Hymns to the Mystic Fire

Aruna Vaitahavya

[note] - situations requiring textual explication; all such information is printed in italics.

SUKTA 91

सं जागृवद्भिर्जरमाण इध्यते दमे दमूना इषयन्निळस्पदे ।
विश्वस्य होता हविषो वरेण्यो विभुर्विभावा सुषखा सखीयते ॥१॥

1) Adored by those who are wakeful, the dweller in the house is kindled in the house aspiring in the seat of revelation, the sacrificant of every offering, one Supreme,¹ wide of being, wide in light, a perfect friend to the man who seeks his friendship.

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स दर्शतश्रीरतिथिर्गृहेगृहे वनेवने शिश्रिये तक्ववीरिव ।
जनंजनं जन्यो नाति मन्यते विश आ क्षेति विश्यो विशंविशम् ॥२॥

2) In his visioned glory he lodges as the guest in every house, as a bird in forest and forest; he disdains not the peoples, universal he dwells in being and being, common to all he dwells in man and man.

सुदक्षो दक्षैः कतुनासि सुकतुरग्ने कविः काव्येनासि विश्ववित् ।
वसुर्वसूनां क्षयसि त्वमेक इद् द्यावा च यानि पृथिवी च पुष्यतः ॥३॥

3) Thou art discerning in thy judgments, strong of will in thy workings of will, O Fire, an omniscient seer in thy seer-wisdoms; a possessor of riches thou rulest sole over all the riches nourished by earth and by heaven.

प्रजानन्नग्ने तव योनिमृत्वियमिळायास्पदे घृतवन्तमासदः ।
आ ते चिकित्र उषसामिवेतयोऽरेपसः सूर्यस्येव रश्मयः ॥४॥

4) Thou hast known and reached thy luminous native seat where is the order of the Truth in the plane of revelation; free from stain of evil have come thy perceptions of knowledge like the white brilliances of the dawns,² like rays of the sun.

तव श्रियो वर्ष्यस्येव विद्युतश्चित्राश्चिकित्र उषसां न केतवः ।
यदोषधीरभिसृष्टो वनानि च परि स्वयं चिनुषे अन्नमास्ये ॥५॥

5) Thy glories like lightnings from a storm cloud break into light of knowledge brilliant like the rays of intuition of the dawns; when loosed on the growths of earths and woods of pleasance thou seekest out thyself the food for thy mouth.³

तमोषधीर्दधिरे गर्भमृत्वियं तमापो अग्निं जनयन्त मातरः ।
तमित् समानं वनिनश्च वीरुधोऽन्तर्वतीश्च सुवते च विश्वहा ॥६॥

6) Him the growths of earth held as a child in the womb in

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whom was the order of the Truth, the Waters become the mothers of that Fire who gave him birth; he is the common child with whom the pleasaunce-woods and the plants of earth are pregnant and they are delivered of him always.

वातोपधूत इषितो वशाँ अनु तृषु यदन्ना वेविषद् वितिष्ठसे ।
आ ते यतन्ते रथ्यो यथा पृथक् शर्धांस्यग्ने अजराणि धक्षतः ॥७॥

7) Missioned, fanned by the wind when swiftly entering into thy food thou spreadest wide after thy desire, thy ageless hosts, as thou becomest, toil like chariot-warriors far apart.

मेधाकारं विदथस्य प्रसाधनमग्निं होतारं परिभूतमं मतिम् ।
तमिदर्भे हविष्या समानमित् तमिन्महे वृणते नान्यं त्वत् ॥८॥

8) Fire the creator of wisdom, the accomplisher of the discovery of knowledge. Fire the Priest of the call, the all-embracing thinker, him they choose universal in the little offering, him in the great,—not another, O Fire, than thou.

त्वामिदत्र वृणते त्वायवो होतारमग्ने विदथेषु वेधसः ।
यद् देवयन्तो दधति प्रयांसि ते हविष्मन्तो मनवो वृक्तबर्हिषः ॥९॥

9) The ordainers of the work, they who desire thee, choose thee as Priest of the call in their discoveries of knowledge when the seekers of the godhead hold thy delight,⁴ human beings who have plucked for thee the sacred grass of thy seat and have brought their offerings.

तवाग्ने होत्रं तव पोत्रमृत्वियं तव नेष्ट्रं त्वमग्निदृतायतः ।
तव प्रशास्त्रं त्वमध्वरीयसि ब्रह्मा चासि गृहपतिश्च नो दमे ॥१०॥

10) O Fire, thine are the call and the offering, thine the purification and the order of the sacrifice, thine the lustration; thou art the fire-bringer for the seeker of the Truth. The

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annunciation is thine, thou becomest the pilgrim-rite:⁵ thou art the Priest of the Word and the master of the house in our home.

यस्तुभ्यमग्ने अमृताय मर्त्यः समिधा दाशदुत वा हविष्कृति ।
तस्य होता भवसि यासि दूत्यमुप ब्रूषे यजस्यघ्वरीयसि ॥११॥

11) [Not Translated]

इमा अस्मै मतयो वाचो अस्मदाँ ऋचो गिरः सुष्टुतयः समग्मत ।
वसूयवो वसवे जातवेदसे वृद्धासु चिद् वर्धनो यासु चाकनत् ॥१२॥

12) For him these thoughts and utterances go forth from us, these words high and hymns of illumination and these high lauds and meet together seeking the riches for the master of riches, for the knower of all things born, and his desire is towards them.

इमां प्रत्नाय सुष्टुतिं नवीयसीं वोचेयमस्मा उशते शृणोतु नः ।
भूया अन्तरा हृद्यस्य निस्पृशे जायेव पत्य उशती सुवासाः ॥१३॥

13) I would speak to the ancient One a laud new to his desire, may he hear us; may it avail to touch his heart deep within like a wife beautifully robed for her lord's desire.

यस्मिन्नश्वास ऋषभास उक्षणो वशा मेषा अवसृष्टास आहुताः ।
कीलालपे सोमपृष्ठाय वेधसे हृदा मतिं जनये चारुमग्नये ॥१४॥

14) Fire to whom are loosed and offered our horses, our bulls and oxen and heifers and our rams, to Fire the nectar-drinker who bears on his beak the Soma wine, to the ordainer of things, I beget a thinking full of beauty from my heart.

अहाव्यग्ने हविरास्ये ते स्त्रुचीव घृतं चम्वीव सोमः ।
वाजसनिं रयिमस्मे सुवीरं प्रशस्तं धेहि यशसं बृहन्तम् ॥१५॥

15) An oblation has been offered into thy mouth, O Fire, as if

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clarified butter in a ladle, as if Soma wine in a bowl. Found in us the treasure in which are the heroes and which wins for us the plenitudes,—the treasure excellent⁶ and glorious and vast.