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The Texts of the White Yajurveda, tr. Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1899], at sacred-texts.com


p. 71

BOOK THE NINTH.

OUR sacrifice, God Savitar, speed onward: speed to his share
the sacrifice's patron.
May the celestial Gandharva, cleanser of thought and will,
make clean our thought and purpose: the Lord of Speech
sweeten the food we offer.
2 Thee, firmly set, settled in man, in spirit.
Taken upon a base art thou. I take thee, draught acceptable
to Indra. This is thy home. Thee, welcomest to Indra.
Thee Set in waters, butter, realm of ether. Taken upon
......Indra.
Thee seated in the sky, earth, air's mid-region, among the
Gods and in the vault of heaven. Taken, etc. as above:
3 The strength-arousing essence of the waters, gathered in
the Sun, Essence of waters’ essence, that, most excellent,
I take for you.
Taken, etc., as above.
4 Cups of strength-giving sacrifice, inspirers of the sage's
hymn
Of you, the handleless, have I collected all the sap and
strength.
Taken, etc., as above.
United are ye twain: with bliss unite me. Parted are ye:
keep me apart from evil.

p. 72

5 Thou art the thunderbolt of Indra, winner of wealth: with
thee may this man win him riches.
In gain of wealth we celebrate with praises her, Aditi by
name, the Mighty Mother,
On whom this Universe of life hath settled. Thereon God
Savitar promote our dwelling!
6 Amrit is in the Waters, in the Waters healing medicine.
Yea, Horses! at our praises of the Waters grow ye fleet
and strong.
Whatever wave, O ye celestial Waters, wealth-giving,
towering high, and swiftly rushing, is yours, therewith
may this man win him riches.
7 It was the wind, or it was thought, or the Gandharvas
twenty-seven
These at the first harnessed the horse: they set the power
of speed in him.
8 Steed, being yoked grow wind-swift: be beauteous as Indra's
right-hand steed.
Omniscient Maruts harness thee! Tvashtar put swiftness in
thy feet!
9 What speed, O Horse, was laid in thee in secret, what
passed in wind, bestowed upon the falcon,
With that same strength be strong for us, O Courser,
wealth-winning and victorious in battle.
Starting to run your course, winners of riches, smell ye
Brihaspati's portion, O ye Horses.
10 By impulse of God Savitar, true Impeller, may ascend
Brihaspati's highest heaven.

p. 73

By impulse of God Savitar, true Impeller, may I ascend
the highest heaven of Indra.
By impulse of God Savitar, true Impeller, Brihaspati's
highest heaven have I ascended.
By impulse of God Savitar, true Impeller, I have ascended
Indra's loftiest heaven.
11 Brihaspati, win the prize. Lift up your voices to Brihaspati.
Make ye Brihaspati win the prize.
Do thou, O Indra, win the prize. To Indra lift your voices
up. Make Indra winner of the prize.
12 True hath been this your league whereby ye made
Brihaspati win the prize.
Brihaspati have ye caused to win the prize. Be freed, ye
Forest-lords.
Faithful was this your league whereby ye have made Indra
win the prize.
Ye have made Indra win the prize. Be ye set free, ye
Forest-lords.
13 Through impulse of God Savitar, true Impeller, mine be
Brihaspati's prize who winneth prizes.
On to the goal, ye Steeds, winners of prizes, blocking the
ways and meting out the courses!
14 Bound by the neck and at the flanks and in the mouth,
that vigorous Courser lends new swiftness to his sped.

p. 74

Drawing himself together as his strength allows, Dadhikrâs
speeds along the windings of the paths. All-hail!
15 His pinion, rapid runner, fans him on his way, as of a bird
that hastens onward to its aim,
And, as it were a falcon's gliding through the air, strikes
Dadhikrâvan's side as he speeds on with might. All-hail!
16 Bless us the Coursers when we call, while slowly they move,
strong singers, to the Gods’ assembly.
Crushing the wolf, the serpent, and the demons, may they
completely banish all affliction. All-hail!
17 May all those vigorous Coursers listen to our cry, hearers
of invocation, speeders on their way;
Winners of thousands, fain to win where meed is won, who
gather of themselves great wealth in every race.
18 Deep-skilled in Law Eternal, wise, immortal, O Coursers,
help us in each fray for booty.
Drink of this meath, be satisfied, be joyful: then go on
paths which Gods are wont to travel.
19 To me come plenteous growth of wealth! Approach me
these, Heaven and Earth, who wear each form and figure!
Hither may Father come to me, and Mother. Soma with
immortality approach me!
20 To the Friend, Hail! To the Good Fiend, Hail! To the
Later-born, Hail! To Resolution, Hail! To the Vasu, Hail!
To the Lord of Days, Hail! To the Failing Day, Hail!
To the Failing sprung from the Transitory, Hail! To the
Transitory sprung from the Final, Hal! To the Final
Mundane, Hail! To the Lord of the World, Hail! To the
Sovran Lord, Hail!

