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Rig Veda Book 10 Hymn 18 परं मर्त्यो अनु परेहि पन्थां यस्ते सव इतरो देवयानात | चक्षुष्मते शर्ण्वते ते बरवीमि मा नः परजां रीरिषोमोत वीरान || मर्त्योः पदं योपयन्तो यदैत दराघीय आयुः परतरन्दधानाः | आप्यायमानाः परजया धनेन शुद्धाःपूता भवत यज्ञियासः || इमे जीवा वि मर्तैरावव्र्त्रन्नभूद भद्रा देवहूतिर्नोद्य | पराञ्चो अगाम नर्तये हसाय दराघीय आयुःप्रतरं दधानाः || इमं जीवेभ्यः परिधिं दधामि मैषां नु गादपरोर्थमेतम | शतं जीवन्तु शरदः पुरूचीरन्तर्म्र्त्युं दधतां पर्वतेन || यथाहान्यनुपूर्वं भवन्ति यथ रतव रतुभिर्यन्तिसाधु | यथा न पूर्वमपरो जहात्येवा धातरायूंषि कल्पयैषाम || आ रोहतायुर्जरसं वर्णाना अनुपूर्वं यतमाना यतिष्ठ | इह तवष्टा सुजनिमा सजोषा दीर्घमायुःकरति जीवसे वः || इमा नारीरविधवाः सुपत्नीराञ्जनेन सर्पिषा संविशन्तु | अनश्रवो.अनमीवाः सुरत्ना आ रोहन्तु जनयोयोनिमग्रे || उदीर्ष्व नार्यभि जीवलोकं गतासुमेतमुप शेष एहि | हस्तग्राभस्य दिधिषोस्तवेदं पत्युर्जनित्वमभि सम्बभूथ || धनुर्हस्तादाददानो मर्तस्यास्मे कषत्राय वर्चसेबलाय | अत्रैव तवमिह वयं सुवीरा विश्वा सप्र्धोभिमातीर्जयेम || उप सर्प मातरं भूमिमेतामुरुव्यचसं पर्थिवींसुशेवाम | ऊर्णम्रदा युवतिर्दक्षिणावत एषा तवा पातुनिरतेरुपस्थात || उच्छ्वञ्चस्व पर्थिवि मा नि बाधथाः सूपायनास्मै भवसूपवञ्चना | माता पुत्रं यथा सिचाभ्येनं भूमूर्णुहि || उच्छ्वञ्चमाना पर्थिवी सु तिष्ठतु सहस्रं मित उप हिश्रयन्ताम | ते गर्हासो घर्तश्चुतो भवन्तु विश्वाहास्मैशरणाः सन्त्वत्र || उत ते सतभ्नामि पर्थिवीं तवत परीमं लोगं निदधन मोहं रिषम | एतां सथूणां पितरो धारयन्तु ते.अत्रायमः सादना ते मिनोतु || परतीचीने मामहनीष्वाः पर्णमिवा दधुः | परतीचीं जग्रभा वाचमश्वं रशनया यथा ||

