Sri Aurobindo
The Secret of the Veda
with Selected Hymns
A Vedic Hymn to the Fire
A Hymn of the Universal Divine Force and Will1
1.59.1
व॒या इद॑ग्ने अ॒ग्नय॑स्ते अ॒न्ये त्वे विश्वे॑ अ॒मृता॑ मादयन्ते ।
वैश्वा॑नर॒ नाभि॑रसि क्षिती॒नां स्थूणे॑व॒ जनाँ॑ उप॒मिद्य॑यन्थ ॥१॥
vayāḥ it agne agnayaḥ te anye tve iti viśve amṛtāḥ mādayante
vaiśvānara nābhiḥ asi kṣitīnām sthūṇā-iva janān upa-mit yayantha
Other flames are only branches of thy stock, O Fire. All the immortals take in thee their rapturous joy. O universal Godhead, thou art the navel-knot of the earths and their inhabitants; all men born thou controllest and supportest like a pillar.
1.59.2
मू॒र्धा दि॒वो नाभि॑र॒ग्निः पृ॑थि॒व्या अथा॑भवदर॒ती रोद॑स्योः ।
तं त्वा॑ दे॒वासो॑ऽजनयन्त दे॒वं वैश्वा॑नर॒ ज्योति॒रिदार्या॑य ॥२॥
mūrdhā divaḥ nābhiḥ agniḥ pṛthivyāḥ atha abhavat aratiḥ rodasyoḥ
tam tvā devāsaḥ ajanayanta devam vaiśvānara jyotiḥ it āryāya
The Flame is the head of heaven and the navel of the earth and he is the power that moves at work in the two worlds. O Vaishwanara, the gods brought thee to birth a god to be a light to Aryan man.
1.59.3
आ सूर्ये॒ न र॒श्मयो॑ ध्रु॒वासो॑ वैश्वान॒रे द॑धिरे॒ऽग्ना वसू॑नि ।
या पर्व॑ते॒ष्वोष॑धीष्व॒प्सु या मानु॑षे॒ष्वसि॒ तस्य॒ राजा॑ ॥३॥
ā sūrye na raśmayaḥ dhruvāsaḥ vaiśvānare dadhire agnā vasūni
yā parvateṣu oṣadhīṣu ap-su yā mānuṣeṣu asi tasya rājā
As the firm rays sit steadfast in the Sun, all treasures have been placed in the universal godhead and flame. King art thou of all the riches that are in the growths of the earth and the hills and the waters and all the riches that are in men.
1.59.4
बृ॒ह॒ती इ॑व सू॒नवे॒ रोद॑सी॒ गिरो॒ होता॑ मनु॒ष्यो॒३́ न दक्ष॑: ।
स्व॑र्वते स॒त्यशु॑ष्माय पू॒र्वीर्वै॑श्वान॒राय॒ नृत॑माय य॒ह्वीः ॥४॥
bṛhatī iveti bṛhatī-iva sūnave rodasī iti giraḥ hotā manuṣyaḥ na dakṣaḥ
svaḥ-vate satya-śuṣmāya pūrvīḥ vaiśvānarāya nṛ-tamāya yahvīḥ
Heaven and Earth grow as if vaster worlds to the Son. He is the priest of our sacrifice and sings our words even as might a man of discerning skill. To Vaishwanara, for this most strong god who brings with him the light of the sun-world, its many mighty waters because his strength is of the truth.
1.59.5
दि॒वश्चि॑त्ते बृह॒तो जा॑तवेदो॒ वैश्वा॑नर॒ प्र रि॑रिचे महि॒त्वम् ।
राजा॑ कृष्टी॒नाम॑सि॒ मानु॑षीणां यु॒धा दे॒वेभ्यो॒ वरि॑वश्चकर्थ ॥५॥
divaḥ cit te bṛhataḥ jāta-vedaḥ vaiśvānara pra ririce mahi-tvam
rājā kṛṣṭīnām asi mānuṣīṇām yudhā devebhyaḥ varivaḥ cakartha
O universal godhead, O knower of all things born, thy excess of greatness overflows even the Great Heaven. Thou art the king of the toiling human peoples and by battle madest the supreme good for the gods.
1.59.6
प्र नू म॑हि॒त्वं वृ॑ष॒भस्य॑ वोचं॒ यं पू॒रवो॑ वृत्र॒हणं॒ सच॑न्ते ।
वै॒श्वा॒न॒रो दस्यु॑म॒ग्निर्ज॑घ॒न्वाँ अधू॑नो॒त्काष्ठा॒ अव॒ शम्ब॑रं भेत् ॥६॥
pra nu mahi-tvam vṛṣabhasya vocam yam pūravaḥ vṛtra-hanam sacante
vaiśvānaraḥ dasyum agniḥ jaghanvān adhūnot kāṣṭhāḥ ava śambaram bhet
I2 have spoken the greatness of the Bull to whom the Purus cling and he slays for us the covering Vritras. The universal Godhead and Flame has slain the Destroyers and hastened the waters on the way and broken down Shambara.
1.59.7
वै॒श्वा॒न॒रो म॑हि॒म्ना वि॒श्वकृ॑ष्टिर्भ॒रद्वा॑जेषु यज॒तो वि॒भावा॑ ।
शा॒त॒व॒ने॒ये श॒तिनी॑भिर॒ग्निः पु॑रुणी॒थे ज॑रते सू॒नृता॑वान् ॥७॥
vaiśvānaraḥ mahimnā viśva-kṛṣṭiḥ bharat-vājeṣu yajataḥ vibhā-vā
śāta-vaneye śatinībhiḥ agniḥ puru-nīthe jarate sūnṛtā-vān
This is the universal godhead who by his greatness labours in all the peoples, the lustrous master of sacrifice, the Flame with his hundred treasures. This is he who has the word of the Truth.
1 A hymn of Nodha Gautama to Agni Vaishwanara in the Rig Veda.
2 This rik was omitted in Arya and took from Hymns to the Mystic Fire.