THE SECRET OF THE VEDA

SRI AUROBINDO

Contents

PART ONE

I.	THE PROBLEM AND ITS SOLUTION	XIII	DAWN AND THE TRUTH
II.	A RETROSPECT OF VEDIC THEORY (1)	XIV	THE COW AND THE ANGIRASA LEGEND
iii.	— THE SCHOLARS (2)	XV	THE LOST SUN AND THE LOST COWS
III.	MODERN THEORIES	XVI	THE ANGIRASA RISHIS
IV.	THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY	XVII	THE SEVEN-HEADED THOUGHT, SWAR ANDTHE DASHAGWAS
V	PHILOLOGICAL METHOD OF THE VEDA	XVIII	THE HUMAN FATHERS
VI	AGNI AND THE TRUTH	XIX	THE VICTORY OP THE FATHERS
VII	VARUNA-MITRA AND THE TRUTH	XX	THE HOUND OF HEAVEN
VIII	THE ASHWINS — INDRA — THE VISHWADEVAS	XXI	THE SONS OF DARKNESS
IX	SARASWATI AND HER CONSORTS	XXII	THE CONQUEST OVER THE DASYUS
X	THE IMAGE OF THE OCEANS AND THE RIVERS	XXIII	SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS
XI	THE SEVEN RIVERS
XII	THE HERDS OF THE DAWN

PART TWO
SELECTED HYMNS

I	THE COLLOQUY OF INDRA AND AGASTYA : I. 170	VIII	VAYU, THE MASTER OF THE LIFE ENERGIES : IV. 48
II	INDRA, GIVER OF LIGHT : I. 4	IX	BRIHASPATI, POWER OF THE SOUL : IV. 50
III	INDRA AND THE THOUGHT-FORCES : L 171	X	THE ASHWINS, LORDS OF Buss: IV. 45 . . . 314
IV	AGNI, THE ILLUMINED WILL : I. 77	XI	THE RIBHUS, ARTISANS OF IMMORTALITY : 1.20 . 324
V	SURYA SAVITRI, CREATOR AND INCREASER: V. 81	XII	VISHNU, THE ALL-PERVADING GODHEAD : 1.154 . 331
VI	THE DIVINE DAWN : III.	XIII	SOMA, LORD OF DELIGHT AND IMMORTALITY : IX. 83 339
VII	To BHAGA SAVITRI, THE ENJOYER: V. 82

PART THREE
HYMNS OF THE ATRIS

FOREWORD

HYMNS TO AGNI: V

Agni, the Divine Will-Force		The Fifteenth Hymn to Agni
The First Hymn to Agni		The Sixteenth Hymn to Agni
The Second Hymn to Agni		The Seventeenth Hymn to Agni
The Third Hymn to Agni		The Eighteenth Hymn to Agni
The Fourth Hymn to Agni		The Nineteenth Hymn to Agni
The Fifth Hymn to Agni		The Twentieth Hymn to Agni
The Sixth Hymn to Agni		The Twenty-First Hymn to Agni
The Seventh Hymn to Agni		The Twenty-Second Hymn to Agni
The Eighth Hymn to Agni		The Twenty-Third Hymn to Agni
The Ninth Hymn to Agni		The Twenty-Fourth Hymn to Agni
The Tenth Hymn to Agni		The Twenty-Fifth Hymn to Agni
The Eleventh Hymn to Agni		The Twenty-Sixth Hymn to Agni
The Twelfth Hymn to Agni		The Twenty-Seventh Hymn to Agni
The Thirteenth Hymn to Agni		The Twenty-Eighth Hymn to Agni
The Fourteenth Hymn to Agni

THE GUARDIANS OF THE LIGHT:		HYMNS TO THE LORDS OF LIGHT : V
Surya, Light and Seer		The First Hymn to Mitra-Varuna
The Divine Dawn		The Second Hymn to Mitra-Varuna
Pushan the Increaser		The Third Hymn to Mitra-Varuna
Savitri the Creator		The Fourth Hymn to Mitra-Varuna
The Four Kings		The Fifth Hymn to Mitra-Varuna
Varuna		The Sixth Hymn to Mitra-Varuna
Mitra		The Seventh Hymn to Mitra-Varuna
Aryaman		The Eighth Hymn to Mitra-Varuna
Bhaga		The Ninth Hymn to Mitra-Varuna
		The Tenth Hymn to Mitra-Varuna
		The Eleventh Hymn to Mitra-Varuna

PART FOUR

OTHER HYMNS

HYMN IN PRAISE OF INDRA : I. 5		A HYMN TO SAVITRI: V. 81
HYMN TO INDRA: 1.7-11		HYMN TO VARUNA (two versions): V. 85
HYMN TO INDRA: VIII. 54		A VEDIC HYMN: VII. 60
HYMN TO INDRA : X. 54		THE GOD OF THE MYSTIC WINE : IX. 42,75
A VEDIC HYMN: 1.3		A HYMN OF THE THOUGHT-GODS : V. 52-58
FROM A VEDIC HYMN: 1.15		INTERPRETATION OF THE VEDA
HYMN TO BRAHMANASPATI: 1.18		INTERPRETATION OF THE VEDA
HYMNS TO THE DAWN : V. 79,80		THE ORIGINS OF ARYAN SPEECH

Bibliographic note

All references are to the Rig-veda unless otherwise stated.

THE TWENTY-SIXTH HYMN TO AGNI

A HYMN OF THE PRIEST AND SACRIFICIAL FLAME

[The Rishi invokes the Divine Flame in all its usual attributes as the sacrificer.'the luminous seer who has the vision of the luminous world, the bringer of the gods, the carrier of the offering, the envoy, conqueror, increaser of the divine workings in man, the knower of the Births, the leader of the march of the sacrifice with its progressive epiphany of the godheads.]

O Flame, O purifier, bring to us by thy tongue of rapture, O god, the gods and offer to them sacrifice.
Thou who drippest the clarity, thou of the rich and varied luminousness, we desire thee because thou hast the vision of our world of the Truth. Bring to us the gods for their manifesting.¹
O Seer, we kindle thee in thy light and thy vastness in the march of our sacrifice who carriest the offerings on their journey.
Come, O Will, with all the godheads for the giving of the oblation; thee we accept as the priest of the offering.
For the sacrificer who presses the wine of his delight, bring, O Flame, a perfect energy. Sit with the gods on the seat of the soul's fullness.
O Flame, thou burnest high and increasest the divine laws and art the conqueror of a thousandfold riches; thou art the messenger of the gods who hast the word.
Set within you the Flame who knows the births, bearer of

¹Or, "for the journeying" to the luminous world of the Truth, or, "for the eating" of the oblations.

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the offering, youngest vigour, divine sacrificer in the seasons of the Truth.

Today let thy sacrifice march forward unceasingly, thy sacrifice that shall bring the whole epiphany of the godheads. Strew the seat of thy soul that there they may sit.
There let the Life-powers¹ take their seat and the Riders of the Horse² and the Lord of Love³ and the Lord of Wide- ness,⁴ even the gods with all their nation.

¹The Maruts. ²The twin Ashwins. ³Mitra. ⁴ Varuna.

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