यो देवेभ्य ऽ आतपति यो देवानां पुरोहितः । पूर्वो यो देवेभ्यो जातो नमो रुचाय ब्राह्मये
He who shines among the gods, who is their priest, who was born before the gods, homage to the radiant Brahman.
रुचं ब्राह्म्यं जनयन्तो देवा ऽ अग्रे तद् अब्रुवन् । यस् त्वैवं ब्राह्मणो विद्यात् तस्य देवा ऽ असन् वशे
The gods, generating the Brahman radiance at the beginning, declared: Whoever knows thus as a Brahman, the gods are under his control.
श्रीश् च ते लक्ष्मीश् च पत्न्याव् अहोरात्रे पार्श्वे नक्षत्राणि रूपम् अश्विनौ व्यात्ताम् । इष्णन्न् इषाणामुं म ऽ इषाण सर्वलोकं म ऽ इषाण
Sri and Lakshmi are your wives; day and night are at your sides; the stars are your form; the Ashvins are your mouth. May you grant us nourishment; may you grant us mastery over all worlds.
तद् एवाग्निस् तद् आदित्यस् तद् वायुस् तद् उ चन्द्रमाः । तद् एव शुक्रं तद् ब्रह्म ता ऽ आपः स प्रजापतिः
That is fire, that is the sun, that is the wind, that is the moon; that is the bright one, that is Brahman, those are the waters, that is Prajapati.
सर्वे निमेषा जज्ञिरे विद्युतः पुरुषाद् अधि । नैनमूर्ध्वं न तिर्यञ्चं न मध्ये परि जग्रभत्
All moments were born, flashes of lightning, from the Purusha. No one grasped him above, nor across, nor in the middle.
न तस्य प्रतिमा ऽ अस्ति यस्य नाम महद् यशः । हिरण्यगर्भ ऽ इत्य् एषः । मा मा हिꣳसीद् इत्य् एषा । यस्मान् न जात ऽ इत्य् एष
He has no likeness; his name is great glory. He is called Hiraṇyagarbha. 'Do not harm me,' is his command. He is the one from whom nothing is born.
एषो ह देवः प्रदिशो ऽनु सर्वाः पूर्वो ह जातः स ऽ उ गर्भे ऽ अन्तः । स ऽ एव जातः स जनिष्यमाणः प्रत्यङ् जनास् तिष्ठति सर्वतोमुखः
This god moves along all directions; he was born before all; he is within the womb. He is born, he will be born; he stands facing all, with faces everywhere.
यस्माज् जातं न पुरा किं चनैव य आबभूव भुवनानि विश्वा । प्रजापतिः प्रजया सꣳरराणस् त्रीणि ज्योतीꣳषि सचते स षोडशी
From whom nothing was born before, who became all the worlds, Prajapati, striving with offspring, associates with three lights and the sixteen.
येन द्यौर् उग्रा पृथिवी च दृढा येन स्व स्तभितं येन नाकः । यो ऽ अन्तरिक्षे रजसो विमानः कस्मै देवाय हविषा विधेम
By whom the mighty heaven and the firm earth are supported, by whom the sky is held aloft, by whom the vault of space is established—he who moves in the atmosphere as the sovereign of the shining dust—to which god shall we offer our oblation?
यं क्रन्दसी ऽ अवसा तस्तभाने ऽ अभ्यैक्षेतां मनसा रेजमाने । यत्राधि सूर ऽ उदितो विभाति कस्मै देवाय हविषा विधेम । आपो ह यद् बृहतीः । यश् चिद् आपः
He whom the two crying ones, heaven and earth, upheld by his support, beheld with their minds as they trembled—where the sun rises and shines forth— to which god shall we offer our oblation? The waters indeed are vast. He is the one who is the waters.
वेनस् तत् पश्यन् निहितं गुहा सद् यत्र विश्वं भवत्य् एकनीडम् । तस्मिन्न् इदꣳ सं च वि चैति सर्वꣳ स ऽ ओतः प्रोतश् च विभूः प्रजासु
The seer, beholding that which is hidden in the cave, where all becomes united in a single nest—within him, all this moves together and apart; he is woven and interwoven throughout all beings.
प्र तद् वोचेद् अमृतं नु विद्वान् गन्धर्वो धाम विभृतं गुहा सत् । त्रीणि पदानि निहिता गुहास्य यस् तानि वेद स पितुः पितासत्
Let the wise Gandharva, who knows the immortal, declare that abode concealed in the cave. Three steps of his are set within the cave; whoever knows them becomes the ancestor of his father.
स नो बन्धुर् जनिता स विधाता धामानि वेद भुवनानि विश्वा । यत्र देवा ऽ अमृतम् आनशानास् तृतीये धामन्न् अध्य् ऐरयन्त
He is our kinsman, the creator, the arranger; he knows the abodes and all the worlds. Where the gods, seeking immortality, ascended to the third abode.
परीत्य भूतानि परीत्य लोकान् परीत्य सर्वाः प्रदिशो दिशश् च । उपस्थाय प्रथमजाम् ऋतस्यात्मनात्मानम् अभि सं विवेश
Having encompassed all beings, all worlds, all directions and quarters, he approached the primal birth of truth; by his own self, he entered into his own self.
