O Agni, radiant and ever-listening, we call upon you to heed our prayers. You, the messenger, are invoked to speak on our behalf to the assembly of the gods and the venerable kings. Remember the ancient time when the gods bestowed the sacred cow upon the Angirasas; Aryaman, with a cutting tool, drew forth its essence, a secret known to him and to those who walk the path of knowledge. Let your heroic deeds and timeless glories, O Maruts, never pass us by. May your ancient wonders and immortal songs always be ours. Do not let your wrath fall upon us, but grant us all that is marvelous and unconquerable, new in every age—those gifts that are hard to attain, let them be ours. Our lineage is blessed: Dadhyaṅ, my ancestor, was an Angiras, and so too were Priyamedha, Kaṇva, Atri, and Manu. These forefathers walked the path of wisdom, and among the gods are their descendants, our kin. In reverence for their path, I bow with my song to Indra and Agni. Let the priest offer the sacrifice, and may the desired gifts be won. Bṛhaspati, the priestly lord, performs the rite; Vena, with his many bulls, participates. With our own strength, we have grasped the distant sign, the song that echoes from the mountain heights. The wise one, the seer, has established many dwellings for us. O gods—eleven in heaven, eleven on earth, and eleven in the waters—mighty and resplendent, accept this offering. For the altar, for the beloved, for the shining one, we prepare Agni’s sacred seat, as one would lay a strong foundation. Like a garment, we clothe the pure one with our thoughts, his chariot of light, bright and dispelling darkness. Agni, twice-born and threefold, is purified; he grows with the year and is consumed again in the cycle. With another’s tongue, the bull is praised; with another’s voice, the offering is cleansed. Black and white, the two mothers stir for him; they cross over, nurturing the child. With a forward-pointing tongue, shining and flowing, the companion grows, nourished by the father. Desiring release for Manu and his offspring, swift and dark, black and white, the steeds are harnessed and driven forth, unresting and wind-borne. From you, O shining one, they move forth seeking increase; the black cloud, that great form, they have created. When it touches the earth, the vast expanse resounds, breathing, thundering, and roaring. Among the brown ones, he who is adorned bows down; like a bull, he approaches his wives, roaring, his body shining as he grows in strength. Fierce as horns, he rushes, hard to seize. The well-ordered, expansive one gathers together, knowing those who are always lying down; they grow again, even as they ascend to the divine, making new forms for the two parents together. The agile ones, with flowing hair and voices raised, stand upright, not angry, ready for the journey. Casting off old age, they go forth, making a sound, giving birth to another living, unwearied being. Adorned, he moves around the mother day by day, with strong powers transcending old age. Bearing youth, he moves like a swan, ever-desiring, while the eagle joins the paths. Shine for us, O Agni, among the generous; like a strong bull, O house-lord, breathe forth. Let the child-bearing one not fail, but be protected like armor in battle. O Agni, may this well-offering be dear to you, more beloved than any ill-offering. By your bright, pure radiance, may you win treasure for us. For the chariot, for the boat, for our house, O Agni, grant us the ever-guiding, path-bearing one. For our heroes, our generous people, and all who cross, grant protection. May Agni, praised by us, approach with our hymn, along with Heaven and Earth and the well-praised rivers. Seeking cattle and barley, may the red ones choose the best with enduring sound. That wondrous radiance has been set for the form, the brilliance of the mighty god from whom it was born. When thought approaches and is fulfilled, the cows of truth bring forth flowing streams. The shining one, rich in fathers, always lies down; the second is among the seven nurturing mothers. For the milking of this bull, the women generate the third, the tenfold wise one. From the depths, the sons of strength, lords by power, step forth from the buffalo’s form. For the drinker of mead, following the sky, Mātariśvan stirs the hidden one. When led away from the highest father, the shoots, drinkers of sap, grow on the bough. When both birth-lines are stirred, he shines pure in the sky. Then he entered the mothers, pure and unharmed, expanding widely. As the former ones ascended, ever-young, he runs among the newer, lower ones. Among the dwellers in heaven, they choose the summoner, seeking favor like Bhaga, speeding forth. The gods, by their will and might, praised by many, you, Agni, carry the mortal’s prayer everywhere. When, driven by the wind, the sacrificial fire spreads, like a neighing horse, unaging and unbroken, its path—dark at the base, black-tongued, of pure birth—opens the realms. Like a chariot with harnesses, it goes with red limbs to the sky; from there, the black ones, the sons, seek the speed of the strong one, desiring the hero’s might. With you, O Agni, Varuṇa, firm in vow, Mitra, Aryaman, and the generous ones have rejoiced. When you, all-pervading, move among them by your will, the rim does not overtake the axle. You, O Agni, youngest, bestow divine, abundant treasure upon the one who presses and praises. To you, ever new and youthful in strength, we seek great wealth, like Bhaga, in the assembly. To us, you grant wealth, shining and householding like Bhaga, wisdom and firmness, O upholder. Like rays, you guide both generations, well-willed, bringing praise of gods and truth. May our radiant, ever-youthful Hotar, delightful and attentive, with a shining chariot, hear us. May Agni, free from error, lead us with the best guides toward wealth and good fortune. Let Agni, with roaring flames, bearing the offering for sovereignty, ascend. May the generous ones, and we as well, surpass the mist like the sun outshining darkness. Kindled Agni, bring the gods here today to the place of offering. Extend the ancient thread for the worshipper who has pressed the Soma. Come to us, O Agni, to the ghee-laden, honey-sweet offering, for the wise sacrificer who seeks your favor, for the devoted worshipper. Pure, radiant, and wondrous, Agni desires to taste the honeyed sacrifice; Narāśaṃsa, thrice from heaven, is worthy among gods. Invoked, Agni, bring Indra, splendid and beloved, here; for this thought of mine is directed to you, O well-tongued one. Those who spread the sacred grass and prepare the seat at the sacrifice, I choose the most god-favored shelter for Indra, broad and protective. Let the great, immortal ones go forth to the gods; let the pure, much-desired divine doors open wide in all directions. Let Night and Dawn, adorned and splendid, approach together; the two youthful mothers of truth, sit on the sacred grass with favor. With sweet tongues, the careful, divine Hotars, the wise ones, may they perform this sacrifice for us today, swiftly, reaching to the heavens. Pure, set among the gods, is the Hotar; among the Maruts, let Bhāratī, Ilā, Sarasvatī, and Mahī, the worthy ones, sit on the sacred grass. Thus, with reverence and song, the ancient rites are fulfilled, and the blessings of the gods are invoked for all.