Hymns to the Mystic Fire

Bharadwaja Barhaspatya or Vitahavya Angirasa

Sukta 15

इममू षु वो अतिथिमुषर्बुधं विश्वासां विशां पतिमृञ्जसे गिरा ।
वेतीद्दिवो जनुषा कच्चिदा शुचिर्ज्योक् चिदत्ति गर्भो यदच्युतम् ॥१॥

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1) Thou must crown with the word the guest who wakes from sleep with the dawn, Master of all these peoples. He is pure from his very birth and surely he comes to us from heaven in his time; long too, a child from the womb, he feeds on all that is unfallen.

मित्रं न यं सुधितं भृगवो दधुर्वनस्पतावीडयमूर्ध्वशोचिषम् ।
स त्वं सुप्रीतो वीतहव्ये अद़्भुत प्रशस्तिभिर्महयसे दिवेदिवे ॥२॥

2) The Bhrigus set in the Tree the godhead of our aspiration with his high flame of light like a friend well-confirmed in his place. And now, O Wonderful, well-pleased in him who has cast to thee the offering, thou art magnified by wordings of thy power from day to day.

स त्वं दक्षस्यावृको वृधो भूरर्यः परस्यान्तरस्य तरुषः ।
रायः सूनो सहसो मर्त्येष्वा छर्दिर्यच्छ वीतहव्याय सप्रथो भरद्वाजाय सप्रथः ॥३॥

3) Be in us the one whom the wolf cannot rend, the god who makes grow the discernment, makes grow the supreme inner Warrior who delivers.¹ O Son of Force, extend in mortals the Riches, the wide-spreading House, for the caster of the offering, for Bharadwaja the wide-spreading House.

द्युतानं वो अतिथिं स्वर्णरमग्निं होतारं मनुषः स्वध्वरम् ।
विप्रं न द्युक्षवचसम् सुवृक्तिभिर्हव्यवाहमरतिं देवमृञ्जसे ॥४॥

4) Crown must thou the guest shining with light, the Male of the Sun-world, the Priest of man's invocation who makes perfect the Rite of the Path. Crown with your acts of purification the Seer whose speech has its home in the Light,² the Carrier of offerings, the Traveller, the Godhead of Fire.

पावकया यश्चितयन्त्या कृपा क्षामन् रुरुच उषसो न भानुना ।
तूर्वन्न यामन्नेतशस्य नू रण आ यो घृणे न ततृषाणो अजरः ॥५॥

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5) He shines with the light that makes pure, the light that awakens to knowledge, shines in beauty on the earth as if with a splendour of Dawn. He is as if one hewing his way in the march and battle of the shining Horse; he is like one athirst and luminously blazing, the ageless Fire.

अग्निमग्निं वः समिधा दुवस्यत प्रियंप्रियं वो अतिथिं गृणीषणि ।
उप वो गीर्भिरमृतं विवासत देवो देवेषु वनते हि वार्यं देवो देवेषु वनते हि नो दुवः ॥६॥

6) Fire and again Fire set to work with your fuel, chant with your speech the dear, the beloved Guest. Approach and set the Immortal alight with your words; a god he enjoys in the gods our desirable things,—a god, he enjoys our works in the gods.

समिद्धमग्निं समिधा गिरा गृणे शुचिं पावकं पुरो अध्वरे ध्रुवम् ।
विप्रं होतारं पुरुवारमद्रुहं कविं सुम्नैरीमहे जातवेदसम् ॥७॥

7) I chant the Fire that is kindled with the word for fuel, the Fire that is pure and makes pure; Fire that is steadfast for ever and marches in front in the Rite of the Path. We desire with his felicities the Illumined, the Priest of the call, the harmless, rich with many blessings, the Seer who knows all births that are.

त्वां दूतमग्ने अमृतं युगेयुगे हव्यवाहं दधिरे पायुमीडयम् ।
देवासश्च मर्तासश्च जागृविं विभुं विश्पतिं नमसा नि षेदिरे ॥८॥

8) O Fire, they have set thee here the Messenger, the Immortal in generation after generation, the Carrier of offerings, protector of man and the Godhead of his prayer. Gods alike and mortals sit with obeisance before the all-pervading Master of the peoples, the ever-wakeful Fire.

विभूषन्नग्न उभयाँ अनु व्रता दूतो देवानां रजसी समीयसे ।
यत्ते धीतिं सुमतिमावृणीमहेऽघ स्मा नस्त्रिवरुथः शिवो भव ॥९॥

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9) O Fire, according to the laws of thy works thou pervadest either race; thou art the messenger of the Gods and rangest both the worlds. Since we have accepted thy thinking and the right understanding that is thine, be to us our triple armour of defence and benignant helper.

