Philosophy and Religion / White Yajurveda (Vâjasaneyi-Sanhitâ)

The White Yajurveda (Vâjasaneyi-Sanhitâ)

Book the sixteenth

1. 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 blessèd 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.

4. O 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.

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 when seen be kind to us.

8. Homage to him the Azure-nested, the thousand-eyed, the bountiful,
Yea, and his spirit ministers—to them I offer reverence.

9. Loosen thy bowstring, loosen it from thy bow's two extremities,
And cast away, O Lord Divine, the arrows that are in thy hand.

10. Now stringless be Kapardin's bow, his quiver hold no pointed shaft.
The shafts he had have perished and the sheath that held his sword is bare.

11. Thy weapon, O Most Bountiful, the bow that resteth in thy hand,—
With that, deprived of power to harm, protect thou us on every side.

12. So may the arrow of thy bow, in all directions, pass us by,
And in a place remote from us lay thou the quiver that thou hast.

13. Having unbent thy how O thou hundred-eyed, hundred-quivered One!
And dulled thy pointed arrows' heads, be kind and gracious unto us.

14. To thy fierce weapon, now unstrung, be reverent obeisance paid.
Homage be paid to both thine arms, and to thy bow be reverence!

15. Do thou no injury to great or small of us, harm not the growing boy, harm not the full grown man.
Slay not a sire among us, slay no mother here, and to our own dear bodies, Rudra! do no harm.

16. Harm us not in our seed or in our progeny, harm us not in our life or in our cows or steeds.
Slay not our heroes in the fury of their wrath. We with oblations ever call on only thee.

17. Homage to the golden-armed leader of hosts, lord of the 1 regions, to the trees with their green tresses, to the Lord of beasts be homage; homage to him whose sheen is like green grass, homage to the radiant Lord of paths, homage to the golden-haired wearer of the sacrificial cord, homage to the Lord of the well-endowed.

18. Homage to the brown-hued piercer, to the Lord of food be homage. Homage to Bhava's weapon, homage to the Lord of moving things! homage to Rudra whose bow is bent to slay, to the Lord of fields homage, homage to the charioteer who injures, none, to the Lord of forests be homage.

19. Homage to the red architect, to the Lord of trees homage! Homage to him who stretched out the earth, to him who gives relief be homage. Homage to the Lord of Plants, homage to the prudent merchant! Homage to the Lord of bushes, to the shouting Lord of foot-soldiers who makes foes weep be homage.

20. Homage to the runner at full stretch, to the Lord of ministering spirits, homage! Homage to the conquering, piercing Lord of assailing bands, homage to the towering sword-bearer, to the Lord of thieves homage! Homage to the gliding robber, to the roamer, to the Lord of forests homage!

21. Homage to the cheat, to the arch-deceiver, to the Lord of stealers homage! Homage to the wearer of sword and quiver, to the Lord of robbers homage! Homage to the boltarmed homicides, to the Lord of pilferers homage! Homage to the sword-bearers, to those who roam at night, to the Lord of plunderers homage!

22. To the turban-wearing haunter of mountains, Lord of land-grabbers homage! Homage to you who bear arrows and to you who carry bows. Homage to you with bent bows, and to you who adjust your arrows, to you who draw the bow and to you who shoot be homage!

23. Homage to you who let fly and to you who pierce, homage to you who sleep and to you who wake, homage to you who lie and to you who sit, homage to you who stand and to you who run.

24. Homage to assemblies and to you lords of assemblies, homage to horses and to you masters of horses, homage to you hosts that wound and pierce, to you destructive armies with excellent bands be homage.

25. Homage to the troops and to you lords of troops be homage.
Homage to the companies and to you lords of companies, homage.
Homage to sharpers and to you lords of sharpers, homage.
Homage to you the deformed, and to you who wear all forms, homage!

26. Homage to armies and to you the leaders of armies, homage.
Homage to you car-borne and to you who are carless, homage.
Homage to the charioteers and to you drivers of horses, homage.
Homage to you the great and to you the small, homage.

27. Homage to you carpenters, and to you chariot-makers homage.
Homage to you potters and to you blacksmiths, homage.
Homage to you Nishâdas and to you Puñjishthas, homage.
Homage to you dog-leaders, and to you hunters, homage.

28. Homage to dogs, and to you masters of dogs, homage.
Homage to Bhava, and to Rudra homage, homage to Sarva and to Pasupati, and to Nîlagrîva and Sitikantha, homage.

29. Homage to him with braided hair and to him with shaven hair, homage! homage to the thousand-eyed and to him with a hundred bows, homage!
To the mountain-haunter and to Sipivishta, homage!
To the most bountiful, armed with arrows, homage!

30. Homage to the short, and to the dwarf, homage, homage to the great and to the adult, homage! Homage to the full-grown and to the growing, to the foremost and to the first be homage.

31. Homage to the swift, and to the active be homage, and to the hasty and to the rapid mover be homage! Homage to him who dwells in waves, and in still waters, to him who dwells in rivers and on islands.

32. Homage to the eldest and to the youngest, to the first-born and to the last-born, homage! Homage to the middle-most and to the immature, to the lowest and to him who is in the depth, be homage!

33. Homage to Sobhya and to the dweller in the magic amulet, homage! Homage to him who is allied to Yama, to him who prospers be homage! Homage to the famous and to the endmost, to him of the sown corn-land and to him of the threshing-floor be homage.

