May Agni, the divine fire, when invoked, bring us auspiciousness in all things—may our gifts, our sacrifices, and our praises be blessed. May the very act of praising be favorable, and may our minds be made victorious over all obstacles, just as Agni triumphs in battle. In the heat of struggle, it is Agni’s endurance that stands firm and brings victory to the many; so let our praises win his favor. I see Agni as the great Wealth-Giver, the one to whom the cows return at sunset, and to whom the swift, tireless horses go as day ends. It is Agni who brings nourishment to those who sing his glory. He is the one whom I praise as the Giver of Wealth, to whom both cattle and noble, ever-moving heroes gather—may he sustain the singers. The bright ladles, filled with clarified butter, are set before him, and in our hymns, we fill Agni, the Lord of strength—may he nourish the singers. Today, Agni, like a spirited horse drawn by praise, like a noble resolve that stirs the heart, may we reach you through our invocations. Thus, Agni, you have become the charioteer of the great truth, guiding auspicious will and skillful action. With these hymns, draw near to us, O radiant Agni, and approach us with all your gracious faces. I honor Agni as the priest, the generous one, the Giver of Wealth, the son of strength, the all-knower and wise one. With upright rites, he is the god among gods, compassionate, accepting our offerings of clarified butter as they stream to him. Agni, be our closest ally, our protector, our auspicious shelter. Wealth-Giver, famed for riches, lead us straight to the most radiant treasure. You, most brilliant, shining with flame, we call upon for good favor for our friends. It was by Agni’s light that the seers, through austerity, approached the sacred session, kindling him and bringing forth illumination. In that light, I find my place in heaven, in Agni whom the Manus call the one with the strewn grass. May we follow him together—with wives, with sons, with brothers, or with treasures of gold—reaching for heaven, in the world of the righteous, on the third shining ridge of the heavens. Agni, the lively one, has ascended to the midst of speech—he is the lord of truth, the wise one, set upon the earth, flashing forth without thunder, giving a place for those who strive. This Agni is most heroic, bestower of strength and a thousand powers. May he shine forth, never failing, blazing in the midst of our being, drawing us near to the divine abodes. Let us move and come together, O Agni, making the divine paths. Ancestors and young ones, restored, follow these paths—may this sacred thread be woven within you. Awaken, Agni, rise up! You create both the desired and the fulfilled. In this assembly and in the higher one, may the gods and worshipers sit together in harmony. By your power that carries a thousand, by your all-knowing wisdom, Agni, lead our sacrifice; let it reach the gods and the light. This is your ritual seat, Agni, from which you were born and shone forth. Knowing this, ascend and increase our abundance. May heat and cold, the winter seasons, and the union within Agni be established; may heaven and earth, waters and plants, and the fires themselves each be established for supremacy and with their vows. United in mind between heaven and earth, may these winter seasons be set, and may the gods, like Indra, come together. With that divinity, O Angiras, sit firmly. May the Supreme Lord seat you upon the radiant expanse of the sky—for the breath of all beings, for inhalation and exhalation, for movement and establishment. The Sun is your ruler; by that divine power, O Angiras, be firmly established. Fill the world, fill its opening, be firmly seated; Indra, Agni, and Brihaspati have blessed you in this sacred place. The children of Prishni press the Soma for him; the birth of the gods shines in the three realms of heaven. All voices have exalted Indra, whose domain is the ocean, the foremost among charioteers, the true lord of prizes, the master. The horse, released, grazes on the grass when the great barrier is removed; then the wind follows its course, the flame spreads, and your path is shrouded in darkness. I seat you in the dwelling, in the shade, in the heart of the ocean; radiant and shining, ascend to the sky, and shine upon the earth and the wide atmosphere. May the Supreme Lord seat you upon the radiant expanse of the sky. Spread out and strengthen the heavens; do not harm them. For the breath of all beings, for all the cycles of life, may the Sun protect you with well-being, a shield, and peace. By that divine power, O Angiras, be firmly established. You are the measure and likeness and expansion of a thousand; you are mighty. I dedicate you to the thousand. Now, salutations to you, Rudra, O wrathful one, and to your arrow; salutations also to your mighty arms. O Rudra, show us your auspicious, gentle form, free from terror and evil; with that gracious body, O mountain-dweller, reveal yourself to us. The arrow you hold in your hand, O Lord of the mountains, make it auspicious and do not bring harm to people or the world. With gentle words, we address you, O mountain-dweller, so that all the world may be free from sickness and be benevolent toward us. The divine healer was the first to speak, the supreme advocate, who subdues all serpents and drives away all evil spirits downward. That one who is copper-red, ruddy, and tawny, most auspicious, and those Rudras who surround him in all directions by the thousands—we invoke their favor. That one who descends, blue-necked and red, whom the herdsman and the water-bearer have seen—may he, when seen, show us mercy. Salutations to the blue-necked, thousand-eyed, gracious one; and to all his beings, I offer my salutations. Release the bowstring from both ends of your bow, O Lord, and cast away the arrows in your hand. Let the bow of the matted-haired one be unstrung, his arrows harmless, his quiver closed and at rest. That missile of yours, most generous, which is in your hand—may it shield us on all sides, keeping us free from harm. May the missile from your bow protect us everywhere; and now, O Lord, lay aside your quiver here in this place.