The Fifteenth Hymn to Agni

A Hymn of the Divine Upholder and Conqueror

[The Rishi hymns the Divine Will as the Seer and the Mighty One, the upholder of the Bliss and the Truth, by which men attain to the supreme-seated godheads. He breaks leonine through an army of opposers, sees and confirms for man all the possible births and manifestations of the soul, forms in him the secret superconscient plane and by knowledge delivers him into that vast beatitude.]

5.15.1

प्र वे॒धसे॑ क॒वये॒ वेद्या॑य॒ गिरं॑ भरे य॒शसे॑ पू॒र्व्याय॑ ।

घृ॒तप्र॑सत्तो॒ असु॑रः सु॒शेवो॑ रा॒यो ध॒र्ता ध॒रुणो॒ वस्वो॑ अ॒ग्निः ॥१॥

pra vedhase kavaye vedyāya giram bhare yaśase pūrvyāya

ghṛta-prasattaḥ asuraḥ su-śevaḥ rāyaḥ dhartā dharuṇaḥ vasvaḥ agniḥ

To the Seer and Ordainer who is the object of knowledge I bring the offering of the Word, to the glorious and victorious, to the pristine and supreme. He is the Mighty One accomplished in joy who goes forward to the clarities, the strength that is holder of the bliss and holder of the substance.

5.15.2

ऋ॒तेन॑ ऋ॒तं ध॒रुणं॑ धारयन्त य॒ज्ञस्य॑ शा॒के प॑र॒मे व्यो॑मन् ।

दि॒वो धर्म॑न्ध॒रुणे॑ से॒दुषो॒ नॄञ्जा॒तैरजा॑ताँ अ॒भि ये न॑न॒क्षुः ॥२॥

ṛtena ṛtam dharuṇam dhārayanta yajñasya śoke parame vi-oman

divaḥ dharman dharuṇe seduṣaḥ nṝn jātaiḥ ajātān abhi ye nanakṣuḥ

By the Truth they uphold the Truth that holds all, in the power of the Sacrifice, in the supreme ether, even they who by the godheads born in them travel to the godheads unborn, to the Powers who are seated for ever in the Law that upholds the heavens.

5.15.3

अ॒ङ्हो॒युव॑स्त॒न्व॑स्तन्वते॒ वि वयो॑ म॒हद्दु॒ष्टरं॑ पू॒र्व्याय॑ ।

स सं॒वतो॒ नव॑जातस्तुतुर्यात्सि॒ङ्हं न क्रु॒द्धम॒भित॒: परि॑ ष्ठुः ॥३॥

aṃhaḥ-yuvaḥ tanvaḥ tanvate vi vayaḥ mahat dustaram pūrvyāya

saḥ sam-vataḥ nava-jātaḥ tuturyāt siṃham na kruddham abhitaḥ pari sthuḥ

Putting evil away from them they create wide-extended forms and embodiments of the soul that are a vast birth and indestructible manifestation for this first and supreme godhead; new-born he shall break through armies that join like converging floods; they stand encompassing him like hunters who enring an angry lion.

5.15.4

मा॒तेव॒ यद्भर॑से पप्रथा॒नो जनं॑जनं॒ धाय॑से॒ चक्ष॑से च ।

वयो॑वयो जरसे॒ यद्दधा॑न॒: परि॒ त्मना॒ विषु॑रूपो जिगासि ॥४॥

mātā-iva yat bharase paprathānaḥ janam-janam dhāyase cakṣase ca

vayaḥ-vayaḥ jarase yat dadhānaḥ pari tmanā viṣu-rūpaḥ jigāsi

Thou art even as a mother when in thy wideness thou bearest in thy arms birth after birth to the firm foundation and to the vision. When thou holdest in thee and enjoyest manifestation after manifestation, thou movest abroad with thy self in many different forms.

5.15.5

वाजो॒ नु ते॒ शव॑सस्पा॒त्वन्त॑मु॒रुं दोघं॑ ध॒रुणं॑ देव रा॒यः ।

प॒दं न ता॒युर्गुहा॒ दधा॑नो म॒हो रा॒ये चि॒तय॒न्नत्रि॑मस्पः ॥५॥

vājaḥ nu te śavasaḥ pātu antam urum dogham dharuṇam deva rāyaḥ

padam na tāyuḥ guhā dadhānaḥ mahaḥ rāye citayan atrim asparityaspaḥ

May our plenitude possess the furthest limit of thy might, O godhead, where in its wideness and all-yielding abundance it upholds the bliss. Thou art he that forms and upholds in himself that secret abode to which we move; by thy awakening of him into knowledge thou hast rescued the enjoyer of things for a vast beatitude.