Containing 25 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
र॒क्षो॒हणं॑ वा॒जिन॒मा जि॑घर्मि मि॒त्रं प्रथि॑ष्ठ॒मुप॑ यामि॒ शर्म॑ शिशा॑नो अ॒ग्निः क्रतु॑भिः॒ समि॑द्धः॒ स नो॒ दिवा॒ स रि॒षः पा॑तु॒ नक्त॑म्
"I BALM with oil the mighty Raksas-slayer; to the most famous Friend I come for shelter Enkindled, sharpened by our rites, may Agni protect us in the day and night from evil."
अयो॑दंष्ट्रो अ॒र्चिषा॑ यातु॒धाना॒नुप॑ स्पृश जातवेदः॒ समि॑द्धः आ जि॒ह्वया॒ मूर॑देवान्रभस्व क्र॒व्यादो॑ वृ॒क्त्व्यपि॑ धत्स्वा॒सन्
"O Jâtavedas with the teeth of iron, enkindled with thy flame attack the demons. Seize with thy longue the foolish gods' adorers: rend, put within thy mouth the raw-flesh caters."
उ॒भोभ॑यावि॒न्नुप॑ धेहि॒ दंष्ट्रा॑ हिं॒स्रः शिशा॒नोऽव॑रं॒ परं॑ च उ॒तान्तरि॑क्षे॒ परि॑ याहि राज॒ञ्जम्भैः॒ सं धे॑ह्य॒भि या॑तु॒धाना॑न्
"Apply thy teeth, the upper and the lower, thou who hast both, enkindled and destroying. Roam also in the air, O King, around us, and with thy jaws assail the wicked spirits."
य॒ज्ञैरिषूः॑ सं॒नम॑मानो अग्ने वा॒चा श॒ल्याँ अ॒शनि॑भिर्दिहा॒नः ताभि॑र्विध्य॒ हृद॑ये यातु॒धाना॑न्प्रती॒चो बा॒हून्प्रति॑ भङ्ध्येषाम्
"Bending thy shafts through sacrifices, Agni, whetting their points with song as if with whetstones, Pierce to the heart therewith the Yatudhanas, and break their arms uplifed to attack thee."
अग्ने॒ त्वचं॑ यातु॒धान॑स्य भिन्धि हिं॒स्राशनि॒र्हर॑सा हन्त्वेनम् प्र पर्वा॑णि जातवेदः शृणीहि क्र॒व्यात्क्र॑वि॒ष्णुर्वि चि॑नोतु वृ॒क्णम्
"Pierce through the Yatudhana's skin, O Agni; let the destroying dart with fire consume him. Rend his joints, Jâtavedas, let the cater of flesh, flesh-seeking, track his mangled body."
यत्रे॒दानीं॒ पश्य॑सि जातवेद॒स्तिष्ठ॑न्तमग्न उ॒त वा॒ चर॑न्तम् यद्वा॒न्तरि॑क्षे प॒थिभिः॒ पत॑न्तं॒ तमस्ता॑ विध्य॒ शर्वा॒ शिशा॑नः
"Where now thou seest Agni Jâtavedas, one of these demons standing still or roaming, Or flying on those paths in air's midregion, sharpen the shaft and as an archer pierce him."
उ॒ताल॑ब्धं स्पृणुहि जातवेद आलेभा॒नादृ॒ष्टिभि॑र्यातु॒धाना॑त् अग्ने॒ पूर्वो॒ नि ज॑हि॒ शोशु॑चान आ॒मादः॒ क्ष्विङ्का॒स्तम॑द॒न्त्वेनीः॑
"Tear from the evil spirit, Jâtavedas, what he hath seized and with his spears hath captured. Blazing before him strike him down, O Agni; let spotted carrion-eating kites devour him."
इ॒ह प्र ब्रू॑हि यत॒मः सो अ॑ग्ने॒ यो या॑तु॒धानो॒ य इ॒दं कृ॒णोति॑ तमा र॑भस्व स॒मिधा॑ यविष्ठ नृ॒चक्ष॑स॒श्चक्षु॑षे रन्धयैनम्
"Here tell this forth, O Agni: whosoever is, he himself, or acteth as, a demon, Him grasp, O thou Most Youthful, with thy fuel. to the Mati-seer's eye give him as booty."
