Sri Aurobindo
The Secret of the Veda
with Selected Hymns
The Third Hymn to Agni
The Divine Force, Conqueror of the Supreme Good
[The Divine Will-Force is that of which all the other godheads are forms and he manifests all these powers of supreme Truth as he grows in us. Thus the supreme state of conscious being is attained and by that our complex and manifold existence is maintained in the Light and the Joy. The Rishi prays that the evil may not be allowed to express itself again in him, that the secret soul in us who is the Father of things but in us appears as the child of our works and our evolution, may open itself to the vast Truth-consciousness. The Divine Flame will destroy all the powers of falsehood and evil who seek to make us stumble and would rob us of our heavenly treasure.]
5.3.1
त्वम॑ग्ने॒ वरु॑णो॒ जाय॑से॒ यत्त्वं मि॒त्रो भ॑वसि॒ यत्समि॑द्धः ।
त्वे विश्वे॑ सहसस्पुत्र दे॒वास्त्वमिन्द्रो॑ दा॒शुषे॒ मर्त्या॑य ॥१॥
tvam agne varuṇaḥ jāyase yat tvam mitraḥ bhavasi yat sam-iddhaḥ
tve viśve sahasaḥ putra devāḥ tvam indraḥ dāśuṣe martyāya
Thou art he of the Wideness,1 O Will, when thou art born; thou becomest the Lord of Love2 when thou art entirely kindled. In thee are all the gods, O son of Force; thou art the Power-in-Mind3 for the mortal who gives the offering.
5.3.2
त्वम॑र्य॒मा भ॑वसि॒ यत्क॒नीनां॒ नाम॑ स्वधाव॒न्गुह्यं॑ बिभर्षि ।
अ॒ञ्जन्ति॑ मि॒त्रं सुधि॑तं॒ न गोभि॒र्यद्दम्प॑ती॒ सम॑नसा कृ॒णोषि॑ ॥२॥
tvam aryamā bhavasi yat kanīnām nāma svadhā-van guhyam bibharṣi
añjanti mitram su-dhitam na gobhiḥ yat dampatī iti dam-patī sa-manasā kṛṇoṣi
O thou who possessest self-ordering Nature, thou becomest the might of the Aspirer4 when thou bearest the secret Name of the Virgins.5 They brighten thee with the Light in her rays as Love6 perfectly founded when thou makest of one mind the Lord and his Spouse7 in their mansion.
5.3.3
तव॑ श्रि॒ये म॒रुतो॑ मर्जयन्त॒ रुद्र॒ यत्ते॒ जनि॑म॒ चारु॑ चि॒त्रम् ।
प॒दं यद्विष्णो॑रुप॒मं नि॒धायि॒ तेन॑ पासि॒ गुह्यं॒ नाम॒ गोना॑म् ॥३॥
tava śriye marutaḥ marjayanta rudra yat te janima cāru citram
padam yat viṣṇoḥ upa-mam ni-dhāyi tena pāsi guhyam nāma gonām
For the glory of thee, O Violent One, the Thought-Powers make to shine out by their pressure that which is thy rich and beautiful birth.8 When that highest stride9 of Vishnu has been established within, thou protectest by it the secret Name of the herds of the Radiance.10
5.3.4
तव॑ श्रि॒या सु॒दृशो॑ देव दे॒वाः पु॒रू दधा॑ना अ॒मृतं॑ सपन्त ।
होता॑रम॒ग्निं मनु॑षो॒ नि षे॑दुर्दश॒स्यन्त॑ उ॒शिज॒: शंस॑मा॒योः ॥४॥
tava śriyā su-dṛśaḥ deva devāḥ puru dadhānāḥ amṛtam sapanta
hotāram agnim manuṣaḥ ni seduḥ daśasyantaḥ uśijaḥ śaṃsam āyoḥ
By the glory of thee because thou hast right vision, O godhead, the gods holding all that multiple existence taste immortality and men take their seat in the Force that offers the oblation and, desiring, they distribute to the godheads the self-expression of the being.
