Shraddha Suktam
श्रद्धयाग्निः समिध्यते श्रद्धया हूयते हविः । श्रद्धां भगस्य मूर्धनि वचसा वेदयामसि ॥Also known as Shraddha Sukta
In Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.
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What the Shraddha Suktam is
The Shraddha Suktam is hymn 151 of the tenth book of the Rigveda, five verses in which shraddha, faith or trusting resolve, is not a virtue praised in passing but the deity addressed. The traditional index names its seer Shraddha Kamayani, so the hymn is spoken by Shraddha as well as to her, and gives its metre as Anushtubh, four lines of eight syllables. Verse 1 places faith inside the fire rite: by it the fire is kindled and the offering poured. Verse 2 asks Faith to favour the one who gives and the one who only intends to give. Verse 3 recalls the resolve the gods held against the Asuras and asks for that same force in the worshippers' words. Verse 4 names the heart's intention as the way faith is approached. Verse 5 calls on her at morning, midday and sunset. This page prints the hymn without accent marks; chanting with the svaras is learned from a teacher.
A seer who shares the goddess's name
The hymn tells no tale of its own; its setting comes from its seer and from the way the tradition read its five verses. The Anukramani, the ancient index of Rigveda seers, ascribes it to a woman, Shraddha Kamayani. Sayana, the fourteenth-century commentator, explains Kamayani as one born in the line of Kama, desire, and defines shraddha as a particular longing or inclination within a person. In his reading, verse 1 means that a worshipper lights the sacred fires only when reverence for them is strong, and that Shraddha is set at the head of bhaga, the wealth people seek. Verse 3 he explains through the war of gods and demons: Indra and the other gods held an unshaken resolve that the Asuras, swollen with strength, had to be overcome, and the singer asks that the same certainty attend the patrons of the rite. The index records no stated ritual use for the hymn, only one inferred from its own words. Later texts turned the seer into a figure of story. The Puranas make Shraddha a daughter of Daksha and wife of Dharma and, reversing the Vedic name, the mother of Kama. In 1936 the Hindi poet Jaishankar Prasad made her the heroine of his epic Kamayani, where Shraddha stands for the heart beside Ida, the intellect, in the life of Manu.
The mantra, in six scripts
- श्रद्धयाग्निः
- śraddhayāgniḥ — by faith the fire
- समिध्यते
- samidhyate — is kindled
- श्रद्धया
- śraddhayā — by faith
- हूयते
- hūyate — is poured
- हविः
- haviḥ — the offering
- श्रद्धां
- śraddhāṃ — Faith
- भगस्य
- bhagasya — of good fortune
- मूर्धनि
- mūrdhani — at the head
- वचसा
- vacasā — with words
- वेदयामसि
- vedayāmasi — we proclaim
Shraddha Suktam lyrics in full
The five verses of Rigveda 10.151, from 'shraddhayagnih samidhyate' to 'shraddhe shraddhapayeha nah'.
All 5 verses, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:
Download the Shraddha Suktam PDFAll 5 verses with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.
श्रद्धयाग्निः समिध्यते श्रद्धया हूयते हविः ।
श्रद्धां भगस्य मूर्धनि वचसा वेदयामसि ॥
ஶ்ரத்தயாக்நிஃ ஸமித்யதே ஶ்ரத்தயா ஹூயதே ஹவிஃ ।
ஶ்ரத்தாம் பகஸ்ய மூர்தநி வசஸா வேதயாமஸி ॥
శ్రద్ధయాగ్నిః సమిధ్యతే శ్రద్ధయా హూయతే హవిః ।
శ్రద్ధాం భగస్య మూర్ధని వచసా వేదయామసి ॥
ಶ್ರದ್ಧಯಾಗ್ನಿಃ ಸಮಿಧ್ಯತೇ ಶ್ರದ್ಧಯಾ ಹೂಯತೇ ಹವಿಃ ।
ಶ್ರದ್ಧಾಂ ಭಗಸ್ಯ ಮೂರ್ಧನಿ ವಚಸಾ ವೇದಯಾಮಸಿ ॥
ശ്രദ്ധയാഗ്നിഃ സമിധ്യതേ ശ്രദ്ധയാ ഹൂയതേ ഹവിഃ ।
ശ്രദ്ധാം ഭഗസ്യ മൂര്ധനി വചസാ വേദയാമസി ॥
śraddhayāgniḥ samidhyate śraddhayā hūyate haviḥ |
śraddhāṃ bhagasya mūrdhani vacasā vedayāmasi ||
By faith the sacred fire is kindled, and by faith the offering is poured into it. With our words we proclaim Faith, standing at the head of good fortune.
