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1. AGNI, come hither with thy fires; we
choose thee as Invoking Priest.
Let the extended ladle full of oil balm thee, best Priest,
to sit on sacred grass.
2 For unto thee, O Angiras, O Son of
Strength, move ladles in the sacrifice.
To Agni, Child of Force, whose locks drop oil, we seek,
foremost in sacrificial rites.
3 Agni, thou art Disposer, Sage, Herald,
bright God! and worshipful,
Best offercr, cheerful, to be praised in holy rites, pure
Lord! by singers with their hymns.
4 Most Youthful and Eternal, bring the
longing Gods to me, the guileless, for the feast.
Come, Vasu, to the banquet that is well-prepared: rejoice
thee, gracious, with our songs.
5 Famed art thou, Agni, far and wide,
Preserver, righteous, and a Sage.
The holy singers, O refulgent kindled God! arrangers, call
on thee to come -
6 Shine, Most Resplendent! blaze, send
bliss unto the folk, and to thy worshipper
Great art thou.
So may my princes, with good fires, subduing foes, rest in
the keeping of the Gods.
7 O Agni, as thou burnest down to earth
even high-grown underwood,
So, bright as Mitra is, burn him who injures us, him who
plots ill against thy friend.
8 Give us not as a prey to mortal enemy,
nor to the wicked friend of fiends.
With conquering guards, auspicious, unassailable, protect
us, O Most Youthful God.
9 Protect us, Agni, through the first,
protect us through the second hymn,
Protect us through three hymns, O Lord of Power and Might,
through four hymns, Vasu, guard thou us.
10 Preserve us from each fiend who brings
the Gods no gift, preserve thou us in deeds of strength:
For we possess in thee the nearest Friend of all, for
service of the Gods and weal.
11 O Holy Agni, give us wealth renowned
with men and strengthening life.
Bestow on us, O Helper, that which many crave, more glorious
still by righteousness;
12 Wherewith we may o'ercome our rivals in
the war, o'erpowering the foe's designs.
So wax thou by our food, O Excellent in strength. Quicken
our thoughts that find out wealth.
13 Agni is even as a bull who whets and
brandishes his horns.
Well-sharpened are his jaws which may not be withstood: the
Child of Strength hath powerful teeth.
14 Not to be stayed, O Bull, O Agni, are
thy teeth when thou art spreading far and wide.
Make our ohlations duly offired up, O Priest, and give us store
of precious things.
15 Thou liest in the wood: from both thy
Mothers mortals kindle thee.
Unweariedly thou bearest up the offerer's gifts, then
shinest bright among the Gods.
16 And so the seven priests, O Agni, worship
thee, Free-giver, Everlasting One.
Thou cIeavest through the rock with heat and fervent glow.
Agni, rise up above the men.
17 For you let us whose grass is trimmed
call Agni, Agni, restless God.
Let us whose food is offered call to all the tribes Agni the
Invoking Priest of men.
18 Agni, with noble psalm that tells his
wish he dwells, thinking on thee who guardest him.
Speedily bring us strength of many varied sorts to be most
near to succour us.
19 Agni, Praise-singer! Lord of men, God
burner-up of Raksasas,
Mighty art thou, the ever-present Household-Lord,
Home-friend and Guardian from the sky.
20 Let no fiend come among us, O thou rich
in light, no spell of those who deal in spells.
To distant pastures drive faint hunger: far away, O Agni,
chase the demons' friends.
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