I balm with oil the mighty demon-slayer, to the most famous
friend I come for shelter.
Enkindled, sharpened by our rites, may Agni protect us in the
day and night from evil.
O Jatavedas, armed with teeth of iron, enkindled with thy flame,
attack the demons.
Seize with thy tongue the foolish gods' adorers: rend, put with-
in thy mouth the raw-flesh-eaters.
Apply thy teeth, the upper and the lower, thou who hast both,
enkindled and destroying.
Roam also in the air, O King, around us, and with thy jaws
assail the wicked spirits.
Pierce through the Yatudhana's skin, O Agni; let the destroying
dart with fire consume him.
Rend his joints, Jatavedas! let the eater of raw flesh, seeking
flesh, tear and destroy him.
Where now thou seest, Agni Jatavedas! a Yatudhana, standing
still or roaming.
Or one that flieth through the air's mid-region, kindled to fury
as an archer pierce him.
Bending thy shafts through sacrifices, Agni! dipping thine
arrows in the hymn to point them,
Pierce to the heart therewith the Yatudhanas, and break their
arms uplifted to attack thee.
Rescue the captives also, Jatavedas! yea, those whom Yatudha-
nas' spears have captured.
Strike down that fiend, blazing before him, Agni! Let spotted
carrion-eating kites devour him.
Here tell this forth, O Agni: whosoever is, he himself, or acteth
as, a demon,
Grasp him, O thou most youthful, with thy fuel: to the Man-
Seer's eye give him as booty.
With keen glance guard the sacrifice, O Agni: thou Sage, con-
duct it onward to the Vasus.
Let not the fiends, O Man-Beholder, harm thee burning against
the Rakshasas to slay them.
Look on the fiend, 'mid men, as Man-Beholder: rend thou his
three extremities in pieces.
Demolish with thy flame his ribs, O Agni: the Yatudhana's
root destroy thou triply.
Thrice, Agni, let thy noose surround the demon who with his
falsehood injures holy Order.
Loud roaring with thy flame, Jatavedas, fetter him in the pre-
sense of the singer.
Agni, what curse the pair this day may utter, what rude rough
word the worshippers have spoken,
Each arrowy taunt sped from the angry spirit,--pierce to the
heart therewith the Yatudhanas.
With fervent heat exterminate the demons: destroy the fiends
with glow and flame, O Agni.
Destroy with fire the foolish gods' adorers: destroy the insatiate
fiercely-burning creatures.
May Gods destroy to-day the evil-doer: may uttered curses turn
again and strike him.
Let arrows pierce the liar in his vitals, and Visva's net enclose
the Yatudhana.
The fiend who smears himself with flesh of cattle, with flesh of
horses and of human bodies,
Who steals the milch-cow's milk away, O Agni,--tear off the
heads of such with fiery fury.
Let the fiends steal the poison of the cattle: may Aditi cast off
the evil-doers.
May the God Savitar give them up to ruin, and be their share
of herbs and plants denied them.
The cow gives milk each year, O Man-Beholder: let not the
Yatudhana ever taste it.
Agni, if one should glut him with the biestings, pierce with thy
flame his vitals as he meets thee.
Agni, from days of old thou slayest demons: never have
Rakshasas in fight o'ercome thee.
Burn up the foolish ones, the flesh-devourers: let none of them
escape thy heavenly arrow.
Guard us, O Agni, from above and under, protect us from be-
hind and from before us;
And may thy flames, most fierce and never wasting, glowing
with fervent heat, consume the sinner.
From rear, from front, from under, from above us, Agni, pro-
tect us as a sage with wisdom.
Guard to old age thy friend as friend eternal: O Agni, as im-
mortal, guard us mortals.
Lend thou the worshipper that eye, O Agni, where with thou
lookest on the hoof-armed demons.
With light celestial in Atharvan's manner burn up the fool who
ruins truth with falsehood.
We set thee round us as a fort, victorious Agni! thee, a sage,
In conquering colour day by day, destroyer of the treacherous
foe.
With deadly poison strike thou back the treacherous brood of
Rakshasas,
O Agni, with thy sharpened glow, with rays that flash with
points of flame.
Agni shines far and wide with lofty splendour, and by his great-
ness makes all things apparent.
He conquers godless and malign enchantments, and sharpens
both his horns to gore the ogres.
Thy two unwasting horns, O Jatavedas, keen-pointed weapons,
sharpened by devotion
With these transfix the wicked-souled Kimidin, with fierce flame,
Jatavedas! when he meets thee.
Bright, radiant, meet to be adored, immortal with refulgent
glow,
Agni drives Rakshasas away.