Containing 16 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
अस्ती॒दम॑धि॒मन्थ॑न॒मस्ति॑ प्र॒जन॑नं कृ॒तम् ए॒तां वि॒श्पत्नी॒मा भ॑रा॒ग्निं म॑न्थाम पू॒र्वथा॑
"HERE is the gear for friction, here tinder made ready for the spark. Bring thou the Matron: we will rub Agni in ancient fashion forth."
अ॒रण्यो॒र्निहि॑तो जा॒तवे॑दा॒ गर्भ॑ इव॒ सुधि॑तो ग॒र्भिणी॑षु दि॒वेदि॑व॒ ईड्यो॑ जागृ॒वद्भि॑र्ह॒विष्म॑द्भिर्मनु॒ष्ये॑भिर॒ग्निः
"In the two fire-sticks Jâtavedas lieth, even as the well-set germ in pregnant women, Agni who day by day must be exalted by men who watch and worship with oblations."
उ॒त्ता॒नाया॒मव॑ भरा चिकि॒त्वान्त्स॒द्यः प्रवी॑ता॒ वृष॑णं जजान अ॒रु॒षस्तू॑पो॒ रुश॑दस्य॒ पाज॒ इळा॑यास्पु॒त्रो व॒युने॑ऽजनिष्ट
"Lay this with care on that which lies extended: straight hath she borne the Steerwhen made prolific. With his red pillar-radiant is his splendour -in our skilled task is born the Son of Iḷâ."
इळा॑यास्त्वा प॒दे व॒यं नाभा॑ पृथि॒व्या अधि॑ जात॑वेदो॒ नि धी॑म॒ह्यग्ने॑ ह॒व्याय॒ वोळ्ह॑वे
"In Iḷâ's place we set thee down, upon the central point of earth, That, Agni Jâtavedas, thou mayst bear our offerings to the Gods."
मन्थ॑ता नरः क॒विमद्व॑यन्तं॒ प्रचे॑तसम॒मृतं॑ सु॒प्रती॑कम् य॒ज्ञस्य॑ के॒तुं प्र॑थ॒मं पु॒रस्ता॑द॒ग्निं न॑रो जनयता सु॒शेव॑म्
"Rub into life, ye men, the Sage, the guileless, Immortal, very wise and fair to look on. O men, bring forth the most propitious Agni, first ensign of the sacrifice to eastward."
यदी॒ मन्थ॑न्ति बा॒हुभि॒र्वि रो॑च॒तेऽश्वो॒ न वा॒ज्य॑रु॒षो वने॒ष्वा चि॒त्रो न याम॑न्न॒श्विनो॒रनि॑वृतः॒ परि॑ वृण॒क्त्यश्म॑न॒स्तृणा॒ दह॑न्
"When with their arms they rub him straight he shineth forth like a strong courser, red in colour, in the wood. Bright, checkless, as it were upon the Atvins' path, lie passeth by the stones and burneth up the grass."
जा॒तो अ॒ग्नी रो॑चते॒ चेकि॑तानो वा॒जी विप्रः॑ कविश॒स्तः सु॒दानुः॑ यं दे॒वास॒ ईड्यं॑ विश्व॒विदं॑ हव्य॒वाह॒मद॑धुरध्व॒रेषु॑
"Agni shines forth when born, observant, mighty, the bountiful, the Singar praised by sages; Whom, as adorable and knowing all things, Gods set at solemn rites as offeringbearer."
सीद॑ होतः॒ स्व उ॑ लो॒के चि॑कि॒त्वान्त्सा॒दया॑ य॒ज्ञं सु॑कृ॒तस्य॒ योनौ॑ दे॒वा॒वीर्दे॒वान्ह॒विषा॑ यजा॒स्यग्ने॑ बृ॒हद्यज॑माने॒ वयो॑ धाः
"Set thee, O Priest, in, thine own place, observant: lay down the sacrifice in the home of worship. Thou, dear to Gods, shalt serve them with oblation: Agni, give long life to the sacrificer."
