HYMN XX Maruts.
1. LET none, Swift Travellers! check you: come hither, like-spirited, stay not far away,
Ye benders even of what is firm.
2. Maruts, Rbhuksans, Rudras come ye with your cars strong-fellied and exceeding bright.
Come, ye for whom we long, with food, to sacrifice, come ye with love to Sobbari.
3. For well we know the vigorous might of Rudra’s Sons, the Martits, who are passing strong,
Swift Visnu’s band, who send the rain.,
4. Islands are bursting forth and misery is stayed: the heaven and earth are joined in one.
Decked with bright rings, ye spread the broad expanses out, when ye, Self. luminous, stirred yourselves.
5. Even things immovable shake and reel, the mountains and the forest trees at your approach,
And the earth trembles as ye come.
6. To lend free course, O Maruts, to your furious rush, heaven high and higher still gives way,
Where they, the Heroes mighty with their arms, display their gleaming omaments on their forms.
7. After their Godlike nature they, the bull. like Heroes, dazzling and impetuous, wear
Great splendour as they show erect.
8. The pivot of the Sobharis’ chariot within the golden box is balmed with milk.
May they the Well-born, Mighty, kindred of the Cow, aid us to food and to delight.
9. Bring, ye who sprinkle balmy drops. oblations to your vigorous Marut company,
To those whose leader is the Bull.
10. Come hither, O ye Mares, on your stronghorsed car, solid in look, with solid naves.
Lightly like winged falcons, O ye Heroes, come, come to enjoy our ofrerings.
11. Their decoration is the same: their omaments of gold are bright upon their arms;
Their lances glitter splendidly.
12. They toil not to defend their bodies from attack, strong Heroes with their mighty arms.
Strong are your bows and strong the weapons in your cars, and glory sits on every face.
13. Whose name extendeth like a sea, alone, resplendent, so that all have joy in it,
And life-power like ancestral might.
14. Pay honour to these Maruts and sing praise to them, for of the wheel-spokes of the car
Of these loud roarers none is last: this is their power, this moves them to give mighty gifts.
15. Blest by your favouring help was he, O Maruts, at the earlier flushings of the morn,
And even now shall he be blest.
16. The strong man to whose sacrifice, O Heroes, ye approach that ye may taste thereof,
With glories and with war that winneth spoil shall gain great bliss, ye Shakers of the world.
17. Even as Rudra’s Sons, the brood of the Creator Dyaus, the Asura, desire,
O Youthful Ones, so shall it be:
18. And these the bounteous, worthy of the Maruts who move onward pouring down the rain-
Even for their sake, O Youthful Ones, with kindest heart take us to you to be your own.
19. O Sobhari, with newest song sing out unto the youthful purifying Bulls,
Even as a plougher to his steers.
20. Who, like a celebrated boxer, overcome the challengers in every fight:
They who, like shining bulls, are most illustrious-honour those Maruts with thy song.
21. Allied by common ancestry, ye Maruts, even the Cows, alike in energy,
Lick, all by turns, each other’s head.
22. Even mortal man, ye Dancers breast adorned with gold, attains to brotherhood with you.
Mark ye and notice us, O Maruts; evermore your friendship is secured to us.
23. O Maruts, rich in noble gifts, bring us a portion of the Maruts’ medicine,
Ye Coursers who are Friends to us.
24. Haters of those who serve you not, bliss-bringers, bring us bliss with those auspicious aids
Wherewith ye are victorious and guard Sindhu well, and succour Krvi in his need.
25. Maruts, who rest on fair trimmed grass, what balm soever Sindhu or Asikni hath,
Or mountains or the seas contain.
26. Ye carry on your bodies, ye who see it all: so bless us graciously therewith.
Cast, Maruts, to the ground our sick man’s malady: replace the dislocated limb.
HYMN XXI. Indra.
1. WE call on thee, O Matchless One! We seeking help, possessing nothing firm ourselves,
Call on thee wonderful in fight
2. On thee for aid in sacrifice. This youth of ours, the bold, the mighty, hath gonse forth.
We therefore, we thy friends, Indra, havie chosen thee, free-giver, as our Guardian God.
3. Come hither, for the drops are here, O Lord of corn-lands. Lord of horses, Lord of kine:
Drink thou the Soma, Soma’s Lord!
4. For we the kinless singers have drawn hither thee, O Indra, who hast numerous kin.
With all the forms thou hast, comic thou of bull-like strength, come near to drink the Soma juice.
5. Sitting like birds beside thy meath., mingled with milk, that gladdeneth and exalteth thee,
Indra, to thee we sing aloud.
