Hymns to the Mystic Fire

Gathin Kaushika

SUKTA 19

अग्निं होतारं प्र वृणे मियेधे गृत्सं कविं विश्वविदममूरम् ।
स नो यक्षद् देवताता यजीयान् राये वाजाय वनते मधानि ॥१॥

1) Fire I choose the Priest of the call in the sacrifice, the wise, the seer, the omniscient, free from ignorance: he shall do worship for us strong for sacrifice, in the formation of the godheads; for the wealth, for the plenitude he wins all kinds of amassings.

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प्र ते अग्ने हविष्मतीमियर्म्यच्छा सुद्युम्नां रातिनीं घृताचीम् ।
प्रदक्षिणिद् देवतातिमुराणः सं रातिभिर्वसुभिर्यज्ञमश्रेत् ॥२॥

2) O Fire, I mission towards thee a power of giving bearing my oblation, luminous, full of lustres. May he come to the sacrifice with his givings, with his treasures turning round it and widening the formation of the godheads.

स तेजीयसा मनसा त्वोत उत शिक्ष स्वपत्यस्य शिक्षोः ।
अग्ने रायो नृतमस्य प्रभूतौ भूयाम ते सुष्टुतयश्च वस्वः ॥३॥

3) So am I guarded by thee with a mind of shining energy; then do thou teach us of the riches that teach and that give us good children of our works. O Fire, may we become affirmers of thee by our lauds and rich in the power of a wealth most full of the strength of the gods.

भूरीणि हि त्वे दधिरे अनीकाऽग्ने देवस्य यज्यवो जनासः ।
स आ वह देवतातिं यविष्ठ शर्धो यदद्य दिव्यं यजासि ॥४॥

4) For, many flame-forces they have founded in thee, O Fire, men who have the will to sacrifice to the godhead. So, bring to us the formation of the godhead, O youthful god, when thou worshippest with sacrifice the divine host today.

यत् त्वा होतारमनजन् मियेधे निषादयन्तो यजथाय देवाः ।
स त्वं नो अग्नेऽवितेह बोध्यधि श्रवांसि धेहि नस्तनूषु ॥५॥

5) Since the gods seating thee for sacrifice have anointed thee as Priest of the call in the rite, so do thou, O Fire, awake here as our protector and found thy inspirations in our bodies.

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SUKTA 20

अग्निमुषसमश्विना दधिकां व्युष्टिषु हवते वह्निरुक्थैः ।
सुज्योतिषो नः शृण्वन्तु देवाः सजोषसो अध्वरं वावशानाः ॥१॥

1) Fire and dawn and the two riders of the horse and Dadhikravan the Carrier of the offerings calls by his words in the dawnings. May the gods full of the Light hear us; may they desire and accept with a common pleasure our sacrifice.

अग्ने त्री ते वाजिना त्री षधस्था तिस्त्रस्ते जिह्वा ऋतजात पूर्वीः ।
तिस्त्र उ ते तन्वो देववातास्ताभिर्नः पाहि गिरो अप्रयुच्छन् ॥२॥

2) O Fire, three are thy steeds, three the worlds of thy session; three are thy tongues, O thou born from the Truth, they are many: three too are thy bodies desired by the gods, with them protect undeviatingly our words.

अग्ने भूरीणि तव जातवेदो देव स्वधावोऽमृतस्य नाम ।
याश्च माया मायिनां विश्वमिन्व त्वे पूर्वीः संदधुः पृष्टबन्धो ॥३॥

3) Many are the names of thee, the Immortal, O Fire, O knower of the births, O god who bearest with thee the self-law of nature; all the manifold magic of the Lords of magic they have combined in thee, O all-ruler, O builder of the levels.

अग्निर्नेता भग इव क्षितीनां दैवीनां देव ऋतुपा ऋतावा ।
स वृत्रहा सनयो विश्ववेदाः पर्षद् विश्वाति दुरिता गृणन्तम् ॥४॥

4) The Fire is as the Enjoyer the leader of the divine worlds, he is the divine guardian of the fixed time of things, and with him is the Truth. He is the slayer of the Coverer, the Eternal, the Omniscient; may he carry one who hymns him with the word beyond all the difficulty and stumbling.

