Containing 20 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
इ॒दं श्रेष्ठं॒ ज्योति॑षां॒ ज्योति॒रागा॑च्चि॒त्रः प्र॑के॒तो अ॑जनिष्ट॒ विभ्वा॑ यथा॒ प्रसू॑ता सवि॒तुः स॒वायँ॑ ए॒वा रात्र्यु॒षसे॒ योनि॑मारैक्
"This light is come, amid all lights the fairest; born is the brilliant, far-extending brightness. Night, sent away for Savitar's uprising, hath yielded up a birth-place for the Morning."
रुश॑द्वत्सा॒ रुश॑ती श्वे॒त्यागा॒दारै॑गु कृ॒ष्णा सद॑नान्यस्याः स॒मा॒नब॑न्धू अ॒मृते॑ अनू॒ची द्यावा॒ वर्णं॑ चरत आमिना॒ने
"The Fair, the Bright is come with her white offspring; to her the Dark One hath resigned her dwelling. Akin, immortal, following each other, changing their colours both the heavens move onward."
स॒मा॒नो अध्वा॒ स्वस्रो॑रन॒न्तस्तम॒न्यान्या॑ चरतो दे॒वशि॑ष्टे न मे॑थेते॒ न त॑स्थतुः सु॒मेके॒ नक्तो॒षासा॒ सम॑नसा॒ विरू॑पे
"Common, unending is the Sisters' pathway; taught by the Gods, alternately they travel. Fair-formed, of different hues and yet one-minded, Night and Dawn clash not, neither do they travel."
भास्व॑ती ने॒त्री सू॒नृता॑ना॒मचे॑ति चि॒त्रा वि दुरो॑ न आवः प्रार्प्या॒ जग॒द्व्यु॑ नो रा॒यो अ॑ख्यदु॒षा अ॑जीग॒र्भुव॑नानि॒ विश्वा॑
"Bright leader of glad sounds, our eyes behold her; splendid in hue she hath unclosed the portals. She, stirring up the world, hath shown us riches: Dawn hath awakened every living creature."
जि॒ह्म॒श्ये॒३॒॑ चरि॑तवे म॒घोन्या॑भो॒गय॑ इ॒ष्टये॑ रा॒य उ॑ त्वम् द॒भ्रं पश्य॑द्भ्य उर्वि॒या वि॒चक्ष॑ उ॒षा अ॑जीग॒र्भुव॑नानि॒ विश्वा॑
"Rich Dawn, she sets afoot the coiled-up sleeper, one for enjoyment, one for wealth or worship, Those who saw little for extended vision. All living creatures hath the Dawn awakened."
क्ष॒त्राय॑ त्वं॒ श्रव॑से त्वं मही॒या इ॒ष्टये॑ त्व॒मर्थ॑मिव त्वमि॒त्यै विस॑दृशा जीवि॒ताभि॑प्र॒चक्ष॑ उ॒षा अ॑जीग॒र्भुव॑नानि॒ विश्वा॑
"One to high sway, one to exalted glory, one to pursue his gain, and one his labour: All to regard their different vocations, all moving creatures hath the Dawn awakened."
ए॒षा दि॒वो दु॑हि॒ता प्रत्य॑दर्शि व्यु॒च्छन्ती॑ युव॒तिः शु॒क्रवा॑साः विश्व॒स्येशा॑ना॒ पार्थि॑वस्य॒ वस्व॒ उषो॑ अ॒द्येह सु॑भगे॒ व्यु॑च्छ
"We see her there, the Child of Heaven apparent, the young Maid, flushing in her shining raiment. Thou soyran Lady of all earthly treasure, flush on us here, auspicious Dawn, this morning."
प॒रा॒य॒ती॒नामन्वे॑ति॒ पाथ॑ आयती॒नां प्र॑थ॒मा शश्व॑तीनाम् व्यु॒च्छन्ती॑ जी॒वमु॑दी॒रय॑न्त्यु॒षा मृ॒तं कं च॒न बो॒धय॑न्ती
"She first of endless morns to come hereafter, follows the path of morns that have departed. Dawn, at her rising, urges forth the living him who is dead she wakes not from his slumber."
उषो॒ यद॒ग्निं स॒मिधे॑ च॒कर्थ॒ वि यदाव॒श्चक्ष॑सा॒ सूर्य॑स्य यन्मानु॑षान्य॒क्ष्यमा॑णाँ॒ अजी॑ग॒स्तद्दे॒वेषु॑ चकृषे भ॒द्रमप्नः॑
"As thou, Dawn, hast caused Agni to be kindled, and with the Sun's eye hast revealed creation. And hast awakened men to offer worship, thou hast performed, for Gods, a noble service."
किया॒त्या यत्स॒मया॒ भवा॑ति॒ या व्यू॒षुर्याश्च॑ नू॒नं व्यु॒च्छान् अनु॒ पूर्वाः॑ कृपते वावशा॒ना प्र॒दीध्या॑ना॒ जोष॑म॒न्याभि॑रेति
"How long a time, and they shall be together,– Dawns that have shone and Dawns to shine hereafter? She yearns for former Dawns with eager longing, and goes forth gladly shining with the others."
