RIG VEDA

HYMN CLXXXIV Asvins.

1. LET us invoke you both this day and after the priest is here with lauds when morn is breaking:
Nasatyas, wheresoe’er ye be, Heaven’s Children, for him who is more liberal than the godless.

2. With us, ye Mighty, let yourselves be joyful, glad in our stream of Soma slay the niggards.
Graciously hear my hymns and invitations, marking, O Heroes, with your cars my longing.

3. Nasatyas, Pusans, ye as Gods for glory arranged and set in order Surya’s bridal.
Your giant steeds move on, sprung from the waters, like ancient times of Varuna the Mighty.

4. Your grace be with us, ye who love sweet juices: further the hymn sung by the poet Mana,
When men are joyful in your glorious actions, to win heroic strength, ye Bounteous Givers.

5. This praise was made, O liberal Lords, O Asvins, for you with fair adornment by the Manas.
Come to our house for us and for our children, rejoicing, O Nasatyas, in Agastya.

6. We have passed o’er the limit of this darkness: our praise hath been’bestowed on you, O Asvins.
Come hitherward by paths which Gods have travelled. may we find strengthening food in full abundance.


HYMN CLXXXV. Heaven and Earth.

1. WHETHER of these is elder, whether later? How were they born? Who knoweth it, ye sages?
These of themselves support all things existing: as on a car the Day and Night roll onward.

2. The Twain uphold, though motionless and footless, a widespread offspring having feet and moving.
Like your own fon upon his parents’ bosom, protect us, Heaven and earth, from fearful danger.

3. I call for Aditi’s unrivalled bounty, perfect, celestial, deathless, meet for worship.
Produce this, ye Twain Worlds, for him who lauds you. Protect us, Heaven and Earth, from fearful danger.

4. May we be close to both the Worlds who suffer no pain, Parents of Gods, who aid with favour,
Both mid the Gods, with Day and Night alternate. Protect us, Heaven and Earth, from fearful danger.

5. Faring together, young, with meeting limits, Twin Sisters lying in their Parents’ bosom,
Kissing the centre of the world together. Protect us, Heaven and Earth, from fearful danger.

6. Duly I call the two wide seats, the mighty, the general Parents, with the God’s protection.
Who, beautiful to look on, make the nectar. Protect us, Heaven and Earth, from fearful danger.

7. Wide, vast, and manifold, whose bounds are distant,-these, reverent, I address at this our worship,
The blessed Pair, victorious, all-sustaining. Protect us, Heaven and Earth, from fearful danger.

8. What sin we have at any time committed against the Gods, our friend, our house’s chieftain,
Thereof may this our hymn be expiation. Protect us, Heaven and Earth, from fearful danger.

9. May both these Friends of man, who bless, preserve me, may they attend me with their help and favour.
Enrich the man more liberal than the godless. May we, ye Gods, be strong with food rejoicing.

10. Endowed with understanding, I have uttered this truth, for all to hear, to Earth and Heaven.
Be near us, keep us from reproach and trouble. Father and Mother, with your help preserve us.

11. Be this my prayer fulfilled, O Earth and Heaven, wherewith, Father and Mother, I address you.
Nearest of Gods be ye with your protection. May we find strengthening food in full abundance.


HYMN CLXXXVI. Visvedevas.

1. LOVED of all men, may Savitar, through praises offered as sacred food, come to our synod,
That you too, through-our hymn, ye ever-youthful, may gladden, at your visit, all our people.

2. To us may all the Gods come trooped together, Aryaman, Mitra, Varuna concordant,
That all may be promoters of our welfare, and with great might preserve our strength from slackness.

3. Agni I sing, the guest you love most dearly: the Conqueror through our lauds is friendly-minded.
That he may be our Varuna rich in glory and send food like a prince praised by the godly.

4. To you I seek with reverence, Night and Morning, like a cow good to milk, with hope to conquer,
Preparing on a common day the praise. song with milk of various hues within this udder.

5. May the great Dragon of the Deep rejoice us: as one who nourishes her young comes Sindhu,
With whom we will incite the Child of Waters whom vigorous course swift as thought bring hither.

6. Moreover Tvastar also shall approach us, one-minded with the princes at his visit.
Hither shall come the Vrtra-slayer Indra, Ruler of men, as strongest of the Heroes.