31. Homage to him in woods and to him in bushes, homage!
Homage to him as sound and to him as echo, homage!
Homage to him with swift armies and to him with swift chariots, homage! Homage to the hero, and to him who rends asunder be homage.

35. Homage to him who wears a helmet, and to him who wears a cuirass, homage! To him who wears mail and defensive armour, homage! To the renowned one and to him whose army is renowned be homage, to him who is in drums and to him who makes himself known by beating them.

36. Homage to the bold one and to the prudent, homage to him who carries sword and quiver, homage to him who hath keen arrows and is armed with weapons, homage to him who hath good weapons and a good bow.

37. Homage to him who dwells on paths and roads, homage to him who dwells in rugged spots and on the skirts of mountains, homage to him who dwells in water courses and lakes, homage to him who dwells in rivers and mores.

38. Homage to him who dwells in wells and pits, homage to him who dwells in bright sky and sunlight. Homage to him who dwells in cloud and lightning, homage to him who dwells in rain and to him who dwells in fair weather.

39. Homage to him who dwells in wind and to him who dwells in tempest, homage to the dweller in houses and to the house-protector. Homage to Soma and to Rudra, homage to the copper-coloured and to the ruddy One.

40. Homage to the giver of weal, and to Pasupati, homage to the fierce and to the terrific. Homage to him who slays in front and to him who slays at a distance, homage to the slayer and to the frequent slayer, homage to the green-tressed trees, homage to the deliverer.

41. Homage to the source of happiness and to the source of delight, homage to the causer of happiness and to the causer of delight, homage to the auspicious, homage to the most auspicious.

42. Homage to him who is beyond and to him who is on this side, homage to him who crosses over and to him who crosses back. Homage to him who is in fords and on river banks, homage to him who is in tender grass and in foam.

43. Homage to him who is in sand and to him who is in running water, homage to him who is on pebbly ground and to him who is where still water stands. Homage to him who wears braided hair and to him whose hair is smooth. Homage to him who is in deserts and to him who is on broad roads.

44. Homage to him who is in herds of cattle and to him who is in cow-pens, homage to him who is on beds and to him who is in houses. Homage to him who is in hearts, and to him who is in whirlpools, homage to him who is in wells and to him who is in abysses.

45. Homage to him who is in dry things and to him who is in green things. Homage to him who is in dust and to him who is in vapour. Homage to him who is in inaccessible places, homage to him who is in creeping plants, homage to him who is in the earth and to him who is in good soil.

46. Homage to him who is in leaves and to him who is in the falling of leaves. Homage to him with the threatening voice and to him who slays, homage to him who troubles and to him who afflicts. Homage to you arrow-makers and to you bow-makers, homage to you sprinklers, to the hearts of the Gods. Homage to the discerners, homage to the destroyers; homage to the indestructible.

47. Pursuer, Lord of Soma juice, thou cleaver, coloured blue and red,
Cleave not, destroy not one of these our children, nor of these our beasts, let nothing that is ours be sick.

48. To the strong Rudra bring we these our songs of praise, to him the Lord of Heroes, with the braided hair,
That it be well with all our cattle and our men, that in this village all be healthy and well-fed.

49. Rudra, with that auspicious form of thine which healeth every day,
Auspicious, healer of disease, be kind to us that we may live.

50. May Rudra's missile turn aside and spare us, the great wrath of the impetuous One avoid us.
Turn, Bounteous God, thy strong bow from our princes, and be thou gracious to our seed and offspring.
I Most bounteous, most auspicious, be auspicious, well inclined to us.
On some remotest tree lay down thy weapon. and clad in robe of skin approach, bearing thy bow come hitherward.

52. O Wound averter, purple-hued, to thee be homage, holy Lord!
May all those thousand darts of thine strike dead another one than us.

53. Thousands of thousands are the shafts, the missiles ready in thy hands:
Thou holy Lord, who hast the power, turn thou their points away from us.

54. Innumerable thousands are the Rudras on the face of earth:
Of all these Rudras we unbend the bows a thousand leagues away.

55. Bhavas there are above us in this mighty billowy sea of air,
Of all of these do we unbend, etc.

56. Rudras are dwelling in the sky, whose necks are blue, whose throats are white:
Of these do we unbend the bows a thousand leagues away from us.

57. Sarvas haunt realms beneath the earth—their necks are blue, their throats are white:
Of these, etc.

58. These, green like young grass, in the trees, with azure necks and purple hue,
Of those, etc.

59. Those, ministering spirits’ lords, with no hair-tufts, with braided locks,
Of these, etc.

60. Those, the protectors of the paths, bringers of food, who fight for life. Of these, etc.

61. Those who with arrows in their hand, and armed with words, frequent the fords, Of these, etc.

62. Those who, inhabiting the food, vex men while drinking from their cups, etc.

63. Rudras so many and still more, lodged in the quarters of the sky, etc.

64. Homage to Rudras, those whose home is sky, whose arrows floods of rain.
To them ten eastward, southward ten, ten to the south, ten to the north, ten to the region uppermost!
To them be homage! May they spare and guard us. Within their jaws we lay the man who hates us and whom we abhor.

65. Homage to Rudras, those whose home is air, whose arrows is the rain. To them, etc.

66. Homage to Rudras, those whose home is earth, whose arrows is men's food.
To them be homage, etc.

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