Hymns to the Mystic Fire

Payu Bharadwaja

SUKTA 87

रक्षोहणं वाजिनमा जिघर्मि मित्रं प्रथिष्ठमुप यामि शर्म ।
शिशानो अग्निः कतुभिः समिद्धः स नो दिवा स रिषः पातु नक्तम् ॥१॥

1) I set ablaze Fire of the plenitude, the slayer of the Rakshasas, I approach him as a friend and the widest house of refuge;¹ the Fire has been kindled and grows intense by the workings of the will, may he protect us from the doer of hurt, by the day and by the night.

अयोदंष्ट्रो अर्चिषा यातुधानानुप स्पृश जातवेदः समिद्धः ।
आ जिह्वया मूरदेवान् रभस्व कव्यादो वृक्त्व्यपि धत्स्वासन् ॥२॥

2) O knower of all things born, high-kindled, iron-tusked, touch with thy ray the demon-sorcerers; do violence to him with thy tongue of flame, the gods who kill,² the eaters of flesh, putting them off from us shut them into thy mouth.

उभोभयाविन्नुप धेहि दंष्ट्रा हिंस्त्रः शिशानोऽवरं परं च ।
उतान्तरिक्षे परि याहि राजञ्जम्भैः सं धेह्यभि यातुधानान् ॥३॥

3) Destruction, whetting set upon them both thy tusks, the higher and the lower, O thou who art of both worlds,³ thou circle in the mid-air, O king, and snap up in thy jaws the demon-sorcerers.

यज्ञैरिषूः संनममानो अग्ने वाचा शल्याँ अशनिभिर्दिहानः ।
ताभिर्विध्य हृदये यातुधानान् प्रतीचो बाहून् प्रति भङध्येषाम् ॥४॥

4) Turning on them by our sacrifices thy arrows, O Fire, by our

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speech thy javelins, plastering them with thy thunderbolts pierce with these in their hearts the demon-sorcerers who confront us, break their arms.

अग्ने त्वचं यातुधानस्य भिन्धि हिंस्त्राशनिर्हरसा हन्त्वेनम् ।
प्र पर्वाणि जातवेदः शृणीहि कव्यात् कविष्णुर्वि चिनोतु वृक्णम् ॥५॥

5) O Fire, tear the skin of the demon-sorcerer; let the cruel thunderbolt slay him in its wrath; rend his limbs, O knower of all things born; hungry for its flesh let the carrion-eater pick asunder his mangled body.

यत्रेदानीं पश्यसि जातवेदस्तिष्ठन्तमग्न उत वा चरन्तम् ।
यद् वान्तरिक्षे पथिभिः पतन्तं तमस्ता विध्य शर्वा शिशानः ॥६॥

6) Wherever now thou seest him, O knower of all things born, whether standing or walking, or flying on the paths in the mid-air, a shooter sharpening his weapon, pierce him with thy arrow.

उतालब्धं स्पृणुहि जातवेद आलेभानादृष्टिभिर्यातुधानात् ।
अग्ने पूर्वो नि जहि शोशुचान आमादः क्ष्विङ्कास्तमदन्त्वेनीः ॥७॥

7) Rescue from the assault of the demon-sorcerer with his spears the man touched by his grasp, O knower of all things born, O Fire, blazing supreme slay these devourers of the flesh; let the brilliant birds of prey eat him up.

इह प्र ब्रूहि यतमः सो अग्ने यो यातुधानो य इदं कृणोति ।
तमा रभस्व समिधा यविष्ठ नृचक्षसश्चक्षुषे रन्धयैनम् ॥८॥

8) Here proclaim which is he, O Fire, what demon-sorcerer, who is the doer of this deed? To him do violence with thy blaze, O youthful god, subject him to the eye of thy divine vision.

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तीक्ष्णेनाग्ने चक्षुषा रक्ष यज्ञं प्राञ्चं वसुभ्यः प्र णय प्रचेतः ।
हिंस्त्रं रक्षांस्यभि शोशुचानं मा त्वा दभन् यातुधाना नृचक्षः ॥९॥

9) O Fire, guard with thy keen eye the sacrifice, lead it moving forward to the Shining Ones, O conscious thinker; O thou of the divine vision, when thou blazest fierce against the Rakshasas let not the demon-sorcerers overcome thee.

नृचक्षा रक्षः परि पश्य विक्षु तस्य त्रीणि प्रति शृणीह्यग्रा ।
तस्याग्ने पृष्टीर्हरसा शृणीहि त्रेधा मूलं यातुधानस्य वृश्च ॥१०॥

10) Divine of vision, see everywhere the Rakshasa in the peoples, cleave the three peaks of him; his flanks, O Fire, cleave with thy wrath, rend asunder the triple root of the demon-sorcerer.

त्रिर्यातुधानः प्रसितिं त एत्वृतं यो अग्ने अनृतेन हन्ति ।
तमर्चिषा स्फूर्जयञ्जातवेदः समक्षमेनं गृणते नि वृङि्ध ॥११॥

11) Triply may the demon-sorcerer undergo thy onrush, he who slays the Truth by falsehood; him overspreading with thy ray, O knower of all things born, fell down in front of him who hymns thee.

तदग्ने चक्षुः प्रति धेहि रेभे शफारुजं येन पश्यसि यातुधानम् ।
अथर्ववज्ज्योतिषा दैव्येन सत्यं धूर्वन्तमचितं न्योष ॥१२॥

12) Set in thy singer, O Fire, the eye with which thou seest the trampler with his hooves, the demon-sorcerer; even as did Atharvan, burn with the divine Light this being without knowledge who does hurt to the Truth.

