O Agni, thou art the radiant priest! More honored than all the Brahmin sages, more exalted than the king upon his throne! For thou art the one who alone standeth between the mortal realm and the immortal gods. Thou alone canst carry our offerings to the heavens on wings of flame and smoke.

We kindle thee with reverence and with prayer. We adorn thy altar with sacred plants. We pour the soma into thy flames. We place the butter at thy mouth. And thou—O holy one—thou acceptest our offerings and transformest them. The crude becomes the sacred. The earthly becomes the divine. Through thy mediation, that which is mortal ascendeth to the eternal.

What priest among men could perform such a work? What Brahmin priest possesseth thy power? They chant the mantras, they kindle the fire, they perform the ritual with precision—yet without thee, O Agni, all their work would be in vain! The gods would not hear. The heavens would not open. The blessing would not descend.

Thou art the hotṛ, the offerer of the sacrifice. Thou art Agni, the priest among the immortals, the one who speaketh for mortals before the throne of Indra and the other gods. When thou dost ascend in the smoke of the offering, thou carriest with thee the prayers and the hopes of all creatures.

Therefore is thy station most exalted! Therefore do we honor thee above all else! Thou art not a servant—nay, thou art a king among gods, honored and revered by all.

Come now, O Divine Priest! Mount thy chariot of flame! Ascend to the realms of light and glory! Carry our offerings to the throne of the Almighty! Speak on our behalf before the assembly of the gods! Grant us their favor, their blessing, their eternal protection! Be thou our mediator, our advocate, our savior from all harm!