Wednesday, March 4, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Mandala 3
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Texts
◇ Direct Verse Index – Maṇḍala 3|1-20|21-40|41-62| |---|---|---| |III.1|III.21|III.41| |III.2|III.22|III.42| |III.3|III.23|III.43| |III.4|III.24|III.44| |III.5|III.25|III.45| |III.6|III.26|III.46| |III.7|III.27|III.47| |III.8|III.28...III.1I kindle thee, O Agni, lord of fire, the radiant flame that dwelleth in the dawn. Thou art the herald of the gods most high, the messenger whom mortals call to aid. Receive our gifts with favor, O bri...III.2All-seeing Agni, thou whose flame doth dwell in every nation and in every home, the Aryans know thy glory and the peoples far beyond thy brightness stretch their hands. Thou art not bound to one peopl...III.3O Agni, thou art the pillar that upholdeth heaven and earth! The gods have set thee between the two great realms, a bridge of fire upon which ascendeth all that mortals offer. Without thee, these worl...III.4Awake, O Agni! The dawn hath broken forth and the birds do cry their hymns to the new day. Rise up from thy rest and kindle thyself anew, for this is the hour of sacrifice, the moment when the gods do...III.5Welcome, O Agni, to the home of mortals! Thou art the guest eternal, the friend who never departeth, the companion in times of plenty and of want. Each night we kindle thee anew, each morning thou gra...III.6O radiant one, thou burnest away all that is foul and false! Where thy flame spreadeth, the darkness fleeth in terror. The spirits of darkness, the demons that walk in shadow, the lies and deceits tha...III.7Thou art the messenger, O Agni, the swift one who beareth word between two worlds! The gods sit in their celestial halls and mortals dwell below upon the earth, and thou dost bridge the chasm between...III.8Behold the yūpa, the post that standeth at the center of the sacrifice, unmoving, eternal, the axis around which all the sacred action turneth! And thou, O Agni, art this post. Thou art the stable cen...III.9Hidden in the waters dwellest thou, O Agni, concealed as a secret known only to the wise! The waters do not quench thee, nay, they do hide thee in their deepest chambers, and there thou burnest still...III.10O all-knowing one, thou seest all things! The eye of Agni pierceth every darkness and every concealment. What mortal man can hide his deeds from thee, O fire? Thou art present at every altar, thou wit...III.11We praise thee, O Agni, lord of brightness, we sing thy glory, we celebrate thy might! Accept this hymn as we would offer unto thee the finest of our ghee, the richest of our soma, the most precious o...III.12O Indra and O Agni, mightiest of gods, hear now the song of Viśvāmitra! We invoke thee jointly, we praise thee together, for ye are the supreme powers, the conquerors of evil, the defenders of the law...III.13O Agni, thou art the purifier most holy! Through thy transformative power, all that is unclean becometh clean, all that is base becometh precious. There is no offering so humble that thy touch cannot...III.14Since the beginning of time, O Agni, thou hast burned! Before the mountains were raised up, before the rivers began their flowing, before the sky was stretched above the earth, thy flame was already k...III.15O Agni, shield of the righteous, ward off the rākṣasas that prowl in the darkness! The demons and the evil spirits do hunger for our homes, they do lust for our cattle and our children, they seek to p...III.16O Agni, my beloved, my truest friend! It is I, Viśvāmitra, who speaketh to thee now from the depths of my heart. Not as a priest making formal petition, but as a man speaketh to his dearest companion....III.17Agni, thou radiant lord whose flames ascend the vault of heaven, whose brightness streaketh forth like gold unmelted—hear us now as the day declineth into twilight's tender grip. Thou art the threshol...III.18Agni, thou Lord of the Household, Gṛhapati most ancient, who dwellest in the hearth-stone as the father dwelleth at the center of his kindred—we praise thee with upraised voices. Thou art the invisibl...III.19O Agni, sharpened blade of the immortals, thou weapon that neither rusts nor dulls, tempered in the forge of the cosmic order itself—hear us cry out in our need. When our enemies arise like locusts ac...III.20Agni, thou enricher, thou lord of abundance and increase, to whom we turn when the granary