यदग्ने अद्य मिथुना शपातो यद् वाचस्तृष्टं जनयन्त रेभाः ।
मन्योर्मनसः शरव्या जायते या तया विध्य हृदये यातुघानान् ॥१३॥

13) The cursing with which today couples revile each other, the curses which are born in the imprecations of the singers, the arrow which is born from the mind of wrath, with that pierce through the heart the demon-sorcerers.

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परा शृणीहि तपसा यातुधानान् पराग्ने रक्षो हरसा शृणीहि ।
परार्चिषा मूरदेवाञ्छृणीहि परासुतृपो अभि शोशुचानः ॥१४॥

14) Away from us cleave by thy burning energy the demon-sorcerers, away from us cleave by the heat of thy wrath the Rakshasa, O Fire, away from us cleave by thy ray these slayer gods,⁴ blazing away from us cleave these who glut themselves with men's lives.

पराद्य देवा वृजिनं शृणन्तु प्रत्यगेनं शपथा यन्तु तृष्टाः ।
वाचास्तेनं शरव ऋच्छन्तु मर्मन् विश्वस्यैतु प्रसितिं यातुधानः ॥१५॥

15) May the gods cleave away today the crooked one, may harsh curses come to confront him, may the shafts enter into the vital part of one who thieves by speech, may he undergo the onset of each and every one, the demon-sorcerer.

यः पौरुषेयेण कविषा समङ्क्ते यो अश्व्येन पशुना यातुधानः ।
यो अघ्न्याया भरति क्षीरमग्ने तेषां शीर्षाणि हरसापि वृश्च ॥१६॥

16) The demon-sorcerer who feeds on the flesh of human beings, who feeds on horses and on cattle, the one who carries away the milk of the Cow unslayable, cut asunder their necks with the flame of thy anger, O Fire.

संवत्सरीणं पय उस्त्रियायास्तस्य माशीद् यातुधानो नृचक्षः ।
पीयूषमग्ने यतमस्तितृप्सात् तं प्रत्यञ्चमर्चिषा विध्य मर्मन् ॥१७॥

17) O thou who hast the divine vision, let not the demon-sorcerer partake of the yearly milk of the shining cow; O Fire, whichever of them would glut himself on the nectar him pierce in front in his vital part with thy ray of light.

विषं गवां यातुधानाः पिबन्स्वा वृश्च्यन्तामदितये दुरेवाः ।
परैनान् देवः सविता ददातु परा भागमोषधीनां जयन्ताम् ॥१८॥

18) May the demon-sorcerers drink poison from the Ray-Cows,

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may they be cloven asunder who are of evil impulse before the infinite mother, may the divine sun betray them to thee, may they be deprived of their share of the growths of earth.

सनादग्ने मृणसि यातुधानान् न त्वा रक्षांसि पृतनासु जिग्युः ।
अनु दह सहमूरान् कव्यादो मा ते हेत्या मुक्षत दैव्यायाः ॥१९॥

19) Ever dost thou crush the demon-sorcerer, O Fire, never have the Rakshasas conquered thee in the battles; burn one by one from their roots the eaters of raw flesh, may they find no release from thy divine missile.

त्वं नो अग्ने अधरादुदक्तात् त्वं पश्चादुत रक्षा पुरस्तात् ।
प्रति ते ते अजरासस्तपिष्ठा अघशंसं शोशुचतो दहन्तु ॥२०॥

20) O Fire, do thou guard us from above and from below, thou from behind and from the front; may those most burning ageless flames of thine blazing burn one who is a voice of evil.

पश्चात् पुरस्तादधरादुदक्तात् कविः काव्येन परि पाहि राजन् ।
सखे सखायमजरो जरिम्णेऽग्ने मर्तानमर्त्यस्त्वं नः ॥२१॥

21) From behind and from in front, from below and from above, a seer by thy seer-wisdom protect us, O king; a friend protect thy friend, ageless protect from old age, immortal protect us who are mortals, O Fire.

परि त्वाग्ने पुरं वयं विप्रं सहस्य धीमहि ।
धृषद्वर्णं दिवेदिवे हन्तारं भङ्गुरावताम् ॥२२॥

22) O forceful Fire, let us think of thee, the illumined sage as a fortress around us, one violent of aspect, slayer from day to day of the crooked ones.

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विषेण भङ्गुरावतः प्रति ष्म रक्षसो दह ।
अग्ने तिग्मेन शोचिषा तपुरग्राभिर्ऋष्टिभिः ॥२३॥

23) Consume with poison the crooked Rakshasas; O Fire, burn them with thy keen flame, with thy fiery-pointed spears.

प्रत्यग्ने मिथुना दह यातुधाना किमीदिना ।
सं त्वा शिशामि जागृह्यदब्धं विप्र मन्मभिः ॥२४॥

24) Burn the bewildered demon-sorcerer couples; I thee whet to sharpness, inviolate, with my thoughts, O illumined sage; awake.

प्रत्यग्ने हरसा हरः शृणीहि विश्वतः प्रति ।
यातुधानस्य रक्षसो बलं वि रुज वीर्यम् ॥२५॥

25) O Fire, cleave asunder their wrath with thy flame of wrath to every side; break utterly the strength, the energy of the Rakshasa, of the demon-sorcerer.