Containing 19 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
जी॒मूत॑स्येव भवति॒ प्रती॑कं॒ यद्व॒र्मी याति॑ स॒मदा॑मु॒पस्थे॑ अना॑विद्धया त॒न्वा॑ जय॒ त्वं स त्वा॒ वर्म॑णो महि॒मा पि॑पर्तु
"THE warrior's look is like a thunderous rain-cloud's, when, armed with mail, he seeks the lap of battle. Be thou victorious with unwounded body: so let the thickness of thy mail protect thee."
धन्व॑ना॒ गा धन्व॑ना॒जिं ज॑येम॒ धन्व॑ना ती॒व्राः स॒मदो॑ जयेम धनुः॒ शत्रो॑रपका॒मं कृ॑णोति॒ धन्व॑ना॒ सर्वाः॑ प्र॒दिशो॑ जयेम
"With Bow let us win kine, with Bow the battle, with Bow be victors in our hot encounters. The Bow brings grief and sorrow to the foeman: armed with the Bow may we subdue all regions."
व॒क्ष्यन्ती॒वेदा ग॑नीगन्ति॒ कर्णं॑ प्रि॒यं सखा॑यं परिषस्वजा॒ना योषे॑व शिङ्क्ते॒ वित॒ताधि॒ धन्व॒ञ्ज्या इ॒यं सम॑ने पा॒रय॑न्ती
"Close to his car, as fain to speak, She presses, holding her well-loved Friend in her embraces. Strained on the Bow, She whispers like a woman-this Bowstring that preserves us in the combat."
ते आ॒चर॑न्ती॒ सम॑नेव॒ योषा॑ मा॒तेव॑ पु॒त्रं बि॑भृतामु॒पस्थे॑ अप॒ शत्रू॑न्विध्यतां संविदा॒ने आर्त्नी॑ इ॒मे वि॑ष्फु॒रन्ती॑ अ॒मित्रा॑न्
"These, meeting like a woman and her lover, bear, mother-like, their child upon their bosom. May the two Bow-ends, starting swift asunder, scatter, in unison, the foes who hate us."
ब॒ह्वी॒नां पि॒ता ब॒हुर॑स्य पु॒त्रश्चि॒श्चा कृ॑णोति॒ सम॑नाव॒गत्य॑ इ॒षु॒धिः सङ्काः॒ पृत॑नाश्च॒ सर्वाः॑ पृ॒ष्ठे निन॑द्धो जयति॒ प्रसू॑तः
"With many a son, father of many daughters, He clangs and clashes as he goes to battle. Slung on the back, pouring his brood, the Quiver vanquishes all opposing bands and armies."
रथे॒ तिष्ठ॑न्नयति वा॒जिनः॑ पु॒रो यत्र॑यत्र का॒मय॑ते सुषार॒थिः अ॒भीशू॑नां महि॒मानं॑ पनायत॒ मनः॑ प॒श्चादनु॑ यच्छन्ति र॒श्मयः॑
"Upstanding in the Car the skilful Charioteer guides his strong Horses on whithersoe'er he will. See and admire the strength of those controlling Reins which from behind declare the will of him who drives."
ती॒व्रान्घोषा॑न्कृण्वते॒ वृष॑पाण॒योऽश्वा॒ रथे॑भिः स॒ह वा॒जय॑न्तः अ॒व॒क्राम॑न्तः॒ प्रप॑दैर॒मित्रा॑न्क्षि॒णन्ति॒ शत्रूँ॒रन॑पव्ययन्तः
"Horses whose hoofs rain dust are neighing loudly, yoked to the Chariots, showing forth their vigour, With their forefeet descending on the foemen, they, never flinching, trample and destroy them."
र॒थ॒वाह॑नं ह॒विर॑स्य॒ नाम॒ यत्रायु॑धं॒ निहि॑तमस्य॒ वर्म॑ तत्रा॒ रथ॒मुप॑ श॒ग्मं स॑देम वि॒श्वाहा॑ व॒यं सु॑मन॒स्यमा॑नाः
"Car-bearer is the name of his oblation, whercon are laid his Weapons and his Armour. So let us here, each day that passes, honour the helpful Car with hearts exceeding joyful."
स्वा॒दु॒षं॒सदः॑ पि॒तरो॑ वयो॒धाः कृ॑च्छ्रे॒श्रितः॒ शक्ती॑वन्तो गभी॒राः चि॒त्रसे॑ना॒ इषु॑बला॒ अमृ॑ध्राः स॒तोवी॑रा उ॒रवो॑ व्रातसा॒हाः
"In sweet association lived the fathers who gave us life, profound and strong in trouble, Unwearied, armed with shafts and wondrous weapons, free, real heroes, conquerors of armies."
