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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 569 of 1027

Mandala 7: HYMN LIII. Heaven and Earth.

1.AS priest with solemn rites and adorations I worship Heaven and Earth, the High and Holy. To them, great Parents of the Gods, have sages of ancient time, singing, assigned precedence.

2.With newest hymns set in the seat of Order, those the Two Parents, born before all others, Come, Heaven and Earth, with the Celestial People, hither to us, for strong is your protection.

3.Yea, Heaven and Earth, ye hold in your possession full many a treasure for the liberal giver. Grant us that wealth which comes in free abundance. Preserve us evermore, ye Gods, with blessings.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn call Heaven and Earth 'the Two Parents' and place them first?

The hymn names Heaven and Earth “the High and Holy” and “great Parents of the Gods” because it portrays them as origin and ordering principle: “born before all others” and seat of Order. Those phrases claim parental priority and cosmogonic authority, so worship begins with them to acknowledge the source of the gods’ world and the ritual order the rishis depend on.

By invoking their protection and treasure—“full many a treasure for the liberal giver”—the hymn links cosmic parentage to practical blessing and cosmic reciprocity. This move resembles the opening of other Vedic hymns that establish the provenance of power, as in Rig Veda Mandala 10 where origin and offering are tied to divine favor.

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