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1. PRIEST of
all sacrifices hast thou been appointed by the Gods,
Agni, amid the race of man.
2 So with thy
joyous tongues for us sacrifice nobly in this rite.
Bring thou the Gods and worship
them.
3 For well, O
God, Disposer, thou knowest, straight on, the paths and ways,
Agni, most wise in sacrifice.
4 Thee, too,
hath Bharata of old, with mighty men, implored for bliss.
And worshipped thee the
worshipful.
5 Thou givest
these abundant boons to Divodasa pouring forth,
To Bharadvaja offering gifts.
6 Do thou,
Immortal Messenger, bring hither the Celestial Folk;
Hearing the singer's eulogy.
7 Mortals with
pious thought implore thee, Agni, God, at holy rites,
To come unto the feast of Gods.
8 I glorify
thine aspect and the might of thee the Bountilul.
All those who love shall joy in
thee,
9 Invoker
placed by Manus, thou, Agni, art near, the wisest Priest:
Pay worship to the Tribes of
Heaven.
10 Come, Agni,
lauded, to the feast; come to the offering of the gifts.
As Priest be seated on the
grass.
11 So,
Angiras, we make thee strong with fuel and with holy oil.
Blaze high, thou youngest of
the Gods.
12 For us thou
winnest, Agni, God, heroic strength exceeding great,
Far-spreading and of high
renown.
13 Agni,
Atharvan brought thee forth, by rubbing, from the lotus-flower,
The head of Visva, of the
Priest.
14 Thee. Vrtra's
slayer, breaker down of castles, hath Atharvan's son,
Dadhyac the Rsi, lighted up.
15 The hero
Pathya kindled thee the Dasyus'. most destructive foe,
Winner of spoil in every fight.
16 Come, here,
O Agni, will I sing verily other songs to thee,
And with these drops shalt thou
grow strong.
17 Where'er
tby mind applies itself, vigour preeminent bast thou:
There wilt thou gain a
dwelling-place.
18 Not for a
moment only lasts thy bounty, good to many a one!
Our service therefore shalt
thou gain.
19 Agni, the
Bharata, hath been sought, the Vrtra-slayer, marked of all,
Yea, Divodasa's Hero Lord.
20 For he gave
riches that surpass in greatness all the things of earth,
Fighting untroubled, unsubdued.
21 Thou, Agni,
as in days of old, with recent glory, gathered light,
Hast overspread the lofty
heaven.
22 Bring to
your Agni, O my friends, boldly your laud and sacrifice:
Give the Disposer praise and
song.
23 For as
sagacious Herald he hath sat through every age of man,
Oblation-bearing messenger.
24 Bring those
Two Kings whose ways are pure, Adityas, and the Marut host,
Excellent God! and Heaven and
Earth.
25 For strong
and active mortal man, excellent, Agni, is the look Of thee Immortal, Son of
Strength
26 Rich
through his wisdom, noblest be the giver serving thee to-day:
The man hath brought his hymn
of praise.
27 These,
Agni, these are helped by thee, who strong and active all their lives,
O'ercome the malice of the foe,
fight down the malice ofthe foe.
28 May Agni
with his pointed blaze cast down each fierce devouring fiend
May Agni win us wealth by war.
29 O active
Jatavedas, bring riches with store of hero sons:
Slay thou the demons, O Most
Wise.
30 Keep us, O
Jatavedas, from the troubling of the man of sin:
Guard us thou Sage who knowest
prayer.
31 Whatever
sinner, Agni, brings oblations to procure our death,
Save us from woe that he would
work.
32 Drive from
us with thy tongue, O God, the man who doeth evil deeds,
The mortal who would strike us
dead.
33 Give
shelter reaching far and wide to Bharadvaja, conquering Lord!
Agni, send wealth most
excellent.
34 May Agni
slay the Vrtras,-fain for riches, through the lord of song,
Served with oblation, kindled,
bright.
35 His
Father's Father, shining in his Mother's everlasting side,
Set on the seat of holy Law.
36 O active
Jatavedas, bring devotion that wins progeny, Agni, that it may shine to heaven.
37 O Child of
Strength, to thee whose look is lovely we with dainty food,
O Agni, have poured forth our
songs.
38 To thee for
shelter are we come, as to the shade from fervent heat
Agni, who glitterest like gold.
39 Mighty as
one who slays with shafts, or like a bull with sharpened horn,
Agni, thou breakest down the
forts.
40 Whom, like
an infant newly born, devourer, in their arms they bear,
Men's Agni, skilled in holy
rites.
41 Bear to the
banquet of the Gods the God best finder-out of wealth,
Let him he seated in his place.
42 In
Jatavedas kindle ye the dear guest who hath now appeared
In a soft place, the
homestead's Lord.
43 Harness, O Agni,
O thou God, thy steeds which are most excellent:
They bear thee as thy spirit
wills.
44 Come
hither, bring the Gods to us to taste the sacrificial feast,
To drink the draught of Soma
juice.
45 O Agni of
the Bharatas, blaze high with everlasting might,
Shine forth and gleam, Eternal
One.
46 The mortal
man who serves the God with banquet, and, bringing gifts at sacrifice, lauds
Agni,
May well attract, with prayer
and hands uplifted, the Priest of Heaven and Earth, true Sacrificer.
47 Agni, we
bring thee, with our hymn, oblation fashioned in the heart.
Let these be oxen unto thee,
let these be bulls and kine to thee.
48 The Gods
enkindle Agni, best slayer of Vrtra, first in rank,
The Mighty, One who brings us
wealth and crushes down the Raksasas.
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