AGNI, subdue opposing bands, and drive our enemies

away.

Invincible, slay godless foes: give splendour to the worshipper.

2 Lit with libation, Agni, thou, deathless, who callest gods to feast,

Accept our sacrifice with joy.

3 With splendour, Agni, son of strength, thou who art worshipped, wakeful one,

Seat thee on this my sacred grass.

4 With all thy fires, with all the gods, Agni, exalt the songs we sing,

And living men in holy rites.

5 Grant, Agni, to the worshipper wealth rich in heroes, plenteous store:

Make thou us rich with many sons.

and

THOU art the wisest son of Dyaus, O Agni, yea, the child of Earth, who knowest all things. Bring the gods specially, thou sage, for worship. 2 Agni the wise bestows the might of heroes, grants strengthening food, preparing it for nectar.

Thou who art rich in food bring the gods hither. 3 Agni, infallible, lights Earth and Heaven, immortal goddesses gracious to all men,

Lord through his strength, splendid through adorations. 4 Come to the sacrifice, Agni and Indra: come to the offerer's house who hath the Soma.

Come, friendly-minded, gods, to drink the Soma.

This hymn and the eight following are ascribed to the Rishi Visvamitra. The metre is Anushṭup in stanza 1, and Gâyatri in the rest of the hymn. The metre of hymn XXV is Virâj or Virât, a form of Trishṭup consisting of three instead of four Pâdas of eleven syllables each.

5 In the floods' home art thou enkindled, Agni, O Jâtavedas, son of strength, eternal,

Exalting with thine help the gathering-places.

REVERING in our heart Agni Vaiṣvânara, the finder of the light, whose promises are true,

The liberal, gladsome, car-borne god, we Kusikas invoke him with oblation, seeking wealth with songs.

2 That Agni, bright, Vaiṣvânara, we invoke for help, and Mâtarişvan worthy of the song of praise; Brihaspati for man's observance of the gods, the singer prompt to hear, the swiftly-moving guest. 3 Age after age Vaiṣvânara, neighing like a horse, is kindled with the women by the Kusikas.

May Agui, he who wakes among immortal gods, grant us beroic strength and wealth in noble steeds. 4 Let them go forth, the strong, as flames of fire with might. Gathered for victory they have yoked their spotted deer.

Pourers of floods, the Maruts, masters of all wealth, they who can ne'er be cheated, make the mountains shake.

5 In the floods' home: in the firmament, the home of the aerial

waters.

The gathering-places: the worlds or regions inhabited by living beings, according to Sâyaņa.

The metre of the first six stanzas is Jagatî, consisting of four Pâdas of twelve syllables each, and Trishṭup of the rest of the hymn. 1 Vaisvanara: common to, dear to, or dwelling with, all Âryan men. Kusikas: men of the family of the Rishi Kusika.

2 Matarişvan: said here by Sâyana to mean Agni as god of the lightning, but the usual sense of the word is appropriate enough. 3 With the women: the fingers, elsewhere called the damsels, and the sisters, which agitate the fire-stick.

4 Let them go forth: the Maruts, or storm-gods.

5 The Maruts, friends of men, are glorious as the fire: their mighty and resplendent succour we implore. Those storming sons of Rudra clothed in robes of rain, boon givers of good gifts, roar as the lions

roar.

6 We, band on band and troop following troop entreat with fair lauds Agni's splendour and the Maruts' might.

With spotted deer for steeds, with wealth that never fails, they, wise ones, come to sacrifice at our gatherings,

7 Agni am I who know, by birth, all creatures. Mine eye is oil, and in my mouth is nectar.

I am light threefold, measurer of the region, and, verily, constant heat in burnt-oblation.

8 Bearing in mind a thought with light accordant, he purified the Sun with three refinings;

By his own nature gained the highest treasure, and looked abroad over the earth and heaven.

9 The spring that fails not with a hundred streamlets, father inspired of prayers that men should utter, The sparkler, joyous in his parents' bosom,-him, the truth-speaker, sate ye, Earth and Heaven.

7 Here Agni speaks and declares his universality as the soul of all. He knows all living creatures. His eye is the light which is fed with offerings of saored oil. The amrit, nectar, or ambrosia, which is the reward of piety, is obtained by burnt-offerings or through the mouth of Agni. He traverses or measures out the firmament, and as light he shines as the sun in heaven, the lightning in mid-air, and fire on earth. See Note on the passage in Wilson's Translation.

8 With three refinings; according to Sâyana, with his three purifying forms as Agni, Vâyu, and Sûrya, or fire, wind, and sun. But the word pavitraiḥ may mean "with mental divisions," and the sense would be that Agni divided light into three, sun, lightning and fire.

9 His parents' bosom in close connexion with Heaven and Earth.

HYMN XXVII.

Agni.

in oblation up to

In ladle dropping oil your food goes heaven,

Goes to the gods in search of bliss.

2 Agni I laud, the sage inspired, crowner of sacrifice through song,

Who listens and gives bounteous gifts.

30 Agni, if we might obtain control of thee the potent god,

Then should we overcome our foes.

4 Kindled at sacrifices he is Agni, hallower, meet for praise,

With flame for hair: to him we seek.

5 Immortal Agni, shining far, enrobed with oil, well worshipped, bears

The gifts of sacrifice away.

6 The priests with ladles lifted up, worshipping here with holy thought,

Have brought this Agni for our aid.

7 Immortal, sacrificer, god, with wondrous power he leads the way,

Urging the great assembly on.

8 Strong, he is set on deeds of strength. In sacrifices led in front,

As singer he completes the rite.

9 Excellent, he was made by thought. The germ of beings have I gained,

Yea, and the sire of active strength.

10 Thee have I stablished, excellent, O strengthened by the sage's prayer!

Thee, Agni, longing, nobly bright.

11 Agni, the swift and active one, singers, at time of sacrifice,

Eagerly kindle with their food.

The metre is Gâyatri.

9 He was made by thought: by holy thought, or devotion.

12 Agni the son of strength who shines up to the heaven in solemn rites,

The wise of heart, I glorify.

13 Meet to be lauded and adored, showing in beauty through the dark,

Agni, the strong, is kindled well.

14 Agni is kindled as a bull, like a horse bearer of the gods: Men with oblations worship him.

15 Thee will we kindle as a bull, we who are bulls ourselves, O Bull,

Thee, Agni, shining mightily.

HYMN XXVIII.

Agni.

AGNI who knowest all, accept our offering and the cake of meal,

At dawn's libation, rich in prayer.

2 Agni, the sacrificial cake hath been prepared and dressed for thee:

Accept it, O most youthful god.

3 Agni, enjoy the cake of meal and our oblation three days old:

Thou, son of strength, art stablished at our sacrifice. 4 Here at the midday sacrifice enjoy thou the sacrificial cake, wise, Jâtavedas.

Agni, the sages in assemblies never minish the portion due to thee the mighty.

5 O Agni, at the third libation take with joy the offered cake of sacrifice, thou son of strength.

Through skill in song bear to the gods our sacrifice, watchful and fraught with riches, to immortal gods.

15 We who are bulls ourselves: priests are frequently called bulls, on account of their great power.

The metre of stanza 3 is Ushņiḥ (8 + 8 +12); of 4 Trishṭup; of 5 Jagati (12 x 4), of the rest Gâyatri.

3 Our oblation three days old: the Soma juice prepared the day before yesterday and left to ferment.