Bring to those who affirm thee thy force of the impulsion.The Sixth Hymn to Agni
The Galloping Flame-Powers of the Journey
[The flames of Agni the divine Will, home and meeting-place of all our increasing and advancing life-powers, are imaged as galloping on our human journey to the supreme good. Divine Will creates in us the divine strength of impulsion, an illumined and undecaying force and flame described as the steed of the plenitude, which brings us that good and carries us to that goal. His flames are coursers on the path who increase by the sacrifice; they hasten uninterruptedly, and race always more swiftly; they bring in the penned-up illuminations of the hidden knowledge. Their entire force and rapidity are accorded when the divine Strength is filled and satisfied with the sacrificial offerings.]
5.6.1
अ॒ग्निं तं म॑न्ये॒ यो वसु॒रस्तं॒ यं यन्ति॑ धे॒नवः॑ ।
अस्त॒मर्व॑न्त आ॒शवोऽस्तं॒ नित्या॑सो वा॒जिन॒ इषं॑ स्तो॒तृभ्य॒ आ भ॑र ॥१॥
agnim tam manye yaḥ vasuḥ astam yam yanti dhenavaḥ
astam arvantaḥ āśavaḥ astam nityāsaḥ vājinaḥ iṣam stotṛ-bhyaḥ ā bhara
On Strength I meditate who is the dweller in substance and to him as their home go our fostering herds, to him as their home our swift war-steeds,1 to him as their home our powers of the plenitude.
Bring to those who affirm thee thy force of the impulsion.2
5.6.2
सो अ॒ग्निर्यो वसु॑र्गृ॒णे सं यमा॒यन्ति॑ धे॒नवः॑ ।
समर्व॑न्तो रघु॒द्रुव॒: सं सु॑जा॒तासः॑ सू॒रय॒ इषं॑ स्तो॒तृभ्य॒ आ भ॑र ॥२॥
saḥ agniḥ yaḥ vasuḥ gṛṇe sam yam ā-yanti dhenavaḥ
sam arvantaḥ raghu-druvaḥ sam su-jātāsaḥ sūraya iṣam stotṛ-bhyaḥ ā bhara
He is that Strength who is the dweller in substance; him I express in whom come together3 our fostering herds, in whom meet our swiftly galloping war-steeds, in whom our luminous seers that come to perfect birth in us.
Bring to those who affirm thee thy force of the impulsion.
5.6.3
अ॒ग्निर्हि वा॒जिनं॑ वि॒शे ददा॑ति वि॒श्वच॑र्षणिः ।
अ॒ग्नी रा॒ये स्वा॒भुवं॒ स प्री॒तो या॑ति॒ वार्य॒मिषं॑ स्तो॒तृभ्य॒ आ भ॑र ॥३॥
agniḥ hi vājinam viśe dadāti viśva-carṣaṇiḥ
agniḥ rāye su-ābhuvam saḥ prītaḥ yāti vāryam iṣam stotṛ-bhyaḥ ā bhara
Will, the universal toiler, gives to the creature his steed of the plenitude, Will gives that which comes into entire being in us for the felicity and, satisfied, it journeys to the desirable good.
Bring to those who affirm thee thy force of the impulsion.
5.6.4
आ ते॑ अग्न इधीमहि द्यु॒मन्तं॑ देवा॒जर॑म् ।
यद्ध॒ स्या ते॒ पनी॑यसी स॒मिद्दी॒दय॑ति॒ द्यवीषं॑ स्तो॒तृभ्य॒ आ भ॑र ॥४॥
ā te agne idhīmahi dyu-mantam deva ajaram
yat ha syā te panīyasī sam-it dīdayati dyavi iṣam stotṛ-bhyaḥ ā bhara
That fire of thee we kindle O God, O Flame, luminous, unaging, when that more effective force of thy labour blazes in our heavens.
Bring to those who affirm thee thy force of the impulsion.
5.6.5
आ ते॑ अग्न ऋ॒चा ह॒विः शुक्र॑स्य शोचिषस्पते ।
सुश्च॑न्द्र॒ दस्म॒ विश्प॑ते॒ हव्य॑वा॒ट् तुभ्यं॑ हूयत॒ इषं॑ स्तो॒तृभ्य॒ आ भ॑र ॥५॥
ā te agne ṛcā haviḥ śukrasya śociṣaḥ pate
su-candra dasma viśpate havya-vāṭ tubhyam hūyate iṣam stotṛ-bhyaḥ ā bhara
Will, master of the pure-bright flame, thine is the offering cast by the illumining word; bearer of the oblation, to thee it is cast, O master of the creature, achiever of works, perfect in delight.
Bring to those who affirm thee thy force of the impulsion.
