A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.
Rig Veda · 592 of 1027
Mandala 7: HYMN LXXVI. Dawn.
1.SAVITAR God of all men hath sent upward his light, designed for all mankind, immortal. Through the Gods’ power that Eye was first created. Dawn hath made all the universe apparent.
2.I see the paths which Gods are wont to travel, innocuous paths made ready by the Vasus. Eastward the flag of Dawn hath been uplifted; she hath come hither o’er the tops of houses.
3.Great is, in truth, the number of the Mornings which were aforetime at the Sun’s uprising. Since thou, O Dawn, hast been beheld repairing as to thy love, as one no more to leave him.
4.They were the Gods’ companions at the banquet, the ancient sages true to Law Eternal. The Fathers found the light that lay in darkness, and with effectual words begat the Morning.
5.Meeting together in the same enclosure, they strive not, ofone mind, one with another. They never break the Gods’ eternal statutes, and injure none, in rivalry with Vasus.
6.Extolling thee, Blest Goddess, the Vasisthas, awake at early mom, with lauds implore thee. Leader of kine and Queen of all that strengthens, shine, come as first to us, O high-born Morning.
7.She bringeth bounty and sweet charm of voices. The flushing Dawn is sung by the Vasisthas, Giving us riches famed to distant places. Preserve us evermore, ye Gods, with blessings.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn call Dawn both a goddess and “the Eye” sent by Savitar?
The hymn names Dawn a goddess because the poets treat her as an active divine person who arrives, ‘Leader of kine and Queen of all that strengthens,’ and brings bounty, voice, and blessings to people. It calls her “the Eye” of Savitar to explain her functional role: Savitar, the solar power, sends a perceptive light that makes ‘the universe apparent’ so the world and gods can be seen and ordered.
That pairing—personal goddess plus instrumental eye—reflects Vedic practice of giving natural forces a face and a function, as when the Fathers ‘found the light that lay in darkness’ and with words begat the Morning. This chapter repeats that motif later in the Rig Veda, for example in Mandala 3 where Dawn is likewise both divine person and active revealer of cosmic order.
Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.