O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!Sri Aurobindo
The Secret of the Veda
with Selected Hymns
The First Hymn to the Dawn
[The Rishi prays for the full epiphany of the Dawn of the light of Truth in all its lavish splendour, with all the bountiful companies of its gods and seers, the shining herds of its thought, the rushing steeds of its force, the luminous impulsions with which it comes – companioned, as they are, by the burning rays of the Sun of gnosis. Let the Dawn arrive and the work will no longer be long and tardy.]
5.79.1
म॒हे नो॑ अ॒द्य बो॑ध॒योषो॑ रा॒ये दि॒वित्म॑ती ।
यथा॑ चिन्नो॒ अबो॑धयः स॒त्यश्र॑वसि वा॒य्ये सुजा॑ते॒ अश्व॑सूनृते ॥१॥
mahe naḥ adya bodhaya uṣaḥ rāye divitmatī
yathā cit naḥ abodhayaḥ satya-śravasi vāyye su-jāte aśva-sūnṛte
O Dawn, come with all thy splendours of heaven, awaken us today to the great felicity, even as once thou awakenedst us,– in the sonhood of the birth of knowledge, in the inspired hearing of the Truth.1
O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!
5.79.2
या सु॑नी॒थे शौ॑चद्र॒थे व्यौच्छो॑ दुहितर्दिवः ।
सा व्यु॑च्छ॒ सही॑यसि स॒त्यश्र॑वसि वा॒य्ये सुजा॑ते॒ अश्व॑सूनृते ॥२॥
yā su-nīthe śaucat-rathe vi aucchaḥ duhitaḥ divaḥ
sā vi uccha sahīyasi satya-śravasi vāyye su-jāte aśva-sūnṛte
Thou who breakest forth into dawning, O daughter of heaven, in him who has the perfect leading of the flaming chariot of light,2 so break forth today,– O greater still in thy force, in the sonhood of the birth of knowledge, in the inspired hearing of the Truth.
O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!
5.79.3
सा नो॑ अ॒द्याभ॒रद्व॑सु॒र्व्यु॑च्छा दुहितर्दिवः ।
यो व्यौच्छ॒: सही॑यसि स॒त्यश्र॑वसि वा॒य्ये सुजा॑ते॒ अश्व॑सूनृते ॥३॥
sā naḥ adya ābharat-vasuḥ vi uccha duhitaḥ divaḥ
yo iti vi aucchaḥ sahīyasi satya-śravasi vāyye su-jāte aśva-sūnṛte
Break forth into light a bearer of treasures, O daughter of heaven, as once thou brokest forth,– O greater still in thy force, in the sonhood of the birth of knowledge, in the inspired hearing of the Truth.
O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!
5.79.4
अ॒भि ये त्वा॑ विभावरि॒ स्तोमै॑र्गृ॒णन्ति॒ वह्न॑यः ।
म॒घैर्म॑घोनि सु॒श्रियो॒ दाम॑न्वन्तः सुरा॒तय॒: सुजा॑ते॒ अश्व॑सूनृते ॥४॥
abhi ye tvā vibhā-vari stomaiḥ gṛṇanti vahnayaḥ
maghaiḥ maghoni su-śriyaḥ dāman-vantaḥ su-rātayaḥ su-jāte aśva-sūnṛte
There are bearers of the sacrifice3 who bring thee out in their speech, by their hymns they manifest thee, O wide and lustrous Dawn; they are glorious with thy plenty, O queen, their gifts are lavish, their boons are full.
O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!
5.79.5
यच्चि॒द्धि ते॑ ग॒णा इ॒मे छ॒दय॑न्ति म॒घत्त॑ये ।
परि॑ चि॒द्वष्ट॑यो दधु॒र्दद॑तो॒ राधो॒ अह्र॑यं॒ सुजा॑ते॒ अश्व॑सूनृते ॥५॥
yat cit hi te gaṇāḥ ime chadayanti maghattaye
pari cit vaṣṭayaḥ dadhuḥ dadataḥ rādhaḥ ahrayam su-jāte aśva-sūnṛte
When these companies of thy godheads seek to pleasure thee in hope of thy plenitudes, they set their desires all around, they lavish thy undeviating felicity.
O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!