runs low and the herds grow thin—we sing thy praise with grateful voices. For thou dost transmute the wood in...III.21Agni, thou eternal flame born anew with the coming of each dawn, who dost perish not though thou consumest all things, who art ever young yet ancient beyond the reckoning of mortal years—we see thy ma...III.22O Agni, thou whose tongues number seven, each one more brilliant than the last, each one bearing its own cry of exultation unto the heavens—we marvel at thy manifold splendor. Thy flames do not ascend...III.23Agni, we call upon thee with a voice that speaketh the ancient words of the Kuśikas, the kindred of Viśvāmitra the great seer whose meditations pierced the veil betwixt worlds. Thou knowest us, O flam...III.24Agni, thou mighty summoner, thou herald whose voice doth pierce through all the realms, whose message reacheth unto the gods themselves—we invoke thee now as the gatherer of the divine assembly. When...III.25O Agni, most fearsome consumer, thou whom none can gainsay, whose appetite is never satisfied, who dost devour all that is offered unto thee with an intensity that borders upon the terrible—we bring b...III.26Agni, thou messenger divine, thou carrier of prayers upon wings of smoke and flame, thou herald whose words do reach unto the farthest corners of the cosmic realm—we now entrust unto thee our deepest...III.27Agni, bright lord of the sacrifice, thou whom we have praised and honored through the length of this ritual hour—we now bid thee farewell, yet know that our parting is not an ending but a new beginnin...III.28O Agni, thou who dwellest in the prepared space, in the sacred circle drawn upon the earth, in the carefully arranged stones and the ritually purified ground—we honor thee as the keeper of the thresho...III.29O Agni, born in waters yet undying, hidden in the deep places where no mortal eye doth penetrate, yet manifesting in visible flame when the proper art is applied—we marvel at thy mystery and thy parad...III.30Indra, thou mighty one, thou king of the gods, thou warrior supreme whose strength knoweth no limit and whose power shaketh the very foundations of earth and heaven—we sing thy praises now and bow bef...III.31O Indra, liberator supreme, thou who dost burst open the cave of Vala wherein the Paṇis hath hidden away all the cattle and the riches of the world—we celebrate thy glory and thy righteous wrath. The...III.32O Indra, slayer of Vṛtra, thou who didst slay the great dragon of chaos and disorder, who didst pierce through his many-coiled body with thy thunderbolt and bring forth the waters that nourish all the...III.33O Vipāś and Śutudrī, ye rivers vast and terrible! Hear me, Viśvāmitra, whom the Devas have made strong. My people march toward the sacrifice, toward the lands beyond; yet ye bar the path with your tor...III.34Hail to thee, O Indra, whom soma hath made mighty! The soma flows within thy veins, and thy strength groweth measureless. Thou didst drink deep of the sacred plant, and thy enemies were scattered as d...III.35O thunder-lord, O master of the storm! Thy voice is the roar of clouds when they break upon the mountains. Thy chariot wheels roll across the sky, and the lightning crackles beneath thy feet. Thou sit...III.36O Indra, thou generous lord! Thy hand is ever open to those who worship thee with sincere hearts. The cattle-herds that follow thy banner grow fat and multiplied. The granaries of those who pour thee...III.37O Indra, hear us in the hour of our need! The enemy marches against us, his chariots rolling like thunder across the plain. His spearmen are numberless; his war-drums shake the very earth. Our warrior...III.38O supreme warrior, none can stand before thee! In the heavens, thou art the mightiest of all the Devas. Upon the earth, wherever thy name is spoken and thy sacrifices are kindled, there the people kno...III.39O Indra, we praise the ancient deeds that made thy name eternal! Long ago, in the days when the cosmos was young and the Devas still struggled to impose order upon chaos, thou didst perform the mighty...III.40O Indra, lord of heroes! It is to thee that all the warriors of the earth do look for inspiration and strength. When a man taketh up his arms to defend his people, it is thy spirit that entereth into...III.41O Indra, great and mighty one! We invoke thee this day, crying out from the depths of our hearts. Our people hunger for thy favor; our warriors