HYMN TO AGNI
O Agni, You are the principal Vedic god, the chosen Priest,
the minister of sacrifice, the hotar of the Yajna rites,
the supreme lavisher of wealth, the dispeller of darkness.
the minister of sacrifice, the hotar of the Yajna rites,
the supreme lavisher of wealth, the dispeller of darkness.
O the Radiant One! You are the ruler of all sacrifices,
without Your presence no Yajna sacrifice is complete,
only the oblation You accept alone goes to the gods.
O the Sapient-minded Priest, the guard of Law Eternal,
the oblation-bearer, the gloriously great, the truth incarnate,
between the earth and the heavens You shuttle as the Divine Messenger.
O the earliest of the Angiras! the Seer among the gods,
Lord Manu appointed You as the hotar of all sacrifice,
the Maruts only there after with glittering spears were born.
O Agni! Matariswan brought You down from the heavens,
handed You over to the Bhrigus to keep You ever effulgent,
investing You with preeminence among all the other Gods.
O Agni! You are envisioned with two heads, long flowing hair,
a pot belly, six eyes, seven hands, four horns, three legs,
often are You seen seated with svaha and svadha, Your consorts.
O Agni! Your seven hands represent the seven flames,
the three legs the three worlds over which You reign,
Your pot belly denotes Your love for rich oily food.
O Agni! the Ram, a sacrificial animal, is Your vehicle
having a holy connection with the Vedic rituals,
what the rishis performed during the Yajna rites.
O Agni! You are the herald, the master of all treasure,
as beloved of the gods, You bring them on to the earth ,
making them sit on the grass near the sacrificial altar.
O the Lord of Red Steeds! the lover of music and dance,
the bearer of offerings, the charioteer of sacrifice,
the bountiful giver of gifts, of the wondrous fame.
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Wth Indra, O Agni! You share the passion for soma drink,
brewed from the celestial waters in the heart of the Sun,
the intoxicant of the gods, the mystic key to life divine.
O Agni! You are the dhoomaketu, smoke is Your banner,
infinite Your destructive power to set the forests aflame
of reducing to ashes many a garden in bloom in no time.
Urged by the lashing wind You spread through dry wood
with Your tongues armed for sickles, charging with a mighty roar,
black is Your path,O Agni, changeless, with glittering waves!
With teeth of flame, wind-driven, through the wood You speed,
triumphant like a bull with bright strength among the herd of cows,
like a moving quake eagerly are You seen rushing to envelop the trees.
O Agni! the Vaivashnara are You, in the center in the sky and the earth,
unveiling nights and all that is fixed or moves, You ascend the sky,
commingling, restless, preeminent in Your greatness and eminence.
