Yajurveda, Book 21

¹VARUNA, hear this call of mine: be gracious unto us this day. Longing for help I yearn for thee.

²I ask this of thee with my prayer, etc., as in XVIII. 49.

³Do thou who knowest Varuna, O Agni, put far away from us the God's displeasure. Best Sacrificer, brightest One, refulgent, remove thou far from us all those who hate us.

⁴Be thou the nearest unto us, O Agni, our closest Friend while now this Morn is breaking. Reconcile Varuna to us, be bounteous: show thy compassion and be swift to hear us.

⁵We call to succour us the mighty Mother of those whose sway is just, the Queen of Order, Strong-ruler, far-expanding, ne’er decaying, Aditi gracious guide and good protectress.

⁶Sinless may we ascend, for weal, this vessel rowed with good oars, divine, that never leaketh, Earth our strong guard, incomparable Heaven. Aditi gracious guide and good protectress.

⁷May I ascend the goodly ship, free from defect, that leaketh not, Moved by a hundred oars, for weal.

⁸O Mitra-Varuna, gracious Pair, with fatness dew our pasturage, With mead the regions of the air.

⁹Stretch forth your arms and let our lives be lengthened: with fatness dew the pastures of our cattle. Ye Youthful, make us famed among the people: hear, Mitra-Varuna, these mine invocations.

¹⁰Bless us the Coursers when we call, etc., as in IX. 16.

¹¹Deep-skilled in Law, etc., as in IX. 18.

¹²Kindled is Agni with the brand, yea, kindled well, the excellent. The metre Gâyatrî, the steer of eighteen months, give power and life!

¹³Tanûnapât whose acts are pure, our bodies’ guard Sarasvatî, Ushnihâ metre and the steer of two years’ age give power and life!

¹⁴Agni with offerings, meet for praise, and Soma the immortal God, Anushtup metre and the steer of thirty months give power and life!

¹⁵Agni with goodly grass spread out, deathless with Pûshan at his side, Brihatî metre and a steer of three years’ age give power and life!

¹⁶The Doors divine, the mighty Regions, Brahma, God Brihaspati, The metre Pankti, here a bull in his fourth year, give power and life

¹⁷The two young Darns of lovely form, the deathless Universal Gods, The Trishtup metre, here, a bull in his sixth year, give power and life!

¹⁸The two celestial Hotars, both Physicians, Indra's close-knit friends, The metre Jagatî, an ox who draws the wain, give power and life!

¹⁹The Three, Ida, Sarasvatî, and Bhâratî, the Marut folk, Virâj the metre, here, a cow in milk, a bull, give power and life!

²⁰Tvashtar the wondrous, full of seed, Indrâgnî furtherers of weal, Dvipadâ metre, and a cow and vigorous bull give power and life!

²¹Our slaughterer, Vanaspatî, Savitar who promoteth wealth, The metre Kakup, here, a cow who casts her calf, give power and life!

²²With Svâhâ mighty Varuna give healing power to Sacrifice! The Atichhandas, Brihat, and a steer and bull give power and life!

²³With the Spring Season may the Gods the Vasus praised with triple hymn And with Rathantara, give life to Indra, splendour, sacrifice.

²⁴With Summer may the Rudras, Gods, praised in the Pañchadasa hymn With Brihat, give to Indra strength; with fame, and sacrifice and life.

²⁵May the Âdityas with the Rains, lauded in Saptadasa hymn And with Vairûpa, with folk, strength, give Indra sacrifice and life.

²⁶With Autumn may the Ribhus, Gods, praised in the Ekavimsa hymn And with Virâja, give with grace to Indra grace, life, sacrifice.

²⁷With Winter may the Maruts, Gods, praised in the laud of thrice nine parts, The Sakvarîs, with strength give might to Indra, sacrifice and life.

²⁸With Dew-time may the deathless Gods praised in the Thirty-three-part laud, The Revatîs, with truth give sway to Indra, sacrifice and life.

²⁹Let the Hotar sacrifice with fuel to Agni in the place of libation, to the Asvins, Indra, Sarasvatî. A grey-coloured he-goat with wheat, jujube-fruit and sprouts of rice becomes a sweet salutary remedy, splendour, might, milk, Soma. Let them enjoy sweet butter with foaming liquor. Hotar, present offerings of butter.

³⁰Let the Hotar, Tanûnapât, worship Sarasvatî. A sheep, a ram, a salutary remedy on the honey-sweet path, bearing to the Asvins and Indra heroic strength, with jujube-fruit, Indra-grains, sprouts of rice, becomes a salutary remedy, milk, Soma. Let them enjoy, etc., as in verse 29.