तं सुप्रतीकं सुदृशं स्वञ्चमविद्वांसो विदुष्टरं सपेम ।
स यक्षद्विश्वा वयुनानि विद्वान् प्र हव्यमग्निरमृतेषु वोचत् ॥१०॥

10) May we who know not come into touch with this great knower with his true front and just walk and perfect vision. May he who knows all manifested things³ do sacrifice for us, may Fire voice our offering in the world of the Immortals.

तमग्ने पास्युत तं पिपर्षि यस्त आनट् कवये शूर धीतिम् ।
यज्ञस्य वा निशितिं वोदितिं वा तमित्पृणक्षि शवसोत राया ॥११॥

11) O heroic Fire, thou guardest and bringest safe to the other side the man who has reached to the Thought for thee the Seer and achieved the intensity of the sacrifice or its ascending movement; thou fillest him with might and riches.

त्वमग्ने वनुष्यतो नि पाहि त्वमु नः सहसावन्नवद्यात् ।
सं त्वा ध्वस्मन्वदभ्येतु पाथः सं रयिः स्पृहयाय्यः सहस्त्री ॥१२॥

12) O Fire that hast the Force, guard us from fault, guard from one who would subject us. May there come to thee along the path full of destructions the thousandfold delectable treasure.

अग्निर्होता गृहपतिः स राजा विश्वा वेद जनिमा जातवेदाः ।
देवानामुत यो मर्त्यानां यजिष्ठः स प्र यजतामृतावा ॥१३॥

13) Fire, the Priest of the invocation, is a king and the Master in our house; all the births he knows, he is of all things born the Knower. He is strong to sacrifice and the Truth is in him; let him do sacrifice for gods and mortals.

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अग्ने यदद्य विशो अध्वरस्य होतः पावकशोचे वेष्ट्वं हि यज्वा ।
ऋता यजासि महिना वि यद् भूर्हव्या वह यविष्ठ या ते अदय ॥१४॥

14) O Fire, O Light that makest pure, O summoning Priest of man's sacrifice, today when thou comest as a doer of worship, today when thou growest all-pervading in thy greatness and offerest the things of the Truth for sacrifice, today carry with thee our offerings, O ever-youthful Fire, even the truths that are thine.

अभि प्रयांसि सुधितानि हि ख्यो नि त्वा दधीत रोदसी यजघ्यै ।
अवा नो मघवन्वाजसातावग्ने विश्वानि दुरिता तरेम ता तरेम तवावसा तरेम ॥१५॥

15) Open thy manifesting eye on our firm-based pleasant things; let a man set thee within him to sacrifice to Earth and Heaven. Protect us, O King of Riches, in our conquest of the plenitudes; O Fire, may we pass safe through all the stumbling-places.

Let us pass beyond these things, pass in thy keeping through them safe.

अग्ने विश्वेभिः स्वनीक देवैरुर्णावन्तं प्रथमः सीद योनिम् ।
कुलायिनं घृतवन्तं सवित्रे यज्ञं नय यजामानाय साधु ॥१६॥

16) O Fire with thy strong armies of flame, sit with the gods, first of them all, in the wool-flecked lair where the Nest is ready and the light-offering; lead for the doer of the rite, for the presser of the wine rightly on its paths the sacrifice.

इममु त्यमथर्ववदग्निं मन्थन्ति वेधसः ।
यमङ्कूयन्तमानयन्नमूरं श्याव्याभ्यः ॥१७॥

17) This is that Fire whom the ordainers of works churn out like Atharvan of old; a Power unbewildered, they led him in his zigzag walk from the dusky Nights.

जनिष्वा देववीतये सर्वताता स्वस्तये ।
आ देवान्वक्ष्यमृताँ ऋतावृधो यज्ञं देवेषु पिस्पृशः ॥१८॥

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18) Be born to us in our all-forming labour for the coming of the Gods, for our peace. Bring the gods to us, the Immortals, the builders of the growing Truth; give to our sacrifice touch on the gods.

वयमु त्वा गृहपते जनानामग्ने अकर्म समिधा बृहन्तम् ।
अस्थूरि नो गार्हपत्यानि सन्तु तिग्मेन नस्तेजसा सं शिशाधि ॥१९॥

19) O Fire, O man's master of the house, we have fed thee with our fuel and made thee a vastness; let the works of the house-master be unhalting, make us utterly keen with thy intense force of light.