Rigveda 8.23

8.23.1

ईळि॑ष्वा॒ हि प्र॑ती॒व्यं१ यज॑स्व जा॒तवे॑दसम् | च॒रि॒ष्णुधू॑म॒मगृ॑भीतशोचिषम् ||

WORSHIP thou Jātavedas, pray to him who willingly accepts, Whose smoke wanders at will, and none may grasp his flame.

8.23.2

दा॒मानं॑ विश्वचर्षणे॒ऽग्निं वि॑श्वमनो गि॒रा | उ॒त स्तु॑षे॒ विष्प॑र्धसो॒ रथा॑नाम् ||

Thou, all men's friend, Visvamanas, exaltest Agni with thy song, The Giver, and his flames with which no cars contend.

8.23.3

येषा॑माबा॒ध ऋ॒ग्मिय॑ इ॒षः पृ॒क्षश्च॑ नि॒ग्रभे॑ | उ॒प॒विदा॒ वह्नि॑र्विन्दते॒ वसु॑ ||

Whose resolute assault, to win vigour and food, deserves our praise,— Through whose discovering power the priest obtaineth wealth.

8.23.4

उद॑स्य शो॒चिर॑स्थाद्दीदि॒युषो॒ व्य१जर॑म् | तपु॑र्जम्भस्य सु॒द्युतो॑ गण॒श्रिय॑: ||

Up springs the imperishable flame, the flame of the Refulgent One Most bright, with glowing jaws and glory in his train.

8.23.5

उदु॑ तिष्ठ स्वध्वर॒ स्तवा॑नो दे॒व्या कृ॒पा | अ॒भि॒ख्या भा॒सा बृ॑ह॒ता शु॑शु॒क्वनि॑: ||

Skilled in fair sacrifice, extolled, arise in Godlike loveliness, Shining with lofty splendour, with effulgent light.

8.23.6

अग्ने॑ या॒हि सु॑श॒स्तिभि॑र्ह॒व्या जुह्वा॑न आनु॒षक् | यथा॑ दू॒तो ब॒भूथ॑ हव्य॒वाह॑नः ||

Called straight to our oblations, come, O Agni, through our eulogies, As thou hast been our envoy bearing up our gifts.

8.23.7

अ॒ग्निं व॑: पू॒र्व्यं हु॑वे॒ होता॑रं चर्षणी॒नाम् | तम॒या वा॒चा गृ॑णे॒ तमु॑ वः स्तुषे ||

I call your Agni, from of old Invoking Priest of living men: Him with this song I laud and magnify for you.

8.23.8

य॒ज्ञेभि॒रद्भु॑तक्रतुं॒ यं कृ॒पा सू॒दय॑न्त॒ इत् | मि॒त्रं न जने॒ सुधि॑तमृ॒ताव॑नि ||

Whom, wondrous wise, they animate with solemn rites and his fair form, Kind as a friend to men who keep the holy Law.

8.23.9

ऋ॒तावा॑नमृतायवो य॒ज्ञस्य॒ साध॑नं गि॒रा | उपो॑ एनं जुजुषु॒र्नम॑सस्प॒दे ||

Him, true to Law, who perfecteth the sacrifice,. Law-loving ones! Ye with your song have gratified in the place of prayer.

8.23.10

अच्छा॑ नो॒ अङ्गि॑रस्तमं य॒ज्ञासो॑ यन्तु सं॒यत॑: | होता॒ यो अस्ति॑ वि॒क्ष्वा य॒शस्त॑मः ||

May all our sacrifices go to him the truest Aṅgiras, Who is among mankind the most illustrious Priest.

8.23.11

अग्ने॒ तव॒ त्ये अ॑ज॒रेन्धा॑नासो बृ॒हद्भाः | अश्वा॑ इव॒ वृष॑णस्तविषी॒यव॑: ||

Imperishable Agni, thine are all these high enkindled lights, Like horses and like stallions showing forth their strength.

8.23.12

स त्वं न॑ ऊर्जां पते र॒यिं रा॑स्व सु॒वीर्य॑म् | प्राव॑ नस्तो॒के तन॑ये स॒मत्स्वा ||

So give us, Lord of Power and Might, riches combined with hero strength, And guard us with our sons and grand. sons in our frays.

8.23.13

यद्वा उ॑ वि॒श्पति॑: शि॒तः सुप्री॑तो॒ मनु॑षो वि॒शि | विश्वेद॒ग्निः प्रति॒ रक्षां॑सि सेधति ||

Soon as the eager Lord of men is friendly unto Manti's race, Agni averteth from us all the demon host.

8.23.14

श्रु॒ष्ट्य॑ग्ने॒ नव॑स्य मे॒ स्तोम॑स्य वीर विश्पते | नि मा॒यिन॒स्तपु॑षा र॒क्षसो॑ दह ||

O Hero Agni, Lord of men, on hearing this new laud of mine, Burn down the Rākṣasas, enchanters, with thy flame.

8.23.15

न तस्य॑ मा॒यया॑ च॒न रि॒पुरी॑शीत॒ मर्त्य॑: | यो अ॒ग्नये॑ द॒दाश॑ ह॒व्यदा॑तिभिः ||

No mortal foe can e’er prevail by arts of magic over him Who serveth Agni well with sacrificial gifts.

