VISHWAMANAS VAIYASHWA

sukta 23

1. Pray the Fire as he fronts you, worship with sacrifice the knower of all things born. Fire with his driving smoke and his unseizable light, —

2. fire who is like the string of speeding chariots to a competitor in the race; O all-seeing universal mind, laud him with the word.

3. Those on whom he presses, possessor of the word of illumination and seizes on their impulsions and their satisfactions, by their approach to knowledge the Fire finds the Treasure.

4. Up stands his ageless light as he flames out with his burning tusks, in his beautiful splendour, in the glory of his companies.

5. Even so, stand up as they laud thee, O doer of the pilgrim-rite, shining out with thy divine light, with thy vast all-regarding lustre.

6. Go, O Fire, with perfect utterances of the word offering uninterruptedly the oblations, since thou hast become the messenger and the carrier of the offerings.

7. I call for you the ancient Fire, the Priest of the call of seeing men; him with this word I declare, him for you I laud.

8. Fire whom with the sacrifices, with the light verily they speed like a friend firmly established in the man who possesses the Truth.

9. To Fire the possessor of the Truth, the accomplisher of the sacrifice, the seekers of the Truth have come with the word and cleave to him in the seat of the adoration.

10. Let our sacrifices go towards him united in their effort, to him most fiery-wise of the Angirasas who is the Priest of the call in men and most glorious.

11. O ageless Fire, those lights of thine kindling the Vast are like male and mighty horses;

12. So do thou, O Lord of Energies, give us the wealth, hero-might; protect us in our battles, in the Son of our begetting.

13. Since, indeed, the lord of the peoples, keen and glad in the house of man, wards off all demon-powers, —

14. O Fire, with thy hearing of my new laud, with thy burning flame, consume utterly the demon magicians, O hero, O lord of the peoples.

15. Not even by magic can the mortal foe master the man who offers worship to the Fire with his gifts of the oblation.

16*

17. Thee Ushana of the inspired wisdom set within for men as the Priest of the call, the doer of sacrifice, the knower of all things born.

* Translation not found in MSS.

18. For all the gods with one mind made thee the messenger; O godhead, thou becamest by inspired knowledge supreme and a lord of sacrifice.

19. Him immortal let the mortal hero make his envoy, the purifying Fire with his black path, vast in his wideness.

20. Him let us call putting forth the ladle, the luminous, the brilliant in light, one to be prayed by men, the ancient and unaging Fire.

21. For the mortal who performs sacrifice to him by his gifts of the offering he founds much increase and a glory of his hero-strengths.

22. To the Fire, the ancient, the first and supreme, the knower of all things born in the sacrifices with the obeisance comes the ladle full of the oblation.

23. May we offer sacrifice as did Vyashwa with these greatest and richest thinkings to Fire, the brilliant in light.

24. O Rishi, son of Vyashwa, now sing the word of illumination as did Sthurayupa, to the Fire, vast in his wideness, the dweller in the house.

25. The guest of men, the son of the Trees, the illumined seers praise for his protection, the ancient Fire.

26. Turned towards all the great beings, turned towards our human offerings, by our obeisance, O Fire, thou takest thy seat on the sacred grass.

27. Conquer for us many desirable things, take possession of the wealth that brings us our many longings and hero-energy and the offspring and the glory.

28.*

29. Thou art he who breaks through,¹ thou openest to us the luminous impulsions; open to us the conquest of the great Riches, O Fire.

* Translation not found in MSS. ¹ Or, he who overcomes,

30. O Fire, thou art the glorious one; bring to us Varuna and Mitra, the all-rulers who possess the Truth and have the purified judgment.

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