HYMN XLIV. Agni.
1. PAY service unto Agni with your fuel, rouse your Guest with oil:
In him present your offerings.
2. Agni, do thou accept my laud, be magnified by this my song:
Welcome my sweedy-spoken words.
3. Agni, envoy, I place in front; the oblation-bearer I address:
Here let him seat the Deities.
4. Agni, the lofty flames of’ thee enkindled have gone up on high,
Thy bright flames, thou Refulgent One.
5. Beloved! let my ladles full of sacred oil come near to thee:
Agni, accept our offerings.
6. I worship Agni-may he hear!-the cheerful, the Invoker, Priest,
Of varied splendour, rich in light.
7. Ancient Invoker, meet for praise, beloved Agni, wise and strong,
The visitant of solemn rites.
8. Agni, best Angiras, accept straightway these offerings, and guide
The seasonable sacrifice.
9. Excellent God, with brilliant flames, enkindled bring thou hitherward,
Knowing the way, the Heavenly Host.
10. Him, Sage and Herald, void of guile, ensign of sacrifices, him
Smoke-bannered, rich in light, we seek.
11. O Agni, be our Guardian thou, God, against those who injure us:
Destroy our foes, thou Son of Strength.
12. Making his body beautiful, Agni the Sage hath waxen by
The singer and his ancient hymn.
13. I invocate the Child of Strength, Agni with purifying flame,
At this well-ordered sacrifice.
14. So Agni, rich in many friends, with fiery splendour, seat thyself
With Gods upon our sacred grass.
15. The mortal man who serves the God Agni within his own abode,
For him he causes wealth to shine.
16. Agni is head and height of heaven, the Master of the earth is he:
He quickeneth the watere seed.
17. Upward, O Agni, rise thy flames, pure and resplendent, blazing high,
Thy lustres, fair effulgences.
18. For, Agni, thou as Lord of Light rulest o’er choicest gifts: may I,
Thy singer, find defence in thee.
19. O Agni, they who understand stir thee to action with their thoughts:
So let our songs enhance thy might.
20. We ever claim the friendship of Agni, the singing messenger,
Of God-like nature, void of guile.
21. Agni who bears most holy sway, the holy Singer, holy Sage,
Shines holy when we worship him.
22. Yea, let my meditations, let my songs exalt thee evermore.
Think, Agni, of our friendly bond,
23. If I were thou and thou wert I, O Agni, every prayer of thine
Should have its due fulfilment here.
24. For Excellent and Lord of wealth. art thou O Agni, rich in light:
May we enjoy thy favouring grace.
25. Agni, to thee whose laws stand fast our resonant songs of praise speed forth,
As rivers hasten to the sea.
26. Agni, the Youthful Lord of men, who stirreth much and eateth all,
The Sage, I glorify with hymns.
27. To Agni let us haste with lauds, the Guide of sacrificial rites,
Armed with sharp teeth, the Mighty One.
28. And let this man, good Agni, be with thee the singer of thy praise:
Be gracious, Holy One, to him.
29. For thou art sharer of our feast, wise, ever watchful as a Sage:
Agni, thou shinest in the sky.
30. O Agni, Sage, before our foes, before misfortunes fall on us,
Excellent Lord, prolong our lives.
HYMN XLV. Indra
1. HITHERWARD! they who light flame and straightway trim the sacred grass.
Whose Friend is Indra ever young.
2. High is their fuel, great their laud, wide is their splinter from the stake,
Whose Friend is Indra ever young.
3. Unequelled in fight the hero leads his army with the warrior chiefs.
Whose Friend is Indra ever young.
4. The new-born Vrtra-slayer asked his Mother, as he seized his shaft,
Who are the fierce? Who are renowned?
5 .Savasi answered, He who seeks thine enmity will battle like
A stately elephant on a hill.
6. And hear, O Maghavan; to him who craves of thee thou grantest all
Whate’er thou makest firm is firm.
7. What time the Warrior Indra goes to battle, borne by noble steeds,
Best of all charioteers is he.
8. Repel, O Thunder-armed, in all directions all attacks on us:
And be our own most glorious God.
