Wednesday, March 4, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Mandala 2
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Texts
◇ Direct Verse Index – Maṇḍala 2|1-15|16-30|31-43| |---|---|---| |II.1|II.16|II.31| |II.2|II.17|II.32| |II.3|II.18|II.33| |II.4|II.19|II.34| |II.5|II.20|II.35| |II.6|II.21|II.36| |II.7|II.22|II.37| |II.8|II.23|II.38| |II.9|II.24|II....II.1Agni, first thou art born of the waters! The immortal within the sacrifice, the bright priest whom no man may approach with guile. Thou art called forth by the damp wood; thou dwellest in the heart of...II.2Each dawn, O Agni, thou art born anew from the womb of the dry wood! The mortal kindler striketh spark from stone; the flame riseth, tiny at first, then mighty and devouring. Thou art the child of the...II.3This is the ritual litany of Agni — the Āprī hymn, wherein the sacrifice is made manifest in words and fire. The priest speaketh, and the cosmos doth answer.II.4Agni, thou art the divine priest of all sacrifices! No offering may be made save through thy golden tongue. The gods elected thee before the worlds were formed; they crowned thee with the light of hea...II.5O Agni, thou art the guest immortal in every dwelling! When thou sittest in the hearth-fire of the poor man, thou makest his humble hut a palace. When thou gleamest in the great king's hall, thou art...II.6Agni, thou art the radiant destroyer of all darkness! When the night descendeth black and terrible upon the earth, thou alone dost stand unafraid, burning with the light of a thousand suns. The shadow...II.7Agni, thou art the mighty fortress against the rākṣasas — those demons that hunger for human flesh and thirst for the blood of the righteous! When they swarm about our dwellings seeking to devour us,...II.8Agni, thou art the swift messenger of the gods! When we kindle thee upon the altar and pour forth our prayers into thy flame, thou ridest upward through the vault of heaven carrying our words on thy g...II.9Agni, thou art the purifier of all offerings! The ghee we pour, the grain we scatter, the soma we press, the flesh we burn — all these are impure until thou consumest them with thy sacred flame. In th...II.10Agni, grant unto us the wealth of the gods! The cattle that multiply like the stars in heaven! The gold that shineth in the sunlight! The treasures of princes! The harvests that bend the fields beneat...II.11Indra, thou art the warrior-god supreme! When thou drinkest the soma, thy strength becometh infinite. The cup raiseth itself to thy lips; the golden liquid floweth into thy mouth; and lo, thy power sw...II.12Who is the god we shall honor with our sacrifice? Who holdeth the heavens in his palm? Who spreadeth forth the earth and fixeth it immovable? Who calleth forth the sun and biddeth it travel across the...II.13Indra, thou thunderbolt-wielder! In thy hand the Vajra resteth, that weapon of weapons, that tool of cosmic order! When thou raisest it high, the very heavens quake. The demons flee shrieking into the...II.14Indra, we recall thy ancient deeds! The mighty works thou didst perform in ages past, when the world was young and the gods had not yet established their dominion! These are the tales that we singers...II.15Indra, thou art the generous lord! Thy hands are ever open, pouring forth abundance upon those who honor thee with sacrifice and devotion! Of all the gods, none giveth so freely, none loveth the morta...II.16Drink, O mighty Indra! The sweet draught awaits thee. We have pressed the Soma stems, and their golden juice floweth forth like the waters of spring. The ecstasy riseth in thy breast, and thou art uns...II.17Hail unto thee, O Indra, lord of all power! Thou art the mightiest god in heaven and earth. No rival standeth against thee. Thy strength is boundless; thy will is absolute. In every contest thou preva...II.18Unto thee we stretch forth our hands, O mighty Indra. Unto thee we raise our voices in supplication. We have pressed the Soma for thee; we have kindled the sacred fire. The offerings rise like incense...II.19There is none like unto thee, O Indra! There is no god who can rival thee in strength or in glory. Thou standest alone at the pinnacle of power. The heavens tremble at thy word. The earth shaketh bene...II.20Thou art he who didst prop the heavens apart from the earth. In the beginning, when all things were dark and mingled together, thou didst thrust them asunder. Thy mighty hands—hands strong as the moun...II.21Prepare thyself for war, O Indra! The Soma hath been pressed; its strength courseth through thy veins. Thy