22 Condemn us not to indigence, O Agni, beside these flaming fires which Gods have kindled ; Nor, even after fault, let thy displeasure, thine as a God, O 23 0 Agni, fair of face, the wealthy mortal who to the Immortal offers his oblation Hath him who wins him treasure by his Godhead, to whom the prince, in need, goes supplicating. 24 Knowing our chief felicity, O Agni, bring hither ample riches to our nobles, Wherewith we may enjoy ourselves, O Victor, with undiminished life and hero children. 25 Give strength and power to these my prayers, O Agni ; O God, pour blessings on our chiefs and nobles. Grant that both we and they may share thy bounty. Ye GLADLY accept, this day, our fuel, Agni: send up thy sacred smoke and shine sublimely. Touch the celestial summits with thy columns, and overspread thee with the rays of Sûrya. 2 With sacrifice to these we men will honour the majesty of holy Narâsansa To these the pure, most wise, the thought-inspirers, Gods who enjoy both sorts of our oblations. 3 We will extol at sacrifice for ever, as men may do, Agni whom Manu kindled, Your very skilful Asura, meet for worship, envoy between both worlds, the truthful speaker. 4 Bearing the sacred grass, the men who serve him strew it with reverence, on their knees, by Agni. Calling him to the spotted grass, oil-sprinkled, adorn him, ye 22 Which Gods have kindled: lighted by the ministering priests. 6 23 Hath him: possesses, or enjoys the favour of, Agni. That deity (Agni) favours the presenter of (sacrificial) wealth.'-Wilson. 24 Knowing our chief felicity: understanding what we want to make us happy, that is, riches. The Apris are the divine or deified beings and objects to which the propitiatory verses are addressed. For other Aprt hymns see I. 13; 188; II. 3; III. 4; V. 5; IX. 5; X. 70; 110. 1 Nardsansathe Praise of Men'; Agni. Both sorts of our oblations: offerings of ghrita, ghi, or clarified butter, and libations of Soma juice, 5 With holy thoughts the pious have thrown open Doors fain for chariots in the Gods' assembly. Like two full mother cows who lick their youngling, like maidens for the gathering, they adorn them. 6 And let the two exalted Heavenly Ladies, Morning and Night, like a cow good at milking, Come, much-invoked, and on our grass be seated, wealthy, deserving worship, for our welfare. 7 You, Bards and Singers at men's sacrifices, both filled with wisdom, I incline to worship. Send up our offerings when we call upon you, and so among the Gods obtain us treasures. 8 May Bhâratî with all her Sisters, Ilâ accordant with the Gods, with mortals Agni, Sarasvatî with all her kindred Rivers, come to this grass, 9 Well pleased with us do thou, O God, O Tvashtar, give ready issue to our procreant vigour, Whence springs the hero, powerful, skilled in action, lover of Gods, adjuster of the press-stones. 10 Send to the Gods the oblation, Lord of Forests, and let the Immolator, Agni, dress it. He as the truer Priest shall offer worship, for the Gods' generations well he knoweth. 11 Come thou to us, O Agni, duly kindled, together with the potent Gods and Indra. On this our grass sit Aditi, happy Mother, and let our Hail! delight the Gods Immortal. HYMN III. Agni. ASSOCIATE with fires, make your God Agni envoy at sacrifice, best skilled in worship, Established firm among mankind, the Holy, flame-crowned and fed with oil, the Purifier. 5 Doors: the deified doors of the hall of sacrifice where the Gods assemble. Fain for chariots: welcoming the approach of the cars in which the priests come to the ceremony. The latter half of the stanza is obscure; '(the ladles) placed to the east are plying the fire with ghi at sacrifices, as the mother cows lick the calf, or as rivers (water the fields).'-Wilson. 6 Like a cow: the dual dhena, two cows, instead of dhenúḥ, would, as Ludwig suggests, seem to us to be preferable. Bards and Singers: the hótard, or two Invokers' of I. 13. 8; perhaps Agni and Varuna, or Varuna and Aditya. 8 Stanzas 8-11 are identical with stanzas 8-11 of Book III. 4. 1 Associate sajósháḥ being a shortened form of sajóshasaḥ, the nominative plural. Sayana explains it as an accusative singular, qualifying Agni,. 2 Like a steed neighing eager for the pasture, when he hath stepped forth from the great enclosure : Then the wind following blows upon his splendour, and, straight, the path is black which thou hast travelled. 3 From thee a Bull but newly born, O Agni, the kindled everlasting flames rise upward. Aloft to heaven thy ruddy smoke ascendeth: Agni, thou speedest to the Gods as envoy. 4 Thou whose fresh lustre o'er the earth advanceth when greedily with thy jaws thy food thou eatest. Like a host hurried onward comes thy lasso: fierce, with thy tongue thou piercest, as 'twere barley. 5 The men have decked him both at eve and morning, Most Youthful Agni, as they tend a courser. They kindle him, a guest within his dwelling: bright shines the splendour of the worshipped Hero. 60 fair of face, beautiful is thine aspect when, very near at hand, like gold thou gleamest. Like Heaven's thundering roar thy might approaches, and like the wondrous Sun thy light thou showest. 