Containing 24 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
अस॒त्सु मे॑ जरितः॒ साभि॑वे॒गो यत्सु॑न्व॒ते यज॑मानाय॒ शिक्ष॑म् अना॑शीर्दाम॒हम॑स्मि प्रह॒न्ता स॑त्य॒ध्वृतं॑ वृजिना॒यन्त॑मा॒भुम्
"THIS, singer, is my firm determination, to aid the worshipper who pours the Soma. I slay the man who brings no milkoblation, unrighteous, powerful, the truth's perverter."
यदीद॒हं यु॒धये॑ सं॒नया॒न्यदे॑वयून्त॒न्वा॒३॒॑ शूशु॑जानान् अ॒मा ते॒ तुम्रं॑ वृष॒भं प॑चानि ती॒व्रं सु॒तं प॑ञ्चद॒शं नि षि॑ञ्चम्
"Then Will I, when I lead my friends to battle against the radiant persons of the godless, Prepare for thee at home a vigorous bullock, and pour for thee the fifteen-fold strong juices."
नाहं तं वे॑द॒ य इति॒ ब्रवी॒त्यदे॑वयून्त्स॒मर॑णे जघ॒न्वान् य॒दावाख्य॑त्स॒मर॑ण॒मृघा॑व॒दादिद्ध॑ मे वृष॒भा प्र ब्रु॑वन्ति
"I know not him who sayeth and declareth that he hath slain the godless in the battle. Soon as they see the furious combat raging, men speak forth praises of my vigorous horses."
यदज्ञा॑तेषु वृ॒जने॒ष्वासं॒ विश्वे॑ स॒तो म॒घवा॑नो म आसन् जि॒नामि॒ वेत्क्षेम॒ आ सन्त॑मा॒भुं प्र तं क्षि॑णां॒ पर्व॑ते पाद॒गृह्य॑
"While yet my deeds of might were unrecorded, all passed for Maghavans though I existed. The potent one who dwelt in peace I conquered, grasped by the foot and slew him on the mountain."
न वा उ॒ मां वृ॒जने॑ वारयन्ते॒ न पर्व॑तासो॒ यद॒हं म॑न॒स्ये मम॑ स्व॒नात्कृ॑धु॒कर्णो॑ भयात ए॒वेदनु॒ द्यून्कि॒रणः॒ समे॑जात्
"None hinder me in mine heroic exploits, no, not the mountains when I will and purpose. Even the deaf will tremble at my roaring, and every day will dust be agitated."
दर्श॒न्न्वत्र॑ शृत॒पाँ अ॑नि॒न्द्रान्बा॑हु॒क्षदः॒ शर॑वे॒ पत्य॑मानान् घृषुं॑ वा॒ ये नि॑नि॒दुः सखा॑य॒मध्यू॒ न्वे॑षु प॒वयो॑ ववृत्युः
"To see the Indraless oblation-drinkers, mean offerers, o'ertaken by destruction! Then shall the fellies of my car pass over those who have blamed my joyous Friend and scorned him."
अभू॒र्वौक्षी॒र्व्यु१॒॑ आयु॑रान॒ड्दर्ष॒न्नु पूर्वो॒ अप॑रो॒ नु द॑र्षत् द्वे प॒वस्ते॒ परि॒ तं न भू॑तो॒ यो अ॒स्य पा॒रे रज॑सो वि॒वेष॑
"Thou wast, thou grewest to full vital vigour: an earlier saw, a later one shall see thee. Two canopies, as 'twere, are round about him who reacheth to the limit of this region."
गावो॒ यवं॒ प्रयु॑ता अ॒र्यो अ॑क्ष॒न्ता अ॑पश्यं स॒हगो॑पा॒श्चर॑न्तीः हवा॒ इद॒र्यो अ॒भितः॒ समा॑य॒न्किय॑दासु॒ स्वप॑तिश्छन्दयाते
"The freed kine eat the barley of the pious. I saw them as they wandered with the herdsman. The calling of the pious rang around them. What portion will these kine afford their owner?"
