of our offering; when men accept the Flame into themselves, it is the seer-will that they accept.The Eleventh Hymn to Agni
A Hymn to the Divine Priest and Sacrificial Flame
[The Rishi hymns the birth of the wakeful and discerning sacrificial Flame who is vision and will-power, the seer whose passion of effort turns into a divine knowledge, in the heavens of mind. This seer-will the inspired words of the Thought have to increase. It is a thing of puissance, the Son of Force, and found by the ancient Souls of luminous puissance concealed in the growths of earth, in all the experiences that the soul here seeks to enjoy.]
5.11.1
जन॑स्य गो॒पा अ॑जनिष्ट॒ जागृ॑विर॒ग्निः सु॒दक्ष॑: सुवि॒ताय॒ नव्य॑से ।
घृ॒तप्र॑तीको बृह॒ता दि॑वि॒स्पृशा॑ द्यु॒मद्वि भा॑ति भर॒तेभ्य॒: शुचि॑: ॥१॥
janasya gopāḥ ajaniṣṭa jāgṛviḥ agniḥ su-dakṣaḥ suvitāya navyase
ghṛta-pratīkaḥ bṛhatā divi-spṛśā dyu-mat vi bhāti bharatebhyaḥ śuciḥ
The protector of the creature is born, the Flame that is wakeful and perfect in discernment, for a new march to felicity. His front is of the clarities, luminously he shines wide so that the vastness of him touches the heavens, he is pure for the bringers of the riches.
5.11.2
य॒ज्ञस्य॑ के॒तुं प्र॑थ॒मं पु॒रोहि॑तम॒ग्निं नर॑स्त्रिषध॒स्थे समी॑धिरे ।
इन्द्रे॑ण दे॒वैः स॒रथं॒ स ब॒र्हिषि॒ सीद॒न्नि होता॑ य॒जथा॑य सु॒क्रतु॑: ॥२॥
yajñasya ketum prathamam puraḥ-hitam agnim naraḥ tri-sadhasthe sam īdhire
indreṇa devaiḥ saratham saḥ barhiṣi sīdat ni hotā yajathāya su-kratuḥ
Men have kindled high in the triple world1 of the session the Flame supreme to be vision in the sacrifice and the vicar set in front; he comes in one chariot with the God-Mind and the divine Powers and sits on the seat of sacrifice, the Priest of the oblation perfect in will-power for the sacrificing.
5.11.3
अस॑म्मृष्टो जायसे मा॒त्रोः शुचि॑र्म॒न्द्रः क॒विरुद॑तिष्ठो वि॒वस्व॑तः ।
घृ॒तेन॑ त्वावर्धयन्नग्न आहुत धू॒मस्ते॑ के॒तुर॑भवद्दि॒वि श्रि॒तः ॥३॥
asam-mṛṣṭaḥ jāyase mātroḥ śuciḥ mandraḥ kaviḥ ut atiṣṭhaḥ vivasvataḥ
ghṛtena tvā avardhayan agne ā-huta dhūmaḥ te ketuḥ abhavat divi śritaḥ
Unovercome and pure2 thou art born from thy mothers twain; thou hast risen up a rapturous seer from the all-luminous sun; they have increased thee with the clarity, O Flame, and the passion-smoke of thee becomes vision when it reaches and lodges in the heavens.
5.11.4
अ॒ग्निर्नो॑ य॒ज्ञमुप॑ वेतु साधु॒याग्निं नरो॒ वि भ॑रन्ते गृ॒हेगृ॑हे ।
अ॒ग्निर्दू॒तो अ॑भवद्धव्य॒वाह॑नो॒ऽग्निं वृ॑णा॒ना वृ॑णते क॒विक्र॑तुम् ॥४॥
agniḥ naḥ yajñam upa vetu sādhu-yā agnim naraḥ vi bharante gṛhe-gṛhe
agniḥ dūtaḥ abhavat havya-vāhanaḥ agnim vṛṇānāḥ vṛṇate kavi-kratum
May the Flame come to our sacrifice with power to accomplish; the Flame men carry into every room of their dwelling-place; the Flame has become our messenger and the bearer of our offering; when men accept the Flame into themselves, it is the seer-will that they accept.
5.11.5
तुभ्ये॒दम॑ग्ने॒ मधु॑मत्तमं॒ वच॒स्तुभ्यं॑ मनी॒षा इ॒यम॑स्तु॒ शं हृ॒दे ।
त्वां गिर॒: सिन्धु॑मिवा॒वनी॑र्म॒हीरा पृ॑णन्ति॒ शव॑सा व॒र्धय॑न्ति च ॥५॥
tubhya idam agne madhumat-tamam vacaḥ tubhyam manīṣā iyam astu śam hṛde
tvām giraḥ sindhum-iva avanīḥ mahīḥ ā pṛṇanti śavasā vardhayanti ca
For thee, O Flame, this Word fraught fullest with the honey,3 for thee this Thought and may it be the peace and bliss in thy heart. For the words of the Thought satisfy and increase thee as those great fostering streams4 fill and increase that ocean.
5.11.6
त्वाम॑ग्ने॒ अङ्गि॑रसो॒ गुहा॑ हि॒तमन्व॑विन्दञ्छिश्रिया॒णं वने॑वने ।
स जा॑यसे म॒थ्यमा॑न॒: सहो॑ म॒हत्त्वामा॑हु॒: सह॑सस्पु॒त्रम॑ङ्गिरः ॥६॥
tvām agne aṅgirasaḥ guhā hitam anu avindan śiśriyāṇam vane-vane
saḥ jāyase mathyamānaḥ sahaḥ mahat tvām āhuḥ sahasaḥ putram aṅgiraḥ
O Flame, the souls of puissance5 discovered thee hidden in the secret place,6 lodging in every object of delight; by our pressure on thee thou art born, a mighty force; the Son of Force they have called thee, O Puissance.
1 The triple world of mind, life and body in which the session of our sacrifice takes place or in which the work of self-perfection proceeds.
2 Or, “pure without cleansing”.
3 The honeyed Soma-wine, outflowing of the principle of Delight in things.
4 The seven rivers or movements which descend from the superconscient being and fill the conscious ocean of our existence. They are called the Mothers, the fostering Cows, the Mighty Ones of Heaven, the Waters of Knowledge, the streams of the Truth, etc.
5 The seven ancient seers or fathers, the Angirasa Rishis, sons of Agni and divine or human types of the seer-will.
6 The subconscient heart in things.