7 That we may worship, with your Hail to Agni! with sacrificial cakes and fat oblations, Guard us, O Agni, with those boundless glories as with a hundred fortresses of iron. 8 Thine are resistless songs for him who offers, and hero-giving hymns wherewith thou savest; With these, O Son of Strength, O Jâtavedas, guard us, preserve these princes and the singers. 9 When forth he cometh, like an axe new-sharpened, pure in his form, resplendent in his body, Sprung, sought with eager longing, from his Parents, for the Gods' worship, Sage and Purifier: 10 Shine this felicity on us, O Agni: may we attain to perfect understanding. All happiness be theirs who sing and praise thee. Ye Gods, preserve us evermore with blessings. 2 From the great enclosure: 'from the vast enclosing (forest).'-Wilson. Others understand it as the enclosure in which the horse is confined. 4 Thou piercest as 'twere barley: the comparison is somewhat compressed: the meaning is, thou penetratest and fellest the trees of the forest with thy tongue as men cut down barley with a reaping-hook, From his Parents; the two fire-sticks. HYMN IV. Agni. BRING forth your gifts to his refulgent splendour, your hymn as purest offering to Agni, To him who goes as messenger with knowledge between all sons of men and Gods in heaven. 2 Wise must this Agni be, though young and tender, since he was born, Most Youthful, of his Mother; He who with bright teeth seizeth fast the forests, and eats his food, though plenteous, in a moment. 3 Before his presence must we all assemble, this God's whom men have seized in his white splendour. This Agni who hath brooked that men should seize him hath shone for man with glow insufferable. 4 Far-seeing hath this Agni been established, deathless mid mortals, wise among the foolish. Here, O victorious God, forbear to harm us: may we for ever share thy gracious favour. 5 He who hath occupied his God-made dwelling, Agni, in wisdom hath surpassed Immortals. A Babe unborn, the plants and trees support him, and the earth beareth him the All-sustainer. 6 Agni is Lord of Amrit in abundance, Lord of the gift of wealth and hero valour, Victorious God, let us not sit about thee like men devoid of strength, beauty, and worship. 7 The foeman's treasure may be won with labour: may we be masters of our own possessions. Agni, no son is he who springs from others: lengthen not out the pathways of the foolish. 8 Unwelcome for adoption is the stranger, one to be thought of as another's offspring, Though grown familiar by continual presence. May our strong hero come, freshly triumphant. 3 Must we all assemble: I follow Ludwig in his interpretation of samsádi : as we are forsaken, and our protector is far away (st. 6, 7, 8), we must crowd to the God of Fire for defence. 6 In the second line I have borrowed from Prof. Max Müller, Vedic Hymns, I. p. 80. 7 Let us remain in undisturbed possession of our own property, and let us have sons of our own begetting and not the adopted children of others. 8 Men do not look with pleasure and affection on adopted sons; but we are longing to see our absent protector return to us.-Ludwig. Others explain the last half-verse differently: 'therefore let there come to us (a son) new-born, possessed of food, victorious over foes.'-Wilson. 9 Guard us from him who would assail us, Agni; preserve us O thou Victor, from dishonour. Here let the place of darkening come upon thee: may wealth be ours, desirable, in thousands. 10 Shine this felicity on us, O Agni: may we attain to perfect understanding. All happiness be theirs who sing and praise thee. Ye Gods, preserve us evermore with blessings. HYMN V. Agni. BRING forth your song of praise to mighty Agni, the speedy messenger of earth and heaven, Vaiṣvânara, who, with those who wake, hath waxen great in the lap of all the Gods Immortal. 2 Sought in the heavens, on earth is Agni stablished, leader of rivers, Bull of standing waters. Vaiṣvânara, when he hath grown in glory, shines on the tribes of men with light and treasure. 3 For fear of thee forth fled the dark-hued races, scattered abroad, deserting their possessions, When, glowing, O Vaisvânara, for Pâru, thou, Agni, didst light up and rend their castles. 4 Agni Vaiṣvânara, both Earth and Heaven submit them to thy threefold jurisdiction. Refulgent in thine undecaying lustre thou hast invested both the worlds with splendour. 5 Agni, the tawny horses, loudly neighing, our resonant hymns that drop with oil, attend thee; Lord of the tribes, our Charioteer of riches, Ensign of days, 9 This stanza is a repetition of VI. 15, 12, where see note. 10 Repeated from stanza 10 of the preceding hymn. The hymn is addressed to Agui as Vaiṣvânara, the God who is present with, and benefits, all Âryan men. 1 With those who wake: tended by the priests. According to Sâyana 'associated with the wakened Gods.' 2 Bull of standing waters: the meaning of stiynam is uncertain. Perhaps, as Ludwig suggests, plants and bushes are intended which Agni like a bull levels with the ground. 3 The dark-hued races: according to von Roth, the spirits of darkness. For Paru: or, for man. 4 Threefold jurisdiction: in heaven, mid-air, and earth. 5 The tawny horses: the hymns that hasten to Agni like eager horses. Ludwig translates the haritup of the text by 'gold-yellow,' qualifying ‘hymns;' that is, hymns with libations of yellow Soma juice. |