³¹Let the Hotar worship Narâsamsa and the Lord Nagnahu. A ram with Surâ a salutary remedy, Sarasvatî the Physician, the golden car of the Asvins, the victim's omentum, with jujube-fruit, Indra-grains, and rice-sprouts, become a salutary remedy, the manly strength of Indra, milk, Soma. Let them, etc.

³²Let the Hotar, magnified with oblations, offering sacrifice, worship Sarasvatî and Indra, increasing them with strength, with a bull and a cow. Strength and medicine to the Asvins and Indra are meath with jujube-fruit, Mâsara with parched grain, milk, Soma. Let them, etc.

³³Let the Hotar worship the wool-soft Altar-grass, the Physicians Nâsatyas, the Physicians Asvins. A mare with a foal, a milch-cow is a physician. Sarasvatî the Physician yields medicine to Indra, milk, Soma. Let them enjoy, etc.

³⁴Let the Hotar worship the Doors, the Regions, the resounding, expansive Doors, the Regions, with the Asvins. Indra milks the two milky worlds. The Mulch-cow Sarasvatî yields medicine for the Asvins and Indra, pure light and strength. Milk, Soma. Let them, etc.

³⁵Let the Hotar worship the two fair-formed Dawns. At night and by day the Asvins with Sarasvatî compose impetuous power, like healing balm, in Indra, like a falcon, Mâsara with light, thought, and grace. Milk, Soma. Let them enjoy, etc.

³⁶Let the Hotar worship the two divine Hotars, the Physician Asvins, and Indra. Watchfully by day and night Sarasvatî as Physician, with balms, with lead, yields strength and power. Milk, Soma. Let them enjoy, etc.

³⁷Let the Hotar worship the three Goddesses. The three active ones, with three sacrificial elements, lay balm and golden hue on Indra. The Asvins, Idâ, Bhâratî—Sarasvatî with Speech yields might and power to Indra. Milk, Soma. Let them enjoy, etc.

³⁸Let the Hotar worship Tvashtar full of good seed, the Bull active for men, Indra, the Asvins, Sarasvatî the Physician. Vigour, speed, power, a fierce wolf as physician, fame with Surâ is a medicine, Mâsara with grace. Milk, Soma. Let them enjoy, etc.

³⁹Let the Hotar worship Vanaspatî the Immolator, the Lord of Hundred Powers, and awful Passion, the King, the Tiger, and the Asvins, with reverence. Sarasvatî the Physician yields wrath and power to Indra. Milk, Soma. Let them enjoy, etc.

⁴⁰Let the Hotar worship Agni. Of the drops of clarified butter, Svâhâ! Of the fat, omentum, etc., severally, Svâhâ! Svâhâ! the goat for the Asvins. Svâhâ! the ram for Sarasvatî. Svâhâ! the bull for Indra. To the Lion, to his might, power. Svâhâ! Agni the salutary remedy. Svâhâ! Soma, the power. Svâhâ! Indra the Good Deliverer. Savitar, Varuna Lord of Physicians. Svâhâ! Vanaspatî, beloved, food and medicine. Svâhâ! Gods who drink clarified butter. Agni accepting the medicine. Milk, Soma. Let them enjoy, etc.

⁴¹Let the Hotar worship the Asvins with the omentum of a he-goat. Let them enjoy the fat. Hotar, offer the sacrificial oblation. Let the Hotar worship Sarasvatî with the omentum of a ram. Let her enjoy the fat. Hotar offer the sacrificial oblation. Let the Hotar worship Indra with the omentum of a bull. Let him, etc.

⁴²Let the Hotar worship the Asvins, Sarasvatî, Indra the Good Deliverer. These your Somas, pressed, rejoicing with goats, rams, bulls, giving pleasure with rice-shoots, young blades of corn, parched grain, joy-givers adorned with Mâsara, bright, milky, immortal, presented, dropping honey. these let the Asvins, Sarasvatî, Indra the Good Deliverer, Vritra-slayer, accept. Let them drink, rejoice in, enjoy the Soma meath. Hotar, sacrifice.

⁴³Let the Hotar worship the Asvins. Let them eat of the he-goat, the sacrifice. Let them to-day eat the fat, taken from the middle, before those who hate us, before human handling. Yea, let them eat amid the fodder of fields fresh with moisture, with their expanse of barley, limbs of those tasted by Agni, belonging to the Hundred Rudras, portions covered with fat, from the sides, from the thighs, from the fore-feet from the chine. From every member of the divided victims these two make their repast. Thus let the Asvins accept. Hotar, offer the sacrificial oblation.

⁴⁴Let the Hotar worship Sarasvatî. Let her approach the ram, the sacrifice. To-day let her eat, etc., the rest of verse 43 repeated mutatis mutandis. 43 Let the Hotar worship Indra, etc., as in 44 mutatis mutandis.