5.6.6
प्रो त्ये अ॒ग्नयो॒ऽग्निषु॒ विश्वं॑ पुष्यन्ति॒ वार्य॑म् ।
ते हि॑न्विरे॒ त इ॑न्विरे॒ त इ॑षण्यन्त्यानु॒षगिषं॑ स्तो॒तृभ्य॒ आ भ॑र ॥६॥
pro iti tye agnayaḥ agniṣu viśvam puṣyanti vāryam
te hinvire te invire te iṣaṇyanti ānuṣak iṣam stotṛ-bhyaḥ ā bhara
Those are thy flames that in these thy other flames nourish and advance every desirable good; they, they race! they, they run! they drive on in their impulsions without a break.
Bring to those who affirm thee thy force of the impulsion.
5.6.7
तव॒ त्ये अ॑ग्ने अ॒र्चयो॒ महि॑ व्राधन्त वा॒जिनः॑ ।
ये पत्व॑भिः श॒फानां॑ व्र॒जा भु॒रन्त॒ गोना॒मिषं॑ स्तो॒तृभ्य॒ आ भ॑र ॥७॥
tava tye agne arcayaḥ mahi vrādhanta vājinaḥ
ye patvabhiḥ śaphānām vrajā bhuranta gonām iṣam stotṛ-bhyaḥ ā bhara
Those are thy fiery rays, O Will, steeds of the plenitude, and they increase into the largeness and with tramplings of their hooves they bring in the pens of the luminous kine.4
Bring to those who affirm thee thy force of the impulsion.
5.6.8
नवा॑ नो अग्न॒ आ भ॑र स्तो॒तृभ्य॑: सुक्षि॒तीरिषः॑ ।
ते स्या॑म॒ य आ॑नृ॒चुस्त्वादू॑तासो॒ दमे॑दम॒ इषं॑ स्तो॒तृभ्य॒ आ भ॑र ॥८॥
navāḥ naḥ agne ā bhara stotṛ-bhyaḥ su-kṣitīḥ iṣaḥ
te syāma ye ānṛcuḥ tvā-dūtāsaḥ dame-dame iṣam stotṛ-bhyaḥ ā bhara
Bring, O Will, to those who affirm thee new strengths of impulsion that find aright their dwelling-place;5 may we be they who because they have thee for their messenger, sing the hymn of illumination in home and home.
Bring to those who affirm thee thy force of the impulsion.
5.6.9
उ॒भे सु॑श्चन्द्र स॒र्पिषो॒ दर्वी॑ श्रीणीष आ॒सनि॑ ।
उ॒तो न॒ उत्पु॑पूर्या उ॒क्थेषु॑ शवसस्पत॒ इषं॑ स्तो॒तृभ्य॒ आ भ॑र ॥९॥
ubhe su-candra sarpiṣaḥ darvī iti śrīṇīṣe āsani
uto iti naḥ ut pupūryāḥ ukthyeṣu śavasaḥ pate iṣam stotṛ-bhyaḥ ā bhara
Both6 ladles of the running richness thou approachest to thy mouth, O perfect in delight; mayst thou in our speakings utterly fill thyself, O master of shining strength.
Bring to those who affirm thee thy force of the impulsion.
5.6.10
ए॒वाँ अ॒ग्निम॑जुर्यमुर्गी॒र्भिर्य॒ज्ञेभि॑रानु॒षक् ।
दध॑द॒स्मे सु॒वीर्य॑मु॒त त्यदा॒श्वश्व्य॒मिषं॑ स्तो॒तृभ्य॒ आ भ॑र ॥१०॥
eva agnim ajuryamuḥ gīḥbhiḥ yajñebhiḥ ānuṣak
dadhat asme iti su-vīryam uta tyat āśu-aśvyam iṣam stotṛ-bhyaḥ ā bhara
So by our words and our sacrifices they without any break drive and control the Strength. May he establish in us an utter energy7 and that swift galloping force.8
Bring to those who affirm thee thy force of the impulsion.
1 The Horse is the symbol of Force in the Veda, especially of vital force. It is variously the arvat or war-steed in the battle and the vājin, the steed of the journey which brings us in the plenty of our spiritual wealth.
2 The power that enables us to make the journey through the night of our being to the divine Light.
3 All our growing powers of force and knowledge move towards the manifestation of the divine Knowledge-Force and in it combine and are harmonised.
4 The illuminations of the divine Truth penned up in the cavern of the subconscient by the lords of sense-action.
5 That is, they take us to our home in the world of Truth, the superconscient plane, own home of Agni, in which all these impulsions advancing find their rest and dwelling-place. It is reached by an ascent from plane to plane opened in succession by the power of the divine illumining Word.
6 Perhaps, the divine and the human delight.
7 The hero-power of the battling soul.
8 āśu aśvyam, the swift Horse-Power, with a play on the two words giving it the sense of “swift horse-swiftness”.