ती॒क्ष्णेना॑ग्ने॒ चक्षु॑षा रक्ष य॒ज्ञं प्राञ्चं॒ वसु॑भ्यः॒ प्र ण॑य प्रचेतः हिं॒स्रं रक्षां॑स्य॒भि शोशु॑चानं॒ मा त्वा॑ दभन्यातु॒धाना॑ नृचक्षः
"With keen glance guard the sacrifice, O Agni: thou Sage, conduct it onward to the Vasus. Let not the fiends, O Man-beholder, harm thee burning against the Raksasas to slay them."
नृ॒चक्षा॒ रक्षः॒ परि॑ पश्य वि॒क्षु तस्य॒ त्रीणि॒ प्रति॑ शृणी॒ह्यग्रा॑ तस्या॑ग्ने पृ॒ष्टीर्हर॑सा शृणीहि त्रे॒धा मूलं॑ यातु॒धान॑स्य वृश्च
"Look on the fiend mid men, as Man-beholder: rend thou his three extremities in pieces. Demolish with thy flame his ribs, O Agni, the Yatudhana's root destroy thou triply."
त्रिर्या॑तु॒धानः॒ प्रसि॑तिं त एत्वृ॒तं यो अ॑ग्ने॒ अनृ॑तेन॒ हन्ति॑ तम॒र्चिषा॑ स्फू॒र्जय॑ञ्जातवेदः सम॒क्षमे॑नं गृण॒ते नि वृ॑ङ्धि
"Thrice, Agni, let thy noose surround the demon who with his falsehood injures Holy Order. Loud roaring with thy flame, O Jâtavedas, crush him and cast him down before the singer."
तद॑ग्ने॒ चक्षुः॒ प्रति॑ धेहि रे॒भे श॑फा॒रुजं॒ येन॒ पश्य॑सि यातु॒धान॑म् अ॒थ॒र्व॒वज्ज्योति॑षा॒ दैव्ये॑न स॒त्यं धूर्व॑न्तम॒चितं॒ न्यो॑ष
"Lead thou the worshipper that eye, O Agni, wherewith thou lookest on the hoof-armed demon. With light celestial in Atharvan's manner burn up the foot who ruins truth with falsehood."
यद॑ग्ने अ॒द्य मि॑थु॒ना शपा॑तो॒ यद्वा॒चस्तृ॒ष्टं ज॒नय॑न्त रे॒भाः म॒न्योर्मन॑सः शर॒व्या॒३॒॑ जाय॑ते॒ या तया॑ विध्य॒ हृद॑ये यातु॒धाना॑न्
"Agni, what curse the pair this day have uttered, what heated word the worshippers have spoken, Each arrowy taunt sped from the angry spirit,– pierce to the heart therewith the Yatudhanas."
परा॑ शृणीहि॒ तप॑सा यातु॒धाना॒न्परा॑ग्ने॒ रक्षो॒ हर॑सा शृणीहि परा॒र्चिषा॒ मूर॑देवाञ्छृणीहि॒ परा॑सु॒तृपो॑ अ॒भि शोशु॑चानः
"With fervent heat exterminate the demons; destroy the fiends with burning flame, O Agni. Destroy with fire the foolish gods' adorers; blaze and destrepy the insatiable monsters."
परा॒द्य दे॒वा वृ॑जि॒नं शृ॑णन्तु प्र॒त्यगे॑नं श॒पथा॑ यन्तु तृ॒ष्टाः वा॒चास्ते॑नं॒ शर॑व ऋच्छन्तु॒ मर्म॒न्विश्व॑स्यैतु॒ प्रसि॑तिं यातु॒धानः॑
"May Gods destroy this day the evil-doer may each hot curse of his return and blast him. Let arrows pierce the liar in his vitals, and Viṣva's net enclose the Yatudhana."
यः पौरु॑षेयेण क्र॒विषा॑ सम॒ङ्क्ते यो अश्व्ये॑न प॒शुना॑ यातु॒धानः॑ यो अ॒घ्न्याया॒ भर॑ति क्षी॒रम॑ग्ने॒ तेषां॑ शी॒र्षाणि॒ हर॒सापि॑ वृश्च
"The fiend who smears himself with flesh of cattle, with flesh of horses and of human bodies, Who steals the milch-cow's milk away, O Agni,– tear off the heads of such with fiery fury."
