Part II, Book I — Uttarārcika hymns

SING forth to Ijidu, O ye men, to him who now

Together with thy pleasant juice the Atharvans

Bring health to cattle with thy flow, health to the

BRIGHT are these Somas blent with milk, with light

Roused by his drivers and sent forth, the strong

King . the usual designation of Soma iu the Brahmana.

THE streams of Pa varaana, thine, Sage, mighty one,

The have been poured upon the fleece towards the

Like milch-kine coming home, the drops of Soma

COME, Agni, praised with song to feast and sacrificial

So, Angiras, we make thee strong with fuel and

For us thou winnest, Agni, God, heroic strength

. VARUNA, Mitra, sapient pair, pour fatness on our

Gladdened by homage, ruling far, ye reign by

Lauded by Janmdagni's song, sit in the shrine of

With thy friend: yujd with thy companion, the thunderbolt. ' With suitable praise '—Wilson. ' In appropriate bynms of praise.' — Stevenson. 'Allesamt.' 'Altogether.' — Benfey.

INDRA and Agni, moved by songs, come to the juice,

Indra and Agni, with the man who lauds comes

With force of sacrifice I seek Indra, Agni who love

CLEANSING thee, Soma, in thy stream, thou flowest in

He, milking for dear meath the heavenly udder,

RCN onward to the reservoir and seat thee : cleansed

Indu, the well-armed God is flowing onward, he who

LIKE kine unmilked we call aloud, hero, to thee,

None other like to thee, of earth or of the heavens,

WITH what help will he come to us, wonderful, ever- waxing friend ? With what most mighty company ?

What genuine and most liberal draught will spirit

Do thou who art protector of us thy friends who

LOUD-SINGING at the sacred rite where Soma flows, we priests invoke

Whom, fair of cheek, in rapture of the juice, the firm resistless slayers hinder not :

IN sweetest and most gladdening stream flow pure,

Fiend-queller, friend of all men, he hath reached his shrine, his dwelling-place

Be thou best Vritra-slayer, best granter of room,

FOR Indra flow, thou Soma, on, as most inspiring

Thou of whom having drunk the Steer acts like a

Yea, Indra in the joys of this obtains the grasp

For first possession of your juice, for the exhilarat- ing drink,

He who with purifying stream, effused, comes flow-

With prayer all-reaching let the men tend unassail-

GRACIOUSLY-MINDED he is flowing on his way to win

The speaker, unassailable master of this prayer, the

The stones : with which the Soma stems are crushed. Instead of

SING to your Agni with each song, at every sacrifice

The Son of Strength ; for is he not our gracious

O AGNI, come ; far other songs of praise will I sing

T/ie Son of Streiigth : produced by violent agitation of the fire- sticks. Who bears our gifts : who presents our oblations to the Gods, Lives : literally, bodies or selves.

Not for a moment only la$ts they bounty, X*ord

WE call on thee, O matchless one. We, seeking help,

On thee for aid in sacrifice. This youth of ours, the

So, Indra, friend of song, do we draw near to thee .

As rivers swell the ocean, so, hero, our prayers

With holy song they bind to the broad wide-yoked

HERE, Indra, is thy Soma draught, made- pure upon

Strong-rayed f adored with earnest hymns ! this

To Kundapayya, grandson's son, grandson of Srin-

INDRA, as one with mighty armr gather for us with

Strong-rayed : the words sdchigo and sdcJiii'UJanct have not been satisfactorily explained by the Commentator, and their meaning in

Kundap&yya and Sringavrish appear here to be names of men.

HERE Is the Soma juice expressed: OVasu,drinJc till thou art full :

Washed by tlie men, pressed out with stones, strain- ed through the filter made of wool,

Wild bull: the gaura (Bos Gaurus), a kind of wild buffalo.

IN every need, in every fray we call, sis friends

I call him, mighty to resist, the hero of our ancient

If he will hear us-, let him come with succour of

ADVANCING, sending forth her rays, the daughter of

The Sun ascending, the refulgent star, pours down

THESE morning sacrifices call you, Asvins, at Uio break of day.

Ye, heroes, have bestowed wonderful nourishment;

Shedding the ancient fluid thou art poured into the

He, while they purify him., stands high over all

Q?HE Sonera's skilled in song, the waves have led the

With stream of sacrifice the brown1 bright drops

In the Bigveda the verb u iu the indicative mood, orsAa»< of arshantv.

0 SOMA, for the feas-t of Gods, river-like lie hatb

Like a dear son* who mttfet be decked, the bright an*? shining one hath clad him in his* robe;

THE rapture-shedding Sotnas have flowed forth im our assembly, pressed,

Now like a- swan he maketh all the company sing each hiss hynifi ::

Trita's mmV&w : as Trita is the celestial' p<irillier of the heaven ly Soma for Indra. r/i.e tiu^ew of the eaxthly purifiers are oalJed h i* daiues or maideus.

And Trita's maidens- onward urge the tawny-colour-- ed with the stones,

INVITE ye Indra with a song to drink your draught

Lauded by many, much-invoked, leader of song

Indra, the dancer, be to us the giver of abundant