
The Rig Veda Book 5 - Verses 01 to 10

HYMN I. Agni
1. Agni is wakened by the people's fuel to meet
the Dawn who cometh like a milch-cow.
Like young trees shooting
up on high their branches, his flames are rising to the vault
of heaven.
2 For worship of the Gods the Priest was wakened:
at morning gracious Agni hath arisen.
Kindled, his radiant
might is made apparent, and the great Deity set free from darkness.
3 When he hath stirred the line of his attendants, with the
pure milk pure Agni is anointed.
The strength-bestowing gift
is then made ready, which spread in front, with tongues, erect,
he drinketh.
4 The spirits of the pious turn together to
Agni, as the eyes of all to Surya.
He, when both Dawns of
different hues have borne him, springs up at daybreak as a strong
white charger.
5 The noble One was born at days' beginning,
laid red in colour mid the well-laid fuel.
Yielding in every
house his seven rich treasures, Agni is seated, Priest most
skilled in worship.
6 Agni hath sat him down, a Priest most
skilful, on a sweet-smelling place, his Mother's bosom.
Young, faithful, sage, preeminent o'er many, kindled among
the folk whom he sustaineth.
7 This Singer excellent at sacrifices,
Agni the Priest, they glorify with homage.
Him who spread
out both worlds by Law Eternal they balm with oil, strong Steed
who never faileth.
8. He, worshipful House-Friend, in his
home is worshipped, our own auspicious guest, lauded by sages.
That strength the Bull with thousand horns possesses. In might,
O Agni, thou excellest others.
9 Thou quickly passest by
all others, Agni, for him to whom thou hast appeared most lovely,
Wondrously fair, adorable, effulgent, the guest of men, the
darling of the people.
10 To thee, Most Youthful God! to
thee, O Agni from near and far the people bring their tribute.
Mark well the prayer of him who best extols thee. Great, high,
auspicious, Agni, is thy shelter.
11 Ascend to-day thy splendid
car, O Agni, in splendour, with the Holy Ones around it.
Knowing the paths by mid-air's spacious region bring hither
Gods to feast on our oblation.
12 To him adorable, sage,
strong and mighty we have sung forth our song of praise and
homage.
Gavisthira hath raised with prayer to Agni this laud
far-reaching, like gold light to heaven.
HYMN II. Agni.
1. THE youthful Mother keeps the Boy in secret
pressed to her close, nor yields him to the Father.
But,
when he lies upon the arm, the people see his unfading countenance
before them.
2 What child is this thou carriest as handmaid,
O Youthful One? The Consort-Queen hath bome him.
The Babe
unborn increased through many autumns. I saw him born what time
his Mother bare him.
3 I saw him from afar gold-toothed,
bright-coloured, hurling his weapons from his habitation,
What time I gave him Amrta free from mixture. How can the Indraless,
the hymnless harm me?
4 I saw him moving from the place he
dwells in, even as with a herd, brilliantly shining.
These
seized him not: he had been born already. They who were grey
with age again grow youthful.
5 Who separate my young bull
from the cattle, they whose protector was in truth no stranger?
Let those whose hands have seized upon them free them. May he,
observant, drive the herd to us-ward.
6 Mid mortal men godless
have secreted the King of all who live, home of the people.
So may the prayers of Atri give him freedom. Reproached in turn
be those who now reproach him.
7 Thou from the stake didst
loose e'en Sunahsepa bound for a thousand; for he prayed with
fervour.
So, Agni, loose from us the bonds that bind us,
when thou art seated here, O Priest who knowest.
8 Thou hast
sped from me, Agni, in thine anger: this the protector of Gods'
Laws hath told me.
Indra who knoweth bent his eye upon thee:
by him instructed am I come, O Agni.
9 Agni shines far and
wide with lofty splendour, and by his greatness makes all things
apparent.
He conquers godless and malign enchantments, and
sharpens both his horns to gore the Raksas.
10 Loud in the
heaven above be Agni's roarings with keen-edged weapons to destroy
the demons.
Forth burst his splendours in the Soma's rapture.
The godless bands press round but cannot stayhim.
11 As a
skilled craftsman makes a car, a singer I, Mighty One! this
hymn for thee have fashioned.
If thou, O Agni, God, accept
it gladly, may we obtain thereby the heavenly Waters.
12
May he, the strong-necked Steer, waxing in vigour, gather the
foeman's wealth with none to check him.
Thus to this Agni
have the Immortals spoken. To man who spreads the grass may
he grant shelter, grant shelter to the man who brings oblation.
