White Yajurveda, Book IIIशुक्लयजुर्वेद अध्याय ३

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

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

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

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

Earth! 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.

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

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

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

Agni 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!

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

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

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

You 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.

This 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.

Here 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.

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

Thou, 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.

Enkindled 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.

Thou 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.

Ye 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.

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

Composed 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;

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

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

O 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.

To 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ne’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.

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

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

Earth! 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.

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

Lord 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.

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

Fear 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.

The 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.

Here 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.

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

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

Let 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.

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

O 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.

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

Give 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.

Well 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.

Thee 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.

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

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

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

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

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

We 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.

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

Tryambaka 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.

This, 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.

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

Gracious, 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.