Glory unto Agni Vaiśvānara, the universal fire! Thou art not bound to any single place, any single dwelling. The fire in the palace of the king and the fire in the hut of the poorest peasant—both are thee. Thou art everywhere, in all homes, warming all people equally with thy gift of flame.

Vaiśvānara meaneth "belonging to all people." This is thy true nature, O Agni! Thou art the fire of humanity itself, shared equally by rich and poor, by wise and foolish, by righteous and wicked. Rich man or poor man—both must kindle the fire to cook their food. Both must draw near to thy warmth on cold nights. Both have equal need of thee.

Thou art the leveler, O universal fire! In thy presence, all are equal. The king upon his throne and the slave in his chains—both feel the same warmth from thy flames. Both are bound by the same necessity. Both must respect thy power, for thou canst comfort or consume.

In the home, thou art the center. The family gathereth around thee. The meal is cooked upon thy heat. Stories are told beneath thy light. Children warm their hands at thy flames. When the family membereth separateth to return to work in the fields or the marketplace, each carriethwithin their heart the memory of thy warmth—the comfort and security that they felt in thy presence.

And when the day endeth and all the family returneth, the first act is always to kindle thee anew or stir thy embers back to life. "Now we are home," they seem to say. "Now we are gathered again before the fire. Now we are safe."

O Vaiśvānara! Thou universal flame, thou people's fire, thou warmth of all humanity! Be thou kindled in every home, be thou tended with care, be thou honored with offerings. For without thee, we are cold and isolated. With thee, we are warm and together. Thus do we praise thee, O Agni Vaiśvānara.