The Secret of the Veda

The Nineteenth Hymn to Agni

A Hymn of the Revealing Ray and Conquering Will

[That epiphany of the soul is sung in which all the coverings of its higher states are penetrated and open to the divine light. It is the opening of the whole third plane of our existence which was before as a fortified city with its gates closed to the soul embodied in Matter. By this new action of the Divine Force the mental and physical consciousness are wedded to the high supramental which was till now separated from them and the life-force blazing in its works with the heat of the divine Sun is harmonised with the play of the sun-ray of the divine knowledge.]

अभ्यवस्थाः प्र जायन्ते प्र वव्रेर्वव्रिश्चिकेत ।
उपस्थे मातुर्वि चष्टे ॥१॥

1) State upon state is born, covering upon covering opens to consciousness of knowledge; in the lap of its Mother¹ the soul sees.²

जुहुरे वि चितयन्तोऽनिमिषं नृम्णं पान्ति ।
आ दृळ्हां पुरं विविशुः ॥२॥

Page 449

2) Awakened to an embracing knowledge men cast in thee the offering, they guard a sleepless manhood, they enter into the fortified city.

आ श्वैत्रेयस्य जन्तवो द्युमद् वर्धन्त कृष्टयः ।
निष्कग्रीवो बृहदुक्थ एना मध्वा न वाजयुः ॥३॥

3) Men who are born in the world and labour at the work increase the luminous state of the son of the white-shining Mother,³ he wears the golden necklace,⁴ he utters the vast word; with that and with the honey-wine of delight he becomes a seeker of the plenitude.

प्रियं दुग्धं न काम्यमजामि जाम्योः सचा ।
घर्मो न वाजजठरोऽदब्धः शश्वतो दभः ॥४॥

4) He is as the delightful and desirable yield of the Mother,⁵ he is that which being without a fellow⁶ yet dwells with the two companions, he is the heat of the Light and the belly of the plenitude, he is the eternal unconquerable who tramples all things under his feet.

कीळन् नो रश्म आ भुवः सं भस्मना वायुना वेविदानः ।
ता अस्य सन् धृषजो न तिग्माः सुसंशिता वक्ष्यो वक्षणेस्थाः ॥५॥

5) O Ray, be born in us and dwell there at play harmonising thy knowledge with the blazing life-god.⁷ May these flames of the will that bear our works be violent and keen and sharpened to a perfect intensity and firmly founded in the Bearer of all things.

Page 450