सं॒व॒त्स॒रीणं॒ पय॑ उ॒स्रिया॑या॒स्तस्य॒ माशी॑द्यातु॒धानो॑ नृचक्षः पी॒यूष॑मग्ने यत॒मस्तितृ॑प्सा॒त्तं प्र॒त्यञ्च॑म॒र्चिषा॑ विध्य॒ मर्म॑न्
"The cow gives milk each year, O Man-regarder: let not the Yatudhana ever taste it. If one would glut him with the biesting, Agni, pierce with thy flame his vitals as he meets thee."
वि॒षं गवां॑ यातु॒धानाः॑ पिब॒न्त्वा वृ॑श्च्यन्ता॒मदि॑तये दु॒रेवाः॑ परै॑नान्दे॒वः स॑वि॒ता द॑दातु॒ परा॑ भा॒गमोष॑धीनां जयन्ताम्
"Let the fiends drink the poison of the cattle; may Aditi cast off the evildoers. May the God Savitar give them up to ruin, and be their share of plants and herbs denied them."
स॒नाद॑ग्ने मृणसि यातु॒धाना॒न्न त्वा॒ रक्षां॑सि॒ पृत॑नासु जिग्युः अनु॑ दह स॒हमू॑रान्क्र॒व्यादो॒ मा ते॑ हे॒त्या मु॑क्षत॒ दैव्या॑याः
"Agni, from days of old thou slayest demons: never shall Raksasas in fight o'ercome thee. Burn up the foolish ones, the flesh-devourers: let none of them escape thine heavenly arrow."
त्वं नो॑ अग्ने अध॒रादुद॑क्ता॒त्त्वं प॒श्चादु॒त र॑क्षा पु॒रस्ता॑त् प्रति॒ ते ते॑ अ॒जरा॑स॒स्तपि॑ष्ठा अ॒घशं॑सं॒ शोशु॑चतो दहन्तु
"Guard us, O Agni, from above and under, protect us fl-om behind us and before us; And may thy flames, most fierce and never wasting, glowing with fervent heat, consume the sinner."
प॒श्चात्पु॒रस्ता॑दध॒रादुद॑क्तात्क॒विः काव्ये॑न॒ परि॑ पाहि राजन् सखे॒ सखा॑यम॒जरो॑ जरि॒म्णेऽग्ने॒ मर्ताँ॒ अम॑र्त्य॒स्त्वं नः॑
"From rear, from front, from under, from above us, O King, protect us as a Sage with wisdom. Guard to old age thy friend, O Friend, Eternal: O Agni, as Immortal, guard us mortals."
परि॑ त्वाग्ने॒ पुरं॑ व॒यं विप्रं॑ सहस्य धीमहि धृ॒षद्व॑र्णं दि॒वेदि॑वे ह॒न्तारं॑ भङ्गु॒राव॑ताम्
"We set thee round us as a fort, victorious Agni, thee a Sage, Of hero lineage, day by day, destroyer of our treacherous foes."
वि॒षेण॑ भङ्गु॒राव॑तः॒ प्रति॑ ष्म र॒क्षसो॑ दह अग्ने॑ ति॒ग्मेन॑ शो॒चिषा॒ तपु॑रग्राभिर्ऋ॒ष्टिभिः॑
"Burn with thy poison turned against the treacherous brood of Raksasas, O Agni, with thy sharpened glow, with lances armed with points of flame."
प्रत्य॑ग्ने मिथु॒ना द॑ह यातु॒धाना॑ किमी॒दिना॑ सं त्वा॑ शिशामि जागृ॒ह्यद॑ब्धं विप्र॒ मन्म॑भिः
"Burn thou the paired Kimîdins, brun, Agni, the Yatudhana pairs. I sharpen thee, Infallible, with hymns. O Sage, be vigilant."
प्रत्य॑ग्ने॒ हर॑सा॒ हरः॑ शृणी॒हि वि॒श्वतः॒ प्रति॑ या॒तु॒धान॑स्य र॒क्षसो॒ बलं॒ वि रु॑ज वी॒र्य॑म्
"Shoot forth, O Agni, with thy flame demolish them on every side. Break thou the Yatudhana's strength, the vigour of the Raksasa."