Containing 20 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
अग्न॒ आ या॑ह्य॒ग्निभि॒र्होता॑रं त्वा वृणीमहे आ त्वाम॑नक्तु॒ प्रय॑ता ह॒विष्म॑ती॒ यजि॑ष्ठं ब॒र्हिरा॒सदे॑
"AGNI, come hither with thy fires; we choose thee as Invoking Priest. Let the extended ladle full of oil balm thee, best Priest, to sit on sacred grass."
अच्छा॒ हि त्वा॑ सहसः सूनो अङ्गिरः॒ स्रुच॒श्चर॑न्त्यध्व॒रे ऊ॒र्जो नपा॑तं घृ॒तके॑शमीमहे॒ऽग्निं य॒ज्ञेषु॑ पू॒र्व्यम्
"-For unto thee, O Angiras, O Son of Strength, move ladles in the sacrifice. To Agni, Child of Force, whose locks drop oil, we seek foremost in sacrificial rites."
अग्ने॑ क॒विर्वे॒धा अ॑सि॒ होता॑ पावक॒ यक्ष्यः॑ म॒न्द्रो यजि॑ष्ठो अध्व॒रेष्वीड्यो॒ विप्रे॑भिः शुक्र॒ मन्म॑भिः
"Agni, thou art Disposer, Sage, Herald, bright God! and worshipful, Best offerer, cheerful, to be praised in holy rites, pure Lord! by singers with their hymns."
अद्रो॑घ॒मा व॑होश॒तो य॑विष्ठ्य दे॒वाँ अ॑जस्र वी॒तये॑ अ॒भि प्रयां॑सि॒ सुधि॒ता व॑सो गहि॒ मन्द॑स्व धी॒तिभि॑र्हि॒तः
"Most Youthful and Eternal, bring the longing Gods to me, the guileless, for the feast. Come, Vasu, to the banquet that is well-prepared: rejoice thee, gracious, with our songs."
त्वमित्स॒प्रथा॑ अ॒स्यग्ने॑ त्रातर्ऋ॒तस्क॒विः त्वां विप्रा॑सः समिधान दीदिव॒ आ वि॑वासन्ति वे॒धसः॑
"Famed art thou, Agni, far and wide, Preserver, righteous, and a Sage. The holy singers, O refulgent kindled God! arrangers, call on thee to come."
शोचा॑ शोचिष्ठ दीदि॒हि वि॒शे मयो॒ रास्व॑ स्तो॒त्रे म॒हाँ अ॑सि दे॒वानां॒ शर्म॒न्मम॑ सन्तु सू॒रयः॑ शत्रू॒षाहः॑ स्व॒ग्नयः॑
"Shine, Most Resplendent! blaze, send bliss unto the folk, and to thy worshipper: Great art thou. So may my princes, with good fires, subduing foes, rest in the keeping of the Gods."
यथा॑ चिद्वृ॒द्धम॑त॒समग्ने॑ सं॒जूर्व॑सि॒ क्षमि॑ ए॒वा द॑ह मित्रमहो॒ यो अ॑स्म॒ध्रुग्दु॒र्मन्मा॒ कश्च॒ वेन॑ति
"Agni, as thou burnest down to earth even high-grown underwood, So, bright as Mitra is, burn him who injures us, him who plots ill against thy friend."
मा नो॒ मर्ता॑य रि॒पवे॑ रक्ष॒स्विने॒ माघशं॑साय रीरधः अस्रे॑धद्भिस्त॒रणि॑भिर्यविष्ठ्य शि॒वेभिः॑ पाहि पा॒युभिः॑
"Give us not as a prey to mortal enemy, nor to the wicked friend of fiends. With conquering guards, auspicious, unassailable, protect us, O Most Youthful God."
पा॒हि नो॑ अग्न॒ एक॑या पा॒ह्यु१॒॑त द्वि॒तीय॑या पा॒हि गी॒र्भिस्ति॒सृभि॑रूर्जां पते पा॒हि च॑त॒सृभि॑र्वसो
"Protect us, Agni, through the first, protect us through the second hymn, Protect us through three hymns, O Lord of Power and Might, through four hymns, Vasu, guard thou us."
पा॒हि विश्व॑स्माद्र॒क्षसो॒ अरा॑व्णः॒ प्र स्म॒ वाजे॑षु नोऽव त्वामिद्धि नेदि॑ष्ठं दे॒वता॑तय आ॒पिं नक्षा॑महे वृ॒धे
"Preserve us from each fiend who brings the Gods no gift, preserve thou us in deeds of strength: For we possess in thee the nearest Friend of all, for service of the Gods and weal."
