O Agni, the thundering flame! The storm-fire! When thy voice soundeth forth in the heavens, the earth trembleth beneath our feet! The very mountains shake at thy roar! The sky itself is split asunder by thy terrible power!

Thou art not merely the gentle household fire, O Agni—nay, thou art also the cosmic force that explodeth in thunder and lightning! When Indra rideth forth to battle the demons, it is thy strength that floweth through his thunderbolt. When the storm clouds gather and break open in torrential rain, it is thy energy that driveth the waters downward.

The lightning bolt is but thy arrow, O Fire. When thou drawest back thy bow and releaseth thy shaft, the heavens themselves light up with the brilliance of thy cosmic fury. The demons flee before thee. The darkness vanisheth. The very structure of reality is confirmed by thy awesome display.

Hear the roar of the thunder, O mortals! Tremble at the sound of thy approaching steps, O Agni! The earth shaketh. The beasts huddle in their shelters. The birds cower beneath the branches. All creation respecteth thy terrible power.

Yet even in thy fury, thou art just, O Storm-Fire! Thou bringest the rains that water the crops and give life to all things. Thou burnest away the corruption and the sickness. Thou striketest down the wicked and the unjust. Thy terrible roar is the voice of cosmic order reasserting itself against the forces of chaos.

We mortals bow before thee in awe and reverence, O Thundering Agni! We acknowledge thy supremacy! We tremble at thy manifestation! And yet we honor thee, for we know that thy fury is righteous, thy power is just, thy roar is the voice of the eternal laws that underlie all creation.

Grant us safety beneath thy terrible gaze! Protect us from thy wrath through righteous living! Let thy cosmic thunder sound the death-knell of all evil!