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Importance Of Bhu Suktam – English Translation

 Bhu Suktam (invocation of Bhudevi - Goddess of Earth) is found in the twelfth chapter of ‘Atharvana Veda’. It is the first ever invocation, reverence and gratitude towards Sri Bhudevi – Mother Earth – by human beings. The English translation of the invocation is given below. Bhu Suktam praises the greatness of Mother Earth in the following ways –

O Mother Earth! You are endowed with all kinds of riches and bountifulness. You are vast, lofty and glorious in space. Your mother is the divine Aditi. You take every care of us by being with us and being compassionate towards us. You possess brimming attitude of forbearance towards us. You cannot be broken into smaller entities by any force. We offer ‘Havis’ to you through Agni, so that you produce food for us in abundance nourish us all. The Sun God with his rays comes to your side and nourishes with food like an all caring mother. The Sun blesses with most fertile fields which produce crops in abundance. Also, the Sun blesses with sumptuous rains by raising up in the sky like a responsible father.

The Mother Earth is praised with names – Medinee, Devi, Vasundhara, Vasudha and Vasavi. She is the ‘chaitanya’ and she is endowed with ‘spiritual splendor’. She is the ear, eye and mind of pitars (ancestors). The Mother Earth, in her womb has conceived ‘Universal Golden Egg’, because she alone is the creator as well as sustainer of all the created beings. O Mother, may you reside in my tongue to invoke this truth. O Mother Earth, you are praised as ‘samudravate’ because in you exist all seas like the garland to you. We invoke you as ‘saavitri’ because you are associated with ‘Sun’ along with your splendid aura. You are our chief deity ‘adhidevata’. You are benevolent, charming and our true nurturer at all times.

O Mother Earth, you with much forbearance stand on firm footing on the top of creation lifted loftily by Bhagavan Varaha Moorthy with his horn. O’ Mother Earth, you bless every sacrifice with assurance to provide everything and also to provide complete protection from evil forces. You at all times protect us. You are all pervading – omnipresent. You are the divine river that purifies the souls which are stained by sins. O Mother Earth, you are as dynamic as air is very agile in movement and breath of all living beings; hence we praise you as ‘vayumate’. You are invoked by us as ‘jalashayane' because you seek seas as your abode.

O Mother Earth, you bestow upon us riches in abundance along with Sri Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune. You are truly that ‘dynamic entity – chaitanyam’ which enwraps you from all directions and also on the top of you. We salute to that 'Madhave' - a tender and graceful lady who is loved by ‘Madhavan’. Our salutations to Mother Earth, who spreads her charm over ‘Achyuta’, who is none other than Bhagavan Vishnu Himself. O Mother Earth, we invoke you as 'dhanurdhara yai' because you appear as if holding the bow being lean in the middle. We praise you as 'sarvasiddayai', since you with much benevolence bestow upon us all kinds of successes. O Mother Earth, 'dharane' may you with your divinity guide us to meditate upon you.

O Mother Earth, you being very kind, you patiently listen to our appeals at all times. You are the unseen holy river brimming with nectar. O Mother Earth, you take us closer to console us with your kind words and thereby impart comfort to our hearts. We offer you sacrificial oblations (havis) through Agni during sacrificial rituals, pleased by our offerings you benevolently grant us several boons. Bhagavan Vishnu during his incarnation as ‘Vamana’ with three strides occupied fourteen worlds including ‘bhoomi – earth’ and also the space.

O’ Mother Earth, you truly pay attention to all our prayers and with utmost commitment relieve us from our troubles. Also, you mediate on behalf of us with Bhagavan through holy eulogies – divine praises, so that he blesses us all with prosperity.

The shlokas of ‘Bhu Suktam’ reveals ‘Bhu Devi’s commitment towards Bhagavan being His consort. Lord Vishnu is the ‘sthitikara – maintainer’ of the Universe. Bhudevi stands by His side and assists Him in all His activities. She takes care of all the entities associated with her such as oceans, rivers, mountains, air, fire, lands, flora, fauna, climatic conditions and so on.