HYMN VI. Agni.
1. I VALUE Agni that good Lord, the home to which the kine return:
Whom fleet-foot coursers seek as home, and strong enduring steeds as home. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
2. ‘Tis Agni whom we laud as good, to whom the milch-kine come in herds,
To whom the chargers swift of foot, to whom our well-born princes come. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
3. Agni the God of all mankind, gives, verily, a steed to man.
Agni gives precious gear for wealth, treasure he gives when he is pleased. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
4. God, Agni, we will kindle thee, rich in thy splendour, fading not,
So that this glorious fuel may send forth by day its light for thee. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
5. To thee the splendid, Lord of flame, bright, wondrous, Prince of men, is brought.
Oblation with the holy verse, O Agni, bearer of our gifts.
Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
6. These Agnis in the seats of the fire nourish each thing most excellent.
They give delight, they spread abroad, they move themselves continually. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
7. Agni, these brilliant flames of thine wax like strong chargers mightily,
Who with the treadings of their hoofs go swiftly to the stalls of kine. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
8. To us who laud thee, Agni, bring fresh food and safe and happy homes.
May we who have sung hymns to thee have thee for envoy in each house. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
9. Thou, brilliant God, within thy mouth warmest both ladies of the oil.
So fill us also, in our hymns, abundantly, O Lord of Strength,Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
10. Thus Agni have we duly served with sacrifices and with hymns.
So may he give us what we crave, store of brave sons and fleet-foot steeds. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
HYMN VII. Agni.
1. OFFER to Agni, O my friends, your seemly food, your seemly praise;
To him supremest o’er the folk, the Son of Strength, the mighty Lord:
2. Him in whose presence, when they meet in full assembly, men rejoice;
Even him whom worthy ones inflame, and living creatures bring to life.
3. When we present to him the food and sacrificial gifts of men,
He by the might of splendour grasps the holy Ordinance’s rein.
4. He gives a signal in the night even to him who is afar,
When he, the Bright, unchanged by eld, consumes the sovrans of the wood.
5. He in whose service on the ways they offer up their drops of sweat,
On him is their high kin have they mounted, as ridges on the earth.
6. Whom, sought of many, mortal man hath found to be the Stay of all;
He who gives flavour to our food, the home of every man that lives.
7. Even as a herd that crops the grass he shears the field and wilderness,
With flashing teeth and beard of gold, deft with his unabated might.
8. For him, to whom, bright as an axe he, as to Atri, hath flashed forth,
Hath the well-bearing Mother borne, producing when her time is come.
9. Agni to whom the oil is shed by him thou lovest to support,
Bestow upon these mortals fame and splendour and intelligence.
10. Such zeal hath he, resistless one: he gained the cattle given by thee.
Agni, may Atri overcome the Dasyus who bestow no gifts, subdue the men who give no food.
HYMN VIII. Agni.
1. O AGNI urged to strength, the men of old who loved the Law enkindled thee,
the Ancient, for their aid,
Thee very bright, and holy, nourisher of all, most excellent, the Friend and Master of the home.
2. Thee, Agni, men have stablished as their guest of old, as Master of the household, thee, with hair of flame;
High-bannered, multiform, distributor of wealth, kind helper, good protector, drier of the floods.
3. The tribes of men praise thee, Agni, who knowest well burnt offerings, the Discerner, lavishest of wealth,
Dwelling in secret, Blest One! visible to all, loud-roaring, skilled in worship, glorified with oil.
4. Ever to thee, O Agni, as exceeding strong have we drawn nigh with songs and reverence singing hymns.
So be thou pleased with us, Angiras! as a God enkindled by the noble with man’s goodly light.
5. Thou, Agni! multiform, God who art lauded much! givest in every house subsistence as of old.
Thou rulest by thy might o’er food of many a sort: that light of thine when blazing may not be opposed.
6. The Gods, Most Youthful Agni, have made thee, inflamed, the bearer of oblations and the messenger.
Thee, widely-reaching, homed in sacred oil, invoked, effulgent, have they made the Eye that stirs the thought.
7. Men seeking joy have lit thee worshipped from of old, O Agni, with good fuel and with sacred oil.
So thou, bedewed and waxing mighty by the plants, spreadest thyself abroad over the realms of earth.
HYMN IX. Agni.
1. BEARING; oblations mortal men, O Agni, worship thee the God.
I deem thee Jatavedas: bear our offerings, thou, unceasingly.
2. In the man’s home who offers gifts, where grass is trimmed, Agni is Priest,
To whom all sacrifices come and strengthenings that win renown.
3. Whom, as an infant newly-born, the kindling-sticks have brought to life,
Sustainer of the tribes of men, skilled in well-ordered sacrifice.
4. Yea, very hard art thou to grasp, like offspring of the wriggling snakes,
When thou consumest many woods like an ox, Agni, in the mead.
5. Whose flames, when thou art sending forth the smoke, completely reach the mark,
When Trta in the height of heaven, like as a smelter fanneth thee, e’en as a smelter sharpeneth thee.