⁴⁶Let the Hotar worship Vanaspatî. He has held with a very well formed and very strong rope. There where the favourite stations of the Asvins are, of the he-goat the sacrifice; of Sarasvatî, of the ram the sacrifice; of Indra, of the bull the sacrifice; there where the favourite stations of Agni are, of Soma, of Indra the Good Deliverer, of Savitar, of Varuna, the favourite places of Vanaspatî, the favourite stations of Gods who drink clarified butter, and of Agni the Hotar, there let him arrange these victims when he has praised and lauded them, and perform when he has made them very strong. Let divine Vanaspatî accept. Hotar, offer oblation.

⁴⁷Let the Hotar worship Agni Svishtakrit. Let Agni worship the favourite stations of the Asvins, of the he-goat the sacrifice; of Sarasvatî, of the ram the sacrifice; of Indra, of the bull the sacrifice; there, etc., to 'butter' as in 46. Let him worship the favourite stations of Agni the Hotar. Let him worship his own majesty. Let him win for himself by sacrifice food worthy of sacrifice. Let him, Knower of Beings, perform the sacred rites. Let him accept the sacrificial food. Hotar, offer oblation.

⁴⁸The Grass divine, for the right Gods, Sarasvatî, the Asvins Twain, Give Indra splendour, with the Grass, sight of his eyes and mighty strength! For gain of wealth let them enjoy. Thou, Hotar, offer sacrifice.

⁴⁹The Doors, the Doors divine, the Two Asvins, Leeches, Sarasvatî— May they give breath to Indra in his nostrils, and heroic strength. For gain of wealth, etc., as in verse 48.

⁵⁰May Dawn and Night, the Goddesses, both Asvins, and Sarasvatî Lay, with both Dawns, strength, voice within Indra the Good Deliverer's mouth. For gain of wealth, etc.

⁵¹Both nursing Goddesses, the Pair of Asvins, and Sarasvatî Have with both nurses given strength to Indra, fame, and power to hear. For gain of wealth, etc.

⁵²Bringers of strengthening sacrifice, both Goddesses, well-yielding cows, Sarasvatî, both Asvins, the Physicians, these are Indra's guards. Forth from their breasts by sacrifice they give him brilliant light and power. For gain of wealth, etc.

⁵³Both Gods, the Hotars of the Gods, the Asvins the Physicians and Sarasvatî with Vashat-calls, with the two Hotars have bestowed on Indra brilliant light and power, and planted wisdom in his heart. For gain of wealth, etc.

⁵⁴Goddesses three, three Goddesses—Asvins, Idâ, Sarasvatî In Indra's midmost navel have laid store of energy and power. For gain of wealth, etc.

⁵⁵God Narâsamsa, Indra thrice-protecting, whose car moves by Sarasvatî and Asvins May Tvashtar lay seed, deathless form in Indra, a fitting place of birth and mighty powers. For gain of wealth, etc.

⁵⁶God with the Gods, Vanaspatî of golden leaves and goodly fruit Ripens till Indra finds it sweet, with Asvins and Sarasvatî.

⁵⁷Strewn, soft as wool, in sacrifice, with Asvins and Sarasvatî, The sacred robe of water-plants be, Indra, a fair seat for thee! Together with the sacred grass limy they, for sovranty, bestow King Passion and great power on thee. For gain of wealth, etc.

⁵⁸Let the God Agni Svishtakrit worship the Gods as is meet and right for each, the two Hotars, Indra, the Asvins, Vâk with speech, Sarasvatî, Agni, Soma. Svishtakrit has been well worshipped, Indra Good Deliverer, Savitar, Varuna the Physician have been worshipped. The God Vanaspatî, the Gods who drink clarified butter have been well worshipped, Agni by Agni. Let the Hotar Svishtakrit give the Hotar fame, great power, energy, honour, Ancestral libation.

⁵⁹To-day this Sacrificer cooking viands, cooking sacrificial rice-cakes, binding a goat for the Asvins, a ram for Sarasvatî, a hull for Indra, pressing Surâ and Soma juices for the Asvins, Sarasvatî, and Indra the Good Deliverer, has chosen Agni as Hotar.

⁶⁰To-day the divine Vanaspatî has done good service to the Asvins with a goat, to Sarasvatî with a ram, to Indra with a bull. They have eaten these from the marrow onwards, they have accepted the cooked viands, they have waxed strong with the rice-cakes. The Agnis, Sarasvatî, and Indra have drunk the Surâ and Soma draughts.

⁶¹Thee, to-day, O Rishi, Rishi's son, descendant of Rishis, hath this Sacrificer chosen for many collected, saying: This (Agni) shall win by sacrifice for me choice-worthy treasures among the Gods. O God, what gifts the Gods have given, these do thou desire and approve. And thou art a commissioned Hotar, a human Hotar sent forward for benediction, for good speech, Speak thou good words.