Sama Veda

BOOK VII
CHAPTER I

I Indra

1. Praise, even as he is known, with song Indra the guardian of the kine,
The Son of Truth, Lord of the brave,

2. Hither have his bay steeds been sent, red steeds are on the sacred grass
Where we in concert sing our songs.

3. For Indra, thunder-armed, the kine have yielded mingled milk and meath,
What time he found them in the vault.

II Indra

1. Draw near unto our Indra who must be invoked in every fight!
Come, thou most mighty Vritra-slayer, meet for praise come to
libations and to hymns.

2. Thou art the best of all in sending bounteous gyifts, true art thou,, lordly in thine act.
We claim alliance with the very glorious one, yea, with the
mighty Son of Strength.

III Soma Pavamana

I. They have drained forth from out the great depth of the sky the old divine primeval milk that claims the laud: They lifted up their voice to Indra at his birth.

2. Then, beautifully radiant, certain heavenly ones proclaimed their kinship with him as they looked thereon:
Savitar opens, as it were, the fold of heaven.

3. And now that thou, O Pavamana, art above this earth and heaven and all existence in thy might,
Thou shinest like a bull supreme among the herd.

IV Agni

1. O Agni, graciously announce this our good fortune to the Gods,
And this our newest hymn of praise!

2. Thou dealest gifts, resplendent one! nigh, as with wave of Sindhu, thou
Swift strearnest to the worshipper.

3. Give us a share of wealth most high, a share of wealth most near to us,
A share of wealth that is between.

V Indra

1. I from my Father have obtained deep knowledge of eternal Law;
I was born like unto the Sun.

2. After the ancient manner I, like Kanva, beautify my songs,
And Indra’s self gains power thereby.

3. Whatever gishis have not praised thee, Indra, or have praised thee, wax
Mighty indeed when praised by me!

VI Agni

1. Agni, produced by strength, do thou with all thy fires accept our prayer:
With those that are with Gods, with those that are with men exalt our songs!

2. Forth come to us with all his fires that Agni, whose the mighty are,
Come, fully girt about with wealth for us and for our kith and kin!

3. Do thou, O Agni, with thy fires strengthen our prayer and sacrifices:
Incite them to bestow their wealth to aid our service of the Gods!

VII Soma Pavamana

1. Some, the men of old whose grass was trimmed addressed the hymn to thee for mighty strength and for renown:
So, hero, urge us onward to heroic power’

2. All round about hast thou with glory pierced for us as ’twere a never-failing well for men to drink,
Borne on thy way as ’twere in fragments from both arms.

3. Thou didst produce him, deathless one! for mortal man, for maintenance of Law and lovely Amrita:
Thou evermore hast moved making wealth flow to us.

VIII Indra

1. Pour out the drops f or Indra; let him drink the meath of Soma Juice!
He through his majesty sends forth his bounteous gifts.

2. I spake to the bay coursers’ Lord, to him who grants the boon. of wealth:
Now hear the son of Asva as he praises thee?

3. Never was any hero born before thee mightier than thou:
None certainly like thee in riches and in praise.

IX Indra

1. Thou wishest for thy kine a bull, lord of thy cows whom none may kill,
For those who long for his approach, for those who turn away from him.

X Agni

1. The God who giveth wealth accept the full libation poured to him!
Pour ye it out, then fill the vessel full again, for so the God regardeth you!

2. The Gods made him the Hotar-priest of sacrifice, oblationbearer, passing wise.
Agni gives wealth and valour to the worshipper, to man who offers up his gifts.

XI Agni

1. He hath appeared, best prosperer, in whom men lay their holy acts:
So may our songs of praise come nigh to Agni who was born to give the Arya strength.

2. Him before whom the people shrink when he performs his glorious deeds,
Him who wins thousands at the sacrifice, himself, that Agni, reverence with songs!

3. Agni of Divoddsa, God, comes forth like Indra in his might.
Rapidly hath he moved along his mother earth; he stands in high heaven’s dwelling-place.

XII Agni

1. Agni, thou pourest life: send down upon us food and vigorous strength:
Drive thou misfortune far away!

2. Agni is Pavamana, Sage, Chief Priest of all the fivefold tribes; To him whose wealth is great we pray.

3. Skilled in thy task, O Agni, pour splendour with hero strength on us, Granting me wealth that nourishes!

XIII Agni

1. O Agni, holy and divine with splendour and thy pleasant tongue. Bring thou the Gods and worship them!

2. We pray thee bathed in butter, O bright-rayed! who lookest on the sun, Bring the Gods hither to the feast!

3. Sage, we have kindled thee, the bright, the feaster on oblation, thee, O Agni, great in sacrifice!

XIV Agni

I. Adorable in all our prayers, favour us, Agni, with thine aid.
What time the psalm is chanted forth!

2. Bring to us ever-conquering wealth, wealth, Agni, worthy of our choice,
Invincible in all our frays!

3. Grant us, O Agni, through thy grace wealth to support us evermore,
Thy favour so that we may live!

XV Agni

1. Let songs of ours speed Agni forth like a fleet courser in the race,
And we will win each prize through him

2. Agni! the host whereby we gain kine for ourselves with help from thee,-
That send us for the gain of wealth!

3. O Agni, bring us wealth secure, vast wealth in horses and in kine:
Oil thou the socket, turn the wheel!

4. O Agni, thou hast made the Sun, the eternal star, to mount the sky,
Giving the boon of light to men.

5. Thou, Agni, art the people’s light, best, dearest, seated in thy shrine
Watch for the singer, give him life!

XVI Agni

1. Agni is head and height of heaven, the master of the earth is he:
He quickeneth the waters’ seed.

2. Yea, Agni, thou as Lord of light rulest o’er choicest gifts may I,
Thy singer, find defence in thee

3. Upward, O Agni, rise thy flames, pure and resplendent, blazing high,
Thy lustres, fair effulgences.