Come, O Will, with all the godheads for the giving of the oblation; thee we accept as the priest of the offering.Sri Aurobindo
The Secret of the Veda
with Selected Hymns
The Twenty-Sixth Hymn to Agni
A Hymn of the Priest and Sacrificial Flame
[The Rishi invokes the Divine Flame in all its usual attributes as the sacrificer, the luminous seer who has the vision of the luminous world, the bringer of the gods, the carrier of the offering, the envoy, conqueror, increaser of the divine workings in man, the knower of the Births, the leader of the march of the sacrifice with its progressive epiphany of the godheads.]
5.26.1
अग्ने॑ पावक रो॒चिषा॑ म॒न्द्रया॑ देव जि॒ह्वया॑ ।
आ दे॒वान्व॑क्षि॒ यक्षि॑ च ॥१॥
agne pāvaka rociṣā mandrayā deva jihvayā
ā devān vakṣi yakṣi ca
O Flame, O purifier, bring to us by thy tongue of rapture, O god, the gods and offer to them sacrifice.
5.26.2
तं त्वा॑ घृतस्नवीमहे॒ चित्र॑भानो स्व॒र्दृश॑म् ।
दे॒वाँ आ वी॒तये॑ वह ॥२॥
tam tvā ghṛtasno iti ghṛta-sno īmahe citrabhāno iti citra-bhāno svaḥ-dṛśam
devān ā vītaye vaha
Thou who drippest the clarity, thou of the rich and varied luminousness, we desire thee because thou hast the vision of our world of the Truth. Bring to us the gods for their manifesting.1
5.26.3
वी॒तिहो॑त्रं त्वा कवे द्यु॒मन्तं॒ समि॑धीमहि ।
अग्ने॑ बृ॒हन्त॑मध्व॒रे ॥३॥
vīti-hotram tvā kave dyu-mantam sam idhīmahi
agne bṛhantam adhvare
O Seer, we kindle thee in thy light and thy vastness in the march of our sacrifice who carriest the offerings on their journey.
5.26.4
अग्ने॒ विश्वे॑भि॒रा ग॑हि दे॒वेभि॑र्ह॒व्यदा॑तये ।
होता॑रं त्वा वृणीमहे ॥४॥
agne viśvebhiḥ ā gahi devebhiḥ havya-dātaye
hotāram tvā vṛṇīmahe
Come, O Will, with all the godheads for the giving of the oblation; thee we accept as the priest of the offering.
5.26.5
यज॑मानाय सुन्व॒त आग्ने॑ सु॒वीर्यं॑ वह ।
दे॒वैरा स॑त्सि ब॒र्हिषि॑ ॥५॥
yajamānāya sunvate ā agne su-vīrya vaha
devaiḥ ā satsi barhiṣi
For the sacrificer who presses the wine of his delight, bring, O Flame, a perfect energy. Sit with the gods on the seat of the soul’s fullness.
5.26.6
स॒मि॒धा॒नः स॑हस्रजि॒दग्ने॒ धर्मा॑णि पुष्यसि ।
दे॒वानां॑ दू॒त उ॒क्थ्य॑: ॥६॥
sam-idhanaḥ sahasra-jit agne dharmāṇi puṣyasi
devānām dūtaḥ ukthyaḥ
O Flame, thou burnest high and increasest the divine laws and art the conqueror of a thousandfold riches; thou art the messenger of the gods who hast the word.
5.26.7
न्य१́ग्निं जा॒तवे॑दसं होत्र॒वाहं॒ यवि॑ष्ठ्यम् ।
दधा॑ता दे॒वमृ॒त्विज॑म् ॥७॥
ni agnim jāta-vedasam hotra-vāham yaviṣṭhyam
dadhāta devam ṛtvijam
Set within you the Flame who knows the births, bearer of the offering, youngest vigour, divine sacrificer in the seasons of the Truth.
5.26.8
प्र य॒ज्ञ ए॑त्वानु॒षग॒द्या दे॒वव्य॑चस्तमः ।
स्तृ॒णी॒त ब॒र्हिरा॒सदे॑ ॥८॥
pra yajñaḥ etu ānuṣak adya devavyacaḥ-tamaḥ
stṛṇīta barhiḥ ā-sade
Today let thy sacrifice march forward unceasingly, thy sacrifice that shall bring the whole epiphany of the godheads. Strew the seat of thy soul that there they may sit.
5.26.9
एदं म॒रुतो॑ अ॒श्विना॑ मि॒त्रः सी॑दन्तु॒ वरु॑णः ।
दे॒वास॒: सर्व॑या वि॒शा ॥९॥
ā idam marutaḥ aśvinā mitraḥ sīdantu varuṇaḥ
devāsaḥ sarvayā viśā
There let the Life-powers2 take their seat and the Riders of the Horse3 and the Lord of Love4 and the Lord of Wideness,5 even the gods with all their nation.
1 Or “for the journeying” to the luminous world of the Truth, or “for the eating” of the oblations.
2 The Maruts.
3 The twin Ashwins.
4 Mitra.
5 Varuna.