Philosophy and Religion / White Yajurveda (Vâjasaneyi-Sanhitâ)

The White Yajurveda (Vâjasaneyi-Sanhitâ)

Book the eighth

1. TAKEN upon a base art thou. Thee for the Âdityas.
Here, O Far-striding Vishnu, is thy Soma. Guard it from injury. Let them not harm thee.

2. Ne’er art thou fruitless, Indra; ne’er dost thou desert thy worshipper.
But now, O Liberal Lord, thy bounty as a God is poured forth ever more and more. Thee for the Âdityas.

3. Never art thou neglectful: thou guardest both races with thy care.
The Soma feast, O Fourth Âditya, is thy strength. Amrit is stablished in the heavens. Thee for the Âdityas.

4. The sacrifice obtains the Gods’ acceptance. Be graciously inclined to us, Âdityas.
Hitherward let your favour be directed and be our best deliverer from trouble. Thee for the Âdityas.

5. This is thy Soma draught, O bright Âditya: take delight therein.
To this mine utterance, O ye men, give credence, what good the man and wife obtain by praying:
A manly son is burn and gathers riches, and thrives for ever sinless in the dwelling.

6. Fair wealth, O Savitar, to-day, to-morrow, fair wealth produce for us each day that passes.
May we, through this our song, be happy gainers, God! of a fair and spacious habitation.

7. Taken upon a base art thou.
Savitar's giver of delight art thou. Giver of joy art thou: vouchsafe me joy.
Speed thou the sacrifice, speed thou the sacrifice's lord to win his share. Thee for the God, for Savitar.

8. Taken upon a base art thou.
Thou art a good protector, firmly stablished. To the Great Bull be reverential homage. Thee for the Visvedevas.
This is thy home: Thee for the Visvedevas.

9. Taken upon a base art thou.
May it be mine to prosper the libations of thee Brihaspati's son, O radiant Soma, of thee, strong Indu, mated with thy Consorts.
I am in heaven above, on earth beneath it. The intermediate region was my father.
I saw the Sun both from above and under. I am what Gods in secret hold the highest.

10. Agni, associate with the Dames, accordant with the God Tvashtar, drink. All-hail!
Thou art Prajâpati, strong male, impregner: may I obtain from thee, strong male, impregner, a son who shall himself become a father.

11. Taken upon a base art thou.
Thou art bay-coloured, Yoker of Bay Coursers. Thee for the pair of tawny-coloured horses.
United with the Soma, ye, for Indra, are corn for his two tawny steeds to feed on.

12. That draught of thine which winneth cows or horses, offered with sacrificial text and lauded
With chanted hymns and songs of adoration—of that permitted do I take permitted.

13. Of sin against the Gods thou art atonement. Of sin against mankind thou art atonement.
For sin against the Fathers thou atonest. Of sin against oneself thou art atonement.
Of every sort of sin thou art atonement. The sin that I have knowingly committed, the sin that unawares I have committed, of all that wickedness thou art the atonement.

14. We with our bodies have again united, with lustre, vital sap, and happy spirit.
Giver of boons, may Tvashtar grant us riches and smooth whate’er was injured in our body.

15. Lead us with thought to wealth in kine, O Indra, to princes, Lord of Bounty! and to welfare.
Lead thou us on to God-inspired devotion, to favour of the Gods who merit worship. All-hail!

16. Verse 14 repeated.

17. May this please Savitar and liberal Dhâtar, Prajâpati the Treasure-Guard, bright Agni, Tvashtar, and Vishnu: blessing him with children, grant store of riches to the Sacrificer.

18. Gods, we have made your seats easy of access, who, pleased with us, have come to this libation.
Bearing and bringing hitherward your treasures, grant to this man, good Lords, abundant riches. All-hail!

19. The willing Gods whom, God, thou hast brought hither, send them to their own dwelling-place, O Agni.
As all of you have eaten and have drunken, approach the air, the heat, the light of heaven.

20. Here, Agni, as this sacrifice proceedeth, have we elected thee to be our Hotar.
Special have been thine offerings and thy labour. Well knowing sacrifice, as sage, come near us.

21. Do ye, O Gods, discoverers of the Pathway, go forward on the path when ye have found it.
O God, thou Lord and Master of the Spirit, bestow—
All-hail!—this sacrifice on Vâta.

22. Go, Sacrifice, to the sacrifice: seek thou the sacrifice's lord, seek thine own home. All-hail!
Lord of the sacrifice, this is thy sacrifice, followed by many heroes, loud with hymns of praise. Accept it thou.
All-hail!

