Containing 11 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
अ॒यमि॒ह प्र॑थ॒मो धा॑यि धा॒तृभि॒र्होता॒ यजि॑ष्ठो अध्व॒रेष्वीड्यः॑ यमप्न॑वानो॒ भृग॑वो विरुरु॒चुर्वने॑षु चि॒त्रं वि॒भ्वं॑ वि॒शेवि॑शे
"HERE by ordainers was this God appointed first Invoker, best at worship, to be praised at rites: Whom Apnavâna, and the Bhr̥igus caused to shine bright-coloured in the wood, spreading from home to home."
अग्ने॑ क॒दा त॑ आनु॒षग्भुव॑द्दे॒वस्य॒ चेत॑नम् अधा॒ हि त्वा॑ जगृभ्रि॒रे मर्ता॑सो वि॒क्ष्वीड्य॑म्
"When shall thy glory as a God, Agni, be suddenly shown forth. For mortal men have held thee fast, adorable in all their homes,"
ऋ॒तावा॑नं॒ विचे॑तसं॒ पश्य॑न्तो॒ द्यामि॑व॒ स्तृभिः॑ विश्वे॑षामध्व॒राणां॑ हस्क॒र्तारं॒ दमे॑दमे
"Seeing thee faithful to the Law, most sapient, like the starry heaven, Illumining with cheerful ray each solemn rite in every house."
आ॒शुं दू॒तं वि॒वस्व॑तो॒ विश्वा॒ यश्च॑र्ष॒णीर॒भि आ ज॑भ्रुः के॒तुमा॒यवो॒ भृग॑वाणं वि॒शेवि॑शे
"Vivasvan's envoy living men have taken as their ensign, swift, The ruler over all mankind, moving like Bhr̥igu in each home."
तमीं॒ होता॑रमानु॒षक्चि॑कि॒त्वांसं॒ नि षे॑दिरे र॒ण्वं पा॑व॒कशो॑चिषं॒ यजि॑ष्ठं स॒प्त धाम॑भिः
"Him the intelligent have they placed duly as Invoking Priest, Welcome, with sanctifying flame, best worshipper, with sevenfold might;"
तं शश्व॑तीषु मा॒तृषु॒ वन॒ आ वी॒तमश्रि॑तम् चि॒त्रं सन्तं॒ गुहा॑ हि॒तं सु॒वेदं॑ कूचिद॒र्थिन॑म्
"In his Eternal Mothers, in the wood, concealed and unapproached, Kept secret though his flames are bright seekingon all sides, quickly found."
स॒सस्य॒ यद्वियु॑ता॒ सस्मि॒न्नूध॑न्नृ॒तस्य॒ धाम॑न्र॒णय॑न्त दे॒वाः म॒हाँ अ॒ग्निर्नम॑सा रा॒तह॑व्यो॒ वेर॑ध्व॒राय॒ सद॒मिदृ॒तावा॑
"That as food spreads forth in this earthly udder, Gods may rejoice them in the home of Order, Great Agni, served with reverence and oblation, flies ever to the sacrifice, the Faithful."
वेर॑ध्व॒रस्य॑ दू॒त्या॑नि वि॒द्वानु॒भे अ॒न्ता रोद॑सी संचिकि॒त्वान् दू॒त ई॑यसे प्र॒दिव॑ उरा॒णो वि॒दुष्ट॑रो दि॒व आ॒रोध॑नानि
"Bird of each rite, skilled in an envoy's duties, knowing both worlds and that which lies between them, Thou goest from of old a willing Herald, knowing full well heaven's innermost recesses."
कृ॒ष्णं त॒ एम॒ रुश॑तः पु॒रो भाश्च॑रि॒ष्ण्व१॒॑र्चिर्वपु॑षा॒मिदेक॑म् यदप्र॑वीता॒ दध॑ते ह॒ गर्भं॑ स॒द्यश्चि॑ज्जा॒तो भव॒सीदु॑ दू॒तः
"Bright God, thy path is black: light is before thee: thy moving splendour is the chief of wonders. When she, yet unimpregnate, hath conceived thee, even when newly born thou art an envoy."
स॒द्यो जा॒तस्य॒ ददृ॑शान॒मोजो॒ यद॑स्य॒ वातो॑ अनु॒वाति॑ शो॒चिः वृ॒णक्ति॑ ति॒ग्माम॑त॒सेषु॑ जि॒ह्वां स्थि॒रा चि॒दन्ना॑ दयते॒ वि जम्भैः॑
"Yet newly born, his vigour is apparent when the wind blows upon his fiery splendour, His sharpened tongue he layeth on the brushwood, and with his teeth e'en solid food consumeth."
तृ॒षु यदन्ना॑ तृ॒षुणा॑ व॒वक्ष॑ तृ॒षुं दू॒तं कृ॑णुते य॒ह्वो अ॒ग्निः वात॑स्य मे॒ळिं स॑चते नि॒जूर्व॑न्ना॒शुं न वा॑जयते हि॒न्वे अर्वा॑
"When he hath borne off food with swift flame swiftly, strong Agni makes himself a speedy envoy, Follows the rustling of the wind, consuming, and courser-like, speeds, drives the swift horse onward."