Rigveda hymns

I Laud Agni, the chosen Priest, God, minister of sacrifice,
The hotar, lavishest of wealth.
Worthy is Agni to be praised by living as by ancient seers.
He shall bring. hitherward the Gods.
Through Agni man obtaineth wealth, yea, plenty waxing day by day,
Most rich in heroes, glorious.
Agni, the perfect sacrifice which thou encompassest about
Verily goeth to the Gods.
May Agni, sapient-minded Priest, truthful, most gloriously great,
The God, come hither with the Gods.
Whatever blessing, Agni, thou wilt grant unto thy worshipper,
That, Angiras, is indeed thy truth.
To thee, dispeller of the night, O Agni, day by day with prayer
Bringing thee reverence, we come
Ruler of sacrifices, guard of Law eternal, radiant One,
Increasing in thine own abode.
Be to us easy of approach, even as a father to his son:
Agni, be with us for our weal.

The Soma hath been pressed for thee, O Indra; mightiest, bold One, come.
May Indra-vigour fill thee full, as the Sun fills mid-air with rays.
His pair of Tawny Coursers bring Indra of unresisted might
Hither to Rsis’ songs of praise and sacrifice performed by men.
Slayer of Vrtra, mount thy car; thy Bay Steeds have been yoked by prayer.
May, with its voice, the pressing-stone draw thine attention hitherward.
This poured libation, Indra, drink, immortal, gladdening, excellent.
Streams of the bright have flowed to thee here at the seat of holy Law.
Sing glory now to Indra, say to him your solemn eulogies.
The drops poured forth have made him glad: pay reverence to his might supreme.
When, Indra, thou dost yoke thy Steeds, there is no better charioteer:
None hath surpassed thee in thy might, none with good steeds o’ertaken thee.
He who alone bestoweth on mortal man who offereth gifts,
The ruler of resistless power, is Indra, sure.
When will he trample, like a weed, the man who hath no gift for him?
When, verily, will Indra hear our songs of praise?
He who with Soma juice prepared amid the many honours thee,-
Verily Indra gains thereby tremendous might.
0 The juice of Soma thus diffused, sweet to the taste, the bright cows drink,
Who for the sake of splendour close to mighty Indra’s side rejoice, good in their own supremacy.
Craving his touch the dappled kine mingle the Soma with their milk.
The milch-kine dear to Indra send forth his death-dealing thunderbolt, good in their own supremacy.
With veneration, passing wise, honouring his victorious might,
They follow close his many laws to win them due preeminence, good in their
own supremacy.
With bones of Dadhyac for his arms, Indra, resistless in attack,
Struck nine-and-ninety Vrtras dead.
He, searching for the horse’s head, removed among the mountains, found
At Suryanavan what he sought.
Then verily they recognized the essential form of Tvastar’s Bull,
Here in the mansion of the Moon.
Who yokes to-day unto the pole of Order the strong and passionate steers of checkless spirit,
With shaft-armed mouths, heart-piercing, health-bestowing?
Long shall he live who richly pays their service.
Who fleeth forth? who suffereth? who feareth? Who knoweth Indra present, Indra near us?
Who sendeth benediction on his offspring, his household, wealth and person, and the People?
Who with poured oil and offering honours Agni, with ladle worships at appointed seasons?
To whom to the Gods bring oblation quickly? What offerer, God-favoured, knows him thoroughly?
Thou as a God, O Mightiest, verily blessest mortal man.
O Maghavan, there is no comforter but thou: Indra, I speak my words to thee.
0 Let not thy bounteous gifts, let not thy saving help fail us, good Lord, at any time;
And measure out to us, thou lover of mankind, all riches hitherward from men.

INDRA, the mortal man well guarded by thine aid goes foremost in the wealth of horses and of kine.
With amplest wealth thou fillest him, as round about the waters clearly seen afar fill Sindhu full.
The heavenly Waters come not nigh the priestly bowl: they but look down and see how far mid-air is spread:
The Deities conduct the pious man to them: like suitors they delight in him who loveth prayer.
Praiseworthy blessing hast thou laid upon the pair who with uplifted ladle serve thee, man and wife.
Unchecked he dwells and prospers in thy law: thy power brings blessing to the sacrificer pouring gifts.
First the Angirases won themselves vital power, whose fires were kindled through good deeds and sacrifice.
The men together found the Pani’s hoarded wealth, the cattle, and the wealth in horses and in kine.
Atharvan first by sacrifices laid the paths then, guardian of the Law, sprang up the loving Sun.
Usana Kavya straightway hither drove the kine. Let us with offerings honour Yama’s deathless birth.
When sacred grass is trimmed to aid the auspicious work, or the hymn makes its voice of praise sound to the sky.
Where the stone rings as’twere a singer skilled in laud, –Indra in truth delights when these come near to him.