सं यद्वयं॑ यव॒सादो॒ जना॑नाम॒हं य॒वाद॑ उ॒र्वज्रे॑ अ॒न्तः अत्रा॑ यु॒क्तो॑ऽवसा॒तार॑मिच्छा॒दथो॒ अयु॑क्तं युनजद्वव॒न्वान्
"When we who cat the grass of men are gathered I am with barley-eaters in the corn-land. There shall the captor yoke the yokeless bullock, and he who hath been yoked seek one to loose him."
अत्रेदु॑ मे मंससे स॒त्यमु॒क्तं द्वि॒पाच्च॒ यच्चतु॑ष्पात्संसृ॒जानि॑ स्त्री॒भिर्यो अत्र॒ वृष॑णं पृत॒न्यादयु॑द्धो अस्य॒ वि भ॑जानि॒ वेदः॑
"There wilt thou hold as true my spoken purpose, to bring together quadrupeds. and bipeds. I will divide, without a fight, his riches who warreth here, against the Bull, with women."
यस्या॑न॒क्षा दु॑हि॒ता जात्वास॒ कस्तां वि॒द्वाँ अ॒भि म॑न्याते अ॒न्धाम् क॒त॒रो मे॒निं प्रति॒ तं मु॑चाते॒ य ईं॒ वहा॑ते॒ य ईं॑ वा वरे॒यात्
"When a man's daughter hath been ever eyeless, who, knowing, will be wroth with her for blindness? Which of the two will loose on him his anger-the man who leads her home or he who woos her?"
किय॑ती॒ योषा॑ मर्य॒तो व॑धू॒योः परि॑प्रीता॒ पन्य॑सा॒ वार्ये॑ण भ॒द्रा व॒धूर्भ॑वति॒ यत्सु॒पेशाः॑ स्व॒यं सा मि॒त्रं व॑नुते॒ जने॑ चित्
"How many a maid is pleasing to the suitor who fain would marry for her splendid riches? If the girl be both good and fair of feature, she finds, herself, a friend among the people."
प॒त्तो ज॑गार प्र॒त्यञ्च॑मत्ति शी॒र्ष्णा शिरः॒ प्रति॑ दधौ॒ वरू॑थम् आसी॑न ऊ॒र्ध्वामु॒पसि॑ क्षिणाति॒ न्य॑ङ्ङुत्ता॒नामन्वे॑ति॒ भूमि॑म्
"His feet have grasped: he eats the man who meets him. Around his head he sets the head for shelter. Sitting anear and right above he smites us, and follows earth that lies spread out beneath him."
बृ॒हन्न॑च्छा॒यो अ॑पला॒शो अर्वा॑ त॒स्थौ मा॒ता विषि॑तो अत्ति॒ गर्भः॑ अ॒न्यस्या॑ व॒त्सं रि॑ह॒ती मि॑माय॒ कया॑ भु॒वा नि द॑धे धे॒नुरूधः॑
"High, leafless, shadowless, and swift is Heaven: the Mother stands, the Youngling, loosed, is feeding. Loud hath she lowed, licking Another's offspring. In what world hath the Cow laid down her udder?"
स॒प्त वी॒रासो॑ अध॒रादुदा॑यन्न॒ष्टोत्त॒रात्ता॒त्सम॑जग्मिर॒न्ते नव॑ प॒श्चाता॑त्स्थिवि॒मन्त॑ आय॒न्दश॒ प्राक्सानु॒ वि ति॑र॒न्त्यश्नः॑
"Seven heroes from the nether part ascended, and from the upper part came eight together. Nine from behind came armed with winnowing-baskets: ten from the front pressed o'er the rock's high ridges."
द॒शा॒नामेकं॑ कपि॒लं स॑मा॒नं तं हि॑न्वन्ति॒ क्रत॑वे॒ पार्या॑य गर्भं॑ मा॒ता सुधि॑तं व॒क्षणा॒स्ववे॑नन्तं तु॒षय॑न्ती बिभर्ति
"One of the ten, the tawny, shared in common, they send to execute their final purpose. The Mother carries on her breast the Infant of noble form and soothes it while it knows not."
