Hymn 42 to Pusan from the Rig Veda - Book I
Summary: This page presents Hymn XLII to Pusan from the Rig Veda, one of Hinduism's most ancient sacred texts. Translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith, the hymn invokes Pusan, a Vedic deity associated with protection, prosperity, and safe passage. Readers will find the complete Sanskrit hymn in English translation, offering insight into early Hindu religious practices and theological concepts regarding divine protection and material abundance.
HYMN 42. Pusan.
I SHORTEN our ways, O Pusan, move aside obstruction in the path:
Go close before us, cloud-born
God.
2 Drive, Pusan, from our road the wolf, the wicked inauspicious wolf,
Who lies in Wait
to injure us.
3 Who lurks about the path we take, the robber with a guileful heart:
Far
from the road chase him away.
4 Tread with thy foot and trample out the firebrand of the wicked
one,
The double-tongued, whoe'er he be.
5 Wise Pusan, Wonder-Worker, we claim of thee now
the aid wherewith
Thou furtheredst our sires of old.
6 So, Lord of all prosperity, best
wielder of the golden sword,
Make riches easy to be won.
7 Past all pursuers lead us, make
pleasant our path and fair to tread:
O Pusan, find thou power for this.
8 Lead us to meadows
rich in grass: send on our way no early heat:
O Pusan, find thou power for this.
9 Be gracious
to us, fill us full, give, feed us, and invigorate:
O Pusan, find thou power for this.
10
No blame have we for Pusan; him we magnify with songs of praise:
We seek the Mighty One for
wealth.
HYMN 138. Pusan.
1. STRONG Pusan's majesty is lauded evermore, the glory of his lordly might is never faint,
his song of praise is never faint.
Seeking felicity I laud him nigh to help, the source, of
bliss,
Who, Vigorous one, hath drawn to him the hearts of all, drawn them, the Vigorous One,
the God.
2 Thee, then, O Pusan, like a swift one on his way, I urge with lauds that thou mayst
make the foemen flee, drive, camel-like, our foes afar.
As I, a man, call thee, a God, giver
of bliss, to be my Friend,
So make our loudly-chanted praises glorious, in battles make them
glorious.
3 Thou, Pusan, in whose friendship they who sing forth praise enjoy advantage, even
in wisdom, through thy grace, in wisdom even they are advanced.
So, after this most recent
course, we come to thee with prayers for wealth.
Not stirred to anger, O Wide-Ruler, come to
us, come thou to us in every fight.
4 Not stirred to anger, come, Free-giver, nigh to us, to
take this gift of ours, thou who hast goats for steeds, Goat-borne! their gift who long for fame.
So, Wonder-Worker! may we turn thee hither with effectual lauds.
I slight thee not, O Pusan,
thou Resplendent One: thy friendship may not be despised.
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.