1 His are the lights, eternal, purifying, protectors of our homes, whose smoke is shining; white, waxing in their strength, for ever stirring, seated in the wood, like winds by His command.

2 Gold-coloured, bannered with the smoke, urged by the wind, aloft to heaven rise, lightly borne, the flames of fire.

3 O God, the Friend and All-Seeing, be with us in the great act of worship, and draw us near to Thy mercy.

4 O God, send Thy angels, who best convey our prayers; Thou who art ancient, be present at our worship.

5 To fair goals travel two unlike in semblance, Day and Night: each in succession nourishes the light. One bears the golden light of the sun; bright and fair-shining is the light the other bears.

6 Here by the ordainers was fire appointed first to call, best at worship, to be praised at rites, which the wise of old caused to shine, bright-coloured in the wood, spreading to every house.

7 Thousands upon thousands of angels worship God; the righteous spread the sacred grass, anoint the offering with butter, and establish the rite in His name alone.

8 God, the Sage, the King, the Guest of men; His sign is the fire, a messenger of earth and a light in heaven, born in holy Order, a vessel fit for the offerings of men.

9 May God slay the foemen, fain for riches, through the love of song; kindled, bright, served with sacrifice.

10 With all the angels, with the Mighty and with the Wind, partake, O man, of the provision of God, after the Friend's laws.

11 When splendour reached the Lord of men to speed him, down from the heaven was shed the brilliant moisture. God brought forth to light and filled with spirit the youthful host, benevolent and blameless.

12 Show thyself strong for mighty bliss, O God, the Radiant; most excellent be Thine effulgent splendours. Make easy to maintain our household lordship and trample down the might of those who hate us.

13 We have elected Thee as most delightful for Thy beams' glow: hear our great praise, O God. The best men praise Thee as the peer of the Mighty in strength, and among the angels like the Wind in Thy bounty.

14 O God, who art worshipped well, dear let our princes be to Thee, our wealthy patrons who are governors of men, who part in gifts their stalls of kine.

15 Hear, O God, who hast ears to hear, with all Thy train of angels. Let the Friend and the Guardian, seeking betimes our rite, seat them upon the sacred grass.

16 The Freedom of all who merit honour, freely received as guest in all men's houses, God the Radiant who hath secured the angels' high favour, may He be gracious to us, Knower of all that is born.

17 In the keeping of the Radiant One, kindled, and, for bliss, free from all sin before the Friend and the All-Seeing, may we share the Giver of Light's best animating help. We crave this gracious favour of God to-day.

18 Like barren cows, moreover, swelled the waters: singers approached Thy holy worship, O Mighty. Come Thou to us as the wind to its team. Thou through our solemn hymns bestowest bounty.

19 Ye cows, protect the fount. The two mighty ones, heaven and earth, bless the rite. The handles twain are wrought of gold.

20 Now when the sun hath risen to-day, may the Friend, the Guardian, the Bountiful and the Giver of Light speed us forth, sinless.

21 Pour on the juice the ornament which reaches both heaven and earth; supply the liquid to the Bull.

22 As He was rising up they all revered Him: self-luminous He travels, clothed in splendour. That is the Bull's, the Lord's lofty nature: He, Omniform in His signs, hath reached the eternal waters.

23 I laud your Mighty One, who is good to all men, who pervadeth all with His knowledge; God the Mighty, whose conquering strength is powerful in war, whose fame and manly vigour heaven and earth revere.

24 Great is their fuel, strong their praise, wide is their sacrificial post, whose Friend is God the Mighty, ever young.

25 Come, O God the Mighty, and accept our thanksgiving at all our feasts, Conqueror, mighty in Thy strength.

26 Leading his band, God the Mighty encompassed the obstructer of the rains; weak grew the wily leader of enchanters. He who burns fierce in forests slaughtered Vyamsa, and made the milch-kine of the nights apparent.

27 Whence comest Thou alone, Thou who art mighty, O Mighty, Lord of the Brave? What is Thy purpose? Thou greetest us, encountering us the bright ones. Lord of many powers, say what Thou hast against us. Great in power and might, never art Thou fruitless, never art Thou neglectful.

28 Those men extolled that deed of Thine, O Mighty, those who would fain burst through the stall of cattle, fain to milk her who bare but once, great, lofty, whose sons are many and her streams a thousand.

29 To Thee, the Mighty One, I bring this mighty hymn, for Thy desire hath been gratified by my praise. In God the Mighty, yea, in Him victorious through His might, the angels have rejoiced at the feast and when provision flowed.

30 May the Bright One accept our gratitude, giving the lord of the rite uninjured life; He who, wind-urged, in person guards our offspring well, hath nourished them with food and shone over many a land.

31 His bright rays bear Him up aloft, the God who knoweth all that lives; the sun is His sign, that all may look upon it.

32 Pure and All-Seeing God, with that same eye wherewith Thou lookest upon one actively stirring amid the folk,

33 Ye two angels, come hither upon a sun-bright car: bedew our rite with sweetness.

34 Loved of all men, may the Giver of Light through praises offered as sacred food come to our assembly, that ye too, through our hymns, ye ever youthful, may gladden at your visit all our people.

35 Whatever, O Slayer of the obstructer, the sun hath risen upon to-day, that, O God the Mighty, is all in Thy power.

36 Swift, visible to all is the sun, maker of the light, illuming all the radiant realm: it is Thy sign.

37 This is the power of the Giver of Light: He hath withdrawn what spread over work unfinished. When He hath loosed the horses of the day from their station, straight over all Night spreadeth out her garment.

38 In the sky's lap the sun this form assumes, that the All-Seeing and the Friend may behold it. Its bay steeds well maintain their power eternal, at one time bright, and darksome at another.

