Hymn to Indra and Agni
Rigveda I.108 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed jointly to Indra and Agni, invoked here as a single dual pair. It repeatedly summons the two gods to come from wherever they may be — from their own dwelling, from the lands of the five peoples, from the near or far earth, from heaven, mountain, plant, and water — and to drink the pressed soma together. It is one of the 1,028 hymns of the Rigveda organized within Maṇḍala 1, the first of ten books. The ṛṣi (seer) to whom this hymn is attributed and its precise liturgical context are recorded in the traditional Śākalya Anukramaṇī.
The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas and one of the oldest surviving religious texts in the world, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in the Vedic Sanskrit of the Indus-Sarasvatī region. Its hymns were preserved through oral transmission across millennia before being committed to writing. This is a Good Works Translation produced for the Good Works Library from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
1. O Indra and Agni, the chariot of yours, most brilliant, that looks out over all worlds — with that come, mounted together on it, and then drink of the pressed soma.
2. As vast as this whole world is, wide in its extent, deep in its breadth — let this soma be that much for drinking, enough, O Indra and Agni, for the desire of you two.
3. For you two have made together a good name; joined together, you are the slayers of Vṛtra. You two, Indra and Agni, sitting down together — as bulls, drink deep of the mighty soma.
4. When the fires are kindled and anointed, ladle in hand, the sacred grass spread out — with the sharp soma poured out, come here, O Indra and Agni, for our good favor.
5. The mighty deeds that you two, Indra and Agni, have done, the forms you have taken and the bull-like powers, the ancient, kindly friendships that are yours — by these, drink of the pressed soma.
6. What I said at first, choosing you: "This soma is to be called on by us together with the mighty ones" — to that true trust do come, and then drink of the pressed soma.
7. If, O Indra and Agni, you delight in your own dwelling, or in the sacred word, or with a king, O you worthy of worship — from there, O bulls, come, and then drink of the pressed soma.
8. If, O Indra and Agni, you are among the Yadus and Turvaśas, if among the Druhyus, Anus, and Pūrus — from there, O bulls, come, and then drink of the pressed soma.
9. If, O Indra and Agni, you are on the nearest earth, the middle one, or the farthest — from there, O bulls, come, and then drink of the pressed soma.
10. If, O Indra and Agni, you are on the farthest earth, the middle one, or the nearest — from there, O bulls, come, and then drink of the pressed soma.
11. If, O Indra and Agni, you are in heaven, on earth, in the mountains, in the plants, in the waters — from there, O bulls, come, and then drink of the pressed soma.
12. If, O Indra and Agni, you two rejoice by your own nature at the rising of the sun, in the middle of the sky — from there, O bulls, come, and then drink of the pressed soma.
13. So, O Indra and Agni, having drunk of the pressed soma, win for us all riches together. May Mitra and Varuṇa grant us this; may Aditi, the River, Earth, and Heaven too.
Translator's note: verse 3's final phrase (vṛṣaṇā vṛṣethām, "as bulls, [you two bulls] pour/drink") and the parallel vṛṣaṇāv throughout are rendered "bulls," a standard Vedic epithet of vigorous, generous strength, rather than literally each time. Verse 8's names (Yadus, Turvaśas, Druhyus, Anus, Pūrus) are the five peoples of early Vedic tradition, kept untranslated as proper names.
Colophon
Rigveda I.108 is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation rendered verse by verse from the Sanskrit text printed below. Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation.
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Source Text: ṛgveda I.108
ya indrāgnī citratamo ratho vām abhi viśvāni bhuvanāni caṣṭe |
tenā yātaṁ sarathaṁ tasthivāṁsāthā somasya pibataṁ sutasya || 1 ||
yāvad idam bhuvanaṁ viśvam asty uruvyacā varimatā gabhīram |
tāvām̐ ayam pātave somo astv aram indrāgnī manase yuvabhyām || 2 ||
cakrāthe hi sadhrya1ṅ nāma bhadraṁ sadhrīcīnā vṛtrahaṇā uta sthaḥ |
tāv indrāgnī sadhryañcā niṣadyā vṛṣṇaḥ somasya vṛṣaṇā vṛṣethām || 3 ||
samiddheṣv agniṣv ānajānā yatasrucā barhir u tistirāṇā |
tīvraiḥ somaiḥ pariṣiktebhir arvāg endrāgnī saumanasāya yātam || 4 ||
yānīndrāgnī cakrathur vīryāṇi yāni rūpāṇy uta vṛṣṇyāni |
yā vām pratnāni sakhyā śivāni tebhiḥ somasya pibataṁ sutasya || 5 ||
yad abravam prathamaṁ vāṁ vṛṇāno3 'yaṁ somo asurair no vihavyaḥ |
tāṁ satyāṁ śraddhām abhy ā hi yātam athā somasya pibataṁ sutasya || 6 ||
yad indrāgnī madathaḥ sve duroṇe yad brahmaṇi rājani vā yajatrā |
ataḥ pari vṛṣaṇāv ā hi yātam athā somasya pibataṁ sutasya || 7 ||
yad indrāgnī yaduṣu turvaśeṣu yad druhyuṣv anuṣu pūruṣu sthaḥ |
ataḥ pari vṛṣaṇāv ā hi yātam athā somasya pibataṁ sutasya || 8 ||
yad indrāgnī avamasyām pṛthivyām madhyamasyām paramasyām uta sthaḥ |
ataḥ pari vṛṣaṇāv ā hi yātam athā somasya pibataṁ sutasya || 9 ||
yad indrāgnī paramasyām pṛthivyām madhyamasyām avamasyām uta sthaḥ |
ataḥ pari vṛṣaṇāv ā hi yātam athā somasya pibataṁ sutasya || 10 ||
yad indrāgnī divi ṣṭho yat pṛthivyāṁ yat parvateṣv oṣadhīṣv apsu |
ataḥ pari vṛṣaṇāv ā hi yātam athā somasya pibataṁ sutasya || 11 ||
yad indrāgnī uditā sūryasya madhye divaḥ svadhayā mādayethe |
ataḥ pari vṛṣaṇāv ā hi yātam athā somasya pibataṁ sutasya || 12 ||
evendrāgnī papivāṁsā sutasya viśvāsmabhyaṁ saṁ jayataṁ dhanāni |
tan no mitro varuṇo māmahantām aditiḥ sindhuḥ pṛthivī uta dyauḥ || 13 ||
Source Colophon
Sanskrit text of the Rigveda, Śākala recension. The standard scholarly edition is the Bombay Oriental (Vishva Bandhu, 5 vols., 1963–66). IAST transliteration available from GRETIL (Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages) and Vedaweb (University of Cologne). Both sources are open access. IAST transliteration from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).