Prapāṭhaka 12

12.1 The streams of this mighty pressed soma flow with force, adorning the gods. O Agni, your fame and vigor are great; your flames blaze forth, O Vibhāvasu. O Far-shining One, by your might you bestow the prize-hymn upon the worshipper, O sage. Swift, whetted, terrible as a bull, striking blow on blow, shaking all peoples — the roaring, unwinking, sole hero Indra conquered a hundred armies at once.

12.2 The wise priests, praising with song, rub clean the swift steed. The light that was born, the hymn-prize — with pure radiance, bright splendor, full brilliance you rise with your beam. Like a son moving between two mothers you refresh and fill both worlds. With the roaring, unwinking, victorious, battle-rousing, hard-shaking, bold one — with that Indra conquer; endure in battle, O men, with that arrow-bearing mighty one.

12.3 O easy-conquering Soma, easily overcome are those for the purifying one, O lord of abundance; increase the ocean-hymn. O grandson of strength, O Jātavedas, gladden yourself with praises, prompted by thoughts. In you they have stored impulses of many forms, born brightly beautiful. He with arrows in hand, he with quiver, the controller, the mingler — Indra the fighter with his host — the union-winner, soma-drinker, arm-powerful, strong-bowed, shooting in return.

12.4 Ruling gloriously, O Agni, spread wide among creatures for us the wealth, O immortal. As such you shine in your visible form of beauty; you fill us with visible wisdom.

12.5 Him who accomplishes the sacrifice, the wise one, the lord of great bounty — you bestow the glorious gift of the beautiful, the great refreshment, the winning wealth.

12.6 The peoples have placed Agni, the upholder of cosmic order, the great bull, visible to all, at the fore for their blessing. With song they honor you, the wide-famed, the one with listening ears, the divine one, through the human ages.

12.7 He whose friendship you have taken up — you who shatter armies, you who crush in battle and conquer — be the strengthener of our chariots.

12.8 O lord of strength, to you the hymns proceed unhindered; your dark-gleaming drop, the seasonal one, blazing, eagerly takes hold. You are dear to the great dawns; you rule at the points of night; you are known by strength, steadfast, chief hero, powerful, victorious, fierce and overpowering. O Indra, hero above heroes, true champion, born of might — mount the winning chariot, winner of cattle.

12.9 As streams flow by their paths, O Indra, may your gifts flow forth — him who splits the mountain-fortresses, who wins cattle, whose arm wields the thunderbolt, who conquers in the charge, who crushes the foe with force. O kinsmen, strive heroically after this Indra; O friends, rally together after him.

12.10 The greatly active Indra, the crusher of enemies, the mightiest, the good lord — him do the forest trees and plants, the pregnant ones, and the bearing ones all forever bring forth. He who is hard to move and conquers armies with his weapons — may he protect our army, ever forward in battle.

12.11 O greatly vigorous, greatly spirited, mighty one, with all wisdom you have filled all with your greatness, O Indra. May Bṛhaspati be the leader of these, the sacrifice the right hand, and Soma go before. May the Maruts march at the head of the divine armies, the overwhelming, victorious ones.

12.12 Whose two great hands, by his greatness, travel around the earth holding the golden thunderbolt — the shout of Indra the mighty, of King Varuṇa, of the Ādityas, of the fierce troop of Maruts, of the great-minded ones who shake the worlds, of the conquering gods, has risen up.

12.13 Like the sun stretching himself, like a great cow giving birth — let the shouts of the Vṛtra-slaying prize-winners, of the prize horses and the winning chariots go forth.

12.14 The twice-born one blazing forth stood over the three bright realms and all the spaces. The most sacrificing hotar at the seat of the waters — may our Indra be present at our banners in battle; may those arrows of ours that are shot win. May our heroes be supreme; may the gods also protect us in our calls.

12.15 This is that hotar, the twice-born, who has held all desirable things for glory. The mortal who has offered well-pressed soma to him — that army of our enemies, O Maruts, that comes against us without matching our strength — conceal it in darkness by your spell, so that among them one shall not know another.

12.16 May we prosper through your calls. He who is awake — to him this Soma speaks: I am at home in your friendship. Go forward, burn them out with the griefs in their hearts; may the foes be shrouded in the blindness of darkness.

