Hymns to the Mystic Fire

Vatsapri Bhalandana

SUKTA 45

दिवस्परि प्रथमं जज्ञे अग्निरस्मद् द्वितीयं परि जातवेदाः ।
तृतीयमप्सु नृमणा अजस्त्रमिन्धान एनं जरते स्वाधीः ॥१॥

1) Above heaven was the first birth of the Fire, over us was his second birth as the knower of all things born, his third birth was in the waters, a god-mind; him continuously one kindles and with one's thought perfectly fixed on him adores.

विद्म ते अग्ने त्रेधा त्रयाणि विद्मा ते धाम विभृता पुरुत्रा ।
विद्मा ते नाम परमं गुहा यद् विद्मा तमुत्सं यत आजगन्थ ॥२॥

2) O Fire, we know the triple three of thee, we know thy seats borne widely in many planes, we know thy supreme Name which is in the secrecy, we know that fount of things whence thou camest.

समुद्रे त्वा नृमणा अप्स्वन्तर्नृचक्षा ईधे दिवो अग्न ऊधन् ।
तृतीये त्वा रजसि तस्थिवांसमपामुपस्थे महिषा अवर्धन् ॥३॥

3) He of the god-mind kindled thee in the Ocean, within the Waters, he of the divine vision kindled thee, O Fire, in the teat of heaven; the mighty ones made thee to grow where thou stoodest in the third kingdom, in the lap of the waters.

अकन्ददग्निः स्तनयन्निव द्यौः क्षामा रेरिहद् वीरुधः समञ्जन् ।
सद्यो जज्ञानो वि हीमिद्धो अख्यदा रोदसी भानुना भात्यन्तः ॥४॥

4) Fire cried aloud like heaven thundering, he licked the earth revealing its growths: when kindled and born, at once he saw all this that is; he shines out with his light between earth and heaven.

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श्रीणामुदारो धरुणो रयीणां मनीषाणां प्रार्पणः सोमगोपाः ।
वसुः सूनुः सहसो अप्सु राजा वि भात्यग्र उषसामिधानः ॥५॥

5) An exalter of glories, a holder of the riches, a manifester of thinking mind, a guardian of the wine of delight, a shining One, the son of force, the king in the Waters, he grows luminous as he burns up in the front of the dawns.

विश्वस्य केतुर्भुवनस्य गर्भ आ रोदसी अपृणाज्जायमानः ।
वीळुं चिदद्रिमभिनत् परायञ्जना यदग्निमयजन्त पञ्च ॥६॥

6) The ray of intuition of the universe, the child in the womb of the world, in his coming to birth he filled earth and heaven; going beyond them he rent even the strong mountain when the peoples of the five births sacrificed to the fire.

उशिक् पावको अरतिः सुमेधा मर्तेष्वग्निरमृतो नि धायि ।
इयर्ति धूममरुषं भरिभ्रदुच्छुकेण शोचिषा द्यामिनक्षन् ॥७॥

7) An aspirant and traveller and wise of mind, a purifying flame, the Fire who is set within as the immortal in mortals, he sends forth and carries a ruddy smoke striving with his bright flame of light to reach heaven.

दृशानो रुक्म उर्विया व्यद्यौद् दुर्मर्षमायुः श्रिये रुचानः ।
अग्निरमृतो अभवद् वयोभिर्यदेनं द्यौर्जनयत् सुरेताः ॥८॥

8) Visible, golden of light, widely he shone; resplendent in his glory he is life hard to violate: the Fire by his expandings became immortal when heaven with its strong seed had brought him to birth.

यस्ते अद्य कृणवद् भद्रशोचेऽपूपं देव घृतवन्तमग्ने ।
प्र तं नयं प्रतरं वस्यो अच्छाऽभि सुम्नं देवभक्तं यविष्ठ ॥९॥

9) O god, O happy light, O Fire, he who has prepared for thee the luminous honeycomb¹ him lead forward towards

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a more opulent state, O youthful godhead, even to the bliss enjoyed by the gods.

आ तं भज सौश्रवसेष्वग्न उक्थउक्थ आ भज शस्यमाने ।
प्रियः सूर्ये प्रियो अग्ना भवात्युज्जातेन भिनददुज्जनित्वैः ॥१०॥

10) O Fire, bestow on him his share in the things of inspired knowledge, in word upon word as it is spoken: he becomes dear to the sun, dear to Fire; upward he breaks with what is born in him, upward with the things that are to be born

त्वामग्ने यजमाना अनु द्यून् विश्वा वसु दधिरे वार्याणि ।
त्वया सह द्रविणमिच्छमाना व्रजं गोमन्तमुशिजो वि वव्रुः ॥११॥

11) O Fire, men who sacrifice to thee day after day hold in themselves all desirable riches; desiring the treasure in thy companionship, aspiring, they burst open the covered pen of the Ray-Cows.