THE men have lifted Indra up, the Vrtra slayer, to joy and strength:
Him, verily, we invocate in battles whether great or small: be he our aid in deeds of might.
Thou, Hero, art a warrior, thou art giver of abundant spoil.
Strengthening e’en the feeble, thou aidest the sacrificer, thou givest the offerer ample wealth.
When war and battles are on foot, booty is laid before the bold.
Yoke thou thy wildly-rushing Bays. Whom wilt thou slay and whom enrich? Do thou, O Indra, make us rich.
Mighty through wisdom, as he lists, terrible, he hath waxed in strength.
Lord of Bay Steeds, strong-jawed, sublime, he in joined hands for glory’s sake hath grasped his iron thunderbolt.
He filled the earthly atmosphere and pressed against the lights in heaven.
None like thee ever hath been born, none, Indra, will be born like thee. Thou hast waxed mighty over all.
May he who to the offerer gives the foeman’s man-sustaining food,
May Indra lend his aid to us. Deal forth -abundant is thy wealth-that in thy bounty      may share.
He, righteous-hearted, at each time of rapture gives us herds of kine.
Gather in both thy hands for us treasures of many hundred sorts. Sharpen thou us, and bring us wealth.
Refresh thee, Hero, with the juice outpoured for bounty and for strength.
We know thee Lord of ample store, to thee have sent our hearts’ desires: be therefore our Protector thou.
These people, Indra, keep for thee all that is worthy of thy choice.
Discover thou, as Lord, the wealth of men who offer up no gifts: bring thou to us this wealth of theirs.

THUS in the Soma, in wild joy the Brahman hath exalted thee:
Thou, mightiest It thunder-armed, hast driven by force he Dragon from the earth, lauding thine own imperial sway.
The mighty flowing Soma-draught, brought by the Hawk, hath gladdened thee,
That in thy strength, O Thunderer, thou hast struck down Vrtra from the floods, lauding thine own imperial sway.
Go forward, meet the foe, be bold; thy bolt of thunder is not checked.
Manliness, Indra, is thy might: stay Vrtra, make the waters thine, lauding thine own imperial sway.
Thou smotest Vrtra from the earth, smotest him, Indra, from the sky.
Let these life-fostering waters flow attended by the Marut host, lauding thine own imperial sway.
The wrathful Indra with his bolt of thunder rushing on the foe,
Smote fierce on trembling Vrtra’s back, and loosed the waters free to run, lauding his own imperial sway.
With hundred-jointed thunderbolt Indra hath struck him on the back,
And, while rejoicing in the juice, seeketh prosperity for friends, lauding his own imperial sway.
Indra, unconquered might is thine, Thunderer, Caster of the Stone;
For thou with thy surpassing power smotest to death the guileful beast, lauding thine own imperial sway.
Far over ninety spacious floods thy thunderbolts were cast abroad:
Great, Indra, is thy hero might, and strength is seated in thine arms, lauding thine own imperial sway.
Laud him a thousand all at once, shout twenty forth the hymn of praise.
Hundreds have sung aloud to him, to Indra hath the prayer been raised, lauding his own imperial sway.
0 Indra hath smitten down the power of Vrtra,-might with stronger might.
This was his manly exploit, he slew Vrtra and let loose the floods, lauding his own imperial sway.
Yea, even this great Pair of Worlds trembled in terror at thy wrath,
When, Indra, Thunderer, Marut-girt, thou slewest Vrtra in thy strength, lauding thine own imperial sway.
But Vrtra scared not Indra with his shaking or his thunder roar.
On him that iron thunderbolt fell fiercely with its thousand points, lauding his own imperial sway.
Whenwith the thunder thou didst make thy dart and Vrtra meet in war,
Thy might, O Indra, fain to slay the Dragon, was set firm in heaven, lauding thine own imperial sway.
When at thy shout, O Thunder-armed, each thing both fixed and moving shook,
E’en Tvastar trembled at thy wrath and quaked with fear because of thee, lauding thine own imperial sway.
There is not, in our knowledge, one who passeth Indra in his strength:
In him the Deities have stored manliness, insight, power and might, lauding his own imperial sway.
Still as of old, whatever rite Atharvan, Manus sire of all,
Dadhyach performed, their prayer and praise united in that Indra meet, lauding his own imperial sway.