HYMN III. Agni.
1. THOU at thy birth art Varuna, O Agni; when
thou art kindled thou becomest Mitra.
In thee, O Son of Strength,
all Gods are centred. Indra art thou to man who brings oblation.
2 Aryaman art thou as regardeth maidens mysterious, is thy name,
O Self-sustainer.
As a kind friend with streams of milk they
balm thee what time thou makcst wife and lord one-minded.
3 The Maruts deck their beauty for thy glory, yea, Rudra! for
thy birth fair, brightly-coloured.
That which was fixed as
Visnu's loftiest station-therewith the secret of the Cows thou
guardest.
4 Gods through thy glory, God who art so lovely!
granting abundant gifts gained life immortal.
As their own
Priest have men established Agni; and serve him fain for praise
from him who liveth.
5 There is no priest more skilled than
thou in worship; none Self-sustainer pass thee in wisdom.
Ile man within whose house as guest thou dwellest, O God, by
sacrifice shall conquer mortals.
6 Aided by thee, O Agni
may we conquer through our oblation, fain for wealth, awakened:
May we in battle, in the days' assemblies,O Son of Strength,
by riches conquer mortals.
7 He shall bring evil on the evil-plottcr
whoever turns against us sin and outrage.
Destroy this calumny
of him, O Agni, whoever injures us with double-dealing.
8
At this dawn's flushing, God! our ancient fathers served thee
with offerings, making thee their envoy,
When, Agni, to the
store of wealth thou goest, a God cnkindled with good things
by mortals.
9 Save, thou who knowest, draw thy father near
thee, who counts as thine own son, O Child of Power.
O sapient
Agni, when wilt thou regard us? When, skilled in holy Law, wilt
thou direct us?
10 Adoring thee he gives thee many a title,
when thou, Good Lord! acceptest this as Father.
And doth
not Agni, glad in strength of Godhead, gain splendid bliss when
he hath waxen mighty?
11 Most Youthful Agni, verily thou
bearest thy praiser safely over all his troubles.
Thieves
have been seen by us and open foemen: unknown have been the
plottings of the wicked.
12 To thee these eulogies have been
directed: or to the Vasu hath this sin been spoken.
But this
our Agni, flaming high, shall never yield us to calumny, to
him who wrongs us.
HYMN IV. Agni.
1. O Agni, King and Lord of wealth and treasures,
in thee is my delight at sacrifices.
Through thee may we
obtain the strength we long for, and overcome the fierce attacks
of mortals.
2 Agni, Eternal Father, offering- bearer, fair
to behold, far-reaching, far-refulgent,
From well-kept household
fire beam food to feed us, and measure out to us abundant glory.
3 The Sage of men, the Lord of human races, pure, purifying
Agni, balmed with butter,
Him the Omniscient as your Priest
ye stablish: he wins among the Gods things worth the choosing.
4 Agni, enjoy, of one accord with Ila, striving in rivalry with
beams of Sarya,
Enjoy, O Jatavedas, this our fuel, and bring
the Gods to us to taste oblations.
5 As dear House-Friend,
guest welcome in the dwelling, to this our sacrifice come thou
who knowest.
And, Agni, having scattered all assailants,
bring to us the possessions of our foemen.
6 Drive thou away
the Dasyu with thy weapon. As, gaining vital power for thine
own body,
O Son of Strength, the Gods thou satisfiest, so
in fight save us, most heroic Agni.
7 May we, O Agni, with
our lauds adore thee, and with our gifts, fair-beaming Purifier!
Send to us wealth containing all things precious: bestow upon
us every sort of riches.
8 Son of Strength, Agni, dweller
in three regions, accept our sacrifice and our oblation.
Among the Gods may we be counted pious: protect us with a triply-guarding
shelter.
9 Over all woes and dangers, Jatavedas, bear us
as in a boat across a river.
Praised with our homage even
as Atri praised thee, O Agni, be the guardian of our bodies.
10 As I, remembering thee with grateful spirit, a mortal, call
with might on thee Immortal,
Vouchsafe us high renown, O
Jatavedas, and may I be immortal by my children.
11 The pious
man, O Jatavedas Agni, to whom thou grantest ample room and
pleasure,
Gaineth abundant wealth with sons and horses, with
heroes and with kine for his well-being.
HYMN V. Apris.
1. To Agni, Jatavedas, to the flame, the well-enkindled
God,
Offer thick sacrificial oil.
2 He, Narasamsa, ne'er
beguiled, inspiriteth this sacrifice:
For sage is he, with
sweets in hand.
