The Secret of the Veda

The Twenty-Third Hymn to Agni

A Hymn of the Rich and Conquering Soul

[The Rishi desires through Agni that opulence of the divine Light against which the armies of darkness cannot stand; for it overpowers them by its plenitude and force. This it does on all the successive planes of the soul's labour and in each of them man gets, by this divine Force that is the true and transcendent Being, all the objects of his desire that they contain.]

अग्ने सहन्तमा भर द्युम्नस्य प्रासहा रयिम् ।
विश्वा यश्चर्षणीरभ्यासा वाजेषु सासहत् ॥१॥

1) Bring to us, O Strength most forcefully prevailing, that forceful opulence of the Light which in all the fields of our labour shall by force prevail with thy mouth of flame to enter into the plenitudes.

तमग्ने पृतनाषहं रयिं सहस्व आ भर ।
त्वं हि सत्यो अद्भुतो दाता वाजस्य गोमतः ॥२॥

2) O Flame, O Might, that rich felicity bring which shall violently overpower the armies that are embattled against us; for thou art the true in being, the transcendent and wonderful, who gives to man the luminous plenitude.

विश्वे हि त्वा सजोषसो जनासो वृक्तबर्हिषः ।
होतारं सद्मसु प्रियं व्यन्ति वार्या पुरु ॥३॥

3) All these peoples who with one heart of love have made

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clear their seat of sacrifice, find in the dwelling-places¹ of the soul thee, the priest of sacrifice, the beloved, and they reach in them their many objects of desire.

स हि ष्मा विश्वचर्षणिरभिमाति सहो दधे ।
अग्न एषु क्षयेष्वा रेवन्नः शुक दीदिहि द्युमत् पावक दीदिहि ॥४॥

4) This is the labourer in all man's works and he holds in himself an all-besieging force. O pure-brilliant Flame, shine out full of joy and opulence in these our habitations, shine out full of light, O our purifier.

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