9. May Indra set our car in front, in foremost Place to win the spoil,
He whom the wicked injure not.
10. Thine enmity may we escape, and, gakra, for thy bounty, rich
In kine, may we come near to thee
11. Softly approaching, Thunder-armed wealthy by hundreds, rich in steeds,
Unrivalled, readywith our gifts.
12. For thine exalted excellence gives to thy worshippers each day
Hundreds and thousands of thy boons.
13. Indra, we know thee breaker-down even of trong forts, winner of spoil,
A:one who conquers wealth for us.
14. Though thou art highest, Sage and Bold let the drops cheer thee when we come
To thee as to a trafficker.
15. Bring unto us the treasure of the opulent man who, loth to give,
Hath slighted thee for gain of wealth.
16. Indra, these friends of ours, supplied with Soma, wait and look to thee,
As men with fodder to the herd.
17. And thee who art not deaf, whose cars are quick to listen, for our aid,
We call to us from far away.
18. When thou hast listened, make our call one which thou never wilt forget,
And be our very nearest Friend.
19. When even now, when we have been in trouble, we have thought of thee,
O Indra, give us gifts of kine.
20. O Lord of Strength, we rest on thee, as old men rest upon a staff:
We long to have. thee dwell with us.
21. To Indra sing a song of praise, Hero of mighty valour, him
Whom no one challenges to war.
22. Hero, the Soma being shed, I pour the juice for thee to drink:
Sate thee and finish thy carouse.
23. Let not the fools, or those who mock beguile thee when they seek thine aid
Love not the enemies of prayer.
24. Here let them with rich milky draught cheer thee to great munificence:
Drink as the wild-bull drinks the lake.
25. Proclaim in our assemblies what deeds, new and ancient, far away,
The Vrtra-slayer hath achieved.
26. In battle of a thousand arms Indra drank Kadru’s Soma juice:
There he displayed his manly might.
27. True undeniabIc strength he found in Yadu and in Turvasa,
And conquered through the sacrifice.
28. Him have I magnified, our Lord in, common, Guardian of your folk,
Discloser of great wealth in kine;
29. Rbhuksan, not to be restrained, who strengthened Tugra’s son in lauds,
Indra beside the flowingjuice;
30. Who for Trisoka clave the hill that formed a wide receptacle,
So that the cows might issue forth.
31. Whate’er thy plan or purpose be, whate’er, in transport, thou wouldst do,
Do it not, Indra, but be kind.
32. But little hath been heard of done upon the earth by one like thee i
Let thine heart, Indra, turn to us.
33. Thine then shall be this high renown, thine shall these lofty praises be,
When, Indra, thou art kind to us.
34. Not for one trespass, not for two, O Hero, slay us, nor for three,
Nor yet for many trespasses.
35. I fear one powerful like thee, the crusherdown of enemies,
Mighty, repelling all attacks.
36. O wealthy God, ne’er may I live to see my friend or son in need*:
Hitherward let thy heart be turned.
37. What friend, O people, unprovoked, hath ever said unto a friend,
He turns and leaves us in distress?
38. Hero, insatiate enjoy this Soma juice so near to thee,
Even as a hunter rushing down.
39. Hither I draw those Bays of thine yoked
by our hymn, with splendid car,
That thou mayst give unto the priests.
40. Drive all our enemies away, smite down the foes who press around,
And bring the wealth for which we long:
41. O Tndra, that which is concealed in strong firm place precipitous:
Bring us the wealth for which we long
42. Great riches which the world of men shall recognize as sent by thbe:
Bring us the wealth for which we long.
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HYMN XLVI. Indra.
1. WE, Indra, Lord of ample wealth, our Guide, depend on one like thee,
Thou driver of the Tawny Steeds.
2. For, Hurler of the Bolt, we know thee true, the giver of our food,
We know the giver of our wealth.
3. O thou whose majesty the bards celebrate with their songs, thou Lord,
Of hundred powers and hundred aids.
4. Fair guidance hath the mortal man whom Aryaman, the Marut host,
And Mitra, void of guile, protect.
5. Kine, steeds, and hero strength he gains, and prospers, by the Adityas sped,
Ever in wealth which all desire.