8.23.16

व्य॑श्वस्त्वा वसु॒विद॑मुक्ष॒ण्युर॑प्रीणा॒दृषि॑: | म॒हो रा॒ये तमु॑ त्वा॒ समि॑धीमहि ||

Vyaśva the sage, who sought the Bull, hath won thee, finder of good things: As such may we enkindle thee for ample wealth.

8.23.17

उ॒शना॑ का॒व्यस्त्वा॒ नि होता॑रमसादयत् | आ॒य॒जिं त्वा॒ मन॑वे जा॒तवे॑दसम् ||

Uśanā Kāvya stablished thee, O Agni, as Invoking Priest: Thee, Jātavedas, Sacrificing Priest for man.

8.23.18

विश्वे॒ हि त्वा॑ स॒जोष॑सो दे॒वासो॑ दू॒तमक्र॑त | श्रु॒ष्टी दे॑व प्रथ॒मो य॒ज्ञियो॑ भुवः ||

All Deities of one accord appointed thee their messenger: Thou, God, through hearing, hadst first claim to sacrifice.

8.23.19

इ॒मं घा॑ वी॒रो अ॒मृतं॑ दू॒तं कृ॑ण्वीत॒ मर्त्य॑: | पा॒व॒कं कृ॒ष्णव॑र्तनिं॒ विहा॑यसम् ||

Him may the mortal hero make his own immortal messenger. Far-spreading, Purifier, him whose path is black.

8.23.20

तं हु॑वेम य॒तस्रु॑चः सु॒भासं॑ शु॒क्रशो॑चिषम् | वि॒शाम॒ग्निम॒जरं॑ प्र॒त्नमीड्य॑म् ||

With lifted ladles let us call him splendid with his brilliant flame, Men's ancient Agni, wasting not, adorable.

8.23.21

यो अ॑स्मै ह॒व्यदा॑तिभि॒राहु॑तिं॒ मर्तोऽवि॑धत् | भूरि॒ पोषं॒ स ध॑त्ते वी॒रव॒द्यश॑: ||

The man who pays the worship due to him with sacrificial gifts Obtains both plenteous nourishment and hero fame.

8.23.22

प्र॒थ॒मं जा॒तवे॑दसम॒ग्निं य॒ज्ञेषु॑ पू॒र्व्यम् | प्रति॒ स्रुगे॑ति॒ नम॑सा ह॒विष्म॑ती ||

To Jātavedas Agni, chief in sacrifices, first of all With homage goes the ladle rich with sacred gifts.

8.23.23

आभि॑र्विधेमा॒ग्नये॒ ज्येष्ठा॑भिर्व्यश्व॒वत् | मंहि॑ष्ठाभिर्म॒तिभि॑: शु॒क्रशो॑चिषे ||

Even as Vyatya did, may we with these most high and liberal hymns Pay worship unto Agni of the splendid flame.

8.23.24

नू॒नम॑र्च॒ विहा॑यसे॒ स्तोमे॑भिः स्थूरयूप॒वत् | ऋषे॑ वैयश्व॒ दम्या॑या॒ग्नये॑ ||

Now sing, as Sthurayupa sang, with lands to him who spreadeth far, To Agni of the home, O Ṛṣi, Vyaśva's son.

8.23.25

अति॑थिं॒ मानु॑षाणां सू॒नुं वन॒स्पती॑नाम् | विप्रा॑ अ॒ग्निमव॑से प्र॒त्नमी॑ळते ||

As welcome guest of human kind, as offspring of the forest kings, The sages worship ancient Agni for his aid.

8.23.26

म॒हो विश्वाँ॑ अ॒भि ष॒तो॒३ऽभि ह॒व्यानि॒ मानु॑षा | अग्ने॒ नि ष॑त्सि॒ नम॒साधि॑ ब॒र्हिषि॑ ||

For men's oblations brought to him who is the mighty Lord of all, Sit, Agni, mid our homage, on the sacred grass.

8.23.27

वंस्वा॑ नो॒ वार्या॑ पु॒रु वंस्व॑ रा॒यः पु॑रु॒स्पृह॑: | सु॒वीर्य॑स्य प्र॒जाव॑तो॒ यश॑स्वतः ||

Grant us abundant. treasures, grant the opulence which many crave, With store of heroes, progeny, and high renown.

8.23.28

त्वं व॑रो सु॒षाम्णेऽग्ने॒ जना॑य चोदय | सदा॑ वसो रा॒तिं य॑विष्ठ॒ शश्व॑ते ||

Agni, Most Youthful of the Gods, send evermore the gift of wealth Unto Varosusaman and to all his folk.

8.23.29

त्वं हि सु॑प्र॒तूरसि॒ त्वं नो॒ गोम॑ती॒रिष॑: | म॒हो रा॒यः सा॒तिम॑ग्ने॒ अपा॑ वृधि ||

A mighty Conqueror art thou, O Agni, so disclose to us Food in our herds of kine and gain of ample wealth.

8.23.30

अग्ने॒ त्वं य॒शा अ॒स्या मि॒त्रावरु॑णा वह | ऋ॒तावा॑ना स॒म्राजा॑ पू॒तद॑क्षसा ||

Thou, Agni, art a glorious God: bring hither Mitra, Varuṇa, Imperial Sovrans, holy-minded, true to Law.