3 Adored, O Agni, hither bring Indra the
Wonderful, the Friend,
On lightly-rolling car to aid.
4 Spread thyself out, thou soft as wool The holy hymns have
sung to thee.
Bring gain to us, O beautiful!
5 Open yourselves,
ye Doors Divine, easy of access for our aid:
Fill, more and
more, the sacrifice.
6 Fair strengtheners of vital power,
young Mothers of eternal Law,
Morning and Night we supplicate.
7 On the wind's flight come, glorified, ye two celestial Priests
of man
Come ye to this our sacrifice.
8 l! Sarasvati,
Mahl, three Goddesses who tring us weal,
Be seated harmless
on the grass.
9 Rich in all plenty, Tvastar, come auspicious
of thine own accord
Help us in every sacrifice.
10 Vanaspati,
wherever thou knowest the Gods' mysterious names,
Send our
oblations thitherward.
11 To Agni and to Varuna, Indra, the
Maruts, and the Gods,
With Svaha be oblation brought.
HYMN VI. Agni.
1. I VALUE Agni that good Lord, the home to which
the kine return:
Whom fleet-foot coursers seek as home, and
strong enduring steeds as home. Bring food to those who sing
thy praise.
2 'Tis Agni whom we laud as good, to whom the
milch-kine come in herds,
To whom the chargers swift of foot,
to whom our well-born princes come. Bring food to those who
sing thy praise.
3 Agni the God of all mankind, gives, verily,
a steed to man.
Agni gives precious gear for wealth, treasure
he gives when he is pleased. Bring food to those who sing thy
praise.
4 God, Agni, we will kindle thee, rich in thy splendour,
fading not,
So that this glorious fuel may send forth by
day its light for thee. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
5 To thee the splendid, Lord of flame, bright, wondrous, Prince
of men, is brought.
Oblation with the holy verse, O Agni,
bearer of our gifts.
Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
6 These Agnis in the seats of the fire nourish each thing most
excellent.
They give delight, they spread abroad, they move
themselves continually. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
7 Agni, these brilliant flames of thine wax like strong chargers
mightily,
Who with the treadings of their hoofs go swiftly
to the stalls of kine. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
8 To us who laud thee, Agni, bring fresh food and safe and happy
homes.
May we who have sung hymns to thee have thee for envoy
in each house. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
9
Thou, brilliant God, within thy mouth warmest both ladies of
the oil.
So fill us also, in our hymns, abundantly, O Lord
of Strength,Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
10 Thus
Agni have we duly served with sacrifices and with hymns.
So may he give us what we crave, store of brave sons and fleet-foot
steeds. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.
HYMN VII. Agni.
1. OFFER to Agni, O my friends, your seemly food,
your seemly praise;
To him supremest o'er the folk, the Son
of Strength, the mighty Lord:
2 Him in whose presence, when
they meet in full assembly, men rejoice;
Even him whom worthy
ones inflame, and living creatures bring to life.
3 When
we present to him the food and sacrificial gifts of men,
He by the might of splendour grasps the holy Ordinance's rein.
4 He gives a signal in the night even to him who is afar,
When he, the Bright, unchanged by eld, consumes the sovrans
of the wood.
5 He in whose service on the ways they offer
up their drops of sweat,
On him is their high kin have they
mounted, as ridges on the earth.
6 Whom, sought of many,
mortal man hath found to be the Stay of all;
He who gives
flavour to our food, the home of every man that lives.
7
Even as a herd that crops the grass he shears the field and
wilderness,
With flashing teeth and beard of gold, deft with
his unabated might.
8 For him, to whom, bright as an axe
he, as to Atri, hath flashed forth,
Hath the well-bearing
Mother borne, producing when her time is come.
9 Agni to
whom the oil is shed by him thou lovest to support,
Bestow
upon these mortals fame and splendour and intelligence.
10
Such zeal hath he, resistless one: he gained the cattle given
by thee.
Agni, may Atri overcome the Dasyus who bestow no
gifts, subdue the men who give no food.
HYMN VIII. Agni.
1. O Agni urged to strength, the men of old who
loved the Law enkindled thee,
the Ancient, for their aid,
Thee very bright, and holy, nourisher of all, most excellent,
the Friend and Master of the home.
2 Thee, Agni, men have
stablished as their guest of old, as Master of the household,
thee, with hair of flame;
High-bannered, multiform, distributor
of wealth, kind helper, good protector, drier of the floods.