6. We pray to Indra for his gift, to him the Fearless and the Strong,
We pray to him the Lord of wealth.
7. For verily combined in him are all the fearless powers of aid.
Him, rich in wealth, let swift Steeds bring to us, his Bays, to Soma juice for his carouse:
8 .Yea, that most excellent carouse, Indra, which slays most enemies,
With Heroes wins the light of heaven, and is invincible in war:
9. Which merits fame, all-bountiful! and, unsubdued, hath victory in deeds of might.
So come to our libations, Strongest! Excellent! May we obtain a stall of kine.
10. Responding to our wish for cows, for steeds, and chariots, as of old,
Be gracious, Greatest of the Great
11. For, Hero, nowhere can I find the bounds of thy munificence.
Still do thou favour us, O Bolt-armed Maghavan: with strength hast thou rewarded hymns.
12. High, glorifier of his friend, he knows all generations, he whom many praise.
All races of mankind with ladies lifted up invoke that Mighty Indra’s aid.
13. Be he our Champion and Protector in great deeds, rich in all wealth, the Vrtra-slayer, Maghavan.
14. In the wild raptures of the juice sing to your Hero with high laud, to him the Wise,
To Indra, glorious in his name, the Mighty One, even as the hymn alloweth it.
15. Thou givest wealth to me myself, thou givest treasure, Excellent! and the strong steed,
O Much-invoked, in deeds of might, yea, even now.
16. Him, Sovran Ruler of all precious things, who even hath power o’er this fair form of his,
As now it taketh shape, and afterward,
17. We praise, so that the Mighty One may speed to you, Pourer of boun ies, Traveller, prepared to go.
Thou favourest the Maruts known to all, by song and sacrifice.
With song and praise I sing to thee.
18. We in the sacrifice perform their will whose voice is lifted high,
The worship of those Thundering Ories who o’er the ridges of these mountains fly in troops.
19. O Indra, Mightiest, bring us that which crushes men of evil minds,
Wealth suited to our needs, O Stirrer of the thought, best wealth, O thou who stirrest thought.
20 O Winner, noble winner, strong, wondrous, most splendid, excellent,
Sole Lord of victory, bring all-ovcrpowering wealth, joy-giving, chief in deeds of might.
21. Now let the godless man approach who hath received reward so great
As Vasa, Asvya, when this light of morning dawned, received from Prthusravas, from Kanita’s son.
22. Steeds sixty thousand and ten thousand kine, and twenty hundred camels I obtained;
Ten hundred brown in hue, and other ten red in three spots: in all, ten thousand kine.
23. Ten browns that make my wealth increase, fleet steeds whose tails are long and fair,
Turn with swift whirl my chariot wheel;
24. The gifts which Prthusravas gave, Kanita’s son munificent.
He gave a chariot wrought of gold: the prince was passing bountiful, and won himself most lofty fame.
25. Come thou to this great rite of ours, Vayu! to give us vigorous light.
We have served thee that thou mightest give much to us, yea, mightest quickly give great wealth.
26. Who with thrice seven times seventy horses comes to us, invested with the rays of morn,
Through these our Soma-draughts and those who press, to give, drinker of pure bright Soma Juice.
27. Who hath inclined this glorious one, buunteous himself, to give me gifts.
Borne on firm chariot with the prosperous Nahup, wise, to a man yet more devout.
28. Sole Lord in beauty meet for praise, O Vayu, dropping fatness down,
Hurried along by steeds, by camels, and by hounds, spreads forth thy train: even this it is.
29. So, as a prize dear to the strong, the sixty thousand have I gained,
Bulls that resemble vigorous steeds.
30. To me come oxen like a herd, yea, unto me the oxen come.
31. And in the grazing herd he made a hundred camels bleat for me,
And twenty hundred mid the white.
32. A hundred has the sage received, Dasa Balbutha’s and Taruksa’s gifts.
These are thy people, Vayu, who rejoice with Indra for their guard, rejoice with Gods for guards.
33. And now to Vasa Asvya here this stately woman is led forth,
Adorned with ornaments of gold.