31 0 Agni, loved of many, thou of fame most wondrous, in

their homes

Men call on thee whose hair is flame to be the bearer of their gifts.

.32 With this my reverent hymn I call Agni for you, the Son of Strength,

Dear, wisest envoy, served with noble sacrifice, immortal messenger of all.

33 Immortal messenger of all, immortal messenger of all,

His two red steeds, all-cherishing, he harnesseth: let him, well-worshipped, urge them fast.

34 Let him well-worshipped urge them fast, let him well-worshipped urge them fast.

Then hath the sacrifice good prayer and happy end, and heavenly gift of wealth to meu.

35 O Agni, thou who art the Lord of wealth in kine, the Son of Strength,

Vouchsafe to us, O Jâtavedas, high renown.

36 He, Agui, kindled, good and wise, must be exalted in our

song:

Shine, thou of many forms, shine radiantly on us.

37 0 Agui, shining of thyself by night and when the morning breaks,

Burn, thou whose teeth are sharp, against the Rakshasas. 38 May Agui, worshipped, bring us bliss, may the gift, Blessèd One! and sacrifice bring bliss,

Yea, may our praises bring us bliss. 39 Yea, may our praises bring us bliss.

Show forth the mind that brings success in war with fiends, wherewith thou conquerest in fights:

40 Wherewith thou conquerest in fights. Bring down the many firin hopes of our enemies, and let us vanquish with thine aid.

31 The third from R. V. I. 45. 6.

32 He lays down three Brihatt bricks with formulas in Brihatt metie, 8+8+12+8 syllables. The first formula is taken from R. V. VII. 16. 1.

33 The verses of the original hymn (R. V. VII. 16) being alternately Brihati and Satobṛihatî, the second and third verses of this triplet are made up out of verse 2 with the aid of repetitions.

35 He lays down three Ushnih bricks with a triplet in that metre (8+8+12 syllables) from R. V. I. 79. 4—6.

38 He lays down the three Kakup bricks with a triplet in that metre (8+12+8), verse 1 taken from R. V. VIII. 19. 19, verses 2 and 3 pieced together out of the Satobṛihatî verse 20 of the original hymu, with padas repeated as in 33 and 34.

41 I value Agui, that good Lord, the home to which the kine

return;

Whom fleet-foot coursers seek as home, and strong enduring steeds as home. Bring food to those who sing thy praise. laud as good, to whom the milch-kine

42 'Tis Agni whom we

come in herds,

To whom the coursers swift of foot, to whom our well-born princes come. Bring food to those who sing thy praise. 43 Thou, brilliant God, within thy mouth warmest both ladles of the oil.

So fill us also in our hymns abundantly, O Lord of Strength. Bring food to those who sing thy praise.

44 Agni, with lauds this day may we bring thee that which thou lovest,

Right judgment, like a horse, with our devotions.

45 For thou hast ever been the car-driver, Agni, of noble Strength, lofty sacrifice, and rightful judgment.

46 Through these our praises come thou to meet us, bright as the sunlight,

O Agui, well-disposed, with all thine aspects.

47 Agni I hold as Herald, the munificent, the gracious Son of Strength who knoweth all that live, as holy singer knowing all;

Lord of fair rites, a God with form erected, turning to the
Gods,

He, when the flame hath sprung forth from the sacred oil,
the offered fatuess, longeth for it with his glow.

48 0 Agui, be our nearest Friend, be thou a kind deliverer and a gracious Friend.

Come as good Agni, come as excellent and give us wealth most splendidly renowned.

To thee then, O most bright, O radiant God, we come with prayer for happiness for our friends.

41 He lays down the three Pankti bricks with formulas in the corresponding metre (8 × 5) taken from R. V. V. 6. 1, 2, 9.

44 He lays down the three Padapankti bricks with formulas in that metre (5 × 5). This 'consists of two lines, the first embracing three or four feet of five syllables each, having the ictus on the first and fourth syllables, and resembling the last line of a Sapphic verse. The second line is simply a Trishṭup.' M. Müller, S. B E., XXXII. p. xcviii. The triplet of formulas is taken from R. V. IV. 10. 1—3.

47 He lays down an Atichhandas or Hypermeter brick with a formula taken from R. V. I. 127. 1.

48 He lays down three Dvipada bricks with a formulary triplet from R. V. V. 24. 1, 2, 4. Cf. III. 25, 26.

49 With what devotion, winning light, the Rishis came, kindling Agni, to the holy session,

Even with that in heaven I stablish Agni whom men call him whose sacred grass is scattered.

50 Gods, let us follow him with wives beside us, with sons, with brothers, with our gold adornments,

Grasping the sky up in the world of virtue, on the third height, the luminous realm of heaven.

51 This Agni mounted up to Speech's Centre, Lord of the Brave, observant, ever-active.

Laid on the back of Earth, may he, resplendent, cast under foot those who would fight against us.

52 May this most manly Agni, strength-bestower, giver of thousands, shine with care that fails not.

Resplendent in the middle of the water, make thine approach to the celestial mansions.

53 Make him go forth from all sides: meet, approach ye. 0 Agui, make the paths for Godward travel.

Making the Parents young with life's renewal, the out-spun thread in thee have they extended.

54 Wake up, O Agni, thou, and keep him watchful. Wish and fruition, meet, and he, together.

In this and in the loftier habitation be seated, All-Gods! and the Sacrificer.

55 Convey our sacrifice to heaven that it may reach the Gods, with that

49 He lays down the Punașchiti (Piling up again), a second layer of eight bricks, on the top of the Garhapatya or Householder's Hearth. See XII. 45 sqq. The ceremony is performed with eight formulas, six in Trishṭup and two in Anushṭup metre.