6. O Agni, by thy succour and by Mitra’s friendly furtherance,
May we, averting hate, subbue the wickedness of mortal men.
7. O Agni, to our heroes bring such riches, thou victorious God.
May he protect and nourish us, and help in aining strength: be thou near us in 6rht for our success.
HYMN X. Agni.
1. BRING us most mighty splendour thou, Agni, resistless on thy way.
With overflowing store of wealth mark out for us a path to strength.
2. Ours art thou, wondrous Agni, bywisdom and bounteousness of power.
The might of Asuras rests on thee, like Mitra worshipful in act.
3. Agni, increase our means of life, increase the house and home of these,
The men, the princes who have won great riches through our hymns of praise.
4. Bright Agni, they who deck their songs for thee have horses as their meed.
The men are mighty in their might, they whose high laud, as that of heaven, awakes thee of its own accord.
5. O Agni, those resplendent flames of thine go valorously forth,
Like lightnings flashing round us, like a rattling car that seeks the spoil.
6. Now, Agni, come to succour us; let priests draw nigh to offer gifts;
And let the patrons of our rites subdue all regions of the earth.
7. Bring to us, Agni, Angiras, lauded of old and lauded now,
Invoker! wealth to quell the strong, that singers may extol thee. Be near us in fight for our success.
HYMN XI. Agni.
1. THE watchful Guardian of the people hath been born, Agni, the very strong, for fresh prosperity.
With oil upon his face, with high heaventouching flame, he shineth splendidly, pure, for the Bharatas.
2. Ensign of sacrifice, the earliest Household-Priest, the. men have kindled Agni in his threefold seat,
With Indra and the Gods together on the grass let the wise Priest sit to complete the sacrifice.
3. Pure , unadorned, from thy two Mothers art thou born: thou camest fromVivasvan as a charming Sage.
With oil they strengthened thee, O Agni, worshipped God: thy banner was the smoke that mounted to the sky.
4. May Agni graciously come to our sacrifice. The men bear Agni here and there in every house.
He hath become an envoy, bearer of our gifts: electing Agni, men choose one exceeding wise.
5. For thee, O Agni, is this sweetest prayer of mine: dear to thy spirit be this product of my thought.
As great streams fill the river so our song of praise fill thee, and make thee yet more mighty in thy strength.
6. O Agni, the Angirases discovered thee what time thou layest hidden, fleeing back from wood to wood.
Thou by attrition art produced as conquer.ing might, and men, O Angiras, call thee the Son of Strength.
HYMN XII. Agni.
I. To Agni, lofty Asura, meet for worship, Steer of eternal Law, my prayer I offer;
I bring my song directed to the Mighty like pure oil for his mouth at sacrifices.
2. Mark the Law, thou who knowest, yea, observe it: send forth the full streams of eternal Order.
I use no sorcery with might or falsehood the sacred Law of the Red Steer I follow.
3. How hast thou, follower of the Law eternal, become the knower of a new song, Agni?
The God, the Guardian of the seasons, knows me: the Lord of him who won this wealth I know not.
4. Who, Agni, in alliance with thy foeman, what splendid helpers won for them their riches?
Agni, who guard the dwelling-place of falsehood? Who are protectors of the speech of liars?
5. Agni, those friends of thine have turned them from thee: gracious of old, they have become ungracious.
They have deceived themselves by their own speeches, uttering wicked words against the righteous.
6. He who pays sacrifice to thee with homage, O Agni, keeps the Red Steer’s Law eternal;
Wide is his dwelling. May the noble offipring of Nahusa who wandered forth come hither.
HYMN XIII. Agni.
1. WITH songs of praise we call on thee, we kindle thee with songs of praise,
Agni, -with songs of praise, for help.
2. Eager for wealth, we meditate Agni’s effectual praise to-day,
Praise of the God who touches heaven.
3. May Agni, Priest among mankind, take pleasure in our songs of praise,
And worship the Celestial Folk.
4. Thou, Agni, art spread widely forth, Priest dear and excellent; through thee
Men make the sacrifice complete.
5. Singers exalt thee, Agni, well lauded, best giver of our strength:
So grant thou us heroic might.
6. Thou Agni, as the felly rings the spokes, encompassest the Gods.
1 yearn for bounty manifold.
HYMN XIV. Agni.
1. ENKINDLING the Immortal, wake Agni with song of praise: may he bear our oblations to the Gods.
2. At high solemnities mortal men glorify him the Immortal, best
At sacrifice among mankind.
3. That he may bear their gifts to heaven, all glorify him Agni, God,
With ladle that distilleth oil.
4. Agni shone bright when born, with light killing the Dasyus and the dark:
He found the Kine, the Floods, the Sun.
5. Serve Agni, God adorable, the Sage whose back is balmed with oil:
Let him approach, and hear my call.
6. They have exalted Agni, God of all mankind, with oil and hymns
Of praise, devout and eloquent.
