Hymns to the Mystic Fire

Gritsamada Bhargava

Sukta 8

वाजयन्निव तू रथान् योगाँ अग्नेरुप स्तुहि ।
यशस्तमस्य मीळ्हुषः ॥१॥

1) As if to replenish¹ him chant now the chariots of Fire and his yokings, Fire the lavish and glorious Godhead.

यः सुनीथो ददाशुषेऽजुर्यो जरयन्नरिम् ।
चारुप्रतीक आहुतः ॥२॥

2) He brings his perfect leading to the man who has given; he is invulnerable and wears out with wounds the foe. Fair is the front of him fed with the offerings.

य, उ श्रिया दमेष्वा दोषोषसि प्रशस्यते ।
यस्य व्रतं न मीयते ॥३॥

3) He is voiced in his glory and beauty at dusk and dawn in our homes. Never impaired is the law of his working.

आ यः स्वर्ण भानुना चित्रो विभात्यर्चिषा ।
अञ्जानों अजरैरभि ॥४॥

Page 97

4) He shines rich with diverse lustres like the heavens of the Sun² in his illumining splendour, shines wide with his ray, putting forth on us a revealing light with his ageless fires.

अत्रिमनु स्वराज्यमग्निमुक्यानि वावृषुः ।
विश्वा अधि श्रियो दधे ॥५॥

5) Our words have made the Fire to grow, made the Traveller to grow in the way of self-empire; he holds in himself all glory and beauty.

अग्नेरिन्द्रस्य सोमस्य देवानामूतिभिर्वयम् ।
अरिष्यन्तः सचेमह्यभि व्याम पूतन्यतः ॥६॥

6) May we cleave to the safeguardings of the Fire and Soma and Indra and of the Gods, meeting with no hurt overcome those that are embattled against us.

Sukta 9

नि होता होतृषदने विदानस्त्वेषो दीदिवाँ असदत्सुवक्षः ।
अदब्धव्रतप्रमतिर्वसिष्ठः सहस्त्रंभरः शुचिजिह्नो अग्निः ॥१॥

1) The Priest of the call has taken his seat in the house of his priesthood; he is ablaze with light and vivid in radiance, he is full of knowledge and perfect in judgment. He has a mind of wisdom whose workings are invincible and is most rich in treasures: Fire with his tongue of purity is a bringer of the thousand.

त्वं दूतस्त्वम् नः परस्यास्त्वं वस्य आ वृषभ प्रणेता ।
अग्ने तोकस्य नस्तने तनूनामप्रयुच्छन्दीद्यद्वोधि गोपाः ॥२॥

2) Thou art the Messenger, thou art our protector who takest us to the other side; O Bull of the herds, thou art our leader on the way to a world of greater riches. For the shaping of

Page 98

the Son and the building of the bodies³ awake in thy light, a guardian, and turn not from thy work, O Fire.

विधेम ते परमे जन्मन्नग्ने विधेम स्तोमैरवरै सधस्थे ।
यस्माद्योनेरुदारिथा यजे तं प्र त्वे हषींषि जुहुरे समिद्धे ॥३॥

3) May we worship thee in thy supreme Birth, O Fire; may we worship thee with our chants in the world of thy lower session: I adore with sacrifice thy native lair from which thou hast arisen. The offerings have been cast into thee when thou wert kindled and ablaze.

अग्ने यजस्व हविषा यजीयाञ्छ्वष्टी वेष्णमभि गृणीहि राधः ।
त्वं ह्यसि रयिपती रयीणां त्वं शुकस्य वचसो मनोता ॥४॥

4) O Fire, be strong for sacrifice, do worship with my oblation; swiftly voice my thought towards the gift of the Treasure. For thou art the wealth-master who hast power over the riches, thou art the thinker of the brilliant Word.

उभयं ते न क्षीयते वसव्यं दिवेदिवे जायमानस्य दस्म ।
कृधि क्षुमन्तं जरितारमग्ने कृधि पतिं स्वपत्यस्य रायः ॥५॥

5) Both kinds of wealth are thine, O potent Godhead and because thou art born from day to day, neither can waste and perish. O Fire, make thy adorer one full of possessions; make him a master of the Treasure and of wealth rich in progeny.

सैनानीकेन सुविदत्रो अस्मे यष्टा देवाँ आयजिष्ठः स्वस्ति ।
अदब्धो गोपा उत नः परस्पा अग्ने द्युमदुत रेवद्दिदीहि ॥६॥

6) O Fire, shine forth with this force⁴ of thine in us, one perfect in knowledge, one who worships the Gods and is strong for sacrifice. Be our indomitable guardian and our protector to take us to the other side; flame in us with thy light, flame in us with thy opulence.

Page 99

Sukta 10

जोहूत्रो अग्निः प्रथमः पितेवेळस्पदे मनुषा यत्समिद्धः ।
श्रियं वसानो अमृतो विचेता मर्मृजेन्यः श्रवस्यः स वाजी ॥१॥

1) Fire is to us as our first father and to him must rise our call when he is kindled by man in the seat of his aspiration. He puts on glory and beauty like a robe; he is our Horse of swiftness full of inspiration to be groomed by us, he is the immortal wide in knowledge.

श्रूया अग्निश्चित्रभानुर्हवं मे विश्वाभिर्गीर्भिरमृतो विचेताः ।
श्याया रथं वहतो रोहिता वोतारुषाह चके विभृत्रः ॥२॥

2) May Fire in the rich diversity of his lights, the immortal wide in knowledge, hearken to my cry in all its words. Two tawny horses bear him or two that are red or ruddy in glow: Oh, one widely borne has been created.

उत्तानायामजनयन्त्सुषूतं भुवदग्निः पुरुपेशासु गर्भः ।
शिरिणायां चिदक्तुना महोभिरपरीवृतो वसति प्रचेताः ॥३॥

3) They have given him birth in one laid supine who with happy delivery bore him; the Fire became a child in mothers of many forms. This thinker and knower by the greatness of his lights dwells⁵ even in the destroying Night unenveloped by the darkness.

जिघर्म्यग्निं हविषा घृतेन प्रतिक्षियन्तं भुवनानि विश्वा ।
पृथुं तिरश्चा वयसा बृहन्तं व्यचिष्ठमत्रै रभसं दृशानम् ॥४॥

4) I anoint the Fire with my oblation of light, where he dwells fronting all the worlds; wide in his horizontal expansion and vast, he is most open and manifest by all he has fed on, seen in the impetuosity of his force.⁶

Page 100

आ विश्वतः प्रत्यञ्चं जिघर्म्यरक्षसा मनसा तज्जुषेत ।
मर्यश्रीः स्पृहयद्वर्णो अग्निर्नाभिमृशे तन्वा जर्भुराणः ॥५॥

5) I anoint him where he moves fronting all things on every side; let him rejoice in That with a mind that withholds not the riches.⁷ None can touch the body of the Fire where he plays in his desire of the hues of light,⁸ in his strong and glorious beauty.

ज्ञेया भागं सहसानो वरेण त्वादूतासो मनुवद्वदेम ।
अनूनमग्निं जुह्वा वचस्या मधुपृचं धनसा जोहवीमि ॥६॥

6) Mayst thou take knowledge of thy portion putting forth thy force with thy supreme flame; may we speak as the thinking human being with thee for Messenger. I am one who would conquer the Treasure and I call to the Fire with my power of speech and my flame of offering, Fire in whom is no insufficiency, and he brings to us the touch of the sweetness.⁹

Page 101