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Hiranyagarbha Suktam

Hiranyagarbha Suktam in English · English

🕉️ vedic·📿 11× repetitions·🕐 During Vedic rituals and homas; in the early morning for meditation on the Creator·📜 Rigveda (Mandala 10, Sukta 121)

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हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

The Hiranyagarbha Suktam is one of the most profound creation hymns of the Rigveda (Mandala 10, Sukta 121), describing the 'Golden Womb' (Hiranyagarbha) — the cosmic seed that arose at the beginning and became the one Lord of all existence, upholder of earth and heaven. Nine of its ten verses end with the searching refrain 'Kasmai devaya havisha vidhema' — 'To which God shall we offer our worship?' — and the tenth at last names that God as Prajapati. It is revered as a supreme meditation on the one Creator behind the universe.

Origin & Story

Rigveda (Mandala 10, Sukta 121) · Rishi Hiranyagarbha Prajapatya · Vedic period (c. 1500-1000 BCE)

The Hiranyagarbha Suktam appears in the tenth Mandala of the Rigveda and is traditionally ascribed to the seer Hiranyagarbha, son of Prajapati. It is one of the supreme cosmogonic hymns of the Veda: it sings of the Golden Womb that arose before all else and became the sole Lord of creation, the giver of life and strength, the King of all that breathes, the upholder of heaven and earth, the mountains and the seas. Through nine verses the seer repeats the profound question, 'To which God shall we offer our worship?' — for the Creator transcends every name the mind can grasp — and only in the tenth verse is that God named at last as Prajapati. The hymn thus moves from wonder at the manifest cosmos to the recognition of the one God who pervades and surpasses it all.

✦ As told in scripture

The Hiranyagarbha Suktam preserves one of humanity's oldest and most luminous insights: that the entire universe sprang from a single 'golden' cosmic seed, the one source of earth and sky, life and death. Its tenth verse, the prayer to Prajapati, is held to be so potent that one who offers it with longing finds that desire fulfilled, for the hymn declares that none but the Creator encompasses all created things, and to Him alone is every offering finally made.

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Complete Text with Meaning

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Verse 1

Hiraṇyagarbhaḥ samavartatāgre bhūtasya jātaḥ patireka āsīt | sa dādhāra pṛthivīṃ dyāmutemāṃ kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema ||1||

Meaning:In the beginning arose the Golden Womb (Hiranyagarbha); born, He was the one Lord of all that is. He upheld this earth and heaven — to which God shall we offer our worship with oblation?

Verse 2

Ya ātmadā baladā yasya viśva upāsate praśiṣaṃ yasya devāḥ | yasya chāyāmṛtaṃ yasya mṛtyuḥ kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema ||2||

Meaning:He who gives the Self and gives strength, whose command all the world and even the gods obey, whose shadow is immortality and whose shadow is death — to which God shall we offer our worship?

Verse 3

Yaḥ prāṇato nimiṣato mahitvaika idrājā jagato babhūva | ya īśe asya dvipadaścatuṣpadaḥ kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema ||3||

Meaning:He who by His greatness became the one sole King of the breathing, blinking world, who rules over its two-footed and four-footed creatures — to which God shall we offer our worship?

Verse 4

Yasyeme himavanto mahitvā yasya samudraṃ rasayā sahāhuḥ | yasyemāḥ pradiśo yasya bāhū kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema ||4||

Meaning:He whose greatness these snowy mountains proclaim, whose, they say, is the ocean with the cosmic stream, whose are these quarters of space, as His arms — to which God shall we offer our worship?

Verse 5

Yena dyaurugrā pṛthivī ca dṛḷhā yena svaḥ stabhitaṃ yena nākaḥ | yo antarikṣe rajaso vimānaḥ kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema ||5||

Meaning:By whom the mighty heaven and the earth were made firm, by whom the light-realm and the firmament were upheld, who measured out the mid-air's expanse — to which God shall we offer our worship?

Verse 6

Yaṃ krandasī avasā tastabhāne abhyaikṣetāṃ manasā rejamāne | yatrādhi sūra udito vibhāti kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema ||6||

Meaning:He to whom the two opposing hosts (heaven and earth), upheld by His help, looked up, trembling in mind, over whom the risen sun shines forth — to which God shall we offer our worship?

Verse 7

Āpo ha yadbṛhatīrviśvamāyangarbhaṃ dadhānā janayantīragnim | tato devānāṃ samavartatāsureka kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema ||7||

Meaning:When the great waters came, bearing the universal embryo and giving birth to Agni, thence arose the one Life-breath of the gods — to which God shall we offer our worship?

Verse 8

Yaścidāpo mahinā paryapaśyaddakṣaṃ dadhānā janayantīryajñam | yo deveṣvadhi deva eka āsītkasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema ||8||

Meaning:He who in His might surveyed the waters that bore creative power and gave birth to sacrifice, who was the one God above all gods — to which God shall we offer our worship?