5.3.5
न त्वद्धोता॒ पूर्वो॑ अग्ने॒ यजी॑या॒न्न काव्यै॑: प॒रो अ॑स्ति स्वधावः ।
वि॒शश्च॒ यस्या॒ अति॑थि॒र्भवा॑सि॒ स य॒ज्ञेन॑ वनवद्देव॒ मर्ता॑न् ॥५॥
na tvat hotā pūrvaḥ agne yajīyān na kāvyaiḥ paraḥ asti svadhā-vaḥ
viśaḥ ca yasyāḥ atithiḥ bhavāsi saḥ yajñena vana-vat deva martān
There is none that precedeth thee as the priest of the oblation nor any mightier for sacrifice; O Flame, none is supreme over thee in the things of the Wisdom, thou who possessest the self-ordering power of Nature. The creature of whom thou becomest the guest, O godhead, prevails by sacrifice over all that belong to the mortality.
5.3.6
व॒यम॑ग्ने वनुयाम॒ त्वोता॑ वसू॒यवो॑ ह॒विषा॒ बुध्य॑मानाः ।
व॒यं स॑म॒र्ये वि॒दथे॒ष्वह्नां॑ व॒यं रा॒या स॑हसस्पुत्र॒ मर्ता॑न् ॥६॥
vayam agne vanuyāma tvā-ūtāḥ vasu-yavaḥ haviṣā budhyamānāḥ
vayam sa-marye vidatheṣu ahnām vayam rāyā sahasaḥ putra martān
May we, O Flame, fostered by thee and awakened, seekers of the substance, prevail by the offering,– we in the great struggle, we in the comings of knowledge in our days,11 we by the felicity, O son of Force, overcome all that are mortal.
5.3.7
यो न॒ आगो॑ अ॒भ्येनो॒ भरा॒त्यधीद॒घम॒घशं॑से दधात ।
ज॒ही चि॑कित्वो अ॒भिश॑स्तिमे॒तामग्ने॒ यो नो॑ म॒र्चय॑ति द्व॒येन॑ ॥७॥
yaḥ naḥ āgaḥ abhi enaḥ bharāti adhi it agham agha-śaṃse dadhāta
jahi cikitvaḥ abhi-śastim etām agne yaḥ naḥ marcayati dvayena
The expresser of evil who seeks to bring sin and transgression into us, his own evil do thou return upon his head; slay, O conscious knower, this hostile self-expression of him who oppresses us with the duality.
5.3.8
त्वाम॒स्या व्युषि॑ देव॒ पूर्वे॑ दू॒तं कृ॑ण्वा॒ना अ॑यजन्त ह॒व्यैः ।
सं॒स्थे यद॑ग्न॒ ईय॑से रयी॒णां दे॒वो मर्तै॒र्वसु॑भिरि॒ध्यमा॑नः ॥८॥
tvām asyāḥ vi-uṣi deva pūrve dūtam kṛṇvānāḥ ayajanta havyaiḥ
sam-sthe yat agne īyase rayīṇām devaḥ martaiḥ vasubhiḥ idhyamānaḥ
Thee, O Godhead, in the dawning of this our Night the Ancients12 made their messenger and through thee sacrificed by their offerings because thou art the godhead that is being kindled by the mortal dwellers in this substance and thou movest to the meeting-place13 of all felicities.
5.3.9
अव॑ स्पृधि पि॒तरं॒ योधि॑ वि॒द्वान्पु॒त्रो यस्ते॑ सहसः सून ऊ॒हे ।
क॒दा चि॑कित्वो अ॒भि च॑क्षसे॒ नोऽग्ने॑ क॒दाँ ऋ॑त॒चिद्या॑तयासे ॥९॥
ava spṛdhi pitaram yodhi vidvān putraḥ yaḥ te sahasaḥ sūno iti ūhe
kadā cikitvaḥ abhi cakṣase naḥ agne kadā ṛta-cit yātayāse
Deliver the Father and in thy knowledge put away evil from him who is borne in us as thy son, O child of Force. When wilt thou have that vision for us, O conscious Knower? when wilt thou, O Truth-conscious Will, impel us to the journey?