पीवा॑नं मे॒षम॑पचन्त वी॒रा न्यु॑प्ता अ॒क्षा अनु॑ दी॒व आ॑सन् द्वा धनुं॑ बृह॒तीम॒प्स्व१॒॑न्तः प॒वित्र॑वन्ता चरतः पु॒नन्ता॑
"The Heroes dressed with fire the fatted wether: the dice were thrown by way of sport and gaming. Two reach the plain amid the heavenly waters, hallowing and with means of purifying."
वि क्रो॑श॒नासो॒ विष्व॑ञ्च आय॒न्पचा॑ति॒ नेमो॑ न॒हि पक्ष॑द॒र्धः अ॒यं मे॑ दे॒वः स॑वि॒ता तदा॑ह॒ द्र्व॑न्न॒ इद्व॑नवत्स॒र्पिर॑न्नः
"Crying aloud they ran in all directions: One half of them will cook, and not the other. To me hath Savitar, this God, declared it: He will perform, whose food is wood and butter."
अप॑श्यं॒ ग्रामं॒ वह॑मानमा॒राद॑च॒क्रया॑ स्व॒धया॒ वर्त॑मानम् सिष॑क्त्य॒र्यः प्र यु॒गा जना॑नां स॒द्यः शि॒श्ना प्र॑मिना॒नो नवी॑यान्
"I saw a troop advancing from the distance moved, not by wheels but their own God-like nature. The Friendly One seeks human generations, destroying, still new bands of evil beings."
ए॒तौ मे॒ गावौ॑ प्रम॒रस्य॑ यु॒क्तौ मो षु प्र से॑धी॒र्मुहु॒रिन्म॑मन्धि आप॑श्चिदस्य॒ वि न॑श॒न्त्यर्थं॒ सूर॑श्च म॒र्क उप॑रो बभू॒वान्
"These my two Bulls, even Pramara's, are harnessed: drive them not far; here let them often linger. The waters even shall aid him to his object, and the all-cleansing Sun who is above us."
अ॒यं यो वज्रः॑ पुरु॒धा विवृ॑त्तो॒ऽवः सूर्य॑स्य बृह॒तः पुरी॑षात् श्रव॒ इदे॒ना प॒रो अ॒न्यद॑स्ति॒ तद॑व्य॒थी ज॑रि॒माण॑स्तरन्ति
"This is the thunderbolt which often whirleth down from the lofty misty realm of Sûrya. Beyond this realm there is another glory so through old age they pass and feel no sorrow."
वृ॒क्षेवृ॑क्षे॒ निय॑ता मीमय॒द्गौस्ततो॒ वयः॒ प्र प॑तान्पूरु॒षादः॑ अथे॒दं विश्वं॒ भुव॑नं भयात॒ इन्द्रा॑य सु॒न्वदृष॑ये च॒ शिक्ष॑त्
"Bound fast to,every tree the cow is lowing, and thence the man-consuming birds are flying, Then all this world, though pressing juice for Indra and strengthening the R̥ishi, is affrighted."
दे॒वानां॒ माने॑ प्रथ॒मा अ॑तिष्ठन्कृ॒न्तत्रा॑देषा॒मुप॑रा॒ उदा॑यन् त्रय॑स्तपन्ति पृथि॒वीम॑नू॒पा द्वा बृबू॑कं वहतः॒ पुरी॑षम्
"In the Gods' mansion stood the first-created, and from their separation came the later. Three warm the Earth while holding stores of water, and Two of these convey the murmuring moisture."
सा ते॑ जी॒वातु॑रु॒त तस्य॑ विद्धि॒ मा स्मै॑ता॒दृगप॑ गूहः सम॒र्ये आ॒विः स्वः॑ कृणु॒ते गूह॑ते बु॒सं स पा॒दुर॑स्य नि॒र्णिजो॒ न मु॑च्यते
"This is thy life: and do thou mark and know it. As such, hide not thyself in time of battle. He manifests the light and hides the vapour: his foot is never free from robes that veil it."