Yajurveda, Book 3

¹SERVE Agni with the kindling-brand, with drops of butter wake the Guest. In him pay offerings to the Gods.

²To Agni Jâtavedas, to the flame, the well-enkindled God, Offer thick sacrificial oil.

³Thee, such, O Angiras, with brands and sacred oil we magnify, O very brilliant, Youthfullest.

⁴Rich in oblations, dropping oil, to thee, sweet Agni, let them go. Accept with favour these my brands.

⁵Earth! Ether! Sky! Like heaven in plenty and like earth in compass! Upon thy back, Earth, place of sacrificing to Gods, for gain of food I lay food-eating Agni.

⁶This spotted Bull hath come and sat before the Mother and before The Father, mounting up to heaven.

⁷As expiration from his breath his radiance penetrates within: The Bull shines out through all the sky.

⁸He rules supreme through thirty realms. Song is bestowed upon the Bird Throughout the days at break of morn.

⁹Agni is light, and light is Agni. Hail! Sûrya is light, and light is Sûrya. Hail! Agni is splendour, light is splendour. Hail! Sûrya is splendour, light is splendour. Hail! Light is Sûrya, Sûrya is light. Hail!

¹⁰Accordant with bright Savitar and Night with Indra at her side, May Agni, being pleased, enjoy. All-hail!

¹¹Approaching sacrifice, may we pronounce a text to Agni who Heareth us even when afar.

¹²Agni is head and height of heaven, the Master of the earth is he: He quickeneth the waters’ seed.

¹³You two will I invoke, O Indra-Agni, will please you both together with oblation. Givers, you twain, of vigorous strength and riches, you twain do I invoke for gain of vigour.

¹⁴This is thine ordered place of birth whence, sprung to life, thou shonest forth. Knowing this, Agni, rise thou up and cause our riches to increase.

¹⁵Here by ordainers was this God appointed first Invoker, best at worship, to be praised at rites, Whom Apnavâna and the Bhrigus caused to shine, bright-coloured in the wood, spreading to every house.

¹⁶After his ancient splendour they, the bold, have drawn the bright milk from The Sage who wins a thousand gifts.

¹⁷Thou, Agni, art our bodies’ guard. Guard thou my body. Giver of life art thou, O Agni. Give me life. Giver of splendour art thou, Agni. Give me splendour. All that is wanting in my body, Agni, supply for me.

¹⁸Enkindled we enkindle thee through hundred winters, thee the bright; We healthy, thee who givest health; we strong, thee author of our strength; We, never injured, Agni, thee uninjured injurer of foes. O rich in shining lights, may I in safety rich the end of thee.

¹⁹Thou hast attained, O Agni, to the splendour of Sûrya, to the eulogy of Rishis, and to the habitation which thou lovest. May I attain to lengthened life, to splendour, to offspring and abundant store of riches.

²⁰Ye are food, may I enjoy your food. Ye are might, may I enjoy your might. Ye are energy, may I enjoy your energy. Ye are abundant riches, may I enjoy your abundant riches.

²¹Sport, wealthy ones, in this abode, this fold, this spot, this dwelling-place. Remain just here, and go not hence.

²²Composed art thou of every form and colour. With sap and. ownership of kine approach me. To thee, dispeller of the night, O Agni, day by day with prayer, Bringing thee reverence, we come;

²³Ruler of sacrifices, guard of Law eternal, radiant One, Increasing in thine own abode.

²⁴Be to us easy of approach, even as a father to his son: Agni, be with us for our weal.

²⁵O Agni, be our nearest Friend; be thou a kind deliverer and gracious Friend. Excellent Agni, come thou nigh to us, and give us wealth most splendidly renowned.

²⁶To thee then, O most bright, O radiant God, we come with prayer for happiness for our friends. So hear us, listen to this call of ours, and keep us far from every evil man.

²⁷O Ida, come, O Aditi, come hither. Come hither, much-desired! From you may I obtain my heart's desire.

²⁸O Brahmanaspati, make him who presses Soma glorious, Even Kakshîvân Ausija.

²⁹The rich, the healer of disease, who findeth wealth, increaseth store, The prompt,—may he be with us still.

³⁰Let not the foeman's curse, let not a mortal's treachery fall on us: Preserve us, Brahmanaspati!

³¹Great, heavenly, unassailable, ours be the favour of the Three, Aryaman, Mitra, Varuna.

³²For over them, neither at home nor upon pathways perilous, The evil-minded foe hath power.

³³For they, the Sons of Aditi, bestow eternal light upon A mortal man that he may live.

