Chapter 27The Twenty-Sixth Hymn to Agni

A HYMN OF THE PRIEST AND SACRIFICIAL FLAME [The Rishi invokes the Divine Flame in all its usual attributes as the sacrificer, the luminous seer who has the vision of the lumi- nous world, the bringer of the gods, the carrier of the offering, the envoy, conqueror, increaser of the divine workings in man, the knower of the Births, the leader of the march of the sacrifice with its progressive epiphany of the godheads.] an

pAvk roEcqA m d

yA d v Ejh

vyA

aA d vAn

vE0 yE0 c

1. O Flame, O purifier, bring to us by thy tongue of rapture, O god, the gods and offer to them sacrifice. t

vA G

t‰vFmh

EcBAno vd

'fm

d vA & aA vFty

vh

2. Thou who drippest the clarity, thou of the rich and varied luminousness, we desire thee because thou hast the vision of our world of the Truth. Bring to us the gods for their manifesting.1 vFEtho

vA kv

%

m t

sEmDFmEh

an

b

h tm2vr

3. O Seer, we kindle thee in thy light and thy vastness in the march of our sacrifice who carriest the offerings on their journey. 1 Or “for the journeying” to the luminous world of the Truth, or “for the eating” of the oblations.

Hymns of the Atris an

Evv EBrA gEh d v EBh '4ydAty

hotAr

vA v

ZFmh

4. Come, O Will, with all the godheads for the giving of the oblation; thee we accept as the priest of the offering. yjmAnAy s

vt aAn

s

vFy : vh

d v rA sEs bEh 'Eq

5. For the sacrificer who presses the wine of his delight, bring, O Flame, a perfect energy. Sit with the gods on the seat of the soul’s fullness. sEmDAn sh5Ejdn

DmA 'EZ p

yEs

d vAnA & d

t u/Ly

6. O Flame, thou burnest high and increasest the divine laws and art the conqueror of a thousandfold riches; thou art the messenger of the gods who hast the word.

yEn

jAtv ds

hovAh

yEv€m

dDAtA d vm

Evjm

7. Set within you the Flame who knows the births, bearer of the offering, youngest vigour, divine sacrificer in the seasons of the Truth.

y evAn

qg%A d v4yctm

t

ZFt bEh 'rAsd

8. Today let thy sacrifice march forward unceasingly, thy sac- rifice that shall bring the whole epiphany of the godheads. Strew the seat of thy soul that there they may sit. ed

mzto aEvnA Em sFd t

vzZ

d vAs sv 'yA EvfA

Hymns to Agni 9. There let the Life-powers2 take their seat and the Riders of the Horse3 and the Lord of Love4 and the Lord of Wideness,5 even the gods with all their nation. 2 The Maruts. 3 The twin Ashwins. 4 Mitra. 5 Varuna.