12.17 For thus, O Agni, of auspicious will, of skilled power, you have become the charioteer of great cosmic order. Go forward, conquer, O men; may Indra grant you shelter. May your arms be fierce and irresistible as befits you.

12.18 With these our hymns, turn toward us; be our heavenly light. O Agni, well-pleased with all your flames — O arrow let loose, fly forth, the sacred word has sharpened you. Go to the enemies, speed to them; let none of these escape.

12.19 O Jātavedas, bring today the gods for the worshipper; you who wake at dawn — Agni is awake; to him this Soma says: I am at home in your friendship. O Indra, let not the sin-bearer be freed from them; may not even birds follow those enemies in any direction.

12.20 You are the beloved messenger, O Agni, bearer of oblations, charioteer of sacrifices. Together with the Aśvins and the Dawn, place great renown and heroic strength in us. O bountiful one, the enemy army that marches against us as our foe — both you, O Indra the Vṛtra-slayer, and Agni, burn it in return.

12.21 Where arrows fly together like young boys with bared tips — there may Brahmaṇaspati and Aditi grant us shelter; may they grant shelter forever.

12.22 Behold the divine wisdom and greatness — one who was equal yesterday has died today. I yoke the hundred-footed speech. O Indra, O Vṛtra-slayer, turn your wrath against the enemy who assaults us.

12.23 By his might the reddish fair-winged one is mighty, the great ancient hero without a nest. What he discerns is truly not in vain — desirable wealth, and he both wins and gives. I yoke the hundred-footed speech; I sing in the thousand-wheeled track. The Gāyatrī, the Triṣṭubh, the Jagati — O Indra, smite our enemies, press down those who attack us. Whoever assaults us, drive him down into darkness.

12.24 With these he took on the virile heroic powers with which the thunderbolt-wielder was anointed for the slaying of Vṛtra. The gods who were born by the greatness of the deed being done in cosmic order — the Gāyatrī, Triṣṭubh, Jagati, all forms gathered together — the gods made their dwelling. Indra's two arms, strong, youthful, irresistible, of fine aspect, unyielding — yoke those two first when the moment of union arrives, with which the great power of the Asuras was conquered.

12.25 And the self-ruling Aśvins, the Sun, light of lights is the Sun — may Varuṇa make for you the widest freedom; may the gods rejoice after you as you conquer.

12.26 Mitra, Aryaman, and Varuṇa drink of the pure, the three-seated, the swift one. Return with strength; O Agni, return with food and life. Protect us again from sin. May the enemies be blind, headless like snakes — of those driven out by Agni, may Indra slay each one.

12.27 And now may Indra take delight in this pressed soma with its cattle; like the morning hotar he shall rejoice together with wealth. Return, O Agni; swell with your stream. All-nourishing, encompassing all — whoever among our own kinsmen is estranged and whoever from outside seeks to slay us — may all the gods confound him. The sacred word is my inner armor and shelter, my inner armor.

12.28 Great is your greatness, O most praiseworthy, great as you are; by your greatness, O god, you are great. May my praiser be a companion in cattle-wealth. O Indra, sharpen your bright sharp point; strike the enemies, thrust away the adversaries.

12.29 Verily, O Sun, thou art great in fame; truly, O God, thou art great. By greatness thou art the lord of the gods, the sovereign chaplain, all-pervading light, undeceivable. May I impart instruction to this wise devotee, O Lord of power, and bestow gifts upon him. When I shall be lord of cattle, may we hear blessed things with our ears, O Gods; may we see blessed things with our eyes, O ye worthy of worship. With firm limbs and bodies that have been praised, may we attain the full span of life appointed by the gods.

12.30 O Indra, thy cow of truth milks out the cow and horse, swelling with abundance, for the sacrificer who presses the soma. May Indra of mighty fame grant us welfare; may Pūṣan who knows all grant us welfare. May Tārkṣya of unbroken wheel grant us welfare; may Bṛhaspati grant us welfare. Oṃ — may Bṛhaspati grant us welfare.

12.31 Come to our pressed soma with thy bay steeds, for the great battle-joy and for sight.

12.32 Indra, the slayer of Vṛtra, of hundredfold wisdom, who knows both worlds — come to our pressed soma with thy bay steeds. That which is the most benign juice among you, let it refresh us here, as eager mothers.