3 The tribes of men praise thee, Agni, who knowest well burnt
offerings, the Discerner, lavishest of wealth,
Dwelling in
secret, Blest One! visible to all, loud-roaring, skilled in
worship, glorified with oil.
4 Ever to thee, O Agni, as exceeding
strong have we drawn nigh with songs and reverence singing hymns.
So be thou pleased with us, Angiras! as a God enkindled by the
noble with man's goodly light.
5 Thou, Agni! multiform, God
who art lauded much! givest in every house subsistence as of
old.
Thou rulest by thy might o'er food of many a sort: that
light of thine when blazing may not be opposed.
6 The Gods,
Most Youthful Agni, have made thee, inflamed, the bearer of
oblations and the messenger.
Thee, widely-reaching, homed
in sacred oil, invoked, effulgent, have they made the Eye that
stirs the thought.
7 Men seeking joy have lit thee worshipped
from of old, O Agni, with good fuel and with sacred oil.
So thou, bedewed and waxing mighty by the plants, spreadest
thyself abroad over the realms of earth.
HYMN IX. Agni.
1. BEARING; oblations mortal men, O Agni, worship
thee the God.
I deem thee Jatavedas: bear our offerings,
thou, unceasingly.
2 In the man's home who offers gifts,
where grass is trimmed, Agni is Priest,
To whom all sacrifices
come and strengthenings that win renown.
3 Whom, as an infant
newly-born, the kindling-sticks have brought to life,
Sustainer
of the tribes of men, skilled in well-ordered sacrifice.
4 Yea, very hard art thou to grasp, like offspring of the wriggling
snakes,
When thou consumest many woods like an ox, Agni,
in the mead.
5 Whose flames, when thou art sending forth
the smoke, completely reach the mark,
When Trta in the height
of heaven, like as a smelter fanneth thee, e'en as a smelter
sharpeneth thee.
6 O Agni, by thy succour and by Mitra's
friendly furtherance,
May we, averting hate, subbue the wickedness
of mortal men.
7 O Agni, to our heroes bring such riches,
thou victorious God.
May he protect and nourish us, and help
in aining strength: be thou near us in 6rht for our success.
HYMN X. Agni.
1. BRING us most mighty splendour thou, Agni,
resistless on thy way.
With overflowing store of wealth mark
out for us a path to strength.
2 Ours art thou, wondrous
Agni, bywisdom and bounteousness of power.
The might of Asuras
rests on thee, like Mitra worshipful in act.
3 Agni, increase
our means of life, increase the house and home of these,
The men, the princes who have won great riches through our hymns
of praise.
4 Bright Agni, they who deck their songs for thee
have horses as their meed.
The men are mighty in their might,
they whose high laud, as that of heaven, awakes thee of its
own accord.
5 O Agni, those resplendent flames of thine go
valorously forth,
Like lightnings flashing round us, like
a rattling car that seeks the spoil.
6 Now, Agni, come to
succour us; let priests draw nigh to offer gifts;
And let
the patrons of our rites subdue all regions of the earth.
7 Bring to us, Agni, Angiras, lauded of old and lauded now,
Invoker! wealth to quell the strong, that singers may extol
thee. Be near us in fight for our success.
Suggestions for Further Reading
- The Rig Veda translation by Griffith, Introduction
- Hymns of the Sama veda translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith
- Yajur Veda: The Veda Of The Black Yajus School
- Hymns Of The Atharva-Veda
- Anugita English Translation
- THE Sanatsugâtîya, A Spiritual Dialogue
- Dharmashastras, the Sacred Law Books of Hindus
- The Hindu Dharmashastras, Subject Index
- The Grihya Sutras, The Vedic Domestic Ritual Texts
- The Sankhya Sutras of Kapila, Index page
- Translation of Upanishads by Swami Paramananda, Index
- A History Of Indian Philosophy - Chapter Index
- The Upanishads translated by Max Muller
- Vedic Reader for Students
- The Bhagavad-gita in a nutshell
- Essays On Dharma
- Esoteric Mystic Hinduism
- Introduction to Hinduism
- Hindu Way of Life
- Essays On Karma
- Hindu Rites and Rituals
- The Origin of The Sanskrit Language
- Symbolism in Hinduism
- Essays on The Upanishads
- Concepts of Hinduism
- Essays on Atman
- Hindu Festivals
- Spiritual Practice
- Right Living
- Yoga of Sorrow
- Happiness
- Mental Health
- Concepts of Buddhism
- General Essays
Source: An English translation of the Vedas by Ralph T.H. Griffith, 1896.