23. Become no serpent thou, become no viper.
King Vat-tins hath made a spacious pathway, a pathway for the Sun wherein to travel.
Where no way was he made him set his footstep, and warned afar whate’er afflicts the spirit.
To Varuna be reverential homage! Varuna's noose beneath our feet is trampled.

24. The waters, face of Agni, have I entered, O Waters’ Child, repelling evil spirits.
Offer the fuel in each home, O Agni. Let thy tongue dart—All-hail!—to meet the butter.

25. Thy heart is in the flood, within the waters. With thee let plants and waters be commingled,
That, Lard of Sacrifice, we may adore thee with singing praise and telling forth our homage. All-hail!

26. This, O celestial Waters, is your offspring. Support him dearly loved and gently nurtured.
This is thy station, O celestial Soma; therein bring happiness and ward off evil.

27. O restless Purifying Bath, thou glidest onward restlessly. May I with aid of Gods remove the stain of sin against the
Gods, and wash away with mortals’ help the wrong that hath been done to men. Preserve me, God, from injury, from the loud-roaring demon foe. Thou art the fuel of the Gods.

28. Let, still unborn, the ten-month calf move with the following after-birth.
Even as the-wind is moving, as the gathered flood of ocean moves,
So may this ten-month calf come forth together with the after-birth.

29. O thou who hast a womb of gold and offspring meet for sacrifice,
Him with all limbs unbroken have I brought together with his dam. All-hail!

30. Multiform, rich in wondrous operation, the strong juice hath enrobed itself with greatness.
Let the worlds praise her uniped and biped, three-footed and four-footed and eight-footed. All-hail!

31. Verily, best of guardians hath he in whose dwelling-place ye drink, O Maruts, giants of the sky.

32. May Heaven and Earth, the Mighty Pair, besprinkle this our sacrifice,
And feed us full with nourishments.

33. Slayer of Vritra, mount thy car: thy Bay Steeds have been yoked by prayer.
May, with its voice, the pressing-stone draw thine attention hither ward.
Taken upon a base art thou. For Indra thee, for Shodasî.
This is a dwelling-place for thee. For Indra thee, for Shodasî.

34. Harness thy pair of strong Bay Steeds, long-maned, whose bodies fill the girths,
And, Indra, Soma-drinker, come to listen to our songs of praise.
Taken upon a base, etc., as in 33.

35. His pair of tawny Coursers bring Indra of unresisted might
Hither to Rishis’ songs of praise and sacrifice performed by men.
Taken upon a base, etc., as in 33.

36. Than whom there is none other born more mighty, who hath pervaded all existing creatures—
Prajâpati, rejoicing in his offspring, he, Shodasî, maintains the three great lustres.

37. Indra chief Lord and Varuna the Sovran have made this draught of thine the first and foremost.
I, after, drink their draught. May she, the Goddess of Speech, rejoicing, sate herself with Soma—All-hail!—with Prâna as her feast-companion.

38. Skilled in thy task, O Agni, pour lustre and hero strength on us,
Granting me wealth and affluence.
Taken upon a base art thou. For Agni thee, for splendour
This is thy home. For Agni thee, for splendour.
Thou, lustrous Agni, mid the Gods art splendid. May I among mankind be bright with lustre.

39. Arising in thy might thy jaws thou shookest, Indra, having drunk
The Soma which the mortar pressed.
Taken upon a base art thou. For Indra thee, for mighty strength.
This is thy home. For Indra thee, for might.
Among the Gods thou art the mightiest, Indra. Among mankind I fain would be most mighty.

40. His herald rays are seen afar refulgent o’er the world of men,
Like flames of fire that burn and blaze.
Taken upon a base art thou. For Sûrya, for the Bright One, thee.
This is thy home. For Sûrya, for the Bright One, thee.
Thou among Gods art brightest, brightest Sûrya. Among mankind I fain would be the brightest.

41. His herald rays bear him aloft, the God who knoweth all that lives, Sûrya, that all may look at him.
Taken upon a base, etc., as in 40.

42. Smell thou the vat. Let Soma drops pass into thee, O Mighty One.
Return again with store of sap. Pour for us wealth in thou- sands thou with full broad streams and floods of milk. A Let riches come again to me.

43. Idâ, delightful, worshipful, loveable, splendid, shining One,
Inviolable, full of sap, the Mighty One, most glorious,
These are thy names, O Cow: tell thou the Gods that I act righteously.

