Hymns to the Mystic Fire

by Sri Aurobindo

Hymns to Agni from the Rig-Veda translated in their esoteric sense with original Sanskrit text, a foreword, and an essay, "The Doctrine of the Mystics".

In the "Doctrine of the Mystics" and his foreword to this book, Sri Aurobindo summarises the philosophic system of the Vedic mystics, the inner meaning of the Vedic rites, and the significance of the more important Vedic deities and symbols.

On his rendering of these hymns to Agni, Sri Aurobindo comments:

"This is a literary and not a strictly literal translation. But a fidelity to the meaning, the sense of the words and the structure of the thought has been preserved: in fact the method has been to start with a bare and scrupulously exact rendering of the actual language and adhere to that as the basis of the interpretation; for it is only so that we can find out the actual thoughts of these ancient mystics."

But any rendering of such great poetry as the hymns of the Rig-veda, magnificient in their colouring and images, noble and beautiful in rhythm, perfect in their diction, must, if it is not to be a merely dead scholastic work, bring at least a faint echo of their poetic force, -- more cannot be done in a prose translation and in so different a language.

Contents:

Translation from nine of the ten mandalas of the Rig-veda, Five essays:

• The First Rik of the Rig-veda
• Riks of Madhuchachandas
• The Vamadeva Hymns to Agni
• A Great God has been Released
• Word-Formation

About the Author:

Sri Aurobindo was an Indian/Hindu nationalist, scholar, poet, mystic, evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru. After a short political career in which he became one of leaders of the early movement for the freedom of India from British rule, Sri Aurobindo turned to the development and practice of a new spiritual path which he called the "integral yoga," the aim of which was to further the evolution of life on earth by establishing a high level of spiritual consciousness which he called the Supermind that would represent a divine life. Sri Aurobindo wrote prolifically in English on his spiritual philosophy and practice, on social and political development, on Indian culture including extensive commentaries and translations of ancient Indian scriptures, on literature and poetry including the writing of much spiritual poetry.