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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 92 of 1027

Mandala 1: HYMN XCII. Dawn.

1.THESE Dawns have raised their banner; in the eastern half of the mid-air they spread abroad their shining light. Like heroes who prepare their weapons for the war, onward they come bright red in hue, the Mother Cows.

2.Readily have the purple beams of light shot up; the Red Cows have they harnessed, easy to be yoked. The Dawns have brought distinct perception as before: red-hued, they have attained their fulgent brilliancy.

3.They sing their song like women active in their tasks, along their common path hither from far away, Bringing refreshment to the liberal devotee, yea, all things to the worshipper who pours the juice.

4.She, like a dancer, puts her broidered garments on: as a cow yields her udder so she bares her breast. Creating light for all the world of life, the Dawn hath laid the darkness open as the cows their stall.

5.We have beheld the brightness of her shining; it spreads and drives away the darksome monster. Like tints that deck the Post at sacrifices, Heaven’s Daughter hath attained her wondrous splendour.

6.We have o’erpast the limit of this darkness; Dawn breaking forth again brings clear perception. She like a flatterer smiles in light for glory, and fair of face hath wakened to rejoice us.

7.The Gotamas have praised Heaven’s radiant Daughter, the leader of the charm of pleasant voices. Dawn, thou conferrest on us strength with offspring and men, conspicuous with kine and horses.

8.O thou who shinest forth in wondrous glory, urged onward by thy strength, auspicious Lady, Dawn, may I gain that wealth, renowned and ample, in brave sons, troops of slaves, far-famed for horses.

9.Bending her looks on all the world, the Goddess shines, widely spreading with her bright eye westward. Waking to motion every living creature, she understands the voice of each adorer.

10.Ancient of days, again again born newly, decking her beauty with the self-same raiment. The Goddess wastes away the life of mortals, like a skilled hunter cutting birds in pieces.

11.She hath appeared discovering heaven’s borders: to the far distance she drives off her Sister. Diminishing the days of human creatures, the Lady shines with all her lover’s splendour.

12.The bright, the blessed One shines forth extending her rays like kine, as a flood rolls his waters. Never transgressing the divine commandments, she is beheld visible with the sunbeams.

13.O Dawn enriched with ample wealth, bestow on us the wondrous gift Wherewith we may support children and children’s sons.

14.Thou radiant mover of sweet sounds, with wealth of horses and of kine Shine thou on us this day, O Dawn auspiciously.

15.O Dawn enriched with holy rites, yoke to thy car thy purple steeds, And then bring thou unto us all felicities.

16.O Aśvins wonderful in act, do ye unanimous direct Your chariot to our home wealthy in kine and gold.

17.Ye who brought down the hymn from heaven, a light that giveth light to man, Do ye, O Aśvins, bring strength hither unto us.

18.Hither may they who wake at dawn bring, to drink Soma both the Gods Health-givers Wonder-Workers, borne on paths of gold.

Asked of Guide

Why is Dawn called a cow and also a goddess who 'diminish[es] the days of human creatures'?

In this hymn Dawn is both a nurturing presence and a relentless cosmic agent: she is likened to a cow because cows symbolize nourishment and abundance—“the Mother Cows,” “Red Cows,” and the image of baring her breast present life, refreshment, and wealth (kine, horses, offspring). The cow-figures emphasize her gift of light and the prosperity that light enables for worshippers who “pour the juice.”

The hymn also names Dawn “Ancient of days, again again born newly” and says she “wastes away the life of mortals,” which casts her as a cyclical force that measures and consumes human time. That double role—giver of sustenance and marker of mortality—matches other Vedic passages where natural powers are both beneficent and inexorable; see the Rg Veda’s treatment of the Sun and Dawn elsewhere, where light brings life and also the continual passage that shortens human days.

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.