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1. SING to
your Agni with each song, at every sacrifice, for strength.
Come, let us praise the Wise
and Everlasting God, even as a well-beloved Friend,
2 The Son of
Strength; for is he not our gracious Lord? Let us serve him who bears our
gifts.
In battle may he be our help
and strengthener, yea, be the saviour of our lives.
3 Agni, thou
beamest forth with light, great Hero, never changed by time.
Shining, pure Agni! with a
light that never fades, beam with thy fair beams brilliantly.
4 Thou
worshippest great Gods: bring them without delay by wisdom and thy wondrous
power.
O Agni, make them turn hither
to succour us. Give strength, and win it for thyself.
5 He whom
floods, stones, and trees support, the offspring of eternal Law;
He who when rubbed with force
is brought to life by men upon the lofty height of earth;
6 He who hath
filled both worlds fult with his brilliant shine, who hastens with his smoke to
heaven;
He made himself apparent
through the gloom by night, the Red Bull in the darksome nights, the Red Bull
in the darksome nights.
7 O Agni, with
thy lofty beams, with thy pure brilliancy, O God,
Kindled, Most Youthful One! by
Bharadvaja's hand, shine on us, O pure God, with wealth, shine, Purifier!
splendidly.
8 Thou art the
Lord of house and home of all the tribes, O Agni, of all tribes of men.
Guard with a hundred forts thy
kindler from distress, through hundred winters, Youngest God! and those who
make thy singers rich.
9 Wonderful,
with thy favouring help, send us thy bounties, gracious Lord.
Thou art the Charioteer, Agni,
of earthly wealth: find rest and safety for our seed.
10 With guards
unfailing never negligent speed thou our children and our progeny.
Keep far from us, O Agni, all
celestial wrath and wickedness of godless men.
11 Hither, O
friends, with newest song drive her who freely pours her milk;
Loose her who never turns away;
12 Who, for
the host of Maruts bright with native sheen, hath shed immortal fame like milk;
Whom the impetuous Maruts look
upon with love, who moves in splendour on their ways.
13 For
Bharadvaja she poured down in days of old
The milch-cow yielding milk for
all, and food that gives all nourishment.
14 Your friend
like Indra passing wise, with magic power like Varuna.
Like Aryaman joy-giving,
bringing plenteous food like ViSnxu for my wish, I praise,
15 Bright as
the host of Maruts mighty in their roar. May they bring Pusan free from foes;
May they bring hither hundreds,
thousands for our men: may they bring hidden stores to light, and make wealth
easy to be found.
16 Haste to
me, Pusan, in thine car, bright Deity: I fain would speak:
Most sinful is our foeman's
hate.
17 Tear not up
by the roots the Kakambira tree: destroy thou all malignity.
Let them not snare by day the
neck of that Celestial Bird the Sun.
18 Uninjured
let thy friendship be, like the smooth surface of a skin,
A flawless skin, containing
curds, full to the mouth, containing curds.
19 For thou
art high above mankind, in glory equal to the Gods.
Therefore, O Pusan, look upon
us in the fight: now help us as in days of old.
20 May the
kind excellence of him the Kind, loud Roarers! be our guide,
Be it the God's, O Maruts, or a
mortal man's who worships, ye impetuous Ones!
21 They whose
high glory in a moment like the God, the Sun, goes round the space of heaven,
The Maruts have obtained bright
strength, a sacred name, strength that destroys the Vrtras, strength
Vrtra-destroying excellent.
22 Once, only
once, the heaven was made, once only once, the earth was formed -
Once, only Prsni's milk was shed:
no second, after this, is born.
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