Apris: Hymns to the Vedic Deity from the Rigveda
Summary: This page presents Hymn CXLII dedicated to Apris, a Vedic deity, sourced from the Rigveda and translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith. The hymn invokes Agni and other divine beings in the context of sacred Vedic sacrifice rituals. Readers will discover the ancient Sanskrit composition's spiritual significance within Hindu religious practice and Vedic philosophy.
HYMN 142 Apris.
1. KINDLED, bring, Agni, Gods to-day for him who lifts the ladle up.
Spin out the ancient
thread for him who sheds, with gifts, the Soma juice.
2 Thou dealest forth, Tanunapat, sweet
sacrifice enriched with oil,
Brought by a singer such as I who offers gifts and toils for thee.
3 He wondrous, sanctifying, bright, sprinkles the sacrifice with mead,
Thrice, Narasamsa from
the heavens, a God mid Gods adorable.
4 Agni, besought, bring hitherward Indra the Friend,
the Wonderful,
For this my hymn of praise, O sweet of tongue, is chanted forth to thee.
5 The ladle-holders strew trimmed grass at this well-ordered sacrifice;
A home for Indra is
adorned, wide, fittest to receive the Gods.
6 Thrown open be the Doors Divine, unfailing, that
assist the rite,
High, purifying, much-desired, so that the Gods may enter in.
7 May Night and Morning, hymned with lauds, united, fair to look upon,
Strong Mothers of
the sacrifice, seat them together on the grass.
8 May the two Priests Divine, the sage, the
sweet-voiced lovers of the hymn,
Complete this sacrifice of ours, effectual, reaching heaven
to-day.
9 Let Hotri pure, set amang Gods, amid the Maruts Bhirati, Ila, Sarasvati, Mahi, rest
on the grass, adorable.
10 May Tvastar send us genial dew abundant, wondrous, rich in gifts,
For increase and for growth of wealth, Tvastar our kinsman and our Friend.
11 Vanaspati, give
forth, thyself, and call the Gods to sacrifice.
May Agni, God intelligent, speed our oblation
to the Gods.
12 To Vayu joined with Pusan, with the Maruts, and the host of Gods,
To Indra
who inspires the hymn cry Glory! and present the gift.
13 Come hither to enjoy the gifts prepared
with cry of Glory! Come,
O Indra, hear their calling; they invite thee to the sacrifice.
Source: These hymns are reproduced from An English translation of the Vedas by Ralph T.H. Griffith, 1896. Griffith wrote in a poetic, archaic style. In order to make the hymns sound like English poetry, he often compromised the original meaning of the Sanskrit words. Further, his Sanskrit knowledge was limited by the scholarship of the 19th century. For many Indian readers, this feels distant, making his work less accessible than modern prose translations. This page has been formatted, and the hymns are selected and organized by Jayaram V for Hinduwebsite.com. Hymn numbers have been changed from Roman numerals to standard numbers.