyuvatíḥ purástādyuṅkté gávāmaruṇā́nāmánīkam ǀ ví nūnámucchādásati prá ketúrgṛháṃgṛhamúpa tiṣṭhāte agníḥ ǁ
उत्ते॒ वय॑श्चिद्वस॒तेर॑पप्त॒न्नर॑श्च॒ ये पि॑तु॒भाजो॒ व्यु॑ष्टौ । अ॒मा स॒ते व॑हसि॒ भूरि॑ वा॒ममुषो॑ देवि दा॒शुषे॒ मर्त्या॑य ॥
útte váyaścidvasatérapaptannáraśca yé pitubhā́jo vyúṣṭau ǀ amā́ saté vahasi bhū́ri vāmámúṣo devi dāśúṣe mártyāya ǁ
अस्तो॑ढ्वं स्तोम्या॒ ब्रह्म॑णा॒ मेऽवी॑वृधध्वमुश॒तीरु॑षासः । यु॒ष्माकं॑ देवी॒रव॑सा सनेम सह॒स्रिणं॑ च श॒तिनं॑ च॒ वाजं॑ ॥
ástoḍhvam stomyā bráhmaṇā mé’vīvṛdhadhvamuśatī́ruṣāsaḥ ǀ yuṣmā́kam devīrávasā sanema sahasríṇam ca śatínam ca vā́jam ǁ
Uṣas rouses those who offer generous gifts (maghavan), while letting the stingy (paṇi) sleep on in their darkness. She harnesses her ruddy team of cows (rays) and arrives at every single home as Agni is established. Birds fly from their nests, and men who partake of the morning meal wake up. The Ṛṣi concludes with a direct plea: 'O wishing Dawns, grow through our prayer! May we attain through your grace abundant wealth of cattle and horses.'
Verse 10: O bountiful Dawn, awaken those who offer sacrifices; let the miserly Paṇis remain asleep. Shine richly for the generous patrons and for the singer of your praise!
Verse 11: This radiant maiden has shone forth in the east, harnessing the team of ruddy cows. The dawn breaks, the sign of Agni appears, and he visits every house.
Verse 12: At your breaking, O Dawn, birds fly up from their nests, and men who seek their share of food. O divine Dawn, you bring rich treasures to the mortal who worships you.
Verse 13: Magnify yourselves, O desired Dawns, through our sacred hymn! By your divine grace, may we win wealth that is rich in horses and cattle.
The contrast between the generous patrons and the sleeping Paṇis (hoarders) forms a foundational ethical framework in the Rigveda, bridging spiritual awakening with moral generosity.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| मघोनि | maghoni | bountiful, possessing gifts |
| पणयः | paṇayaḥ | grudging misers, traders |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| युवतिः | yuvatiḥ | young maiden |
| अरुणानाम् | aruṇānām | reddish, tawny (referring to dawn cows/rays) |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| वयः | vayaḥ | birds |
| दाशुषे | dāśuṣe | to the giver, worshipper |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ब्रह्मणा | brahmaṇā | by prayer, sacred utterance |
| वाजम् | vājam | strength, prize, vigor, wealth |
Picture the whole village springing to life: birds erupting from trees, hearth fires glowing in every doorway, and the priest offering a song of praise to harvest a mountain of golden blessings.