आ नो॑ अग्ने वयो॒वृधं॑ र॒यिं पा॑वक॒ शंस्य॑म् रास्वा॑ च न उपमाते पुरु॒स्पृहं॒ सुनी॑ती॒ स्वय॑शस्तरम्
"O Holy Agni, give us wealth renowned with men and strengthening life. Bestow on us, O Helper, that which many crave, more glorious still by righteousness;"
येन॒ वंसा॑म॒ पृत॑नासु॒ शर्ध॑त॒स्तर॑न्तो अ॒र्य आ॒दिशः॑ स त्वं नो॑ वर्ध॒ प्रय॑सा शचीवसो॒ जिन्वा॒ धियो॑ वसु॒विदः॑
"Wherewith we may o’ercome our rivals in the war, o’erpowering the foe’s designs. So wax thou by our food, O Excellent in strength. Quicken our thoughts that find out wealth."
शिशा॑नो वृष॒भो य॑था॒ग्निः शृङ्गे॒ दवि॑ध्वत् ति॒ग्मा अ॑स्य॒ हन॑वो॒ न प्र॑ति॒धृषे॑ सु॒जम्भः॒ सह॑सो य॒हुः
"Agni is even as a bull who whets and brandishes his horns. Well-sharpened are his jaws which may not be withstood: the Child of Strength hath powerful teeth."
न॒हि ते॑ अग्ने वृषभ प्रति॒धृषे॒ जम्भा॑सो॒ यद्वि॒तिष्ठ॑से स त्वं नो॑ होतः॒ सुहु॑तं ह॒विष्कृ॑धि॒ वंस्वा॑ नो॒ वार्या॑ पु॒रु
"Not to be stayed, O Bull, O Agni, are thy teeth when thou art spreading far and wide. Make our oblations duly offered up, O Priest, and give us store of precious things."
शेषे॒ वने॑षु मा॒त्रोः सं त्वा॒ मर्ता॑स इन्धते अत॑न्द्रो ह॒व्या व॑हसि हवि॒ष्कृत॒ आदिद्दे॒वेषु॑ राजसि
"Thou liest in the wood: from both thy Mothers mortals kindle thee. Unweariedly thou bearest up the offerer’s gifts, then shinest bright among the Gods."
स॒प्त होता॑र॒स्तमिदी॑ळते॒ त्वाग्ने॑ सु॒त्यज॒मह्र॑यम् भि॒नत्स्यद्रिं॒ तप॑सा॒ वि शो॒चिषा॒ प्राग्ने॑ तिष्ठ॒ जनाँ॒ अति॑
"And so the seven priests, O Agni, worship thee, Free-giver, Everlasting One. Thou cleavest through the rock with heat and fervent glow. Agni, rise up above the men."
अ॒ग्निम॑ग्निं वो॒ अध्रि॑गुं हु॒वेम॑ वृ॒क्तब॑र्हिषः अ॒ग्निं हि॒तप्र॑यसः शश्व॒तीष्वा होता॑रं चर्षणी॒नाम्
"For you let us whose grass is trimmed call Agni, Agni, restless God. Let us whose food is offered call to all the tribes Agni the Invoking Priest of men."
केते॑न॒ शर्म॑न्त्सचते सुषा॒मण्यग्ने॒ तुभ्यं॑ चिकि॒त्वना॑ इ॒ष॒ण्यया॑ नः पुरु॒रूप॒मा भ॑र॒ वाजं॒ नेदि॑ष्ठमू॒तये॑
"Agni, with noble psalm that tells his wish he dwells, thinking on thee who guardest him. Speedily bring us strength of many varied sorts to be most near to succour us."
अग्ने॒ जरि॑तर्वि॒श्पति॑स्तेपा॒नो दे॑व र॒क्षसः॑ अप्रो॑षिवान्गृ॒हप॑तिर्म॒हाँ अ॑सि दि॒वस्पा॒युर्दु॑रोण॒युः
"Agni, Praise-singer! Lord of men, God! burner-up of Rakshasas, Mighty art thou, the ever-present Household-Lord, Home-friend and Guardian from the sky."
मा नो॒ रक्ष॒ आ वे॑शीदाघृणीवसो॒ मा या॒तुर्या॑तु॒माव॑ताम् प॒रो॒ग॒व्यू॒त्यनि॑रा॒मप॒ क्षुध॒मग्ने॒ सेध॑ रक्ष॒स्विनः॑
"Let no fiend come among us, O thou rich in light, no spell of those who deal in spells. To distant pastures drive faint hunger: far away, O Agni, chase the demons’ friends."