शुनमस्मभ्यमूतये वरुणो मित्रो अर्यमा । शर्म यच्छन्तु सप्रथ आदित्यासो यदीमहे अति द्विषः
May Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman, the Ādityas, grant us wide protection for safety, as we seek to pass beyond our enemies.
यथा ह त्यद्वसवो गौर्यं चित्पदि षिताममुञ्चता यजत्राः । एवो ष्वस्मन्मुञ्चता व्यंहः प्र तार्यग्ने प्रतरं न आयुः
As you, O gods, once released the cow bound in the stall, so now release us from distress; drive away our misfortune, O Agni, as a ferryman carries across the river of life.
रात्री व्यख्यदायती पुरुत्रा देव्यक्षभिः । विश्वा अधि श्रियोऽधित
Night, manifest, has approached, adorned with all her stars; she has taken possession of all her glories.
ओर्वप्रा अमर्त्या निवतो देव्युद्वतः । ज्योतिषा बाधते तमः
The immortal goddess, far-reaching, descends to the lowlands and the highlands; with her light she drives away the darkness.
निरु स्वसारमस्कृतोषसं देव्यायती । अपेदु हासते तमः
The goddess, advancing, has sent away her sister Dawn; now the darkness has vanished and laughs no more.
सा नो अद्य यस्या वयं नि ते यामन्नविक्ष्महि । वृक्षे न वसतिं वयः
May she, whose path we follow today, grant us shelter, as birds dwell in the tree.
नि ग्रामासो अविक्षत नि पद्वन्तो नि पक्षिणः । नि श्येनासश्चिदर्थिनः
The villages have settled down, those on foot and those with wings have settled down, even the hungry hawks have settled down.
यावया वृक्यं वृकं यवय स्तेनमूर्म्ये । अथा नः सुतरा भव
Drive away the wolf, the wild beast, drive away the thief from the path; then be our strong protector.
उप मा पेपिशत्तमः कृष्णं व्यक्तमस्थित । उष ऋणेव यातय
Darkness has crept close to me, black and distinct it stands; O Night, as a debt, drive it away.
उप ते गा इवाकरं वृणीष्व दुहितर्दिवः । रात्रि स्तोमं न जिग्युषे
Like cows to their stall, I have come to you; choose, O daughter of the sky, Night, a hymn of praise that is not to be defeated.
ममाग्ने वर्चो विहवेष्वस्तु वयं त्वेन्धानास्तन्वं पुषेम । मह्यं नमन्तां प्रदिशश्चतस्रस्त्वयाध्यक्षेण पृतना जयेम
O Agni, may my radiance be present in the assemblies; may we, your kindlers, prosper in body. May all four directions bow to me; with you as overseer, may we win the battle.
मम देवा विहवे सन्तु सर्व इन्द्रवन्तो मरुतो विष्णुरग्निः । ममान्तरिक्षमुरुलोकमस्तु मह्यं वातः पवतां कामे अस्मिन्
May all the gods be with me in the assembly—Indra, the Maruts, Vishnu, Agni; may the midspace be wide and open for me; may the wind blow for me according to my wish.
मयि देवा द्रविणमा यजन्तां मय्याशीरस्तु मयि देवहूतिः । दैव्या होतारो वनुषन्त पूर्वेऽरिष्टाः स्याम तन्वा सुवीराः
May the gods grant me wealth as they sacrifice; may blessings and divine invocation be with me; may the ancient divine priests favor me; may we be unharmed, strong in body and men.
मह्यं यजन्तु मम यानि हव्याकूतिः सत्या मनसो मे अस्तु । एनो मा नि गां कतमच्चनाहं विश्वे देवासो अधि वोचता नः
May they offer to me the sacrifices that are mine; may my intention be true; let no sin, of any kind, come to me; O all gods, declare this for us.
देवीः षळुर्वीरुरु नः कृणोत विश्वे देवास इह वीरयध्वम् । मा हास्महि प्रजया मा तनूभिर्मा रधाम द्विषते सोम राजन्
May the goddesses make us strong men; all gods, grant strength here. May we not perish by offspring or by body; O Soma king, may we not suffer loss from the hostile one.
अग्ने मन्युं प्रतिनुदन्परेषामदब्धो गोपाः परि पाहि नस्त्वम् । प्रत्यञ्चो यन्तु निगुतः पुनस्तेऽमैषां चित्तं प्रबुधां वि नेशत्
O Agni, unerring guardian, repelling the anger of others, protect us all around; let those who plot against us turn back, let their awakened minds not overpower us.
धाता धातॄणां भुवनस्य यस्पतिर्देवं त्रातारमभिमातिषाहम् । इमं यज्ञमश्विनोभा बृहस्पतिर्देवाः पान्तु यजमानं न्यर्थात्
The Creator, lord of creators, master of the world, the god, the savior from assault—may the Ashvins, Brihaspati, and the gods protect this sacrifice and the worshipper from harm.