39 Verily, great is Thy sign the sun; truly great is the light-giver. As Thou art great indeed, Thy greatness is admired; yea, verily Thou, O God, art great.

40 Yea, great in fame; Thou, evermore, O God, art great. Thou by Thy greatness art the Guardian of the angels, divine, far-spread, unconquerable light.

41 Turning, as 'twere, to meet the sun, enjoy from God the Mighty all good things. When he who will be born is born with power, we look to treasures as our heritage.

42 To-day, ye angels, when the sun hath ascended, deliver us from trouble and dishonour. This boon may God, the All-Seeing and the Friend, grant us, with His boundless mercy, earth and heaven.

43 Throughout the dusky firmament advancing, laying to rest the immortal and the mortal, borne on his golden chariot He cometh, God the Giver of Light, beholding living creatures.

44 Soft to the tread the sacred grass is scattered: these go like kings amid the band around them, at the folk's early call on Night and Morning. May the Wind and the Nourisher with His team bless us.

45 O God the Mighty, Giver of Life, Lord of Prayer, Friend, Radiant, Nourisher, Bountiful, Boundless, and the angelic host.

46 Be the All-Seeing our chief defence, let the Friend guard us with all aids; both make us rich exceedingly!

47 Regard us, O God the Mighty and All-Pervading, here, ye two angels, and the angelic host, us who are kith and kin to you. O ye eleven angels! Loved of all men, may the Giver of Light be gracious. Ye angels who protect,

48 O God, Radiant, Mighty, All-Seeing and Friend, give, O ye angels and angelic host, and the All-Pervading. May the Healer, the heavenly Matrons, the Nourisher, the Giver of Wisdom, the Bountiful accept us.

49 God the Mighty, Radiant, Friend, All-Seeing, Boundless, the Waters, Mountains, Winds, Sky and Earth and Heaven: the All-Pervading I call, the Nourisher and the Lord of Prayer, and the Bountiful, the Giver of Praise, the Giver of Light, that they may help.

50 With us are the raining clouds, accordant in call to battle at the death of the obstructer, the strong, assigned to him who sings and praises. May God, with the Mighty as our chief, protect us.

51 Turn yourselves hitherward this day, ye holy, that fearing in my heart I may approach you. Protect us, O angels, let not the wolf destroy us. Save us, ye holy, from the pit and falling.

52 This day come all the host of the winds, to bring us help.

53 Listen, O angels, to this my invocation, ye who inhabit heaven and the mid-region of the air. All ye, O holy ones, seated upon this sacred grass, be joyful.

54 For Thou at first producest for the holy angels the noblest of all portions, immortality. Thereafter as a gift to men, O Giver of Light, Thou openest existence, life succeeding life.

55 I with a lofty song call upon God, All-bountiful, Filler of His servants with wealth, most wealthy. Thou, Sage, with bright path, Lord of the harnessed horses, impetuous, promptly honourest the prudent.

56 These have been shed, O Mighty, and the Wind; as in the earlier rite.

57 The Friend of holy strength I call, and the All-Seeing, destroyer of foes, who make the rite complete.

58 O ye two angels, wonder-workers, yours are these offerings of thanks with dipt grass. Come ye whose paths are bright with glow.

59 When the swift one had found the mountain's fissure, that vast and ancient place she plundered thoroughly. In the floods' van she led them forth, light-footed: she who well knew came first unto their lowing.

60 For nowhere did they find another envoy to lead the way than this fire, the sign of God, the Light of all men. The angels strengthened it to win the land in battle.

61 The strong, dispellers of the foe, the Mighty and the Radiant, we invoke; may they be kind to one like me.

62 Sing forth to the Pure One, O ye men, to Him as He is glorified, fain to pay worship to Him.

63 Receive our gratitude, O Mighty, banded with the host that strengthened Thee at the slaughter of the serpent of drought, against the drought-fiend, Lord of Bays, in winning cattle, and now rejoice in Thee the holy singers.

64 Thou art mighty for victorious valour, exulting, strongest, full of courage. There, even there, the angelic host were strengthened by Thy might when the hero was stirred to action.

65 O Thou who slewest the obstructer, come, O Mighty, hither to our side, Mighty One with Thy mighty aids.

66 Thou in Thy battles, O Mighty, art subduer of all hostile bands. Thou art all-conquering, cancelling the curse: vanquish the men who fight with us.

67 Heaven and Earth cling close to Thy victorious might as sire and mother to their child.

68 The sacrifice obtains the angels' acceptance, as in the earlier rite.

69 Protect our habitation, O Giver of Light, this day with guardian aids around, propitious, ne'er beguiled. God of the golden tongue, keep us for newest bliss; let not the evil-wisher have us in his power.

70 For you have flowed, through noble ministration, pressed by the ministers, bright sweet-flavoured juices. Drive on thy team and come hither, O Wind: partake for thy rapture of the sap of God's provision.

71 Ye cows, protect, as in verse 19.

72 Come ye foe-slayers to the place of meeting, to the birthplaces of the two great sages, with force of intellect unto the dwelling.

73 Ye two angels, as in verse 33.

74 Transversely was the severing line extended: was it above, or was it, haply, under? There were begetters, there were mighty forces, free action here and energy up yonder.

75 God hath filled heaven and earth and the great realm of light. The skilful hold fast to His remembrance; like a steed brought forth for the offering, may the Sage, graciously inclined, win us wealth.

76 Call hither with the song and lauds the two best slayers of the foe, delighting even in our hymn.

77 All sons of immortality shall listen to the songs we sing, and be exceeding good to us.

78 Mine are devotions, hymns; sweet are my offerings of thanks. Strength

stirs, and hurled forth is my rocky weapon.

They call for me, for me their praises are longing. To their gatherings these my swift steeds bear me.