p. 75

21 May life succeed through sacrifice. May life-breath thrive
by sacrifice. May the eye thrive by sacrifice. May the
ear thrive by sacrifice. May the back thrive by sacrifice.
May sacrifice thrive by sacrifice.
We have become the children of Prajâpati. Gods, we have
gone to heaven. We have become immortal.
22 In us be your great might and manly vigour, in us be your
intelligence and splendour.
Obeisance to our Mother Earth! Obeisance to our Mother
Earth!
This is thy Sovranty. Thou art the ruler, thou art controller,
thou art firm and stedfast.
Thee for land-culture, thee for peace and quiet, thee for
wealth, thee for increase of our substance.
23 Of old the furtherance of strength urged onward this Sovran
Soma in the plants and waters.
For us may they be stored with honey: stationed in front
may we be watchful in the kingdom. All-hail!
24 The furtherance of strength extended over this heaven and
all the worlds as sovran ruler.
He, knowing, makes the churl a bounteous giver: wealth
may he grant us with full store of heroes. All-hail
25 Surely the furtherance of strength pervaded all these
existing worlds in all directions.
From olden time the King moves round, well knowing,
strengthening all the people and our welfare.
26 As suppliants, for aid we grasp Soma the King, and Agni, the
Âdityas, Vishnu, Sûrya, and the Brahman-priest Brihaspati.

p. 76

27 Urge Aryaman to send us gifts, and Indra. and Brihaspati,
Yak, Vishnu, and Sarasvatî, and the strong Courser Savitar.
28 Agni, speak kindly to us here, be graciously inclined to us.
Winner of thousands, grant us boons, for thou art he who
giveth wealth.
29 Let Aryaman vouchsafe us wealth, and Pûshan, and
Brihaspati.
May Vâk the Goddess give to us. All-hail!
30 Thee by the radiant Savitar's impulsion, with arms of
Asvins, with the hands of Pûshan.
To Vâk Sarasvatî's controlling guidance, hers the controlling
leader, I consign thee.
I with Brihaspati's supreme dominion endow thee by the
balm of consecration
31 With the monosyllable Agni won vital breath: may I win
that. With the dissyllable the Asvins won bipeds: may
I win those. With the trisyllable
Vishnu won the three worlds: may I win those. With
quadrisyllabic metre
Soma won four-footed cattle: may I win those.
32 With five-syllable metre Pûshan won the five regions: may
I win them.
With six-syllable metre Savitar won the six seasons: may
I win them.
With seven-syllable metre the Maruts won the seven
domestic animals:
May I win them. With octosyllabic metre Brihaspati won
the Gâyatrî: may I win that.
33 With nine-syllable metre Mitra won the Trivrit Stoma:
may I win that. With decasyllabic metre Varuna won
Virâj: may I win that.

p. 77

With hendecasyllabic metre Indra won Trishtup: may I
win that.
With dodecasyllabic metre the All-Gods won Jagatî: may
I win that.
34 The Vasus by thirteen-syllable metre won the Thirteenfold
Stoma: may I win that. The Rudras by fourteen-syllable
metre won the fourteenfold Stoma: may I win that. The
Âdityas with fifteen-syllable metre won the Fifteenfold
Stoma: may I win that. Aditi with sixteen-syllable metre
won the Sixteenfold Stoma: may I win that. Prajâpati
with seventeenfold metre won the Seventeenfold Stoma:
may I win that.
35 This is thy portion, Nirriti! Accept it graciously. All-hail!
To Gods whose guide is Agni, to the eastward-seated Gods,
All-hail!
To Gods whose guide is Yama, to the southward-seated
Gods, All-hail!
To Gods whose guides are the All-Gods, those who are seated
westward, Hail!
Hail to the northward-seated Gods, to those whose guides
are Mitra and Varuna or the Marut host!
To Gods whose guide is Soma, who, worshipful, sit on high,
All-hail!
36 Gods who have Agni as their guide, whose seat is eastward,
Hail to them!
Gods who have Yama as their guide, whose seat is southward,
Hail to them!
Gods who have All-Gods as their guides, whose seat is westward,
Hail to them!
Gods who have Mitra-Varuna for guides, north-seated,
Hail to them!
Gods who have Soma as their guide, high-seated, worshipful,
Hail to them!
37 Agni, subdue opposing bands and drive our enemies away.
Invincible, slay godless foes: give splendour to the worshipper.

p. 78

38 Thee at the radiant Savitar's impulsion, with Asvins’ arms
and with the hands of Pûshan,
I offer with the strength of the Upâmsu. Slain is the demon
brood. All-hail!
Thee for the slaughter of the brood of demons. The demons
have we slain, have slain. So-and-So, So-and-So is slain.
39 Savitar quicken thee for sway of rulers, Agni of householders,
of the trees Soma,
Brihaspati of Speech, for lordship Indra, Rudra for cattle,
Mitra for true-speaking, Varuna for the sway of Law's
protectors.
40 Gods, quicken him that none may be his rival, for mighty
domination, mighty lordship,
Him, son of Such-a-man and Such-a-woman, of Such-a-tribe.
This is your King, ye Tribesmen. Soma is Lord and King
of us the Brâhmans.


Next: Book X