5.79.6
ऐषु॑ धा वी॒रव॒द्यश॒ उषो॑ मघोनि सू॒रिषु॑ ।
ये नो॒ राधां॒स्यह्र॑या म॒घवा॑नो॒ अरा॑सत॒ सुजा॑ते॒ अश्व॑सूनृते ॥६॥
ā eṣu dhāḥ vīra-vat yaśaḥ uṣaḥ maghoni sūriṣu
ye naḥ rādhāṃsi ahrayā magha-vānaḥ arāsata su-jāte aśva-sūnṛte
These are thy seers; O Dawn, queen of plenty, set in them the splendour of thy heroic powers; lords of thy plenty, they shall lavish on us thy undeviating riches.
O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!
5.79.7
तेभ्यो॑ द्यु॒म्नं बृ॒हद्यश॒ उषो॑ मघो॒न्या व॑ह ।
ये नो॒ राधां॒स्यश्व्या॑ ग॒व्या भज॑न्त सू॒रय॒: सुजा॑ते॒ अश्व॑सूनृते ॥७॥
tebhyaḥ dyumnam bṛhat yaśaḥ uṣaḥ maghoni ā vaha
ye naḥ rādhāṃsi aśvyā gavyā bhajanta sūrayaḥ su-jāte aśva-sūnṛte
O Dawn, our lady of plenty, bring to them thy illumination, a vast glory; they shall give us enjoyment of the felicity of thy steeds and the felicity of thy herds.
O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!
5.79.8
उ॒त नो॒ गोम॑ती॒रिष॒ आ व॑हा दुहितर्दिवः ।
सा॒कं सूर्य॑स्य र॒श्मिभि॑: शु॒क्रैः शोच॑द्भिर॒र्चिभि॒: सुजा॑ते॒ अश्व॑सूनृते ॥८॥
uta naḥ go-matīḥ iṣaḥ ā vaha duhitaḥ divaḥ
sākam sūryasya raśmibhiḥ śukraiḥ śocatbhiḥ arcibhiḥ su-jāte aśva-sūnṛte
Bring to us too, O daughter of heaven, powers of impulse full of the troopings of thy light; let them come companioned with the rays of thy Sun, linked with the purity of his bright and burning light-givings.
O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!
5.79.9
व्यु॑च्छा दुहितर्दिवो॒ मा चि॒रं त॑नुथा॒ अपः॑ ।
नेत्त्वा॑ स्ते॒नं यथा॑ रि॒पुं तपा॑ति॒ सूरो॑ अ॒र्चिषा॒ सुजा॑ते॒ अश्व॑सूनृते ॥९॥
vi uccha duhitaḥ divaḥ mā ciram tanuthāḥ apaḥ
na it tvā stenam yathā ripum tapāti sūraḥ arciṣā su-jāte aśva-sūnṛte
Break forth into light, O daughter of heaven! And spin not out too long the work. For thee thy sun afflicts not with his 
burning ray as he afflicts the foe and the thief.4
O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!
5.79.10
ए॒ताव॒द्वेदु॑ष॒स्त्वं भूयो॑ वा॒ दातु॑मर्हसि ।
या स्तो॒तृभ्यो॑ विभावर्यु॒च्छन्ती॒ न प्र॒मीय॑से॒ सुजा॑ते॒ अश्व॑सूनृते ॥१०॥
etāvat vā it uṣaḥ tvam bhūyaḥ vā dātum arhasi
yā stotṛ-bhyaḥ vibhā-vari ucchantī na pra-mīyase su-jāte aśva-sūnṛte
So much thou shouldst give or more than this; for to thy adorers thou breakest forth into the full wideness of thy glories and thou art not limited in thy dawning.
O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!
1 The name of the Rishi is here a covert figure for the characteristics of the Sun-birth in man.
2 The same figure, with another name; it gives the result of the Sun-birth.
3 Not human priests, but divine powers, the hosts or companies of the Dawn, “gaṇas”, at once priests, seers and patrons of the inner sacrifice, winners and givers of the celestial wealth.
4 The labour towards the being of the Truth is long and tedious, because the powers of darkness and division, the lower powers of our being, seize on and appropriate, keep idle or misuse the gains of the knowledge. They are not bearers of the sacrifice, but its spoilers; they are hurt by the full ray of the sun. But this Dawn of knowledge can bear the full illumination and bring to a rapid conclusion the great work.