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Rig Veda · 958 of 1027
Mandala 10: HYMN CXXI. Ka.
1.IN the beginning rose Hiranyagarbha, born Only Lord of all created beings. He fixed and holdeth up this earth and heaven. What God shall we adore with our oblation?
2.Giver of vital breath, of power and vigour, he whose commandments all the Gods acknowledge -. The Lord of death, whose shade is life immortal. What God shall we adore with our oblation?
3.Who by his grandeur hath become Sole Ruler of all the moving world that breathes and slumbers; He who is Lord of men and Lord of cattle. What God shall we adore with our oblation?
4.His, through his might, are these snow-covered mountains, and men call sea and Rasā his possession: His arms are these, his are these heavenly regions. What God shall we adore with our oblation?
5.By him the heavens are strong and earth is stedfast, by him light’s realm and sky-vault are supported: By him the regions in mid-air were measured. What God shall we adore with our oblation?
6.To him, supported by his help, two armies embattled look while trembling in their spirit, When over them the risen Sun is shining. What God shall we adore with our oblation?
7.What time the mighty waters came, containing the universal germ, producing Agni, Thence sprang the Gods’ one spirit into being. What God shall we adore with our oblation?
8.He in his might surveyed the floods containing productive force and generating Worship. He is the God of gods, and none beside him. What God shall we adore with our oblation?
9.Neer may he harm us who is earth’s Begetter, nor he whose laws are sure, the heavens’ Creator, He who brought forth the great and lucid waters. What God shall we adore with our oblation?
10.Prajāpati! thou only comprehendest all these created things, and none beside thee. Grant us our hearts’ desire when we invoke thee: may we have store of riches in possession.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn keep asking, "What God shall we adore with our oblation?"
The repeated question frames a search for a single highest deity who unifies creation; the hymn then names Hiranyagarbha and Prajāpati as that creative Lord who “fixed and holdeth up this earth and heaven.” Each stanza recounts an aspect of cosmic sovereignty — maker of heaven and earth, source of breath and death, possessor of mountains and seas — so the refrain drives attention back to the one who alone deserves the oblation.
By ending with an explicit address to Prajāpati the hymn resolves its inquiry into a petition: Prajāpati “only comprehendest all these created things,” so the worshipper asks for blessing and riches through him. This movement from questioning refrain to named recipient mirrors other Vedic hymns where multiplicity of divine acts is gathered into a single divine figure, as in the Nasadiya and the Hiranyagarbha hymns of the Rigveda.
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