MANDALA V, HYMN 6.

ASHTAKA III, ADHYAYA 8, VARGA 22-23.

1. I think of that Agni who is a Vasu, to whom the milch-cows go home, the swift horses (go) home, (our) own racers (go) home. Bring food to thy praisers!

2. He is Agni who is praised as the Vasu, he to whom the milch-cows come together, and the quickly running horses, and the well-born liberal patrons. Bring food to thy praisers!

3. For Agni, dwelling among all tribes, gives a racer to the clan. Agni (gives a racer) that is truly helpful for (winning) wealth : he (the racer) being well cherished, will attain precious gain. Bring food to thy praisers!

4. May we kindle thee , Agni, O god, the brilliant, never ageing, in order that yon highly miraculous fuel of thine may shine in the sky. Bring food to thy praisers!

5. To thee , O Agni, our oblation is offered with a Rik, O lord of bright splendour, highly brilliant, wonderful lord of the clan, carrier of oblations! Bring food to thy praisers!

6. Those Agnis make everything precious prosper in the Agnis; they drive forward (precious wealth); they incite it; they speed it hither in the due way . Bring food to thy praisers!

7. Those flames of thine, O Agni, the racers, have boasted mightily--they who with the flight of their

hoofs have made tremble the stables of the cows. Bring food to thy praisers!

8. Bring fresh food with fine dwellings, O Agni, to us, thy praisers! May we be of those who have praised (thee), who have thee as their messenger, house by house. Bring food to thy praisers!

9. Thou warmest in thy mouth, O highly brilliant one, the two (sacrificial) ladles full of butter. And mayst thou fill us (with gifts) at our hymns, O lord of strength! Bring food to thy praisers!

10. Thus they have driven, they have led , Agni in the due way by prayers and sacrifices. May he bestow on us plenty of valiant men, and that plenty of swift horses (wished for) . Bring food to thy praisers!

NOTES.

The same Rishi. The metre is Pankti.--Verse 1 = SV. I, 425. Verses 1-2 = VS. XV, 41, 42; MS. II, 13, 7. Verses 1, 3, 2 = SV. II, 1087-1089. Verse 3 = TB. III, 11, 6, 4. Verse 4 = SV. I, 419; AV. XVIII, 4, 88; MS. II, 13, 7. Verses 4, 5, 9 = SV. II, 372-374; TS. IV, 4, 4, 6. Verse 9 = VS. XV, 43; TS. II, 2, 12, 7.

Verse 3.

Note [5:6:3:1]1. At first sight the conjecture of Bohtlingk-Roth and Grassmann, rayim, is very tempting, cf. IX, 12, 9. rayim ... su-abhuvam; X, 122, 3. rayina ... su-abuva. I believe, nevertheless, that on closer examination the traditional text will prove correct. Sa pritah evidently refers to the racer (vagin) cf. I, 66, 4 = 69, 5. vagi' na pritah (cf. also X, 101, 7. prinita asvan): then it follows that su-abhuvam also refers to the racer, and raye (cf. I, 100, 16; III, 53, 16) will be quite right.

Verse 4.