51 He lays down the third brick. Speech's Centre: the part of the pile in which he is established. Ever-active: bhuranyu; the world's supporter, according to Mahidhara.

52 He lays the fourth brick.

53 He lays the fifth brick. Make him: he addresses the Rishis. Make the paths: according to Mahidhara the plural verb is used for the singular and refers to Agni. If, as grammar requires, the verb refers to the Rishis, Agneḥ, of Agni, must be read instead of Agne: Make ye Agni's paths to lead to the Gods': Eggeling. Purents: pitard; meaning Våk and Manas, Speech and Mind. Outspun thread: of sacrifice. They extended: the Rishis according to Manidhara: but the verb is in the singular: 'in thee hath he spun out this thread': Eggeling.

54 He lays the sixth brick.

Wish and fruition: the heavenly rewards of pious actions. He: the Sacrificer.

55 He lays the seventh brick. The formula is taken from A V. IX 5. 17. With that: power, understood.

Whereby thou, Agni, bearest wealth in thousands and all precious things.

56 This is thine ordered place of birth whence sprung to life thou shonest forth.

Knowing this, Agni, rise thou up and cause our riches to increase.

57 Tapa, Tapasya, pair of Dewy Seasons: thou art, etc. (as in XIII. 25).

58 On the sky's back may Parameshthin lay thee, etc. (as in XIV. 14).

Thy Lord is Sûrya, etc. (as in XIV. 14).

59 Repeated from XII. 54.

60 Repeated from XII. 55.

61 Repeated from XII. 56.

62 Like a horse neighing, eager for the pasture, when he hath stepped forth from the great enclosure :

Then the wind following blows upon his splendour, and, straight, the path is black which thou hast travelled. 63 In Âyu's seat I set thee, in the shadow of the protector in the heart of Ocean,

Thee luminous, bright with eyes, thee who illumest the sky, the earth, and air's broad realm between them.

64 On the sky's back may Parameshṭhin set thee, etc. (as in XIV. 12, substituting sky for air and Súrya for Vâyu). 65 Thou art the measure of a thousand. Thou art the repre

sentative of a thousand. Thou art the equivalent of a thousand. Thou art worth a thousand. Thee for a thousand.

56 He lays the eighth brick. The formula, taken from R. V. III. 29. 16, has occurred in III. 14 and XII. 52.

57 He lays two Ritavyâs or Seasonal bricks. See XIII. 25. Tapa, Tapasya: January-February, and February-March. Thou art: the rest of the formulas as in XIII. 25.

58 He lays down a Visvajyotis or All-light brick. Parameshṭhin: the Supreme. The rest is as in XIV. 14, with the substitution of Sûrya for Vayu. 59 He lays the Lokampṛinâs, Room-filling or Complementary bricks, with the three formulas employed in XII. 54–56.

62 He scatters loose soil over the layer and sets the brick called Vikarni and the porous or Svayamatṛinna. The Vikar î with the formula taken from R. V. VII. 3. 2.

63 The Svayamâtṛinna with the following formula. Ayu's: of Vital Power, or of the Sun.

65 He stands by the Altar and consecrates it by scattering over it a thousand bits of gold, two hundred at the recitation of each formula. Measure of a thousand bricks. Thee: I sprinkle. For a thousand for the attainment of countless benefits.

HOMAGE be paid unto thy wrath, O Rudra, homage to thy shaft to thy two arms be homage paid.

2 With that auspicious form of thine, mild, Rudra! pleasant to behold,

Even with that most blessed form, look, Mountain-haunter! here on us.

3 The shaft which, Mountain-haunter, thou art holding in thy hand to shoot,

Make that auspicious, Mountain-Lord! Injure not man nor moving thing.

40 Dweller on the Mountain, we salute thee with auspicious hymn;

That all, yea, all our people may be healthy and well-satisfied. 5 The Advocate, the first divine Physician, hath defended us. Crushing all serpents, drive away all Yâtudhânis down below. 6 That most auspicious One whose hue is coppery and red and brown,

And those, the Rudras who maintain their station in the regions, who surround him in a thousand bands, of these we deprecate the wrath.

7 May he who glides away, whose neck is azure, and whose hue is red,

He whom the herdsmen, whom the girls who carry water have beheld, may he wheu seen be kind to us.

8 Homage to him the Azure-necked, the thousand-eyed, the bountiful,

Yea, and his spirit ministers-to them I offer reverence.

This Book consists of the Satarudriya, a litany, accompanying 425 oblations, addressed to the hundred Rudras, or the hundred forms and powers of Rudra representing life and nature in their more terrible phases Agni, that is, the Fire-altar, has on completion become Rudra, aud this ceremony is performed to avert his wrath and secure his favour. The Taittirîya recension of the text--which has been regarded as a special Upanishad, or treatise on esoterio religious doctrine-has been translated and aunotated by Prof. A. Weber, Indische Studien, II. pp. 14 ff., and the White Yajurveda text has been transliterated and translated by J. Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, IV. pp. 322-331. There is also a complete translation of the formulas in Sacred Books of the East, XLIII. pp. 150-155.

2 Auspicious form: the God having two forms, one terrific and the other gentle and auspicious.

5 Hath defended us: May he plead for us': Eggeling. Yatudhants: sorceresses, or female goblins.

7 He who glides away in the form of the Sun. Whose neck is azure: from drinking up the world-destroying poison produced at the Churuing of the Ocean by the Gods.