limbs burn with divine intoxication. Thy courage is absolute. Thy wrath is kindled like a roa...II.22We come unto thee at the close of our hymns, O mighty Indra. The prayers have ascended. The offerings have been made. The Soma hath been drunk. Now we make our final invocation to thee, seeking thy bl...II.23O Bṛhaspati, lord of sacred speech! Thy word is power. Thy utterance is creation. When thou speakest, worlds come into being. When thou art silent, chaos threatens to return.II.24Hail unto thee, O Brahmaṇaspati! Thou art the lord of prayer, the cosmic priest who standest before the throne of the Almighty. Thy function is sacred beyond all measure. Thy responsibility is vast be...II.25O Brahmaṇaspati, protector of all beings! Thy care extendeth to every creature that liveth beneath the sky. Thou watchest over us with vigilance eternal. Thy eyes see all things; thy ears hear all pra...II.26O Brahmaṇaspati, fountain of wisdom! From thy boundless mind floweth all knowledge that is worth knowing. Thou art the teacher of the gods and the enlightener of mortals. All wisdom findeth its source...II.27Hail unto the Ādityas, the solar deities! Ye sons of Aditi, the infinite mother! Ye are the guardians of cosmic order, the keepers of the sacred ṛta. All of creation shineth beneath your radiance.II.28O Varuṇa, all-seeing sovereign! Thine eye looketh upon all the world. There is nowhere to hide from thy gaze. Thou seest into the hearts of mortals; thou knowest our every thought, our every deed, our...II.29O Viśvedevas, all-gods assembled! We call upon you in your collective might. You are the divine assembly, the gathering of all the deities in heaven. Each of you possesseth great power; together, your...II.30Hear us now, O Viśvedevas! We make a comprehensive invocation unto all of you. In this hymn, we name you, we honour you, we seek your collective favour.II.31Come hither, all ye gods, ye Viśvedevas, all-possessing ones! Accept the butter-offerings we pour. Grant us abundance, grant us safety in the day, grant us the healing light when darkness falls upon t...II.32Hear us, O Indra, mightiest of all. Hear us, O Varuṇa, lord of the waters and of oath. Hear us, O Agni, gleaming-mouthed, thou carrier of prayer to the gods. Let this sacrifice rise upon the smoke and...II.33O Rudra, the Howler, the Archer, he whose eye is the sun and the storm! We tremble before thy majesty. We tremble at thy name. Thou art the wild one, the unbowed, the untameable force that moveth thro...II.34Hark! The Maruts! The storm gods come forth, roaring, thundering, shaking the vault of heaven! Sons of Rudra they are, wild and untamed, borne upon the wind, armed with lightning and hail. How many ar...II.35O Apām Napāt, Child of the Waters! O thou mysterious one, hidden in the depths, concealed in the very heart of rivers and springs. Who is thy father? What is thy origin? Thou art born of waters, yet a...II.36Come, O ye gods, to this sacred place. Come to the ritual fire. Come to the pressing of the Soma. Come to receive the butter, the milk, the honey-sweet libations we offer with careful hands and revere...II.37Hear us, O ye gods! We gather as one people, united in purpose, joined in the sacred ritual. We are the priests, we are the warriors, we are the farmers and the mothers and the children. We are all of...II.38O Savitṛ, the Impeller! O golden-handed sun-god, thou who drivest forth all things into being! In the beginning, it was thou who stirred the cosmos into motion. It was thy will that set the wheels of...II.39Hark! The Aśvins come! The divine Twins approach upon their swift chariot, drawn by horses or by birds, or by the winds themselves — for who can truly say how they move, the Aśvins who dwell at the bo...II.40O Soma, precious plant, thou giver of strength and vision! We have pressed thy juices from the stalk. We have mixed thy essence with the milk. Come now to this sacred place and drink of what we have p...II.41O Indra, mighty bull-god, king of the gods! O Varuṇa, lord of the cosmic waters and the keeper of oath and law! O Bṛhaspati, lord of prayer and of priestly wisdom! We call upon ye three together in th...II.42Hark! What bird is this that crieth from the tree? What is the Kapiñjala, this wondrous fowl whose voice doth pierce the morning air? It crieth out, and the priest stands still to listen. The omen is...II.43Again the Kapiñjala crieth out! The bird-omen speaks once more as Mandala Two draweth to its close. We have gathered at the altar. We have pressed the Soma. We have kindled the sacred fire. The sacrif...