Mantra 18

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Īśa-upaniṣad mantra 18:

अग्ने नय सुपथा राये अस्मान्विश्वानि देव वयुनानि विद्वान् ।
युयोध्यस्मज्जुहुराणमेनो भूयिष्ठां ते नम उक्तिं विधेम ॥ १८ ॥

agne naya supathā rāye asmānviśvāni deva vayunāni vidvān |
yuyodhyasmajjuhurāṇameno bhūyiṣṭhāṃ te nama uktiṃ vidhema || 18 ||

agne—O agni! lit, “Leader and Director (nī) of the universe”; O Hari!; naya—Lead; Direct; supathā—by a good path, by Deva-yāna, by a path from which there is no return; The path of Arcis, etc; rāye—to the wealth (of mukti); asmān—us; viśvāni—all (our knowledge leading upto release; ) deva—O God; vayunāni—thoughts, knowledge; efforts for salvation; vidvan—knowing; yuyodhi—remove, separate; asmat—from us; juhurāṇam—degrading, contracting, making small: causing rebirth into Saṃśarm [Saṃsāra?]; enaḥ—sin, evil deed, detrimental to Puruṣārtha; bhūyiṣṭhām—fullest, full of devotion and love; te—to thee; namaḥ—praise, salutations, all hail; uktim—word; vidhema—we shall offer, do; We ourselves are too weak to overcome evil: and so help us to conquer sin.

18.O Agni! lead us by that Path (from which there is no going back), the good Path, in order that we may get the treasure of Salvation. O God! thou knowest all our efforts for salvation. Remove from us the degrading sin. We offer Thee salutations over and over again.