Containing 19 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
ह॒विष्पान्त॑म॒जरं॑ स्व॒र्विदि॑ दिवि॒स्पृश्याहु॑तं॒ जुष्ट॑म॒ग्नौ तस्य॒ भर्म॑णे॒ भुव॑नाय दे॒वा धर्म॑णे॒ कं स्व॒धया॑ पप्रथन्त
"DEAR, ageless sacrificial drink is offered in light-discovering, heaven-pervading Agni. The Gods spread forth through his Celestial Nature, that he might bear the world up and sustain it."
गी॒र्णं भुव॑नं॒ तम॒साप॑गूळ्हमा॒विः स्व॑रभवज्जा॒ते अ॒ग्नौ तस्य॑ दे॒वाः पृ॑थि॒वी द्यौरु॒तापोऽर॑णय॒न्नोष॑धीः स॒ख्ये अ॑स्य
"The world was swallowed and concealed in darkness: Agni was born, and light became apparent. The Deities, the broad earth, and the heavens, and plants, and waters gloried in his friendship."
दे॒वेभि॒र्न्वि॑षि॒तो य॒ज्ञिये॑भिर॒ग्निं स्तो॑षाण्य॒जरं॑ बृ॒हन्त॑म् यो भा॒नुना॑ पृथि॒वीं द्यामु॒तेमामा॑त॒तान॒ रोद॑सी अ॒न्तरि॑क्षम्
"Inspired by Gods who claim our adoration, I now will laud Eternal Lofty Agni, Him who hath spread abroad the earth with lustre, this heaven, and both the worlds, and air's midregion."
यो होतासी॑त्प्रथ॒मो दे॒वजु॑ष्टो॒ यं स॒माञ्ज॒न्नाज्ये॑ना वृणा॒नाः स प॑त॒त्री॑त्व॒रं स्था जग॒द्यच्छ्वा॒त्रम॒ग्निर॑कृणोज्जा॒तवे॑दाः
"Earliest Priest whom all the Gods accepted, and chose him, and anointed him with butter, He swiftly made all things that fly, stand, travel, all that hath motion, Agni Jâtavedas."
यज्जा॑तवेदो॒ भुव॑नस्य मू॒र्धन्नति॑ष्ठो अग्ने स॒ह रो॑च॒नेन॑ तं त्वा॑हेम म॒तिभि॑र्गी॒र्भिरु॒क्थैः स य॒ज्ञियो॑ अभवो रोदसि॒प्राः
"Because thou, Agni, Jâtavedas, stoodest at the world's head with thy refulgent splendour, We sent thee forth with hymns and songs and praises: thou filledst heaven and earth, God meet for worship."
मू॒र्धा भु॒वो भ॑वति॒ नक्त॑म॒ग्निस्ततः॒ सूर्यो॑ जायते प्रा॒तरु॒द्यन् मा॒यामू॒ तु य॒ज्ञिया॑नामे॒तामपो॒ यत्तूर्णि॒श्चर॑ति प्रजा॒नन्
"Head of the world is Agni in the night-time; then, as the Sun, at morn springs up and rises. Then to his task goes the prompt Priest foreknowing the wondrous power of Gods who must be honoured."
दृ॒शेन्यो॒ यो म॑हि॒ना समि॒द्धोऽरो॑चत दि॒वियो॑निर्वि॒भावा॑ तस्मि॑न्न॒ग्नौ सू॑क्तवा॒केन॑ दे॒वा ह॒विर्विश्व॒ आजु॑हवुस्तनू॒पाः
"Lovely is he who, kindled in his greatness, hath shone forth, seated in the heavens, refulgent. With resonant hymns all Gods who guard our bodies have offered up oblation in this Agni."
सू॒क्त॒वा॒कं प्र॑थ॒ममादिद॒ग्निमादिद्ध॒विर॑जनयन्त दे॒वाः स ए॑षां य॒ज्ञो अ॑भवत्तनू॒पास्तं द्यौर्वे॑द॒ तं पृ॑थि॒वी तमापः॑
"First the Gods brought the hymnal into being; then they engendered Agni, then oblation. He was their satrifice that guards our bodies: him the heavens know, the earth, the waters know him."
यं दे॒वासोऽज॑नयन्ता॒ग्निं यस्मि॒न्नाजु॑हवु॒र्भुव॑नानि॒ विश्वा॑ सो अ॒र्चिषा॑ पृथि॒वीं द्यामु॒तेमामृ॑जू॒यमा॑नो अतपन्महि॒त्वा
"He, Agni, whom the Gods have generated, in whom they offered up all worlds and creatures, He with his bright glow heated earth and heaven, urging himself right onward in his grandeur."