कृ॒णोत॑ धू॒मं वृष॑णं सखा॒योऽस्रे॑धन्त इतन॒ वाज॒मच्छ॑ अ॒यम॒ग्निः पृ॑तना॒षाट् सु॒वीरो॒ येन॑ दे॒वासो॒ अस॑हन्त॒ दस्यू॑न्
"Raise ye a mighty smoke, my fellow-workers! Ye shall attain to wealth without obstruction. This Agni is the battle-winning Hero by whom the Gods have overcome the Dasyus."
अ॒यं ते॒ योनि॑र्ऋ॒त्वियो॒ यतो॑ जा॒तो अरो॑चथाः तं जा॒नन्न॑ग्न॒ आ सी॒दाथा॑ नो वर्धया॒ गिरः॑
"This is thine ordered place of birth whence sprung to life thou shonest forth. Knowing this, Agni, sit thee down, and prosper thou the songs we sing."
तनू॒नपा॑दुच्यते॒ गर्भ॑ आसु॒रो नरा॒शंसो॑ भवति॒ यद्वि॒जाय॑ते मा॒त॒रिश्वा॒ यदमि॑मीत मा॒तरि॒ वात॑स्य॒ सर्गो॑ अभव॒त्सरी॑मणि
"As Germ Celestial he is called Tanûnapât, and Narâṣansa born diffused in varied shape. Formed in his Mother he is Mâtariṣvan; he hath, in his course, become the rapid flight of wind."
सु॒नि॒र्मथा॒ निर्म॑थितः सुनि॒धा निहि॑तः क॒विः अग्ने॑ स्वध्व॒रा कृ॑णु दे॒वान्दे॑वय॒ते य॑ज
"With strong attrition rubbed to life, laid down with careful hand, a Sage, Agni, make sacrifices good, and for the pious bring the Gods."
अजी॑जनन्न॒मृतं॒ मर्त्या॑सोऽस्रे॒माणं॑ त॒रणिं॑ वी॒ळुज॑म्भम् दश॒ स्वसा॑रो अ॒ग्रुवः॑ समी॒चीः पुमां॑सं जा॒तम॒भि सं र॑भन्ते
"Mortals have brought to life the God Immortal, the Conqueror with mighty jaws, unfailing. The sisters ten, unwedded and united, together grasp the Babe, the new-born Infant."
प्र स॒प्तहो॑ता सन॒काद॑रोचत मा॒तुरु॒पस्थे॒ यदशो॑च॒दूध॑नि न नि मि॑षति सु॒रणो॑ दि॒वेदि॑वे॒ यदसु॑रस्य ज॒ठरा॒दजा॑यत
"Served by the seven priests, he shone forth from ancient time, when in his Mother's bosom, in her lap, he glowed. Giving delight each day he closeth not his eye, since from the Asura's body hewas brought to life."
अ॒मि॒त्रा॒युधो॑ म॒रुता॑मिव प्र॒याः प्र॑थम॒जा ब्रह्म॑णो॒ विश्व॒मिद्वि॑दुः द्यु॒म्नव॒द्ब्रह्म॑ कुशि॒कास॒ एरि॑र॒ एक॑एको॒ दमे॑ अ॒ग्निं समी॑धिरे
"Even as the Maruts, onslaughts who attack the foe, those born the first of all knew the full power of prayer. The Kuṣikas have made the glorious hymn ascend, and, each one singly in his home, have kindled fire."
यद॒द्य त्वा॑ प्रय॒ति य॒ज्ञे अ॒स्मिन्होत॑श्चिकि॒त्वोऽवृ॑णीमही॒ह ध्रु॒वम॑या ध्रु॒वमु॒ताश॑मिष्ठाः प्रजा॒नन्वि॒द्वाँ उप॑ याहि॒ सोम॑म्
"As we, O Priest observant, have elected thee this day, what time the solemn sacrifice began, So surely hast thou worshipped, surely hast thou toiled: come thou unto the Soma, wise and knowing all."