Verse 9

Mā no hiṃsījjanitā yaḥ pṛthivyā yo vā divaṃ satyadharmā jajāna | yaścāpaścandrā bṛhatīrjajāna kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema ||9||

Meaning:May He not harm us, He who is the begetter of the earth, who, of true ordinances, created the heaven, and who brought forth the great and shining waters — to which God shall we offer our worship?

Verse 10

Prajāpate na tvadetānyanyo viśvā jātāni pari tā babhūva | yatkāmāste juhumastanno astu vayaṃ syāma patayo rayīṇām ||10||

Meaning:O Prajapati! None other than You has encompassed all these created things. Whatever we desire as we offer to You, may that be ours; may we become masters of riches.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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hiraṇyagarbhaḥ🔊The Golden Womb / Golden Embryo — the cosmic seed from which the universe unfolds

samavartata agre🔊Arose / came into being in the beginning

bhūtasya jātaḥ patiḥ ekaḥ āsīt🔊Once born, He alone was the Lord of all that exists (all creation)

sa dādhāra pṛthivīṃ dyāṃ uta imāṃ🔊He upheld and sustained this earth and the heaven

kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema🔊To which God (Ka — the unknowable Supreme) shall we offer our oblation? (the refrain of each verse)

ātmadā baladā🔊Giver of the Self (life/soul) and giver of strength

yasya praśiṣaṃ devāḥ upāsate🔊Whose command even the gods obey and worship

yasya chāyā amṛtaṃ yasya mṛtyuḥ🔊Whose shadow is immortality, and whose shadow (also) is death

yaḥ prāṇataḥ nimiṣataḥ🔊He who (rules) over all that breathes and all that blinks (lives)

eka it rājā jagataḥ babhūva🔊Became by His greatness the one sole King of the moving world

dvipadaḥ catuṣpadaḥ🔊Of the two-footed (humans) and the four-footed (animals)

yasya ime himavantaḥ🔊To whom belong these snow-clad mountains (the Himalayas)

yasya pradiśaḥ yasya bāhū🔊Whose are the quarters of space, (they being as) His two arms

yena dyauḥ ugrā pṛthivī ca dṛḷhā🔊By whom the mighty heaven and the earth were made firm

āpaḥ ha yat bṛhatīḥ🔊When the great cosmic waters came

garbhaṃ dadhānāḥ janayantīḥ agnim🔊Bearing the (golden) embryo and bringing forth Agni (fire/life)

devānāṃ samavartata asuḥ ekaḥ🔊Thence arose the one Life-breath (Asu) of the gods

mā naḥ hiṃsīt janitā🔊May the Creator who begot us not harm us

satyadharmā🔊He whose laws are true (the upholder of true cosmic order)

prajāpate🔊O Prajapati (Lord of all creatures) — the one God is here named

vayaṃ syāma patayaḥ rayīṇām🔊May we become masters (possessors) of riches and abundance

Benefits of Chanting Hiranyagarbha Suktam

✦

A supreme Vedic meditation on the one Creator (Hiranyagarbha / Prajapati) behind the universe

✦

Deepens contemplation of the cosmic origin — the 'Golden Womb' from which all arose

✦

Its refrain 'Kasmai devaya havisha vidhema' cultivates humility before the unknowable Supreme

✦

Chanted in major Vedic rituals, homas and temple consecrations

✦

The final verse is a celebrated prayer to Prajapati for the fulfilment of desires and abundance

✦

Bestows peace, expansive wisdom and reverence for the divine ordering of creation

✦

Considered highly auspicious for invoking the Creator's grace and protection ('ma no himsih')

How to Chant Hiranyagarbha Suktam

Repetitions11times

Best TimeDuring Vedic rituals and homas; in the early morning for meditation on the Creator

Recite slowly with clear Vedic pronunciation, dwelling on the cosmic imagery of each verse and the searching refrain. It is traditionally chanted in major homas, temple consecrations and Vedic worship of the Creator. For personal sadhana, sit calmly in the morning and contemplate Hiranyagarbha as the one source of all existence; the tenth verse is recited as a direct prayer to Prajapati. Eleven recitations is a customary count.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Hiranyagarbha Suktam written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

It is a creation hymn of ten verses from the Rigveda (Mandala 10, Sukta 121) describing Hiranyagarbha, the 'Golden Womb' or cosmic seed that arose in the beginning and became the one Lord of all creation. It is among the most philosophically important hymns of the Veda on the origin of the universe.

Hiranyagarbha means the 'Golden Womb' or 'Golden Embryo' — the luminous cosmic seed from which the whole universe is said to have unfolded. It represents the first manifestation of the Supreme as the source and sustainer of all that exists, later identified with Brahma and Prajapati.

It means 'To which God shall we offer our worship (oblation)?' Nine of the ten verses end with this question, expressing awe before a Creator so great as to be beyond name. The word 'Ka' (which/who) itself became a name of the Supreme, and the tenth verse finally answers by naming Him Prajapati, the Lord of all creatures.

It is chanted in major Vedic rituals, homas and temple consecrations, and in personal practice as a meditation on the one Creator of the universe. The famous tenth verse is recited as a prayer to Prajapati for protection, the fulfilment of one's desires, and prosperity ('may we become masters of riches').