7. Him too our hymns delight, that yoke swift horses, like mother cows who lick their tender youngling.
To him our songs shall yield themselves like spouses, to him the most delightful of the Heroes.

8. So may the Maruts, armed with mighty weapons, rest here on heaven and earth with hearts in concord,
As Gods whose cars have dappled steeds like torrents, destroyers of the foe allies of Mitra.

9. They hasten on to happy termination their orders when they are made known by
glory.
As on a fair bright day the arrow flieth o’er all the barren soil their missiles sparkle.

10. Incline the Asvins to show grace, and Pusan, for power and might have they, their own possession.
Friendly are Visnu, Vata, and Rbhuksan so may I bring the Gods to make us happy.

11. This is my reverent thought of you, ye Holy; may it inspire you, make you dwell among us,-
Thought, toiling for the Gods and seeking treasure. May we find strengthening food in full abundance.


HYMN CLXXXVII. Praise of Food.

1. Now will I glorify Food that upholds great strength,
By whose invigorating power Trita rent Vrtra limb frorn limb.

2. O pleasant Food, O Food of meath, thee have we chosen for our own,
So be our kind protector thou.

3. Come hitherward to us, O Food, auspicious with auspicious help,
Health-bringing, not unkind, a dear and guileless friend.

4. These juices which, O Food, are thine throughout the regions are diffused.
like winds they have their place in heaven.

5. These gifts of thine, O Food, O Food most sweet to taste,
These savours of thy juices work like creatures that have mighty necks.

6. In thee, O Food, is set the spirit of great Gods.
Under thy flag brave deeds were done he slew the Dragon with thy help.

7. If thou be gone unto the splendour of the clouds,
Even from thence, O Food of meath, prepared for our enjoyment, come.

8. Whatever morsel we consume from waters or from plants of earth, O Soma, wax thou fat thereby.

9. What Soma, we enjoy from thee in milky food or barley-brew, Vatapi, grow thou fat thereby.

10. O Vegetable, Cake of meal, he wholesome, firm, and strengthening: Vatapi, grow thou fat thereby.

11. O Food, from thee as such have we drawn forth with lauds, like cows, our sacrificial gifts,
From thee who banquetest with Gods, from thee who banquetest with us.


HYMN CLXXXVIII. April

1. WINNER of thousands, kindled, thou shinest a God with Gods to-day.
Bear out oblations, envoy, Sage.

2. Child of Thyself the sacrifice is for the righteous blent with meath,
Presenting viands thousandfold.

3. Invoked and worthy of our praise bring Gods whose due is sacrifice:
Thou, Agni, givest countless gifts.

4. To seat a thousand Heroes they eastward have strewn the grass with might,
Whereon, Adityas, ye shine forth.

5. The sovran all-imperial Doors, wide, good, many and manifold,
Have poured their streams of holy oil.

6. With gay adornment, fair to see, in glorious beauty shine they forth:
Let Night and Morning rest them here.

7. Let these two Sages first of all, heralds divine and eloquent,
Perform for us this sacrifice.

8. You I address, Sarasvati, and Bharati, and Ila, all:
Urge ye us on to glorious fame.

9. Tvastar the Lord hath made all forms and all the cattle of the field
Cause them to multiply for us.

10. Send to the Gods, Vanaspati, thyself, the sacrificial draught:
Let Agni make the oblations sweet.

11. Agni, preceder of the Gods, is honoured with the sacred song:
He glows at offerings blest with Hail!


HYMN CLXXXIX. Agni.

1. BY goodly paths lead us to riches, Agni, God who knowest every sacred duty.
Remove the sin that makes us stray and wander. most ample adoration will we bring thee.

2. Lead us anew to happiness, O Agni; lead us beyond all danger and affliction.
Be unto us a wide broad ample castle bless, prosper on their way our sons and offspring.

3. Far from us, Agni, put thou all diseases let them strike lauds that have no saving Agni.
God, make our home again to be a b1ess ing, with all the Immortal Deities, O Holy.

4. Preserve us, Agni, with perpetual succour, refulgent in the dwelling which thou lovest.
O Conqueror, most youthful, let no danger touch him who praises thee to-day or after.

5. Give not us up a prey to sin, O Agni, the greedy enemy that brings us trouble;
Not to the fanged that bites, not to the toothless: give not us up, thou Conqueror, to the spoiler.