अस्ताव्यग्निर्नरां सुशेवो वैश्वानर ऋषिभिः सोमगोपाः ।
अद्वेषे द्यावापृथिवी हुवेम देवा धत्त रयिमस्मे सुवीरम् ॥१२॥

12) The Fire has been affirmed in their lauds by the sages, he who is full of bliss for men, the Universal Godhead, guardian of the wine of delight. Let us invoke earth and heaven free from hostile powers; found in us, O gods, a wealth full of hero-mights.

SUKTA 46

प्र होता जातो महान् नभोविन्नृषद्वा सीददपामुपस्थे ।
दधिर्यो धायि स ते वयांसि यन्ता वसूनि विधते तनूपाः ॥१॥

1) The great Priest of the call has been born; the knower of the heavens, he who is seated in man, may he take his seat in the lap of the waters: he who upholds us and who is held in us, rules for thee his worshipper thy expandings and thy riches and is the protector of thy body.

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इमं विधन्तो अपां सधस्थे पशुं न नष्टं पदैरनु ग्मन् ।
गुहा चतन्तमुशिजो नमोभिरिच्छन्तो धीरा भृगवोऽविन्दन् ॥२॥

2) They worshipped him in the session of the waters, as if the cow of vision lost they followed him by his tracks; where he hid in the secret cavern, aspiring with obeisance the Flame-Seers, the wise thinkers desired and found him.

इमं त्रितो भूर्यविन्ददिच्छन् वैभूवसो मूर्धन्यघ्न्यायाः ।
स शेवृधो जात आ हर्म्येषु नाभिर्युवा भवति रोचनस्य ॥३॥

3) Him greatly desiring Trita, son of the master of wide riches,² found on the head of the light unslayable; he is born the youth who increases the felicity in our mansions and becomes the navel-centre of the luminous world.

मन्द्रं होतारमुशिजो नमोभिः प्राञ्चं यज्ञं नेतारमध्वराणाम् ।
विशामकृण्वन्नरतिं पावकं हव्यवाहं दधतो मानुषेषु ॥४॥

4) In their aspiration they created him by their obeisance and set him in men as the rapturous Priest of the call, the sacrificer ever-moving forward, the leader of the pilgrim-sacrifices, the traveller, the carrier of the offering, the purifying Flame.

प्र भूर्जयन्तं महां विपोधां मूरा अमूरं पुरां दर्माणम् ।
नयन्तो गर्भं वनां धियं धुर्हिरिश्मश्रुं नार्वाणं धनर्चम् ॥५॥

5) He has come into being and leading him like a golden-maned war-horse, the great, the victorious, the founder of the Light, men ignorant, one who is free from ignorance, the render of the cities, the child of the forests, whose wealth is the illumined word³—they established the thought.

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नि पस्त्यासु त्रितः स्तभूयन् परिवीतो योनौ सीददन्तः ।
अतः संगृभ्या विशां दमूना विधर्मणायन्त्रैरीयते नृन् ॥६॥

6) May Trita in the homesteads holding all firmly⁴ take his session in his native seat within and all-encompassing; thence, a dweller in man's home, taking all into his grasp, by a wide law of his action, by unrestrained movements he journeys to the gods.

अस्याजरासो दमामरित्रा अर्चद्धूमासो अग्नयः पावकाः ।
श्वितीचयः श्वात्रासो भुरण्यवो वनर्षदो वायवो न सोमाः ॥७॥

7) His ageless and purifying fires are the defenders of our homes, lifting their luminous smoke; white-flaming, dwellers in the Tree, they are our strengtheners and supporters and like winds and like wine.

प्र जिह्वया भरते वेपो अग्निः प्र वयुनानि चेतसा पृथिव्याः ।
तमायवः शुचयन्तं पावकं मन्द्रं होतारं दधिरे यजिष्ठम् ॥८॥

8) Fire carries with his tongue the illumination of wisdom, he carries in his consciousness earth's discoveries of knowledge; him men hold the illuminating and purifying rapturous Priest of the call most strong for sacrifice.

द्यावा यमग्निं पृथिवी जनिष्टामापस्त्वष्टा भृगवो यं सहोभिः ।
ईळेन्यं प्रथमं मातरिश्वा देवास्ततक्षुर्मनवे यजत्रम् ॥९॥

9) This is the Fire to whom earth and heaven gave birth; and the waters, the form-maker and the Flame-Seers by their strengths, and life that grows in the mother and the gods have fashioned for man desirable, first and supreme, a master of sacrifice.

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यं त्वा देवा दधिरे हव्यवाहं पुरुस्पृहो मानुषासो यजत्रम् ।
स यामन्नग्ने स्तुवते वयो धाः प्र देवयन् यशसः सं हि पूर्वीः ॥१०॥

10) Thou art he whom the gods have set as the carrier of the offerings and men with their many desires as the lord of sacrifice; so do thou, O Fire, found in thy journeying wide expansion for him who lauds thee and making him divine gather in him many glorious things.