HE in mid-air’s expanse hath golden tresses; a raging serpent, like the rushing tempest:
Purely refulgent, knowing well the morn. ing; like honourable dames, true, active workers.
Thy well-winged flashes strengthen in their manner, when the black Bull hath bellowed round about us.
With drops that bless and seem to smile he cometh: the waters fall, the clouds utter their thunder.
When he comes streaming with the milk of worship, conducting by directest paths of Order
Aryaman, Mitra, Varuna, Parijman fill the hide full where lies the nether press-stone.
O Agni, thou who art the lord of wealth in kine, thou Son of Strength,
Vouchsafe to us, O Jatavetlas, high renown.
He, Agni, kindled, good and wise, must be exalted in our song:
Shine, thou of many forms, shine radiantly on us.
O Agni, shining of thyself by night and when the morning breaks,
Burn, thou whose teeth are sharp, against the Raksasas.
Adorable in all our rites, favour us, Agni, with thine.aid,
When the great hymn is chanted forth.
Bring to us ever-conquering wealth, wealth, Agni, worthy of our choice,
In all our frays invincible.
Give us, O Agni, through thy grace wealth that supporteth all our life,
Thy favour so that we may live.
0 O Gotama, desiring bliss present thy songs composed with care
To Agni of the pointed flames.
May the man fall, O Agni, who near or afar assaileth us:
Do thou increase and prosper us.
Keen and swift Agni, thousand-eyed, chaseth the Raksasas afar:
He singeth, herald meet for lauds.

O JATAVEDAS, keen and swift, we Gotamas with sacred song exalt thee for thy glories’ sake.
Thee, as thou art, desiring wealth Gotama worships with his song:
We laud thee for thy glories’ sake.
As such, like Angiras we call on thee best winner of the spoil:
We laud thee for thy glories’ sake.
Thee, best of Vrtra-slayers, thee who shakest off our Dasyu foes:
We laud thee for thy glories’ sake.
A pleasant song to Agni we, sons of Rahugana, have sung:
We laud thee for thy glories’ sake.

How shall we pay oblation unto Agni? What hymn, Godloved, is said to him refulgent?
Who, deathless, true to Law, mid men a herald, bringeth the Gods as best of sacrificers?
Bring him with reverence hither, most propitious in sacrifices, true to Law, the herald;
For Agni, when he seeks the Gods for mortals, knows them full well and worships them in spirit.
For he is mental power, a man, and perfect; he is the bringer, friend-,like, of the wondrous.
The pious Aryan tribes at sacrifices address them first to him who doeth marvels.
May Agni, foe-destroyer, manliest Hero, accept with love our hymns and our devotion.
So may the liberal lords whose strength is strongest, urged by their riches, stir our thoughts with vigour.
Thus Agni Jatavedas, true to Order, hath by the priestly Gotamas been lauded.
May he augment in them splendour and vigour: observant, as he lists, he gathers increase.

How may the mind draw nigh to please thee, Agni? What hymn of praise shall bring us greatest blessing?
Or who hath gained thy power by sacrifices? or with what mind shall we bring thee oblations?
Come hither, Agni; sit thee down as Hotar; be thou who never wast deceived our leader.
May Heaven and Earth, the all-pervading, love thee: worship the Gods to win for us their favour.
Burn thou up all the Riksasas, O Agni; ward thou off curses from our sacrifices.
Bring hither with his Bays the Lord of Soma: here is glad welcome for the Bounteous Giver.
Thou Priest with lip and voice that bring us children hast been invoked. Here with the Gods be seated.
Thine is the task of Cleanser and Presenter: waken us, Wealth-bestower and Producer.
As with oblations of the priestly Manus thou worshippedst the Gods, a Sage with sages,
So now, O truthfullest Invoker Agni, worship this day with joy-bestowing ladle.

. ACCEPT our loudest-sounding hymn, food most delightful to the Gods,
Pouring our offerings in thy mouth.
Now, Agni, will we say to thee, O wisest and best Afigiras,
Our precious, much-availing prayer.
Who, Agni, is thy kin, of men? who is thy worthy worshipper?
On whom dependent? who art thou?
The kinsman, Agni, of mankind, their well beloved Friend art thou,
A Friend whom friends may supplicate.
Bring to us Mitra, Varuna, bring the Gods to mighty sacrifice.
Bring them, O Agni, to thine home.

As forth to sacrifice we go, a hymn to a hymn let us say,
Who hears us even when afar;
Who, from of old, in carnage, when the people gathered, hath preserved
His household for the worshipper.
And let men say, Agni is born, e’en he who slayeth Vrtra, he
Who winneth wealth in every fight.
Him in whose house an envoy thou lovest to taste his offered gifts,
And strengthenest his sacrifice,
Him, Angiras, thou Son of Strength, all men call happy in his God,
His offerings, and his sacred grass.
Hitherward shalt thou bring these Gods to our laudation and to taste.
These offered gifts, fair-shining One.
When, Agni, on thine embassage thou goest not a sound is heard of steed or straining of thy car.
Aided by thee uninjured, strong, one after other, goes he forth:
Agni, the ofterer forward steps.
And splendid strength, heroic, high, Agni, thou grantest from the Gods,
Thou God, to him who offers gifts.