O Agni, most wondrous of all gods! Thou art born in darkness, yet thou art light itself. From the two wooden pieces struck together dost thou emerge—a flame most terrible and most beautiful. In thy birth lies the mystery of creation, the secret of life itself made manifest in flame.

Whence comest thou, O Fire? Art thou the child of heaven and earth? Art thou the son of the waters? Art thou born of the great cosmic ocean that sustains all being? Thy origins are hidden from mortal sight, veiled in the mists of time eternal. Yet thou appearest always—in the hearth, in the altar, in the wildfire racing across the plains.

Thou art not merely flame, O Agni! Nay, thou art the cosmic principle itself—the transforming power that turns all things from one state into another. The food becomes flesh within the belly of the eater. The wood becomes ash and smoke and heat. The darkness becomes light at thy presence. All change, all becoming, all transformation—these are thy work!

The gods themselves depend upon thee, for without thy heat there would be no sacrifice. The soma would not warm the hearts of the immortals. The offerings would rise to heaven unheeded. Thou art the priest among the gods, the mediator between the mortal and the divine.

Yet thou art gentle too, O Fire! In the household hearth thou givest warmth and safety. Thou cookest the food that sustains our bodies. Thou lightest the darkness that would otherwise swallow us. When we kindle thee with reverence, thou protectest us from all harm.

Come to us now, O Agni the Wonder-Worker! Reveal thy mysteries. Grant us understanding of thy nature. Make us worthy to kindle thy sacred flame, and let our offerings rise to the gods in smoke and blessing!