प्रियं श्रद्धे ददतः प्रियं श्रद्धे दिदासतः ।
प्रियं भोजेषु यज्वस्विदं म उदितं कृधि ॥
ப்ரியம் ஶ்ரத்தே தததஃ ப்ரியம் ஶ்ரத்தே திதாஸதஃ ।
ப்ரியம் போஜேஷு யஜ்வஸ்விதம் ம உதிதம் க்ருதி ॥
ప్రియం శ్రద్ధే దదతః ప్రియం శ్రద్ధే దిదాసతః ।
ప్రియం భోజేషు యజ్వస్విదం మ ఉదితం కృధి ॥
ಪ್ರಿಯಂ ಶ್ರದ್ಧೇ ದದತಃ ಪ್ರಿಯಂ ಶ್ರದ್ಧೇ ದಿದಾಸತಃ ।
ಪ್ರಿಯಂ ಭೋಜೇಷು ಯಜ್ವಸ್ವಿದಂ ಮ ಉದಿತಂ ಕೃಧಿ ॥
പ്രിയം ശ്രദ്ധേ ദദതഃ പ്രിയം ശ്രദ്ധേ ദിദാസതഃ ।
പ്രിയം ഭോജേഷു യജ്വസ്വിദം മ ഉദിതം കൃധി ॥
priyaṃ śraddhe dadataḥ priyaṃ śraddhe didāsataḥ |
priyaṃ bhojeṣu yajvasvidaṃ ma uditaṃ kṛdhi ||
O Faith, bring what is dear to the one who gives, and what is dear to the one who wishes to give. Make this word of mine bring what is dear to the generous and to those who offer worship.
यथा देवा असुरेषु श्रद्धामुग्रेषु चक्रिरे ।
एवं भोजेषु यज्वस्वस्माकमुदितं कृधि ॥
யதா தேவா அஸுரேஷு ஶ்ரத்தாமுக்ரேஷு சக்ரிரே ।
ஏவம் போஜேஷு யஜ்வஸ்வஸ்மாகமுதிதம் க்ருதி ॥
యథా దేవా అసురేషు శ్రద్ధాముగ్రేషు చక్రిరే ।
ఏవం భోజేషు యజ్వస్వస్మాకముదితం కృధి ॥
ಯಥಾ ದೇವಾ ಅಸುರೇಷು ಶ್ರದ್ಧಾಮುಗ್ರೇಷು ಚಕ್ರಿರೇ ।
ಏವಂ ಭೋಜೇಷು ಯಜ್ವಸ್ವಸ್ಮಾಕಮುದಿತಂ ಕೃಧಿ ॥
യഥാ ദേവാ അസുരേഷു ശ്രദ്ധാമുഗ്രേഷു ചക്രിരേ ।
ഏവം ഭോജേഷു യജ്വസ്വസ്മാകമുദിതം കൃധി ॥
yathā devā asureṣu śraddhāmugreṣu cakrire |
evaṃ bhojeṣu yajvasvasmākamuditaṃ kṛdhi ||
Just as the gods placed their resolve against the mighty Asuras, so make our spoken word bear fruit among the generous and those who offer worship.
