Hymns in Praise of Food From the Rig Veda: Translation and Commentary
Summary: This page presents Hymn CLXXXVII from the Rig Veda, one of Hinduism's oldest and most revered sacred texts, which celebrates food (annam) as a divine and life-sustaining force. The hymn, translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith, portrays food as possessing spiritual significance while providing physical strength and health. Readers will discover how ancient Hindu philosophy integrated practical nutrition with metaphysical understanding through this poetic praise of food's role in human sustenance and cosmic order.
HYMN 187. Praise of Food.
1. Now will I glorify Food that upholds great strength,
By whose invigorating
power Trita rent Vrtra limb frorn limb.
2 O pleasant Food, O Food of meath, thee have we chosen
for our own,
So be our kind protector thou.
3 Come hitherward to us, O Food, auspicious
with auspicious help,
Health-bringing, not unkind, a dear and guileless friend.
4 These
juices which, O Food, are thine throughout the regions are diffused.
like winds they have their
place in heaven.
5 These gifts of thine, O Food, O Food most sweet to taste,
These savours
of thy juices work like creatures that have mighty necks.
6 In thee, O Food, is set the spirit
of great Gods.
Under thy flag brave deeds were done he slew the Dragon with thy help.
7
If thou be gone unto the splendour of the clouds,
Even from thence, O Food of meath, prepared
for our enjoyment, come.
8 Whatever morsel we consume from waters or from plants of earth,
O Soma, wax thou fat thereby.
9 What Soma, we enjoy from thee in milky food or barley-brew,
Vatapi, grow thou fat thereby.
10 O Vegetable, Cake of meal, he wholesome, firm, and strengthening:
Vatapi, grow thou fat thereby.
11 O Food, from thee as such have we drawn forth with lauds,
like cows, our sacrificial gifts,
From thee who banquetest with Gods, from thee who banquetest
with us.
Source: These hymns are reproduced from An English translation of the Vedas by Ralph T.H. Griffith, 1896. Griffith wrote in a poetic, archaic style. In order to make the hymns sound like English poetry, he often compromised the original meaning of the Sanskrit words. Further, his Sanskrit knowledge was limited by the scholarship of the 19th century. For many Indian readers, this feels distant, making his work less accessible than modern prose translations. This page has been formatted, and the hymns are selected and organized by Jayaram V for Hinduwebsite.com. Hymn numbers have been changed from Roman numerals to standard numbers.