ब्राह्म॑णासः॒ पित॑रः॒ सोम्या॑सः शि॒वे नो॒ द्यावा॑पृथि॒वी अ॑ने॒हसा॑ पू॒षा नः॑ पातु दुरि॒तादृ॑तावृधो॒ रक्षा॒ माकि॑र्नो अ॒घशं॑स ईशत
"The Brahmans, and the Fathers meet for Soma-draughts, and, graciously inclined, unequalled Heaven and Earth. Guard us trom evil, Pûshan, guard us strengtheners of Law: let not the evil-wisher master us."
सु॒प॒र्णं व॑स्ते मृ॒गो अ॑स्या॒ दन्तो॒ गोभिः॒ संन॑द्धा पतति॒ प्रसू॑ता यत्रा॒ नरः॒ सं च॒ वि च॒ द्रव॑न्ति॒ तत्रा॒स्मभ्य॒मिष॑वः॒ शर्म॑ यंसन्
"Her tooth a deer, dressed in an eagle's feathers, bound with cow-hide, launched forth, She flieth onward. There where the heroes speed hither and thither, there may the Arrows shelter and protect us."
ऋजी॑ते॒ परि॑ वृङ्धि॒ नोऽश्मा॑ भवतु नस्त॒नूः सोमो॒ अधि॑ ब्रवीतु॒ नोऽदि॑तिः॒ शर्म॑ यच्छतु
"Avoid us thou whose flight is straight, and let our bodies be as stone. May Soma kindly speak to us, and Aditi protect us well."
आ ज॑ङ्घन्ति॒ सान्वे॑षां ज॒घनाँ॒ उप॑ जिघ्नते अश्वा॑जनि॒ प्रचे॑त॒सोऽश्वा॑न्त्स॒मत्सु॑ चोदय
"He lays his blows upon their backs, he deals his blows upon their thighs. Thou, Whip, who urgest horses, drive sagacious horses in the fray."
अहि॑रिव भो॒गैः पर्ये॑ति बा॒हुं ज्याया॑ हे॒तिं प॑रि॒बाध॑मानः ह॒स्त॒घ्नो विश्वा॑ व॒युना॑नि वि॒द्वान्पुमा॒न्पुमां॑सं॒ परि॑ पातु वि॒श्वतः॑
"It compasses the arm with serpent windings, fending away the friction of the bowstring: So may the Brace, well-skilled in all its duties, guard manfully the man from every quarter."
आला॑क्ता॒ या रुरु॑शी॒र्ष्ण्यथो॒ यस्या॒ अयो॒ मुख॑म् इ॒दं प॒र्जन्य॑रेतस॒ इष्वै॑ दे॒व्यै बृ॒हन्नमः॑
"Now to the Shaft with venom smeared, tipped with deer-horn, with iron mouth, Celestial, of Parjanya's seed, be this great adoration paid."
अव॑सृष्टा॒ परा॑ पत॒ शर॑व्ये॒ ब्रह्म॑संशिते गच्छा॒मित्रा॒न्प्र प॑द्यस्व॒ मामीषां॒ कं च॒नोच्छि॑षः
"Loosed from the Bowstring fly away, thou Arrow, sharpened by our prayer. Go to the foemen, strike them home, and let not one be left alive."
यत्र॑ बा॒णाः स॒म्पत॑न्ति कुमा॒रा वि॑शि॒खा इ॑व तत्रा॑ नो॒ ब्रह्म॑ण॒स्पति॒रदि॑तिः॒ शर्म॑ यच्छतु वि॒श्वाहा॒ शर्म॑ यच्छतु
"There where the flights of Arrows fall like boys whose locks are yet unshorn. Even there may Brahmaṇaspati, and Aditi protect us well, protect us well through all our days."
मर्मा॑णि ते॒ वर्म॑णा छादयामि॒ सोम॑स्त्वा॒ राजा॒मृते॒नानु॑ वस्ताम् उ॒रोर्वरी॑यो॒ वरु॑णस्ते कृणोतु॒ जय॑न्तं॒ त्वानु॑ दे॒वा म॑दन्तु
"Thy vital parts I cover with thine Armour: with immortality King Soma clothe thee. Varuṇa give tliee what is more than ample, and in thy triumph may the Gods be joyful."
यो नः॒ स्वो अर॑णो॒ यश्च॒ निष्ट्यो॒ जिघां॑सति दे॒वास्तं सर्वे॑ धूर्वन्तु॒ ब्रह्म॒ वर्म॒ ममान्त॑रम्
"Whoso would kill us, whether he be a strange foe or one of us, May all the Gods discomfit him. My nearest, closest Mail is prayer."