श्रद्धां देवा यजमाना वायुगोपा उपासते ।
श्रद्धां हृदय्ययाकूत्या श्रद्धया विन्दते वसु ॥
ஶ்ரத்தாம் தேவா யஜமாநா வாயுகோபா உபாஸதே ।
ஶ்ரத்தாம் ஹ்ருதய்யயாகூத்யா ஶ்ரத்தயா விந்ததே வஸு ॥
శ్రద్ధాం దేవా యజమానా వాయుగోపా ఉపాసతే ।
శ్రద్ధాం హృదయ్యయాకూత్యా శ్రద్ధయా విన్దతే వసు ॥
ಶ್ರದ್ಧಾಂ ದೇವಾ ಯಜಮಾನಾ ವಾಯುಗೋಪಾ ಉಪಾಸತೇ ।
ಶ್ರದ್ಧಾಂ ಹೃದಯ್ಯಯಾಕೂತ್ಯಾ ಶ್ರದ್ಧಯಾ ವಿನ್ದತೇ ವಸು ॥
ശ്രദ്ധാം ദേവാ യജമാനാ വായുഗോപാ ഉപാസതേ ।
ശ്രദ്ധാം ഹൃദയ്യയാകൂത്യാ ശ്രദ്ധയാ വിന്ദതേ വസു ॥
śraddhāṃ devā yajamānā vāyugopā upāsate |
śraddhāṃ hṛdayyayākūtyā śraddhayā vindate vasu ||
Gods and worshippers, guarded by Vayu, honour Faith; they honour Faith with the intention of the heart. The verse says that through faith one gains wealth.
श्रद्धां प्रातर्हवामहे श्रद्धां मध्यंदिनं परि ।
श्रद्धां सूर्यस्य निम्रुचि श्रद्धे श्रद्धापयेह नः ॥
ஶ்ரத்தாம் ப்ராதர்ஹவாமஹே ஶ்ரத்தாம் மத்யம்திநம் பரி ।
ஶ்ரத்தாம் ஸூர்யஸ்ய நிம்ருசி ஶ்ரத்தே ஶ்ரத்தாபயேஹ நஃ ॥
శ్రద్ధాం ప్రాతర్హవామహే శ్రద్ధాం మధ్యందినం పరి ।
శ్రద్ధాం సూర్యస్య నిమ్రుచి శ్రద్ధే శ్రద్ధాపయేహ నః ॥
ಶ್ರದ್ಧಾಂ ಪ್ರಾತರ್ಹವಾಮಹೇ ಶ್ರದ್ಧಾಂ ಮಧ್ಯಂದಿನಂ ಪರಿ ।
ಶ್ರದ್ಧಾಂ ಸೂರ್ಯಸ್ಯ ನಿಮ್ರುಚಿ ಶ್ರದ್ಧೇ ಶ್ರದ್ಧಾಪಯೇಹ ನಃ ॥
ശ്രദ്ധാം പ്രാതര്ഹവാമഹേ ശ്രദ്ധാം മധ്യംദിനം പരി ।
ശ്രദ്ധാം സൂര്യസ്യ നിമ്രുചി ശ്രദ്ധേ ശ്രദ്ധാപയേഹ നഃ ॥
śraddhāṃ prātarhavāmahe śraddhāṃ madhyaṃdinaṃ pari |
śraddhāṃ sūryasya nimruci śraddhe śraddhāpayeha naḥ ||
We call on Faith in the morning, Faith at midday, and Faith at the setting of the sun. O Faith, fill us with faith here.
The syllable people get wrong
The key word śraddhā is often said 'shra-dha' with one soft d. It has two consonants in the middle: close the first syllable on d (śrad), open the second with an aspirated dh (dhā), and hold the final ā long, so 'shrad-DHAA'.
Questions
Have your chart read before you decide
Chanting is yours to do, and free. But which deity your situation calls for — and whether a mantra alone is the right response — depends on your chart. Sometimes it is; sometimes it is not.
- Over 30 years in the Guru–Sishya Parampara, from the age of five
- He reads every chart himself — 60 minutes, one to one, never delegated
- Charts are read only between sunrise and sunset, following tradition
