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Rig Veda · 352 of 1027
Mandala 4: HYMN LVI. Heaven and Earth.
1.MAY mighty Heaven and Earth, most meet for honour, be present here with light and gleaming splendours; When, fixing them apart, vast, most extensive, the Steer roars loudly in far-reaching courses.
2.The Goddesses with Gods, holy with holy, the Two stand pouring out their rain, exhaustless: Faithful and guileless, having Gods for children, leaders of sacrifice with shining splendours.
3.Sure in the worlds he was a skilful Craftsman, he who produced these Twain the Earth and Heaven. Wise, with his power he brought both realms, together spacious and deep, well-fashioned, unsupported.
4.O Heaven and Earth, with one accord promoting, with high protection as of Queens, our welfare, Far-reaching, universal, holy, guard us. May we, car-borne, through song be victors ever.
5.To both of you, O Heaven and Earth, we bring our lofty song of praise, Pure Ones! to glorify you both.
6.Ye sanctify each other’s form, by your own proper might ye rule, And from of old observe the Law.
7.Furthering and fulfilling, ye, O Mighty, perfect Mitra’s Law. Ye sit around our sacrifice.
Asked of Guide
Why are Heaven and Earth called 'the Two' and praised as parents of the gods?
The hymn names Heaven and Earth as a paired creative power: ‘‘the Twain the Earth and Heaven’’ are produced by a Craftsman who ‘‘brought both realms, together spacious and deep, well-fashioned, unsupported.’’ The poem treats them as complementary rulers who ‘‘sanctify each other’s form’’ and uphold cosmic order, so their pairing explains the world’s structure and the source of sacrificial legitimacy.
Calling them ‘‘the Two’’ also frames them as active guardians who ‘‘sit around our sacrifice’’ and ‘‘pour out their rain,’’ roles that make them parental toward gods and humans alike. This intimate, functional parenthood echoes themes in hymns that pair cosmic powers, as in other Rig Veda verses where paired deities together sustain Ṛta (cosmic law).
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