6. We speak to thee with this our reverential prayer. Why art thou pondering yet awhile?
Here are our wishes; thou art liberal, Lord of Bays: we and our hymns are present here.
7. For not in recent times alone, O Indra, Thunder-armed, have we obtained thine aid.
Of old we knew thy plenteous wealth.
8. Hero, we knew thy friendship and thy rich rewards: these, Thunderer, now we crave of thee.
O Vasu, for all wealth that cometh of the kine, sharpen our powers, fair-visored God.
9. Him who of old hath brought to us this and that blessing, him I magnify for you,
Even Indra, O my friends, for help
10. Borne by Bay Steeds, the Lord of heroes, ruling men, for it is he who takes; delight.
May Maghavan bestow on us his worshippers hundreds of cattle and of steeds.
11. Hero, may we, with thee for Friend, withstand the man who pants against us in his wrath,
In fight with people rich in kine.
12. May we be victors in the singer’s battlesong, and meet the wicked, Much invoked!
With heroes smite the foeman and show forth our strength. O Indra, further thou our thoughts.
13. O Indra, from all ancient time rivalless ever and companionless art thou:
Thou seekest comradeship in war.
14. Thou findest not the wealthy man to be thy friend: those scorn thee who are flown with wine.
What time thou thunderest and gatherest, then thou, even as a Father, art invoked.
15. O Indra, let us not, like fools who waste their lives at home, with friendship such as thine
Sit idly by the poured-out juice.
16. Giver of kine, may we not miss thy gracious gifts: let us not rob thee of thine own.
Strip even the strong places of the foe, and bring: thy gifts can never be made vain.
17. Indra or blest Sarasvati alone bestows such wealth, treasure so great, or thou,
O Citra, on the worshipper.
18. Citra is King, and only kinglings are the rest who dwell beside Sarasvati.
He, like Parjanya with his rain, hath spread himself with thousand, yea, with myriad gifts.
HYMN XXII. Asvins.
1. HITHERWARD have I called to-day, for succour, that most wondrous car
Which ye ascended, Asvins, ye whose paths are red, swift to give Car, for Surya’s sake.
2. Car ever young, much longed-for, easily invoked, soon guided, first in deeds of might,
Which waits and serves, O Sobhari, with benevolence, without a rival or a foe.
3. These Asvins with our homage, these Two Omnipresent Deities
Hitherward will we bring for kind help, these who seek the dwelling of the worshipper.
4. One of your chariot wheels is moving swiftly round, one speeds for you its onward course.
Like a milch-cow, O Lords of splendour, and with haste let your benevolence come to us.
5. That chariot of yours which hath a triple seat and reins of gold,
The famous car that traverseth the heaven and earth, thereon Nasatyas, Asvins, come.
6. Ye with your plough, when favouring Manu with your help, ploughed the first harvest in the sky.
As such will we exalt you, Lords of splendour, now, O Asvins, with our prayer and praise.
7. Come to us, Lords of ample wealth, by paths of everlasting Law,
Whereby to high dominion ye with mighty strength raised Trksi, Trasadasyu’s son.
8. This Soma pressed with stones is yours, ye Heroes, Lords of plenteous wealth.
Approach to drink the Soma, come, drink in the worshipper’s abode.
9. O Asvins, mount the chariot, mount the golden seat, ye who are Lords of plenteous wealth,
And bring to us abundant food.
10. The aids wherewith ye helped Paktha and Adhrigt;, and Babhru severed from his friends,-
With those, O Asvins, come hither with speed and soon, and heal whatever is diseased.
11. When we continually invoke the Asvins, the resistless, at this time of day,
We lovers of the song, with songs.
12. Through these, ye Mighty Ones, come hither to my call which brings all blessings, wears all forms,-
Tlirough which, All-present Heroes, lavishest of food ye strengthened Krvi, come through these.
13. I speak to both of these as such, these Asvins whom I reverence at this time of day:
With homage we entreat them both.
14. Ye who are Lords of splendour, ye whose paths are red, at eve, at mom, at sacrifice,
Give us not utterly as prey to mortal foe, ye Rudras, Lords of ample wealth.
15. For bliss I call. the blissful car, at morn the inseparable Asvins with their car
I call, like Sobhari our sire.
16. Rapid as thought, and strong, and speeding to thejoy, bringing.your swiftly-coming help,
Be to us a protection even from far away Lords of great wealth, with many aids.’
17. Come, Wonder-Workers, to our home, our home, O Asvins, rich in cattle, steeds, and gold,
Chief drinkers of the Soma’s juice
18. Choice-worthy strength, heroic, firm and excellent, uninjured by the Raksas foe,
At this your coming nigh, ye Lords of ample wealth and all good things, may we obtain.