paraṃ mṛtyo anu parehi panthāṃ yaste sva itaro devayānāt | cakṣuṣmate śṛṇvate te bravīmi mā naḥ prajāṃ rīriṣomota vīrān || mṛtyoḥ padaṃ yopayanto yadaita drāghīya āyuḥ pratarandadhānāḥ | āpyāyamānāḥ prajayā dhanena śuddhāḥpūtā bhavata yajñiyāsaḥ || ime jīvā vi mṛtairāvavṛtrannabhūd bhadrā devahūtirnoadya | prāñco aghāma nṛtaye hasāya drāghīya āyuḥprataraṃ dadhānāḥ || imaṃ jīvebhyaḥ paridhiṃ dadhāmi maiṣāṃ nu ghādaparoarthametam | śataṃ jīvantu śaradaḥ purūcīrantarmṛtyuṃ dadhatāṃ parvatena || yathāhānyanupūrvaṃ bhavanti yatha ṛtava ṛtubhiryantisādhu | yathā na pūrvamaparo jahātyevā dhātarāyūṃṣi kalpayaiṣām || ā rohatāyurjarasaṃ vṛṇānā anupūrvaṃ yatamānā yatiṣṭha | iha tvaṣṭā sujanimā sajoṣā dīrghamāyuḥkarati jīvase vaḥ || imā nārīravidhavāḥ supatnīrāñjanena sarpiṣā saṃviśantu | anaśravo.anamīvāḥ suratnā ā rohantu janayoyonimaghre || udīrṣva nāryabhi jīvalokaṃ ghatāsumetamupa śeṣa ehi | hastaghrābhasya didhiṣostavedaṃ patyurjanitvamabhi sambabhūtha || dhanurhastādādadāno mṛtasyāsme kṣatrāya varcasebalāya | atraiva tvamiha vayaṃ suvīrā viśvā spṛdhoabhimātīrjayema || upa sarpa mātaraṃ bhūmimetāmuruvyacasaṃ pṛthivīṃsuśevām | ūrṇamradā yuvatirdakṣiṇāvata eṣā tvā pātunirterupasthāt || ucchvañcasva pṛthivi mā ni bādhathāḥ sūpāyanāsmai bhavasūpavañcanā | mātā putraṃ yathā sicābhyenaṃ bhūmaūrṇuhi || ucchvañcamānā pṛthivī su tiṣṭhatu sahasraṃ mita upa hiśrayantām | te ghṛhāso ghṛtaścuto bhavantu viśvāhāsmaiśaraṇāḥ santvatra || ut te stabhnāmi pṛthivīṃ tvat parīmaṃ loghaṃ nidadhan moahaṃ riṣam | etāṃ sthūṇāṃ pitaro dhārayantu te.atrāyamaḥ sādanā te minotu || pratīcīne māmahanīṣvāḥ parṇamivā dadhuḥ | pratīcīṃ jaghrabhā vācamaśvaṃ raśanayā yathā ||

Translation:

Rig Veda

  1. Go hence, O Death, pursue thy special pathway apart from that which Gods are wont to travel. To thee I say it who hast eyes and hearest: Touch not our offspring, injure not our heroes. 2 As ye have come effacing Mrtyu’s footstep, to further times prolonging your existence, May ye be rich in children and possessions. cleansed, purified, and meet for sacrificing. 3 Divided from the dead are these, the living: now be our calling on the Gods successful. We have gone forth for dancing and for laughter, tofurther times prolonging our existence. 4 Here I erect this rampart for the living; let none of these, none other, reach this limit. May they survive a hundred lengthened autumns, and may they bury Death beneath this mountain. 5 As the days follow days in close succession, as with the seasons duly come the seasons, As each successor fails not his foregoer, so form the lives of these, O great Ordainer. 6 Live your full lives ap! find old age delightful, all of you striving one behind the other. May Tvaṣṭar, maker of fair things, be gracious and lengthen out the days of your existence. 7 Let these unwidowed dames with noble husbands adorn themselves with fragrant balm and unguent. Decked with fair jewels, tearless, free from sorrow, first let the dames go up to where he lieth. 8 Rise, come unto the world of life, O woman: come, he is lifeless by whose side thou liest. Wifehood with this thy husband was thy portion, who took thy hand and wooed thee as a lover. 9 From his dead hand I take the bow be carried, that it may be our power and might and glory. There art thou, there; and here with noble heroes may we o’ercome all hosts that fight against us. 10 Betake thee to the Iap of Earth the Mother, of Earth far-spreading, very kind and gracious. Young Dame, wool-soft unto the guerdongiver, may she preserve thee from Destruction’s bosom. 11 Heave thyself, Earth, nor press thee downward heavily: afford him easy access, gently tending him. Cover him, as a mother wraps her skirt about her child, O Earth. 12 Now let the heaving earth be free from motion: yea,—let a thousand clods remain above him. Be they to him a home distilling fatness, here let them ever be his place of refuge. 13 I stay the earth from thee, while over thee I place this piece of earth. May I be free from injury. Here let the Fathers keep this pillar firm for thee, and there let Yama make thee an abiding-place. 14 Even as an arrow’s feathers, they have set me on a fitting day. The fit word have I caught and held as ’twere a courser with the rein.