44. O Indra, beat our foes away, humble the men who challenge us:
Send down to nether darkness him who seeks to do us injury.
Taken upon a base art thou. For Indra, foe-dispeller, thee.
This is thy home. For Indra, foe-dispeller, thee.

45. Let us invoke to-day, to aid our labour, the Lord of Speech, the thought-swift Visvakarman.
May he hear kindly all our invocations, who gives all bliss for aid, whose works are righteous.
Taken upon a base art thou. For Indra Visvakarman thee.
This is thy home. For Indra Visvakarman thee.

46. With strengthening libation, Visvakarman, thou madest Indra an undying guardian.
The people of old time bowed down before him because the Mighty One was meet for worship.
Taken upon a base, etc., as in 45.

47. Taken upon a base art thou.
I take thee lord of Gâyatrî for Agni. For Indra take I thee the lord of Trishtup.
I lake thee lord of Jagatî for All-Gods. Anushtup is the song that sings thy praises.

48. I stir thee for the fall of cloud-borne waters. I stir thee for the fall of streams that gurgle. I stir thee for the fall of those that gladden. I stir thee for their fall who are most lovely. I stir thee for their fall that are the sweetest. I stir thee for the waters’ fall, I stir thee, pure one, in the pure, in the day's form, in Sûrya's beams.

49. The Bull's majestic form is shining brightly, the pure the pure's preceder, Soma Soma's.
Whatever name invincible, stimulating, is thine, O Soma, for that name I take thee.
All-hail to Soma, unto thee, O Soma.

50. O radiant Soma, eagerly draw nigh to Agni's well-loved food.
O radiant Soma, willingly go to the food that Indra loves.
Go, radiant Soma, as our friend, to the All-Gods’ beloved food.

51. Here is delight: enjoy yourselves; here surety, surety of your own. All-hail!
Loosing the suckling to his dam, the suckling as he milks his dam
May he maintain the growth of wealth among us. All-hail!

52. Thou art the Session's happy termination.
We have attained the light and grown immortal.
We have gone up from earth to sky, have found the Gods and heaven and light.

53. Indra and Parvata, our champions in the fight, drive ye away the man who fain would war with us, drive him far from us with the bolt.
Welcome to him concealed afar shall be the lair that he hath found.
So may the Render rend our foes on every side, rend them.
O Hero, everywhere.
Earth! Ether! Sky! May we be rich in offspring, rich in brave sons and rich in food to feed us.

54. Parameshthin when contemplated. Prajâpati in uttered speech.
Food when approached. Savitar in the partition. Visvakarman in Consecration. Pûshan in the Soma-purchasing cow.

55. As Indra and the Maruts he is stationed ready for the sale:
Asura, being bought and sold. Mitra when purchased;
Vishnu Sipivishta when on the Sacrificer's thigh he resteth;
Vishnu Naraudhisha brought on the barrow;

56. Soma when come: when seated on the platform, Varuna;
Agni in the sacred fire-place;
Indra upon the sacrificial barrow; Atharvan when deposited for pounding;

57. All-Gods when offered in the scattered fragments; Vishnu, the guard of those who soothe his anger, when he is filled and swelling in the waters; Yama in pressing; Vishnu in collection;
Vâyu what time they cleanse and purify him; the Bright when cleansed; the Bright with milk about him; Manthin commingled with the meal of barley;

58. All-Gods when he is drawn away in beakers; Life when uplifted for the fire-oblation; Rudra when offered; Vâta when reverted; Man-viewer when beheld; drink when they drink him; deposited, the Nârâsamsa Fathers;

59. Sindhu when ready for the bath that cleanses the sea when he is carried to the waters; Water is he when he is plunged beneath it.
To those most mighty hath it gone, most manly in vigour, by whose strength the worlds were stablished,
Who rule as Lords resistless in their grandeur, Vishnu and Varuna, at the prayer of morning.

60. To Gods, to sky the sacrifice hath gone: come riches thence to me!
To men, to air the sacrifice hath gone: come riches thence to me!
To Fathers, earth, the sacrifice hath gone: come riches thence to me!
Whatever sphere the sacrifice hath reached, may wealth come thence to me

61. The threads that have been spun, the four-and-thirty, which stablish this our sacrifice with Svadhâ,
Of these I join together what is broken. All-hail! to Gods go the warm milk oblation!

62. Spread far and wide is sacrifice's milking: eightfold along the heaven hath it extended.
Pour, Sacrifice! in plenty on mine offspring: may I obtain prosperity for ever. All-hail!

63. Soma, send wealth in gold and steeds and heroes. All-hail! bring hitherward booty in cattle.

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