स्तोमे॑न॒ हि दि॒वि दे॒वासो॑ अ॒ग्निमजी॑जन॒ञ्छक्ति॑भी रोदसि॒प्राम् तमू॑ अकृण्वन्त्रे॒धा भु॒वे कं स ओष॑धीः पचति वि॒श्वरू॑पाः
"Then by the laud the Gods engendered Agni in heaven, who fills both worlds through strength and vigour. They made him to appear in threefold essence: he ripens plants of every form and nature."
य॒देदे॑न॒मद॑धुर्य॒ज्ञिया॑सो दि॒वि दे॒वाः सूर्य॑मादिते॒यम् य॒दा च॑रि॒ष्णू मि॑थु॒नावभू॑ता॒मादित्प्राप॑श्य॒न्भुव॑नानि॒ विश्वा॑
"What time the Gods, whose due is worship, set him as Sûrya, Son of Aditi, in heaven, When the Pair, ever wandering, sprang to being, all creatures that existed looked upon them."
विश्व॑स्मा अ॒ग्निं भुव॑नाय दे॒वा वै॑श्वान॒रं के॒तुमह्ना॑मकृण्वन् आ यस्त॒तानो॒षसो॑ विभा॒तीरपो॑ ऊर्णोति॒ तमो॑ अ॒र्चिषा॒ यन्
"For all the world of life the Gods made Agni Vaiṣvânara to be the days' bright Banner,– Him who hath spread abroad the radiant Mornings, and, coming with his light, unveils the darkness."
वै॒श्वा॒न॒रं क॒वयो॑ य॒ज्ञिया॑सो॒ऽग्निं दे॒वा अ॑जनयन्नजु॒र्यम् नक्ष॑त्रं प्र॒त्नममि॑नच्चरि॒ष्णु य॒क्षस्याध्य॑क्षं तवि॒षं बृ॒हन्त॑म्
"The wise and holy Deities engendered Agni Vaiṣvânara whom age ne'er touches. The Ancient Star that wanders on for ever, lofty and. strong, Lord of the Living Being."
वै॒श्वा॒न॒रं वि॒श्वहा॑ दीदि॒वांसं॒ मन्त्रै॑र॒ग्निं क॒विमच्छा॑ वदामः यो म॑हि॒म्ना प॑रिब॒भूवो॒र्वी उ॒तावस्ता॑दु॒त दे॒वः प॒रस्ता॑त्
"We call upon the Sage with holy verses, Agni Vaiṣvânara the ever-beaming, Who hath surpassed both heaven and earth in greatness: lie is a God below, a God above us."
द्वे स्रु॒ती अ॑शृणवं पितॄ॒णाम॒हं दे॒वाना॑मु॒त मर्त्या॑नाम् ताभ्या॑मि॒दं विश्व॒मेज॒त्समे॑ति॒ यद॑न्त॒रा पि॒तरं॑ मा॒तरं॑ च
"I have heard mention of two several pathways, ways of the Fathers and of Gods and mortals. On these two paths each moving creature travels, each thing between the Father and the Mother."
द्वे स॑मी॒ची बि॑भृत॒श्चर॑न्तं शीर्ष॒तो जा॒तं मन॑सा॒ विमृ॑ष्टम् स प्र॒त्यङ्विश्वा॒ भुव॑नानि तस्था॒वप्र॑युच्छन्त॒रणि॒र्भ्राज॑मानः
"These two united paths bear him who journeys born from the head and pondered with the spirit He stands directed to all things existing, hasting, unresting in his fiery splendour."
यत्रा॒ वदे॑ते॒ अव॑रः॒ पर॑श्च यज्ञ॒न्योः॑ कत॒रो नौ॒ वि वे॑द आ शे॑कु॒रित्स॑ध॒मादं॒ सखा॑यो॒ नक्ष॑न्त य॒ज्ञं क इ॒दं वि वो॑चत्
"Which of us twain knows where they speak together, upper and lower of the two rite-leaders? Our friends have helped to gather our assembly. They came to sacrifice; who will announce it?"
कत्य॒ग्नयः॒ कति॒ सूर्या॑सः॒ कत्यु॒षासः॒ कत्यु॑ स्वि॒दापः॑ नोप॒स्पिजं॑ वः पितरो वदामि पृ॒च्छामि॑ वः कवयो वि॒द्मने॒ कम्
"How many are the Fires and Suns in number? What is the number of the Dawns and Waters? Not jestingly I speak to you, O Fathers. Sages, I ask you this for information."
या॒व॒न्मा॒त्रमु॒षसो॒ न प्रती॑कं सुप॒र्ण्यो॒३॒॑ वस॑ते मातरिश्वः ताव॑द्दधा॒त्युप॑ य॒ज्ञमा॒यन्ब्रा॑ह्म॒णो होतु॒रव॑रो नि॒षीद॑न्
"As great as is the fair-winged Morning's presence to him who dwells beside us, Mâtariṣvan! Is what the Brahman does when he approaches to sacrifice and sits below the Hotar."