6. Such as thou art, born after Law, O Agni when lauded give protection to our bodies,
From whosoever would reproach or injure: for thou, God, rcscuest from all oppression.

7. Thou, well discerning both these classes, comest to men at early morn, O holy Agni.
Be thou obedient unto man at evening, to be adorned, as keen, by eager suitors.

8. To him have we addressed our pious speeches, I, Mana’s son, to him victorious Agni.
May we gain countless riches with the sages. May we find strengthening food in full abundance.


HYMN CXC. Brhaspati.

1.GLORIFY thou Brhaspati, the scatheless, who must be praised with hymns, sweet-tongued and mighty,
To whom as leader of the song, resplendent, worthy of lauds, both Gods and mortals listen.

2. On him wait songs according to the season even as a stream of pious men set moving.
Brhaspati-for helaid out the expanses- was, at the sacrifice, vast Matarisvan.

3. The praise, the verse that offers adoration, may he bring forth, as the Sun sends his arms out,
He who gives daily light through this God’s wisdom, strong as a dread wild beast, and inoffensive.

4. His song of praise pervades the earth and heaven – let the wise worshipper draw it, like a courser.
These of Brhaspati, like hunters’ arrows, go to the skies that change their hue like serpents.

5. Those, God, who count thee as a worthless bullock, and, wealthy sinners, live on thee the Bounteous,-
On fools like these no blessing thou bestowest: Brhaspati, thou punishest the spiteful.

6. Like a fair path is he, where grass is pleasant, though hard to win, a Friend beloved most early.
Those who unharmed by enemies behold us, while: they would make them bare, stood closely compassed.

7. He to whom songs of praise go forth like torrents, as rivers eddying under banks flow sea-ward-
Brhaspati the wise, the eager, closely looks upon both, the waters and the vessel.

8. So hath Brhaspati, great, strong and mighty, the God exceeding powerful, been brought hither.
May he thus lauded give us kine and horses. May we find strengthening food in full abundance.


HYMN CXCI Water. Grass. Sun.

1. VENOMOUS, slightly venomous, or venomous aquatic worm,-
Both creatures, stinging, unobserved, with poison have infected me.

2. Coming, it kills the unobserved; it kills them as it goes away,
It kills them as it drives them off, and bruising bruises them to death.

3. Sara grass, Darbha, Kusara, and Sairya, Munja, Virana,
Where all these creatures dwell unseen, with poison have infected me.

4. The cows had settled in their stalls, the beasts of prey had sought their lairs,
Extinguished were the lights of men, when things unseen infected me.

5. Or these, thesereptiles, are observed, like lurking thieves at evening time.
Seers of all, themselves unseen: be therefore very vigilant.

6. Heaven is your Sire, your Mother Earth, Soma your Brother, Aditi
Your Sister: seeing all, unseen, keep still and dwell ye happily.

7. Biters of shoulder or of limb, with needle-stings, most venomous,
Unseen, whatever ye may be, vanish together and be gone.

8. Slayer of things unseen, the Sun, beheld of all, mounts, eastward, up,
Consuming all that are not seen, and evil spirits of the night.

9. There hath the Sun-God mounted up, who scorches much and everything.
Even the Aditya from the hills, all-seen, destroying things unseen.

10. I hang the poison in the Sun, a wine-skin in a vintner’s house,
He will not die, nor shall we die: his path is far: he whom Bay Horses bear hath turned thee to sweet meath.

11. This little bird, so very small, hath swallowed all thy poison up.
She will not die, nor shall we die: his path is far: he whom Bay Horses bear hath turned thee to sweet meath.

12. The three-times-seven bright sparks of fire have swallowed up the poison’s strength.
They will not die, nor shall we die: his path is far: he whom Bay Horses bear hath turned thee to sweet meath.

13. Of ninety rivers and of nine with power to stay the venom’s course,-
The names of all I have secured: his path is far: he whom Bay Horses bear hath turned thee to sweet meath.

14. So have the peahens three-times-seven, so have the maiden Sisters Seven
Carried thy venom far away, as girls bear water in their jars.

15. The poison-insect is so small; I crush the creature with a stone.
I turn the poison hence away, departed unto distant lands.

16 Forth issuing from the mountain’s side the poison-insect spake and said:
The scorpion’s venom hath no strength Scorpion, thy venom is but weak.