5.3.10
भूरि॒ नाम॒ वन्द॑मानो दधाति पि॒ता व॑सो॒ यदि॒ तज्जो॒षया॑से ।
कु॒विद्दे॒वस्य॒ सह॑सा चका॒नः सु॒म्नम॒ग्निर्व॑नते वावृधा॒नः ॥१०॥
bhūri nāma vandamānaḥ dadhāti pitā vaso iti yadi tat joṣayāse
kuvit devasya sahasā cakānaḥ sumnam agniḥ vanate vavṛdhānaḥ
Then indeed the Father adores and holds, O Dweller in the substance, the vast Name14 when thou makest him to accept and cleave to it. Will in us desires the bliss and, increasing, wins it entirely by the force of the Godhead.15
5.3.11
त्वम॒ङ्ग ज॑रि॒तारं॑ यविष्ठ॒ विश्वा॑न्यग्ने दुरि॒ताति॑ पर्षि ।
स्ते॒ना अ॑दृश्रन्रि॒पवो॒ जना॒सोऽज्ञा॑तकेता वृजि॒ना अ॑भूवन् ॥११॥
tvam aṅga jaritāram yaviṣṭha viśvāni agne duḥ-itā ati parṣi
stenāḥ adṛśran ripavaḥ janāsaḥ ajñāta-ketāḥ vṛjināḥ abhūvan
Thou, O Will, O youngest vigour, carriest thy adorer beyond all stumblings into grief and evil; for the creatures are seen of thee who would do hurt to us and are thieves in their hearts,– they whose perceptions are void of the knowledge and therefore they have fallen into the crookedness.
5.3.12
इ॒मे यामा॑सस्त्व॒द्रिग॑भूव॒न्वस॑वे वा॒ तदिदागो॑ अवाचि ।
नाहा॒यम॒ग्निर॒भिश॑स्तये नो॒ न रीष॑ते वावृधा॒नः परा॑ दात् ॥१२॥
ime yāmāsaḥ tvadrik abhūvan vasave vā tat it āgaḥ avāci
na aha ayam agniḥ abhi-śastaye naḥ na riṣate vavṛdhānaḥ parā dāt
Lo, all these movements of our journeying have turned their faces towards thee, and for that evil in us, it is declared to the Dweller in our being. O never can this Will in his increasing betray us to the hurter of our self-expression; he will not deliver us into the hands of our enemy!
1 Varuna, who represents the ethereal purity and oceanic wideness of the infinite Truth.
2 Mitra, the all-embracing harmony of the Truth, the Friend of all beings, therefore the Lord of Love.
3 Indra, Ruler of our being, Master of Swar which is the luminous world of the Divine Mind.
4 Aryaman, the aspiring power and action of the Truth.
5 Probably, the unripe Radiances that our aspiration has to prepare for their union with the higher power of the soul; Aryaman holds their secret sense, the Name or Numen, which is manifested when aspiration arrives at the light of knowledge and Mitra harmonises soul and nature.
6 Mitra.
7 The Soul and Nature. The mansion is the human body.
8 The supreme world of Light. Agni is said elsewhere to become in his being the highest of the shining worlds.
9 Vishnu has three strides or movements, earth, heaven and the supreme world of which Light, Truth and the Sun are the foundation.
10 The highest divine sense of the illuminations of Knowledge is found in the superconscient worlds of supreme Light.
11 The periods of Light visiting the soul.
12 The ancient seers who discovered the secret wisdom.
13 The supreme world of Truth and Bliss.
14 The world of Truth is also called the Wideness or the Vast or the Vast Truth.
15 The Deva, the supreme Deity, of whom all the gods are different Names and Powers.