ई॒युष्टे ये पूर्व॑तरा॒मप॑श्यन्व्यु॒च्छन्ती॑मु॒षसं॒ मर्त्या॑सः अ॒स्माभि॑रू॒ नु प्र॑ति॒चक्ष्या॑भू॒दो ते य॑न्ति॒ ये अ॑प॒रीषु॒ पश्या॑न्
"Gone are the men who in the days before us looked on the rising of the earlier Morning. We, we the living, now behold her brightness and they come nigh who shall hereafter see her."
या॒व॒यद्द्वे॑षा ऋत॒पा ऋ॑ते॒जाः सु॑म्ना॒वरी॑ सू॒नृता॑ ई॒रय॑न्ती सु॒म॒ङ्ग॒लीर्बिभ्र॑ती दे॒ववी॑तिमि॒हाद्योषः॒ श्रेष्ठ॑तमा॒ व्यु॑च्छ
"Foe-chaser, born of Law, the Law's protectress, joy-giver waker of all pleasant voices, Auspicious, bringing food for Gods' enjoyment, shine on us here, most bright, O Dawn, this morning."
शश्व॑त्पु॒रोषा व्यु॑वास दे॒व्यथो॑ अ॒द्येदं व्या॑वो म॒घोनी॑ अथो॒ व्यु॑च्छा॒दुत्त॑राँ॒ अनु॒ द्यून॒जरा॒मृता॑ चरति स्व॒धाभिः॑
"From days eternal hath Dawn shone, the Goddess, and shows this light to-day, endowed with riches. So will she shine on days to come immortal she moves on in her own strength, undecaying."
व्य१॒॑ञ्जिभि॑र्दि॒व आता॑स्वद्यौ॒दप॑ कृ॒ष्णां नि॒र्णिजं॑ दे॒व्या॑वः प्र॒बो॒धय॑न्त्यरु॒णेभि॒रश्वै॒रोषा या॑ति सु॒युजा॒ रथे॑न
"In the sky's borders hath she shone in splendour: the Goddess hath thrown off the veil of darkness. Awakening the world with purple horses, on her well-harnessed chariot Dawn approaches."
आ॒वह॑न्ती॒ पोष्या॒ वार्या॑णि चि॒त्रं के॒तुं कृ॑णुते॒ चेकि॑ताना ई॒युषी॑णामुप॒मा शश्व॑तीनां विभाती॒नां प्र॑थ॒मोषा व्य॑श्वैत्
"Bringing all life-sustaining blessings with her, showing herself she sends forth brilliant lustre. Last of the countless mornings that have vanished, first of bright morns to come hath Dawn arisen."
उदी॑र्ध्वं जी॒वो असु॑र्न॒ आगा॒दप॒ प्रागा॒त्तम॒ आ ज्योति॑रेति आरै॒क्पन्थां॒ यात॑वे॒ सूर्या॒याग॑न्म॒ यत्र॑ प्रति॒रन्त॒ आयुः॑
"Arise! the breath, the life, again hath reached us: darkness hath passed away and light approacheth. She for the Sun hath left a path to travel we have arrived where men prolong existence."
स्यूम॑ना वा॒च उदि॑यर्ति॒ वह्निः॒ स्तवा॑नो रे॒भ उ॒षसो॑ विभा॒तीः अ॒द्या तदु॑च्छ गृण॒ते म॑घोन्य॒स्मे आयु॒र्नि दि॑दीहि प्र॒जाव॑त्
"Singing the praises of refulgent Mornings with his hymn's web the priest, the poet rises. Shine then to-day, rich Maid, on him who lauds thee, shine down on us the gift of life and offspring."
या गोम॑तीरु॒षसः॒ सर्व॑वीरा व्यु॒च्छन्ति॑ दा॒शुषे॒ मर्त्या॑य वा॒योरि॑व सू॒नृता॑नामुद॒र्के ता अ॑श्व॒दा अ॑श्नवत्सोम॒सुत्वा॑
"Dawns giving sons all heroes, kine and horses, shining upon the man who brings oblations,– These let the Soma-presser gain when ending his glad songs louder than the voice of Vâyu."
मा॒ता दे॒वाना॒मदि॑ते॒रनी॑कं य॒ज्ञस्य॑ के॒तुर्बृ॑ह॒ती वि भा॑हि प्र॒श॒स्ति॒कृद्ब्रह्म॑णे नो॒ व्यु१॒॑च्छा नो॒ जने॑ जनय विश्ववारे
"Mother of Gods, Aditi's forui of glory, ensign of sacrifice, shine forth exalted. Rise up, bestowing praise on our devotion all-bounteous, niake us chief among the people."
यच्चि॒त्रमप्न॑ उ॒षसो॒ वह॑न्तीजा॒नाय॑ शशमा॒नाय॑ भ॒द्रम् तन्नो॑ मि॒त्रो वरु॑णो मामहन्ता॒मदि॑तिः॒ सिन्धुः॑ पृथि॒वी उ॒त द्यौः
"Whatever splendid wealth the Dawns bring with them to bless the man who offers praise and worship, Even that may Mitra, Varuṇa vouchsafe us, and Aditi and Sindhu, Earth and Heaven."