Containing 12 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
कु॒मा॒रं मा॒ता यु॑व॒तिः समु॑ब्धं॒ गुहा॑ बिभर्ति॒ न द॑दाति पि॒त्रे अनी॑कमस्य॒ न मि॒नज्जना॑सः पु॒रः प॑श्यन्ति॒ निहि॑तमर॒तौ
"THE youthful Mother keeps the Boy in secret pressed to her close, nor yields him to the Father. But, when he lies upon the arm, the people see his unfading countenance before them."
कमे॒तं त्वं यु॑वते कुमा॒रं पेषी॑ बिभर्षि॒ महि॑षी जजान पू॒र्वीर्हि गर्भः॑ श॒रदो॑ व॒वर्धाप॑श्यं जा॒तं यदसू॑त मा॒ता
"What child is this thou carriest as handmaid, O Youthful One? The Consort-Queen hath bome him. The Babe unborn increased through many autumns. I saw him born what time his Mother bare him."
हिर॑ण्यदन्तं॒ शुचि॑वर्णमा॒रात्क्षेत्रा॑दपश्य॒मायु॑धा॒ मिमा॑नम् द॒दा॒नो अ॑स्मा अ॒मृतं॑ वि॒पृक्व॒त्किं माम॑नि॒न्द्राः कृ॑णवन्ननु॒क्थाः
"I saw him from afar gold-toothed, bright-coloured, hurling his weapons from his habitation, What time I gave him Amrit free from mixture. How can the Indraless, the hymnless harm me?"
क्षेत्रा॑दपश्यं सनु॒तश्चर॑न्तं सु॒मद्यू॒थं न पु॒रु शोभ॑मानम् न ता अ॑गृभ्र॒न्नज॑निष्ट॒ हि षः पलि॑क्नी॒रिद्यु॑व॒तयो॑ भवन्ति
"I saw him moving from the place he dwells in, even as with a herd, brilliantly shining. These seized him not: he had been born already. They who were grey with age again grow youthful."
के मे॑ मर्य॒कं वि य॑वन्त॒ गोभि॒र्न येषां॑ गो॒पा अर॑णश्चि॒दास॑ य ईं॑ जगृ॒भुरव॒ ते सृ॑ज॒न्त्वाजा॑ति प॒श्व उप॑ नश्चिकि॒त्वान्
"Who separate my young bull from the cattle, they whose protector was in truth no stranger? Let those whose hands have seized upon them free them. May he, observant, drive the herd to usward."
व॒सां राजा॑नं वस॒तिं जना॑ना॒मरा॑तयो॒ नि द॑धु॒र्मर्त्ये॑षु ब्रह्मा॒ण्यत्रे॒रव॒ तं सृ॑जन्तु निन्दि॒तारो॒ निन्द्या॑सो भवन्तु
"Mid mortal men godless have secreted the King of all who live, home of the people. So may the prayers of Atri give him freedom. Reproached in turn be those who now reproach him."
शुन॑श्चि॒च्छेपं॒ निदि॑तं स॒हस्रा॒द्यूपा॑दमुञ्चो॒ अश॑मिष्ट॒ हि षः ए॒वास्मद॑ग्ने॒ वि मु॑मुग्धि॒ पाशा॒न्होत॑श्चिकित्व इ॒ह तू नि॒षद्य॑
"Thou from the stake didst loose e'en Ṣunaḥṣepa bound for a thousand; for he prayed with fervour. So, Agni, loose from us the bonds that bind us, when thou art seated here, O Priest who knowest."
हृ॒णी॒यमा॑नो॒ अप॒ हि मदैयेः॒ प्र मे॑ दे॒वानां॑ व्रत॒पा उ॑वाच इन्द्रो॑ वि॒द्वाँ अनु॒ हि त्वा॑ च॒चक्ष॒ तेना॒हम॑ग्ने॒ अनु॑शिष्ट॒ आगा॑म्
"Thou hast sped from me, Agni, in thine anger: this the protector of Gods' Laws hath told me. Indra who knoweth bent his eye upon thee: by him instructed am I come, O Agni."
वि ज्योति॑षा बृह॒ता भा॑त्य॒ग्निरा॒विर्विश्वा॑नि कृणुते महि॒त्वा प्रादे॑वीर्मा॒याः स॑हते दु॒रेवाः॒ शिशी॑ते॒ शृङ्गे॒ रक्ष॑से वि॒निक्षे॑
"Agni shines far and wide with lofty splendour, and by his greatness makes all things apparent. He conquers godless and malign enchantments, and sharpens both his horns to gore the Raksas."
उ॒त स्वा॒नासो॑ दि॒वि ष॑न्त्व॒ग्नेस्ति॒ग्मायु॑धा॒ रक्ष॑से॒ हन्त॒वा उ॑ मदे॑ चिदस्य॒ प्र रु॑जन्ति॒ भामा॒ न व॑रन्ते परि॒बाधो॒ अदे॑वीः
"Loud in the heaven above be Agni's roarings with keen-edged weapons to destroy the demons. Forth burst his splendours in the Soma's rapture. The godless bands press round but cannot stayhim."
ए॒तं ते॒ स्तोमं॑ तुविजात॒ विप्रो॒ रथं॒ न धीरः॒ स्वपा॑ अतक्षम् यदीद॑ग्ने॒ प्रति॒ त्वं दे॑व॒ हर्याः॒ स्व॑र्वतीर॒प ए॑ना जयेम
"As a skilled craftsman makes a car, a singer I, Mighty One! this hymn for thee have fashioned. If thou, O Agni, God, accept it gladly, may we obtain thereby the heavenly Waters."
तु॒वि॒ग्रीवो॑ वृष॒भो वा॑वृधा॒नो॑ऽश॒त्र्व१॒॑र्यः सम॑जाति॒ वेदः॑ इती॒मम॒ग्निम॒मृता॑ अवोचन्ब॒र्हिष्म॑ते॒ मन॑वे॒ शर्म॑ यंसद्ध॒विष्म॑ते॒ मन॑वे॒ शर्म॑ यंसत्
"May he, the strong-necked Steer, waxing in vigour, gather the foeman's wealth with none to check him. Thus to this Agni have the Immortals spoken. To man who spreads the grass may he grant shelter, grant shelter to the man who brings oblation."