the mouth of this flame thou shalt be self-mightier to attain and shalt mentalise the paradise of his richest flamings, the paradise of rapture beyond the thought of the mind.2Sri Aurobindo
The Secret of the Veda
with Selected Hymns
The Seventeenth Hymn to Agni
A Hymn of Enlargement and Ultimate Aspiration
[A state arrives in which man goes beyond the mere subtlety and fineness of the intelligence and reaches to a rich and manifold largeness of soul. Even then though he has now the wide law of his being which is our right foundation, he needs a force greater than his to lead him; for largeness and multiplicity of soul-force and knowledge are not enough, there must be the divine truth in thought, word and act. For we have to attain beyond the enlarged mental being to the beatitude of a state beyond mind. Agni has the light and the force, the Word and the true impulsion, the embracing knowledge and the achieving power. He shall bring the divine wealth in his chariot and carry us towards the blissful state and the supreme good.]
5.17.1
आ य॒ज्ञैर्दे॑व॒ मर्त्य॑ इ॒त्था तव्यां॑समू॒तये॑ ।
अ॒ग्निं कृ॒ते स्व॑ध्व॒रे पू॒रुरी॑ळी॒ताव॑से ॥१॥
ā yajñaiḥ deva martyaḥ itthā tavyāṃsam ūtaye
agnim kṛte su-adhvare pūruḥ īḷīta avase
I am mortal who call thee, O godhead, for thy strength is greater than mine and it is righteous in its acts. Let the man of multiple soul when he has made perfect his sacrifice, adore the Will for his increasing.
5.17.2
अस्य॒ हि स्वय॑शस्तर आ॒सा वि॑धर्म॒न्मन्य॑से ।
तं नाकं॑ चि॒त्रशो॑चिषं म॒न्द्रं प॒रो म॑नी॒षया॑ ॥२॥
asya hi svayaśaḥ-taraḥ āsā vi-dharman manyase
tam nākam citra-śociṣam mandram paraḥ manīṣayā
Man, thou who hast won to the wide law of thy being,1 by the mouth of this flame thou shalt be self-mightier to attain and shalt mentalise the paradise of his richest flamings, the paradise of rapture beyond the thought of the mind.2
5.17.3
अ॒स्य वासा उ॑ अ॒र्चिषा॒ य आयु॑क्त तु॒जा गि॒रा ।
दि॒वो न यस्य॒ रेत॑सा बृ॒हच्छोच॑न्त्य॒र्चयः॑ ॥३॥
asya vai asau ūm̐ iti arciṣā yaḥ ayukta tujā girā
divaḥ na yasya retasā bṛhat śocanti arcayaḥ
For by the mouth and radiance of his flame he has yoked himself with the impelling force and the word, and vast as if with the seed of heaven blazes out the purity of his rays.
5.17.4
अ॒स्य क्रत्वा॒ विचे॑तसो द॒स्मस्य॒ वसु॒ रथ॒ आ ।
अधा॒ विश्वा॑सु॒ हव्यो॒ऽग्निर्वि॒क्षु प्र श॑स्यते ॥४॥
asya kratvā vi-cetasaḥ dasmasya vasu rathe ā
adha viśvāsu havyaḥ agniḥ vikṣu pra śasyate
Because by the force of his workings he has the embracing knowledge and the achieving power, his chariot carries a divine wealth; therefore in all creatures he is the godhead to be expressed and the helper to whom men call.
5.17.5
नू न॒ इद्धि वार्य॑मा॒सा स॑चन्त सू॒रयः॑ ।
ऊर्जो॑ नपाद॒भिष्ट॑ये पा॒हि श॒ग्धि स्व॒स्तय॑ उ॒तैधि॑ पृ॒त्सु नो॑ वृ॒धे ॥५॥
nu naḥ it hi vāryam āsā sacanta sūrayaḥ
ūrjaḥ napāt abhiṣṭaye pāhi śagdhi svastaye uta edhi pṛt-su naḥ vṛdhe
Even now and even for us may the luminous masters of knowledge be firm by the mouth of the flame to our supreme good.3 O Son of Energy, guard us so that we may enter in, be mighty to attain our blissful state. March with us in our battles that we may grow.
1 The larger working of consciousness and power in the being by which the rigid limitations of the ordinary mind and life and physical being are broken and man is able to experience a full inner life and open himself to communication with all the planes of his own and of the cosmic existence.
2 The state of bliss of which Swar, the supramental plane of existence, is the basis.
3 The luminous gods in us must keep our consciousness firmly attached to the light and truth that is brought by the workings of the Will so that we may not fall away from the right movement and its divine joy.