Sri Aurobindo

The Secret of the Veda

with Selected Hymns

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.]

5.80.1

द्यु॒तद्या॑मानं बृह॒तीमृ॒तेन॑ ऋ॒ताव॑रीमरु॒णप्सुं॑ विभा॒तीम् ।

दे॒वीमु॒षसं॒ स्व॑रा॒वह॑न्तीं॒ प्रति॒ विप्रा॑सो म॒तिभि॑र्जरन्ते ॥१॥

dyuta-dyāmānam bṛhatīm ṛtena ṛta-varīm aruṇa-psum vi-bhātīm

devīm uṣasam svaḥ ā-vahantīm prati viprāsaḥ matibhiḥ jarante

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.

5.80.2

ए॒षा जनं॑ दर्श॒ता बो॒धय॑न्ती सु॒गान्प॒थः कृ॑ण्व॒ती या॒त्यग्रे॑ ।

बृ॒ह॒द्र॒था बृ॑ह॒ती वि॑श्वमि॒न्वोषा ज्योति॑र्यच्छ॒त्यग्रे॒ अह्ना॑म् ॥२॥

eṣā janam darśatā bodhayantī su-gān pathaḥ kṛṇvatī yāti agre

bṛhat-rathā bṛhatī viśvam-invā uṣāḥ jyotiḥ yacchati agre ahnām

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!

5.80.3

ए॒षा गोभि॑ररु॒णेभि॑र्युजा॒नास्रे॑धन्ती र॒यिमप्रा॑यु चक्रे ।

प॒थो रद॑न्ती सुवि॒ताय॑ दे॒वी पु॑रुष्टु॒ता वि॒श्ववा॑रा॒ वि भा॑ति ॥३॥

eṣā gobhiḥ aruṇebhiḥ yujānā asredhantī rayim apra-āyu cakre

pathaḥ radantī suvitāya devī puru-stutā viśva-vārā vi bhāti

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.

5.80.4

ए॒षा व्ये॑नी भवति द्वि॒बर्हा॑ आविष्कृण्वा॒ना त॒न्वं॑ पु॒रस्ता॑त् ।

ऋ॒तस्य॒ पन्था॒मन्वे॑ति सा॒धु प्र॑जान॒तीव॒ न दिशो॑ मिनाति ॥४॥

eṣā vi-enī bhavati dvi-barhāḥ āviḥ-kṛṇvānā tanvam purastāt

ṛtasya panthām anu eti sādhu pra-jānatī-iva na diśaḥ mināti

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.

5.80.5

ए॒षा शु॒भ्रा न त॒न्वो॑ विदा॒नोर्ध्वेव॑ स्ना॒ती दृ॒शये॑ नो अस्थात् ।

अप॒ द्वेषो॒ बाध॑माना॒ तमां॑स्यु॒षा दि॒वो दु॑हि॒ता ज्योति॒षागा॑त् ॥५॥

eṣā śubhrā na tanvaḥ vidānā ūrdhvā-iva snātī dṛśaye naḥ asthāt

apa dveṣaḥ bādhamānā tamāṃsi uṣāḥ divaḥ duhitā jyotiṣā ā agāt

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.

5.80.6

ए॒षा प्र॑ती॒ची दु॑हि॒ता दि॒वो नॄन्योषे॑व भ॒द्रा नि रि॑णीते॒ अप्स॑: ।

व्यू॒र्ण्व॒ती दा॒शुषे॒ वार्या॑णि॒ पुन॒र्ज्योति॑र्युव॒तिः पू॒र्वथा॑कः ॥६॥

eṣā pratīcī duhitā divaḥ nṝn yoṣā-iva bhadrā ni riṇīte apsaḥ

vi-ūrṇvatī dāśuṣe vāryāṇi punaḥ jyotiḥ yuvatiḥ pūrva-thā akarityakaḥ

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.