The Secret of the Veda

The Fifth Hymn to Agni

A Hymn of the Summoning of the Gods

[The hymn calls to the sacrifice by the summons of the divine Flame the principal godheads. Each is described or invoked in that capacity and functioning in which he is needed and helpful to the perfection of the soul and its divine growth and attaining.]

1) To the Will that knoweth all the births, to the Flame highly kindled, purely luminous offer a poignant clarity.

2) This is he that expresses the powers of the gods, the untameable who speeds on its way this our sacrifice, this is the seer who comes with the wine of sweetness in his hands.

3) O Strength, we have sought thee with our adoration, bring hither the God-Mind¹ bright and dear in his happy chariots² for our increasing.

4) Widely spread thyself,³ softly, thickly covering; towards thee lighten the voices of our illumination. Be white and bright in us that we may conquer.

5) Swing open, O ye Doors divine.⁴ And give us easy passage for our expanding; farther, farther lead and fill our sacrifice.

6) Darkness and Dawn⁵ we desire, two mighty Mothers of the

Page 376

Truth, fairly fronting us, increasers of our spacious being.

7) And O ye divine Priests of our humanity, O worshipped Twain, approach on the paths of the Life-breath to this our sacrifice.

8) She of the vision of knowledge, she of its flowing inspiration, she of its vastness, three goddesses⁶ who give birth to the Bliss, they who stumble not,⁷ may they take their seats at the altar strewn of the sacrifice.

9) O Fashioner of things,⁸ beneficent hither come to us; pervader of all in thy being, in thy nourishing of all and with thyself,⁹ in sacrifice after sacrifice foster our ascension.

10) O Master of Delight¹⁰ to that goal¹¹ where thou knowest the secret Names of the gods, thither lead our offerings.

11) Swaha to the Will and to the Lord of Wideness,¹² Swaha to the God-Mind and to the Thought-Power,¹³ Swaha to the godheads be the food of our oblation.¹⁴

Page 377