परि द्यावापृथिवी सद्य ऽ इत्वा परि लोकान् परि दिशः परि स्वः । ऋतस्य तन्तुं विततं विचृत्य तद् अपश्यत् तद् अभवत् तद् आसीत्
Having encompassed heaven and earth together, all worlds, all directions, and the sky, he examined the stretched thread of truth; he saw that, he became that, he was that.
सदसस् पतिम् अद्भुतं प्रियम् इन्द्रस्य काम्यम् । सनिं मेधाम् अयासिषꣳम् स्वाहा
To the wondrous, beloved lord of the seat, dear to Indra, the desired one, I seek union with wisdom. Svāhā.
यां मेधां देवगणाः पितरश् चोपासते । तया माम् अद्य मेधयाग्ने मेधाविनं कुरु स्वाहा
That wisdom which the hosts of gods and the ancestors revere—by that wisdom, O Agni, make me wise today. Svāhā.
मेधां मे वरुणो ददातु मेधाम् अग्निः प्रजापतिः । मेधाम् इन्द्रस् च वायुश् च मेधां धाता ददातु मे स्वाहा
May Varuṇa grant me wisdom, may Agni and Prajāpati grant wisdom; may Indra and Vāyu grant wisdom, may Dhātṛ grant me wisdom. Svāhā.
इदं मे ब्रह्म च क्षत्रं चोभे श्रियम् अश्नुताम् । मयि देवा दधतु[ दधवु ] श्रियम् उत्तमां तस्यै ते स्वाहा
May this Brāhma and Kṣatra both attain prosperity for me; may the gods place the highest prosperity in me. To her, to you, svāhā.
अस्याजरासो दमाम् अरित्रा ऽ अर्चद्धूमासो ऽ अग्नयः पावकाः । श्वितीचयः श्वात्रासो भुरण्यवो वनर्षदो वायवो न सोमाः
Of this one, the ageless, tamed, ruddered, the shining flames are Agnis, pure, white-tipped, roaring, consuming the wood, like winds, like Somas.
हरयो धूमकेतवो वातजूता ऽ उप द्यवि । यतन्ते वृथग् अग्नयः
The tawny ones, banners of smoke, driven by the wind, strive upward to the sky; the Agnis move separately.
यजा नो मित्रावरुणा यजा देवाꣳ २ऽ ऋतं बृहत् । अग्ने यक्षि स्वं दमम्
Offer for us, O Mitra and Varuṇa, offer to the gods, to the great truth; O Agni, offer to your own house.
युक्ष्वा हि देवहूतमाꣳ२ऽ अश्वाꣳ२ऽ अग्ने रथीर् इव । नि होता पूर्व्यः सदः
Yoke, indeed, O Agni, the gods' summoned horses, like charioteers; let the ancient Hotṛ sit in the seat.
द्वे विरूपे चरतः स्वर्थे ऽ अन्यान्या वत्सम् उप धापयेते । हरिर् अन्यस्यां भवति स्वधावाञ्छुक्रो ऽ अन्यस्यां ददृशे सुवर्चाः
Two of diverse forms move toward the light; each brings forth a calf. The tawny one is in one, self-sustaining; the bright one, radiant, is seen in the other.
अयम् इह प्रथमो धायि धातृभिर् होता यजिष्ठो ऽ अध्वरेष्व् ईड्यः । यम् अप्नवानो भृगवो विरुरुचुर् वनेषु चित्रं विभ्वं विशे-विशे
Here, he was first established by the creators, the Hotṛ most fit for sacrifice, worthy at the rituals; whom the Bhrigus, the Apnavānas, made manifest in the forests, wondrous, shining, in every clan.
त्रीणि शता त्री सहस्राण्य् अग्निं त्रिꣳशच् च देवा नव चासपर्यन् । औक्षन् घृतैर् अस्तृणन् बर्हिर् अस्मा ऽ आद् इद् होतारं न्य् असादयन्त
Three hundred and three thousand and thirty-nine gods served Agni; they anointed him with ghee, spread the sacrificial grass for him, and thus installed him as Hotṛ.
मूर्धानं दिवो ऽ अरतिं पृथिव्या वैश्वानरम् ऋत ऽ आ जातम् अग्निम् । कविꣳ सम्राजम् अतिथिं जनानाम् आसन्न् आ पात्रं जनयन्त देवाः
On the summit of heaven and at the foundation of earth, the gods generated Agni, the universal fire, born from truth; the sage, the sovereign, the guest of the people, they brought near as the vessel.
अग्निर् वृत्राणि जङ्घनद् द्रविणस्युर् विपन्यया । समिद्धः शुक्र ऽ आहुतः
Agni, destroyer of obstacles, bestower of wealth through insight, shines brightly when kindled and offered with pure oblation.
विश्वेभिः सोम्यं मध्व् अग्न ऽ इन्द्रेण वायुना । पिबा मित्रस्य धामभिः
With all the gods, O Agni, drink the Soma-honey together with Indra and Vayu, by the powers of Mitra.
आ यद् इषे नृपतिं तेज ऽ आनट् शुचि रेतो निषिक्तं द्यौर् अभीके । अग्निः शर्धम् अनवद्यं युवानꣳ स्वाध्यं जनयत् सूदयच् च
When, for strength, the lord of men is summoned, the pure seed is poured out, heaven is attentive; Agni brings forth a faultless, youthful host, self-born, and causes it to flourish.