Vedic Hymns, Part II (SBE46), by Hermann Oldenberg [1897], at sacred-texts.com

p. 209

MANDALA II, HYMN 6.

ASHTAKA II, ADHYÂYA 5, VARGA 27.

1. Accept, O Agni, this my piece of wood and this my sitting down (reverentially) 1, and hear these words of mine.

2. Let us worship thee, Agni, child of vigour, with this (piece of wood?) 1, O winner of horses 2, with this well-spoken (hymn), O well-born one.

3. May we thus as thy devoted servants pay devotion by our words to thee who acceptest words (of prayer), to thee who aspirest after wealth, O giver of wealth.

4. Thus be thou a liberal, bountiful lord, O lord of goods, O giver of goods. Drive hatred away from us.

5. Thus (give) us 1 rain from the sky; thus (give) us unattainable strength; thus (give) us thousandfold food.

6. To him who magnifies thee, who desires thy help, O youngest messenger, (invoked) by our word, best sacrificing Hotri, come near.

7. For thou, Agni, O sage, who knowest both races (of gods and of men), passest (to and fro) between them, like a messenger belonging to thy own people 1, belonging to thy allies.

8. Thus gladden (the gods) 1 as the knowing one; sacrifice, O intelligent one, in due order, and sit down on this Barhis.

p. 210

NOTES.

The same Rishi. Metre, Gâyatrî.—Verse 4 = VS. XII, 43; TS. IV, 2, 3, 4; MS. II, 7, 10.—The hymn has been translated by M. M., Selected Essays, II, p. 143.

Verse 1.

Note 1. It does not seem probable that upasád is to be translated here according to its meaning in the later ritual, as one of the preparatory ceremonies of the Soma sacrifice. See Weber, Indische Studien, X, 363; Hillebrandt, Vedische Mythologie, I, 300.

Verse 2.

Note 1. Ayâ´ may be used adverbially: comp. III, 12, 2; VI, 17, 15; IX, 53, 2; 106, 14. But it is more probable that samídhâ or girâ´ should be supplied from verse 1. Comp. II, 24, 1. ayâ´ vidhema girâ´; IV, 4, 15. ayâ´ samídhâ vidhema.

Note 2. Comp. VIII, 61, 7. ásvam-ishtaye.

Verse 5.

Note 1. The conjecture sánah, proposed by Böhtlingk-Roth and Grassmann, is not necessary. The verb is to be supplied; comp. the passages collected by Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 19.

Verse 7.

Note 1. Gányeva seems to be gányah iva, comp. 11, 39, 1. dûtâ´-iva hávyâ gányâ purutrâ´; IV, 55, 5. pâ´t pátih gányât ámhasah nah.

Verse 8.

Note 1. Comp. VII, 17, 4. yákshat devâ´n amrítân pipráyat ka; VIII, 39, 9. yákshat ka pipráyat ka nah.