12.33 For thou, O Vṛtra-slayer, art the drinker of these soma juices. Come to our pressed soma with thy bay steeds. To him we go who stirs you to fullness for his dwelling, and ye waters also bring us forth.

12.34 Move forth among the many peoples, O thou who fillest mankind; may he extend our life-spans.

12.35 The inspired singers have fashioned a hymn of good praise for great Indra of wide renown. The wise do not transgress his ordinances. And thou, O Wind, art our father, our brother, and also our friend. Do thou make us to live.

12.36 The voices have established Indra, whose wrath none can check, as the true universal king for companionship. For him of the bay steeds lay down the sacred grass together with the pressings. That amrita hidden in thy secret house, O Wind — of that give us to live.

12.37 Thou holdest only the praiser, O wealth-giver; may I never rest in wickedness. Clothing himself seasonally in the rays of the sun, the bright one has by himself generated the sacrifice all around.

12.38 May I truly bestow glory upon him who magnifies day by day, wherever wealth may be found. For, O Maghavan, there is nothing better for us than thee, and no father. The seed was deposited in the waters; the all-formed lustre that arose on the earth, measuring out its own greatness in the mid-air — that is the shining seed of the rain-giving bull.

12.39 This sacrifice, wearing around it thousands of garlands, has sustained the ray of the sun. Giving a thousandfold, a hundredfold, bestowing abundantly — he is the upholder of heaven, the lord of the world.

12.40 Do the services; let us accompany him to the end — the golden-winged bird, Varuṇa's messenger, the agile one in Yama's womb.

12.41 I do not disregard thy songs, O swift one; knowing thy excellent praise as the lord, I always proclaim thy self-glorious name. The Gandharva stood upright in the sky bearing his shining weapons gleaming toward us, wearing a fragrant robe to behold — they have fashioned the dear things in the name of the sun.

12.42 Many are thy soma pressings among men; many a wise man calls upon thee. Be not far from us long, O Maghavan. The drop that moves toward the ocean, looking with the eye of the eagle beyond the order of things — the ray, delighting in its bright flame, has set the beloved things in motion in the third region.

12.43 Even in the clashes, in the battle-joinings, in the encounters, O Vṛtra-slayer, be thou the instigator of our side. May the bowstrings of the others snap upon their bows.

12.44 Thou didst release the rivers downward and didst slay the serpent. Thou wast born without a foe, O Indra; thou nourishest all that is desirable. Thee we embrace on all sides. May the bowstrings of the others snap upon their bows.

12.45 Let all the enemies and the niggards of the noble one perish from our thoughts. Thou art the hurler of the weapon against the enemy who desires to destroy us, O Indra. Thy gift, O giver of wealth — may the bowstrings of the others snap upon their bows.

12.46 Go forward, O thou of the bay horses, to the pressed soma.

12.47 Neither the uktha being recited, nor wealth, nor the serpent takes note; nor the gayatra being sung.

12.48 Do not give us over, O Indra, to the scorner; do not give us to the insolent. Aid us, O powerful one, with thy powers.

12.49 Of that commanding heaven, go to heaven, O thou who hast the sky as thy dwelling.

12.50 Here the wolf shakes not these wide spaces, as a wheel shakes. Of that commanding heaven, go to heaven, O thou who hast the sky as thy dwelling.

12.51 May the speaking soma-pressing stone carry thee hither with its sound. Of that commanding heaven, go to heaven, O thou who hast the sky as thy dwelling.

12.52 These bright, insightful soma pressings have been sent forth to Vāyu.

12.53 They have been released for the feast of the gods, seeking prizes like chariots.

12.54 He who is the highest, the good sacrificer, the god by the grace of the gods — following the radiant flash of ghee, of the bright-flamed, the offering clarified butter is poured.

12.55 O thou most worthy of worship, we sacrificers call upon thee, the eldest of the Aṅgiras-sages, O inspired one, with inspired thoughts and with bright thoughts — as the all-pervading hotar of peoples like the sky. The flame-haired, rain-giving one whom these peoples favor to speed them onward — let the peoples favor him for swiftness.

12.56 For he shines brightly with many-radiant strength, being the better destroyer — like an axe, the better destroyer. That which is firm in his conflict, like a standing tree, being irresistible he goes; he is not led away — the bow-resistor, he is not led away.