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Rig Veda · 154 of 1027
Mandala 1: HYMN CLIV. Viṣṇu
1.I WILL declare the mighty deeds of Viṣṇu, of him who measured out the earthly regions, Who propped the highest place of congregation, thrice setting down his footstep, widely striding.
2.For this his mighty deed is Viṣṇu lauded, like some wild beast, dread, prowling, mountain-roaming; He within whose three wide-extended paces all living creatures have their habitation.
3.Let the hymn lift itself as strength to Viṣṇu, the Bull far-striding, dwelling on the mountains, Him who alone with triple step hath measured this common dwelling-place, long, far extended.
4.Him whose three places that are filled with sweetness, imperishable, joy as it may list them, Who verily alone upholds the threefold, the earth, the heaven, and all living creatures.
5.May I attain to that his well-loved mansion where men devoted to the Gods are happy. For there springs, close akin to the Wide-Strider, the well of meath in Viṣṇu’s highest footstep.
6.Fain would we go unto your dwelling-places where there are many-horned and nimble oxen, For mightily, there, shineth down upon us the widely-striding Bull’s sublimest mansion.
Asked of Guide
Why does Viṣṇu stride with three great steps in this hymn?
The hymn celebrates Viṣṇu’s three strides as the cosmic act by which he ‘‘measured out the earthly regions’’ and established the shared dwelling of earth, heaven, and living beings. Those three footsteps mark his power to set boundaries and to support the ‘‘threefold’’ world, giving a tangible image for divine ordering and presence.
The verses also link the highest of those steps with a sacred wellspring and a ‘‘mansion’’ where devotees enjoy meath and joy, so the steps are both creative measure and hospitable promise. This echoes ideas in the Mahābhārata about Viṣṇu’s strides as world-ordering acts and the later Purāṇas that describe his cosmic footsteps and abode.
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