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दधिकामग्निमुषसं च देवीं बृहस्पतिं सवितारं च देवम् ।
अश्विना मित्रावरुणा भगं च वसून् रुद्राँ आदित्याँ इह हुवे ॥५॥

5) Dadhikravan I call here, and the Fire, and the divine dawn, Brihaspati and the god Savitri, the two riders of the horse, and Mitra and Varuna and Bhaga, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Adityas.

SUKTA 21

इमं नो यज्ञममृतेषु धेहीमा हव्या जातवेदो जुषस्व ।
स्तोकानामग्ने मेदसो घृतस्य होतः प्राशान प्रथमो निषद्य ॥१॥

1) Found this our sacrifice in the immortals, accept these offerings, O knower of things born. O Priest of the call sitting as first and supreme, taste of the drops of understanding¹ and light.

घृतवन्तः पावक ते स्तोकाः श्चोतन्ति मेदसः ।
स्वधर्मन् देववीतये श्रेष्ठं नो धेहि वार्यम् ॥२॥

2) O purifying Fire, full of light there drip for thee drops of understanding; give us the supreme desirable thing in thy self-law for the advent of the gods.

तुभ्यं स्तोका घृतश्चुतोऽग्ने विप्राय सन्त्य ।
ऋषिः श्रेष्ठः समिध्यसे यज्ञस्य प्राविता भव ॥३॥

3) To thee, the illumined seer, come these drops dripping light, O right and true, O Fire; then thou blazest up as the supreme Rishi. Become the protector of our sacrifice.

तुभ्यं श्चोतन्त्यध्रिगो शचीवः स्तोकासो अग्ने मेदसो घृतस्य ।
कविशस्तो बृहता भानुनागा हव्या जुषस्व मेधिर ॥४॥

4) On thee they fall, the drops of understanding and light,

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O unseizable² Ray! O thou with whom is the puissance! Declared by the seers of truth thou hast come with the vast light. Accept our offerings, O wise intelligence!

ओजिष्ठं ते मध्यतो मेद उद्भृतं प्र ते वयं ददामहे ।
श्चोतन्ति ते वसो स्तोका अधि त्वचि प्रति तान् देवशो विहि ॥५॥

5) Most full of energy is the understanding held up in the middle for thee, this is our gift to thee. The drops drip over thy skin, O shining one,³ take them to thee in the way of the gods.

SUKTA 22

अयं सो अग्निर्यस्मिन्त्सोममिन्द्रः सुतं दधे जठरे वावशानः ।
सहस्त्रिणं वाजमत्यं न सप्तिं ससवान्त्सन्त्स्तूयसे जातवेदः ॥१॥

1) This is that Fire in which Indra, desiring the wine, held it in his belly; our laud rises to thee because thou hast won the thousandfold plenitude as if a steed of swiftness, O knower of all things born!

अग्ने यत् ते दिवि वर्चः पृथिव्यां यदोषधीष्वप्स्वा यजत्र ।
येनान्तरिक्षमुर्वाततन्थ त्वेषः स भानुरर्णवो नृचक्षाः ॥२॥

2) O Fire, that splendour of thine which is in heaven and which is in the earth and its growths and its waters, O lord of sacrifice, by which thou hast extended the wide mid-air, it is a brilliant ocean of light in which is divine vision.

अग्ने दिवो अर्णमच्छा जिगास्यच्छा देवाँ ऊचिषे धिष्ण्या ये ।
या रोचने परस्तात् सूर्यस्य याश्चावस्तादुपतिष्ठन्त आपः ॥३॥

3) O Fire, thou goest towards the ocean of the sky, thou

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speakest towards the gods who are masters of knowledge,⁴ towards the waters that abide above in the luminous world of the sun and the waters that are below.

पुरीष्यासो अग्नयः प्रावणेभिः सजोषसः ।
जुषन्तां यज्ञमद्रुहोऽनमीवा इषो महीः ॥४॥

4) Let thy Fires that dwell in the waters joining with those that descend the slopes accept the sacrifice, mighty impelling forces, in which there is no harm nor any distress.

इळामग्ने पुरुदंसं सनिं गोः शश्वत्तमं हवमानाय साध ।
स्यान्नः सूनुस्तनयो विजावाऽग्ने सा ते सुमतिर्भूत्वस्मे ॥५॥

5) O Fire, achieve at my call the Revealing Speech, the many-actioned, the lasting conquest of the Light. May there be for us a Son of our begetting pervading in his birth;⁵ O Fire, may there be created in us that true thinking of thine.