उरुव्यचा नो महिषः शर्म यंसदस्मिन्हवे पुरुहूतः पुरुक्षुः । स नः प्रजायै हर्यश्व मृळयेन्द्र मा नो रीरिषो मा परा दाः
May the mighty one, widely invoked, grant us broad shelter in this assembly, O much-invoked, much-desired one; for our offspring, O Indra, delighting in horses, be gracious—do not harm us, do not take us away.
ये नः सपत्ना अप ते भवन्त्विन्द्राग्निभ्यामव बाधामहे तान् । वसवो रुद्रा आदित्या उपरिस्पृशं मोग्रं चेत्तारमधिराजमक्रन्
Those who are our rivals, may they be turned away; with Indra and Agni we drive them off. Vasus, Rudras, Adityas, touch them from above; make the fierce, plotting chief powerless.
नासदासीन्नो सदासीत्तदानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमा परो यत्। किमावरीवः कुह कस्य शर्मन्नम्भः किमासीद्गहनं गभीरम्
Then there was neither non-existence nor existence; there was no realm of air, nor the sky beyond. What covered it? Where? In whose protection? Was there water, deep and unfathomable?
न मृत्युरासीदमृतं न तर्हि न रात्र्या अह्न आसीत्प्रकेतः। आनीदवातं स्वधया तदेकं तस्माद्धान्यन्न परः किं चनास
There was no death then, nor immortality; no sign of night or day. That One breathed, windless, by its own impulse; apart from That, there was nothing else.
तम आसीत्तमसा गूळ्हमग्रेऽप्रकेतं सलिलं सर्वमा इदम्। तुच्छ्येनाभ्वपिहितं यदासीत्तपसस्तन्महिनाजायतैकम्
Darkness was hidden by darkness in the beginning; all this was water without distinguishing sign. That which was covered by the void and emptiness, by the power of heat, the One was born.
कामस्तदग्रे समवर्तताधि मनसो रेतः प्रथमं यदासीत्। सतो बन्धुमसति निरविन्दन् हृदि प्रतीष्या कवयो मनीषा
Desire arose in the beginning, the first seed of mind. Sages, searching in their hearts with wisdom, found the bond of the existent in the non-existent.
तिरश्चीनो विततो रश्मिरेषामधः स्विदासी३दुपरि स्विदासी३त्। रेतोधा आसन्महिमान आसन्त्स्वधा अवस्तात्प्रयतिः परस्तात्
Their line was stretched across: was there below, was there above? There were seed-bearers, there were powers; self-dependence below, impulse above.
को अद्धा वेद क इह प्र वोचत्कुत आजाता कुत इयं विसृष्टिः। अर्वाग्देवा अस्य विसर्जनेनाथा को वेद यत आबभूव
Who truly knows, who here can declare, from where it was born, from where this creation came? The gods came after the creation of this world—who then knows from where it arose?
इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न। यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद
This creation—from where it arose, whether it was made or whether not—he who oversees it in the highest heaven, he surely knows, or perhaps he does not know.
यो यज्ञो विश्वतस्तन्तुभिस्तत एकशतं देवकर्मेभिरायतः । इमे वयन्ति पितरो य आययुः प्र वयाप वयेत्यासते तते
That sacrifice, woven on all sides with threads, extended by a hundred divine acts—these ancestors who came before weave it; they sit by it, saying, 'Let us go forth, let us go forth.'
पुमाँ एनं तनुत उत्कृणत्ति पुमान्वि तत्ने अधि नाके अस्मिन् । इमे मयूखा उप सेदुरू सदः सामानि चक्रुस्तसराण्योतवे
A man stretches it, a man cuts it, a man weaves it in this heaven. These rays have approached the seat; they made the chants, all the paths for the offering.
कासीत्प्रमा प्रतिमा किं निदानमाज्यं किमासीत्परिधिः क आसीत् । छन्दः किमासीत्प्रउगं किमुक्थं यद्देवा देवमयजन्त विश्वे
What was the measure? What the model? What was the foundation? What was the clarified butter? What was the enclosing stick? What was the meter? What the recitation? What the hymn, when all the gods sacrificed to the god?
अग्नेर्गायत्र्यभवत्सयुग्वोष्णिहया सविता सं बभूव । अनुष्टुभा सोम उक्थैर्महस्वान्बृहस्पतेर्बृहती वाचमावत्
From Agni came the Gayatri as the yoke; from Savitar, Ushnih arose. From Soma, Anushtubh with hymns, mighty; from Brihaspati, Brihati brought forth speech.