Containing 13 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
यदक्र॑न्दः प्रथ॒मं जाय॑मान उ॒द्यन्त्स॑मु॒द्रादु॒त वा॒ पुरी॑षात् श्ये॒नस्य॑ प॒क्षा ह॑रि॒णस्य॑ बा॒हू उ॑प॒स्तुत्यं॒ महि॑ जा॒तं ते॑ अर्वन्
"WHAT time, first springing into life, thou neighedst, proceeding from the sea or upper waters, Limbs of the deer hadst thou, and eagle pinions. O Steed, thy birth is nigh and must be lauded."
य॒मेन॑ द॒त्तं त्रि॒त ए॑नमायुन॒गिन्द्र॑ एणं प्रथ॒मो अध्य॑तिष्ठत् ग॒न्ध॒र्वो अ॑स्य रश॒नाम॑गृभ्णा॒त्सूरा॒दश्वं॑ वसवो॒ निर॑तष्ट
"This Steed which Yama gave hath Trita harnessed, and him, the first of all, hath Indra mounted. His bridle the Gandharva grasped. O Vasus, from out the Sun ye fashioned forth the Courser."
असि॑ य॒मो अस्या॑दि॒त्यो अ॑र्व॒न्नसि॑ त्रि॒तो गुह्ये॑न व्र॒तेन॑ असि॒ सोमे॑न स॒मया॒ विपृ॑क्त आ॒हुस्ते॒ त्रीणि॑ दि॒वि बन्ध॑नानि
"Yama art thou, O Horse; thou art Âditya; Trita art thou by secret operation. Thou art divided thoroughly from Soma. They say thou hast three bonds in heaven that hold thee."
त्रीणि॑ त आहुर्दि॒वि बन्ध॑नानि॒ त्रीण्य॒प्सु त्रीण्य॒न्तः स॑मु॒द्रे उ॒तेव॑ मे॒ वरु॑णश्छन्त्स्यर्व॒न्यत्रा॑ त आ॒हुः प॑र॒मं ज॒नित्र॑म्
"Three bonds, they say, thou hast in heaven that bind thee, three in the waters, three within the ocean. To me thou seernest Varuṇa , O Courser, there where they say is thy sublimest birth-place."
इ॒मा ते॑ वाजिन्नव॒मार्ज॑नानी॒मा श॒फानां॑ सनि॒तुर्नि॒धाना॑ अत्रा॑ ते भ॒द्रा र॑श॒ना अ॑पश्यमृ॒तस्य॒ या अ॑भि॒रक्ष॑न्ति गो॒पाः
"Here-, Courser, are the places where they groomed thee, here are the traces of thy hoofs as winner. Here have I seen the auspicious reins that guide thee, which those who guard the holy Law keep safely."
आ॒त्मानं॑ ते॒ मन॑सा॒राद॑जानाम॒वो दि॒वा प॒तय॑न्तं पतं॒गम् शिरो॑ अपश्यं प॒थिभिः॑ सु॒गेभि॑ररे॒णुभि॒र्जेह॑मानं पत॒त्रि
"Thyself from far I recognized in spirit,– a Bird that from below flew through the heaven. I saw thy head still soaring, striving upward by paths unsoiled by dust, pleasant to travel."
अत्रा॑ ते रू॒पमु॑त्त॒मम॑पश्यं॒ जिगी॑षमाणमि॒ष आ प॒दे गोः य॒दा ते॒ मर्तो॒ अनु॒ भोग॒मान॒ळादिद्ग्रसि॑ष्ठ॒ ओष॑धीरजीगः
"Here I beheld thy form, matchless in glory, eager to win thee food at the Cow's station. Whene'er a man brings thee to thine enjoyment, thou swallowest the plants most greedy eater."
अनु॑ त्वा॒ रथो॒ अनु॒ मर्यो॑ अर्व॒न्ननु॒ गावोऽनु॒ भगः॑ क॒नीना॑म् अनु॒ व्राता॑स॒स्तव॑ स॒ख्यमी॑यु॒रनु॑ दे॒वा म॑मिरे वी॒र्यं॑ ते
"After thee, Courser, come the car, the bridegroom, the kine come after, and the charm of maidens. Full companies have followed for thy friendship: the pattern of thy vigour Gods have copied."
हिर॑ण्यशृ॒ङ्गोऽयो॑ अस्य॒ पादा॒ मनो॑जवा॒ अव॑र॒ इन्द्र॑ आसीत् दे॒वा इद॑स्य हवि॒रद्य॑माय॒न्यो अर्व॑न्तं प्रथ॒मो अ॒ध्यति॑ष्ठत्
"Horns made of gold hath he: his feet are iron: less fleet than he, though swift as thought, is Indra. The Gods have come that they may taste the oblation of him who mounted, first of all, the Courser."
ई॒र्मान्ता॑सः॒ सिलि॑कमध्यमासः॒ सं शूर॑णासो दि॒व्यासो॒ अत्याः॑ हं॒सा इ॑व श्रेणि॒शो य॑तन्ते॒ यदाक्षि॑षुर्दि॒व्यमज्म॒मश्वाः॑
"Symmetrical in flank, with rounded haunches, mettled like heroes, the Celestial Coursers Put forth their strength, like swans in lengthened order, when they, the Steeds, have reached the heavenly causeway."
तव॒ शरी॑रं पतयि॒ष्ण्व॑र्व॒न्तव॑ चि॒त्तं वात॑ इव॒ ध्रजी॑मान् तव॒ शृङ्गा॑णि॒ विष्ठि॑ता पुरु॒त्रार॑ण्येषु॒ जर्भु॑राणा चरन्ति
"A body formed for flight hast thou, O Charger; swift as the wind in motion is thy spirit. Thy horns are spread abroad in all directions: they move with restless beat in wildernesses."
उप॒ प्रागा॒च्छस॑नं वा॒ज्यर्वा॑ देव॒द्रीचा॒ मन॑सा॒ दीध्या॑नः अ॒जः पु॒रो नी॑यते॒ नाभि॑र॒स्यानु॑ प॒श्चात्क॒वयो॑ यन्ति रे॒भाः
"The strong Steed hath come forward to the slaughter, pondering with a mind directed God-ward. The goat who is his kin is led before him the sages and the singers follow after."
उप॒ प्रागा॑त्पर॒मं यत्स॒धस्थ॒मर्वाँ॒ अच्छा॑ पि॒तरं॑ मा॒तरं॑ च अ॒द्या दे॒वाञ्जुष्ट॑तमो॒ हि ग॒म्या अथा शा॑स्ते दा॒शुषे॒ वार्या॑णि
"The Steed is come unto the noblest mansion, is come unto his Father and his Mother. This day shall he approach the Gods, most welcome: then he declares good gifts to him who offers."