pray for thy blessing. Let thy countenance be turned tow...III.42O Indra, we celebrate thy greatness through the soma! The sacred juice floweth in thy veins, and by it thou art made mighty beyond all the gods. When thou drinkest deeply of the soma, thy power expand...III.43O Indra, unrivaled champion of the cosmos! Who among all the beings that inhabit the three worlds can be compared with thee? Thou standest alone at the pinnacle of power, and all others — whether god...III.44O thunderer, thou who drinkest deep of soma! When the sacred juice entereth thy belly, thou becomest transformed. Thy eyes blaze with divine fire; thy voice shaketh the heavens with laughter and with...III.45O Indra, dear friend and protector of those who call upon thee! It is thou who guardeth me in the darkness of night, when the demons creep forth and the fearful thoughts assail the heart. It is thou w...III.46O Indra, thy cosmic kingship is revealed in all that is and all that hath ever been! From the highest heaven where thou sittest upon thy golden throne to the lowest depths of the abyss, all things are...III.47O Indra, fortress-breaker and destroyer of Śambara! How we celebrate thy deeds against that ancient foe! Śambara was one of the mightiest of the Asuras, a demon lord of terrible power and cunning. He...III.48O Indra, tell us of thy birth and of thy first great deed — the day when thou didst drink the soma for the very first time! Even as a newborn, thou wast not weak as other babes are weak. No sooner had...III.49O Indra, drink the soma poured! Let rapture flood thy mighty limbs. The sweetened draught hath been prepared; the singers call thee to the feast. Come down, O Bull, with thunderous tread, and take thy...III.50O Indra, hear the prayer of those who feed thee with their reverence! The singers whom thou lovest best do cry to thee from every side. We bring the soma to thy lips; drink deep, O mighty thunderer, a...III.51O Indra, thou alone art lord of all the cosmos vast and wide! The heavens bow before thy might; the earth doth tremble at thy word. No god is greater than thyself; no power can match thy thunderous st...III.52O mighty Indra, hear our cry! We stretch our hands to thee in prayer. Grant us the wealth we do entreat; bestow upon us all good gifts. The herds shall multiply and grow; the fields shall yield their...III.53O Indra and Parvata together! Hear us as we call to thee. We are the Bharatas in the fray; we march to battle without fear. The singers raise the ancient hymn; the priests invoke thy sacred name. Gran...III.54Come hither, all ye gods of old! Come down to us from heaven's height. The soma hath been made most pure; the altar gleams with sacred flame. We call upon the Viśvedevas—all the gods in one divine ass...III.55Ye gods whose dwelling is on high! Ye who do sit in council deep! Ye who do govern all that is, the visible and the unseen realms! Come down to us, O Viśvedevas, and accept this hymn of praise.III.56Come hither now, O Viśvedevas! The sacred fire doth burn most bright. The priests have gathered all around; the soma hath been pressed and poured. We cry to thee with voices raised; we lift our hands...III.57O Viśvedevas, bless us now! We stand before you with sincere heart. The altar gleams; the fire roars; the soma doth illuminate all. Grant us your favour, grant us grace; let peace and plenty flow to u...III.58O Aśvins twain, ye horses bright! Ye chariots that fly through dawn! Come to us now from heaven's realm; come riding on your golden car. The morning breaketh grey and cold; the darkness fadeth from th...III.59O Mitra, god of friendship true! O lord of bonds and sacred oath! Thy presence filleth all the world; thy word doth hold the cosmos fast. The sun doth ride across the sky because of thee, O Mitra dear...III.60O Ṛbhus, ye who were born as mortals yet became divine! Ye worked with skill; ye laboured hard; ye achieved what gods alone could do. Now ye do sit among the gods; now ye are numbered with the great....III.61O Uṣas, radiant and fair! O goddess of the breaking dawn! Thou comest forth in golden robes; thy splendour filleth all the sky. The stars do pale before thy face; the darkness flees away from thee. Th...III.62O Savitṛ, the Vivifier! The god who bringeth life to all! Thou dwellest in the highest sphere; from there thy light doth pour on earth. Thy golden arms reach down to bless the mortals toiling here bel...