Adhyāya 29: Khilakāṇḍa, continued

Dbgkinq the treaanre-bouse of prayers, Agni, enkindled,

Balming the paths that lead to heaven with fatness, let the

Thou, Steed, art meet for laud and veneration ; swift, fit for

Pleased #ith much Sacred Grass which we have scattered

May these your Dooru divine that wear all colours, auspi-

Your two Dawns rich in gold and varied colour, travelling

Your two chief Hotars have I pleased, bright-coloured, borne

The God-devoted son Tvashtar produces: from Tvashtar springs to life your fleet-foot Courser. Tvashtar gave being to this All about us. Priest, worship here the mighty work's achiever.

Let the Steed seek his home, and balmed with butter go of

Thou, waxing by Praj&pati's strong fervour, bom quickly,

What time, first Rpringing into life, thou neighedst, proceed-

This Steed, bestowed by Yama, Trita harnessed, and Indra

Yama art thou, Horse ; thou art Aditya ; Trita art thou

Three^bonds, they say, thou hast in heaven to bind thee,

Here, Courser, are the places where they groomed thee ;

Thyself from far I recognized in spirit, a Bird that from be-

Yarna: aooording to Siya^ia, meaning the Controller. Agni. Trita: as a Solar deity, God of the distant birthplace of the Sun. The Oandharva: Visvdvasu, a celestial being- connected with the Sun and regarded as tbc chief of that class of semi-aeities.

After thee, Courser, come the car, the bridegroom, the kine

His horns are golden and his feet are iron. Less fleet than

Symmetrical in flank, with rounded haunches, mettled like

A body formed for flijrht hast thou, Charger ; swift as the

The strong Steed hath come forward to the slanght^, ponder- ing with a mind directed God- ward. The goat who is his kin is led before him : the sages wd tiie singers follow after.

Noblest mansion : heaven, to which he goes by sacrifice. Ifis Father und his MoUur : Heaven and £arth.

Then in the house of man this day enkindled worshippest

Taniinapat, fair-^tongued, with sweet mead balming the

With sacrifice to these we with laudations will honour holy

Invoked, deserving laud and adoration, Agni, come accor-

By rnie the Sacred Grass is scattered eastward, a robe to

Let the expansive Doors be widely opened, like wives who

Pouring sweet dews, let holy Night and Momittg, 'each

Gome the two chief celestial sweet-voiced Hotars, arranging

Let Bh4ratt come quickly to our worship, and Idi showing

Hotar more skilled in sacrifice, bring hither with speed to-

Send to our offerings which thyself thou balmest the Com-

Agni as soon as he was born made ready the sacrifice and

Thou, making light where no light was, and form, men !

The warrior's look is like a thunderous rain-cloud's when,

With Bow let us win kine, with Bow the battle, with Bo^

Close to his ear, as fain to speak, She presses, holding her

These, meeting like a woman and her lover, bear, nM)the^

With many a son, father of many daughters, He clangs and

Upstanding iu the Car the skilful Charioteer guides his

Horses whose hoofs rain dust are neighiug loudly, yoked to

Car-bearer is the name of his oblation, whereon are laid his

In sweet association lived the fathers who gave us life, pro-

The Br^hmans, and the Fathers meet for Soma draughts,

Her tooth a deer, dressed in an eagle's feathers, hound with.

Avoid QS thou whose flight is straight, and let our bodied

He lays his blows upon their backs, fie deals his strokes

It compasses the arm with serpent windings, fending away

Lord of the Wood, be firm and strong in body : be, bearing

Its mighty strength was borrowed from the heaven and earth :

Thou bolt of Indra, Vanguard of the Marnts, close knit to

Send forth thy voice aloud through earth and heaven, and

Drum : the dundubhi here addressed and glorified was a sort of loud kettle-drum like those which are still U4ed.

Drive hither those, and these again briag hither : the War-

The ldack-n€cked victim belongs to Agni; the ewe to Saras-

To Agni Anikav4n is sacrificed a red-marked ox ; two with

To Agni of the G&yatri, of the Trivrit hymn and of the

Taken from R Y. L 6. 3, which is addressed to Indra and the Marats. Thou : the Sud, with whom Agni is identified. men / ; perbapb merely aa exclamatioa expressive of iKlmiration. If the Maruts he meant, the words th<m, making^ wa$t born may apply to these Gods as one company.