³⁴Ne’er art thou fruitless, Indra, ne’er dost thou forsake thy worshipper. But now. O Liberal Lord, thy bounty as a God is ever poured forth more and more.

³⁵May we attain that excellent glory of Savitar the God: So may he stimulate our prayers.

³⁶May thine inviolable car wherewith thou guardest worshippers Come near to us from every side.

³⁷Earth! Ether! Sky! May I be rich in offspring, well-manned with men and opulent with riches. Friendly to men! do thou protect my offspring. Worthy of praise! do thou protect my cattle. O pointed One, protect the food that feeds me.

³⁸We have approached the Omniscient, best finder-out of wealth for us. Splendour and strength bestow on us, O Agni, thou Imperial Lord.

³⁹Lord of the Home, this Agni Gârhapatya is best at finding riches for our children. Splendour and strength bestow on us, O Agni, Master of the Home.

⁴⁰Rich, furtherer of plenty is this Agni, Master-of the Herd. Splendour and strength bestow on us, O Agni, Master of the Herd.

⁴¹Fear not, nor tremble thou, O House. To thee who bearest strength we come. I, bearing strength, intelligent and happy, come to thee, House, rejoicing in my spirit.

⁴²The home on which the wanderer thinks, where cheerfulness and joy abound We call the Home to welcome us. May it know us who know it well.

⁴³Here have the cows been called to us, the goats and sheep have been called near, And in our home we have addressed the meath that sweeteneth our food. I come to thee for safety and for quiet. May joy be ours, felicity, and blessing.

⁴⁴We invocate the Maruts, the voracious, eaters of their foes, Delighting in their mess of meal.

⁴⁵We expiate by sacrifice each sinful act that we have done, Whether in village or the wild, in company or corporeal sense. Svâhâ!

⁴⁶Let us not here contend with Gods, O Indra, for, Fierce One! here is thine own sacred portion, Thine, Mighty One, whose friends, the bounteous Maruts, his song who pours oblation, streamlike, honours.

⁴⁷The skilful workers have performed their work with voice that gives delight. Having performed the work for Gods, go, ye companions, to your home.

⁴⁸O ever-moving Cleansing Bath, thou movest gliding on thy way. With Gods may I wash out the sin that I have sinned against the Gods, with men the sin against mankind. Preserve me safe from injury, O God, from him who loudly roars.

⁴⁹Full, fly away, O spoon, and filled completely fly thou back to us. O Satakratu, let us twain barter, like goods, our food and strength.

⁵⁰Give me, I give thee gifts: bestow on me, and I bestow on thee. To me present thy merchandize, and I to thee will give my wares.

⁵¹Well have they eaten and regaled: the friends have risen and passed away. The sages, luminous in themselves, have praised thee with their latest hymn. Now, Indra, yoke thy two Bay Steeds.

⁵²Thee will we reverence, thee, O Lord of Bounty, who art fair to see. Thus praised, according to our wish come now with richly-laden car. Now, Indra, yoke thy two Bay Steeds.

⁵³We call the spirit hither with a hero-celebrating strain, Yea, with the Fathers’ holy hymns.

⁵⁴The spirit comes to us again for wisdom, energy, and life, That we may long behold the Sun.

⁵⁵O Fathers, may the Heavenly Folk give us the spirit once again, That we may be with those who live.

⁵⁶O Soma, with the spirit still within us, blest with progeny, May we be busied in thy law.

⁵⁷O Rudra, this is thine allotted portion. With Ambikâ thy sister kindly take it. This, Rudra, is thy share, the rat thy victim.

⁵⁸We have contented Rudra, yea, put off Tryambaka the God, That he may make us wealthier, may make us yet more prosperous, may make us vigorous to act.

⁵⁹Thou art a healing medicine, a balm for cow and horse and man, a happiness to ram and ewe.

⁶⁰Tryambaka we worship, sweet augmenter of prosperity. As from its stem a cucumber, may I be freed from bonds of death, not reft of immortality. We worship him, Tryambaka, the husband-finder, sweet to smell. As from its stem a cucumber, hence and not thence may I be loosed.

⁶¹This, Rudra, is thy food: with this depart beyond the Mûjavâns. With bow unstrung, with muffled staff, clothed in a garment made of skin, gracious, not harming us, depart.

⁶²May Jamadagni's triple life, the triple life of Kasyapa, The triple life of Deities—may that same triple life be ours.

⁶³Gracious, thy name; the thunder is thy father. Obeisance be to thee: forbear to harm me. I shave thee for long life, for food to feed thee, for progeny, for riches in abundance, for noble children, for heroic vigour.