The Secret of the Veda

The Second Hymn to the Dawn

[The Rishi hymns the divine Dawn, daughter of Heaven, as the bringer of the Truth, the bliss, the heavens of light, creator of the Light, giver of vision, maker, follower, leader of the paths of Truth, remover of the darkness, the eternal and ever youthful goddess of our godward journeying.]

द्युतद्यामानं बृहतीमृतेन ऋतावरीमरुणप्सुं विभातीम् ।
देवीमुषसं स्वरावहन्तीं प्रति विप्रासो मतिभिर्जरन्ते ॥१॥

1) Dawn of the luminous journey. Dawn queen of truth, large with the Truth, how wide is the gleam from her rosy limbs,—Dawn divine who brings with her the heaven of light! Her the seers adore with their thoughts.

एषा जनं दर्शता बोधयन्ती सुगान्पथः कृण्वती यात्सग्रे ।
बृहद्रथा बृहती विश्वमिन्वोषा ज्योतिर्यच्छत्यग्रे अह्वाम् ॥२॥

2) This is she who has the vision and she awakens man and makes his paths easy to travel and walks in his front. How large is her chariot, how vast and all-pervading the goddess, how she brings Light in the front of the days!

एषा गोभिररुणेभिर्युजानाऽस्त्रेधन्ती रयिमप्रायु चके ।
पथो रदन्ती सुविताय देवी पुरुष्टुता विश्ववारा वि भाति ॥३॥

3) This is she who yokes her cows of rosy light; her journey does not fail and such is the treasure she makes that it passes not away. She hews out our paths to happiness; divine is she, far-shining her glory, many the hymns that rise to her, she brings with her every boon.

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एषा व्येनी भवति द्विबर्हा आविष्कृण्वाना तन्वं पुरस्तात् ।
ऋतस्य पन्थामन्वेति साधु प्रजानतीव न दिशो मिनाति ॥४॥

4) Behold her in her biune energy of earth and heaven, how she comes into being in her whiteness and discloses her body in our front. She follows perfectly the paths of Truth, as one who is wise and knows, and she hedges not in our regions.

एषा शुभ्रा न तन्वो विदानोर्ध्वेव स्नाती दृशये नो अस्थात् ।
अप द्वेषो बाघमाना तमांस्युषा दिवो दुहिता ज्योतिषागात् ॥५॥

5) Lo, how brilliant is her body when she is found and known! How she stands on high as if bathing in light that we may have vision! Driving away all enemies and all darknesses Dawn, the daughter of Heaven, has come with the Light.

एषा प्रतीची दुहिता दिवो नृन्योषेव भद्रा नि रिणीते अप्सः ।
व्यूर्ण्वती दाशुषे वार्याणि पुनर्ज्योतिर्युवतिः पूर्वथाकः ॥६॥

6) Lo, the daughter of Heaven like a woman full of happiness moves to meet the gods and her form travels ever nearer to them. Unveiling all blessings for the giver of sacrifice the goddess young for ever has created the Light once more even as in the beginning.

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