The second Mandala of the Rigveda has 43 hymns, mainly to Agni and Indra chiefly attributed to the Rishi gṛtsamada śaunohotra. It is one of the "family books" (mandalas 2-7), the oldest core of the Rigveda, which were composed in early vedic period (1500-1000 BCE).[1]
Witzel (1995) on the basis of internal evidence suggested that the second Mandala contains the oldest hymns of the Rigveda.[2]
The dedication as given by Griffith is in square brackets
2.1 (192) [ Agni.] tvám agne dyúbhis tuvám āśuśukṣáṇis.
2.2 (193) [Agni.] yajñéna ? vardhata jātávedasam
2.3 (194) [ Apris.] sámiddho agnír níhitaḥ pṛthivyâm
2.4 (195) [Agni.] huvé vaḥ sudiyótmānaṃ suvṛktíṃ
2.5 (196) [Agni.] hótājaniṣṭa cétanaḥ
2.6 (197) [Agni.] imâm me agne samídham
2.7 (198) [Agni.] śréṣṭhaṃ yaviṣṭha bhārata
2.8 (199) [Agni.] vājayánn iva nû ráthān
2.9 (200) [Agni.] ní hótā hotṛṣádane vídānas
2.10 (201) [Agni.] johûtro agníḥ prathamáḥ pitéva
2.11 (202) [ Indra.] śrudhî hávam indra mâ riṣaṇyaḥ
2.12 (203) [Indra.] yó jātá evá prathamó mánasvān
2.13 (204) [Indra.] ṛtúr jánitrī tásyā apás pári
2.14 (205) [Indra.] ádhvaryavo bháraténdrāya sómam
2.15 (206) [Indra.] prá ghā nú asya maható mahâni
2.16 (207) [Indra.] prá vaḥ satâṃ jyéṣṭhatamāya suṣṭutím
2.17 (208) [Indra.] tád asmai návyam aṅgirasvád arcata
2.18 (209) [Indra.] prātâ rátho ? návo yoji sásniś
2.19 (210) [Indra.] ápāyi asya ándhaso mádāya
2.20 (211) [ Asvins.] vayáṃ te váya indra viddhí ṣú ṇaḥ
2.21 (212) viśvajíte dhanajíte suvarjíte
2.22 (213) [Indra.] tríkadrukeṣu mahiṣó yávāśiraṃ
2.23 (214) [ Brahmanaspati.] gaṇânāṃ tvā gaṇápatiṃ havāmahe
2.24 (215) [Brahmanaspati.] sémâm aviḍḍhi prábhṛtiṃ yá îśiṣe
2.25 (216) [Brahmanaspati.] índhāno agníṃ vanavad vanuṣyatáḥ
2.26 (217) [Brahmanaspati.] ṛjúr íc cháṃso vanavad vanuṣyató
2.27 (218) [ Adityas.] imâ gíra ādityébhyo ghṛtásnūḥ
2.28 (219) [ Varuna.] idáṃ kavér ādityásya svarâjo
2.29 (220) [ Visvedevas.] dhŕtavratā âditiyā íṣirā
2.30 (221) [Indra and Others.] ṛtáṃ devâya kṛṇvaté savitrá
2.31 (222) [Visvedevas.] asmâkam mitrāvaruṇāvataṃ rátham
2.32 (223) [Various Deities.] asyá me dyāvāpṛthivī ṛtāyató
2.33 (224) [ Rudra.] â te pitar marutāṃ sumnám etu
2.34 (225) [ Maruts.] dhārāvarâ marúto dhṛṣṇúojaso
2.35 (226) [ Son of Waters.] úpem asṛkṣi vājayúr vacasyâṃ
2.36 (227) [Various Gods.] túbhyaṃ hinvānó vasiṣṭa gâ apó
2.37 (228) [Various Gods.] mándasva hotrâd ánu jóṣam ándhaso
2.38 (229) [ Savitar.] úd u ṣyá deváḥ savitâ savâya
2.39 (230) grâvāṇeva tád íd árthaṃ jarethe
2.40 (231) [ Soma and Pusan.] sómāpūṣaṇā jánanā rayīṇâṃ
2.41 (232) [Various Deities.] vâyo yé te sahasríṇo
2.42 (233) [ Kapinjala.] kánikradaj janúṣam prabruvāṇá
2.43 (234) [Kapinjala.] pradakṣiníd abhí gṛṇanti kārávo
Works related to The Rig Veda/Mandala 2 at Wikisource – English translation by Ralph T. H. Griffith
