Hymn to Agni
Rigveda I.94 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed to Agni, the divine fire, messenger between mortals and gods, the eternal priest of the sacred rite. 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. We fashion this hymn of praise, like a chariot, with our thought, for Jātavedas, the worthy one. His forethought is good for us at the gathering — Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
2. The one for whom you perform the sacrifice succeeds, unopposed; he dwells secure, possessing good strength. He thrives — no distress touches him. Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
3. May we be able to kindle you as fuel — accomplish our prayers. In you the gods eat the offered oblation. Bring the Ādityas here, for we desire them. Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
4. Let us bring fuel, let us prepare oblations for you, giving heed at every turning of the rite. For a longer life, carry our purposes further still. Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
5. Guardian of the clans — his creatures move about, both two-footed and four-footed, through the nights. You are the bright, wondrous sign heralding the great dawn. Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
6. You are the adhvaryu priest, and also the ancient hotṛ; the director, the potṛ, by birth the household priest. Knowing all things, wise one, you sustain every priestly office. Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
7. You who are fair to see from every side, the same in every direction — even far off you shine out like lightning. Even through the darkness of night, god, you see through it. Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
8. Gods, let the chariot of the one who presses soma go foremost; let our word prevail over the evil-minded. Take note of this, and give strength to our speech. Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
9. Strike away with your weapons the evil-speaking, evil-minded ones — whether far off or near, whatever devouring demons there are. Then clear an easy path to the sacrifice for the one who sings your praise. Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
10. When you have yoked your two red, ruddy horses to the chariot, wind-driven, your roar is like a bull's. Then, smoke as your banner, you drive on into the forest. Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
11. Then at the roar even the birds take fright, when your grass-eating sparks spread wide. That is smooth going for your own chariots. Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
12. This one exists for the sustenance of Mitra and Varuṇa. Let the wondrous anger of the Maruts turn away. Be truly gracious to us — let their minds turn favorable again. Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
13. You are the god among gods, the wondrous friend; you are the Vasu among the Vasus, dear at the rite. May we dwell in your farthest-spreading shelter. Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
14. This is your gracious deed: kindled in your own dwelling, given soma, most gracious as we praise you, you grant treasure and wealth to the one who offers. Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm.
15. To whomever you, rich in wealth, grant freedom from guilt, whole and entire, whom you spur on with auspicious power — may we be that one, with your bounty rich in children.
16. You, Agni, knowing the ways of good fortune, extend our lifespan here, god. May Mitra and Varuṇa grant us this, and Aditi, the River, Earth, and Heaven.
Translator's note: verses 1–14 close with the hymn's recurring refrain, "agne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava" ("Agni, in your friendship, may we never come to harm"); verses 15–16 depart from this pattern and end differently in the Sanskrit, which this translation preserves. Several ritual-office terms in verse 6 (adhvaryu, hotṛ, potṛ, purohita) are the technical names of specific priestly roles in the Vedic sacrifice and are left untranslated, as English has no equivalent single words for them.
Colophon
Rigveda I.94 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.94
imaṁ stomam arhate jātavedase ratham iva sam mahemā manīṣayā |
bhadrā hi naḥ pramatir asya saṁsady agne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 1 ||
yasmai tvam āyajase sa sādhaty anarvā kṣeti dadhate suvīryam |
sa tūtāva nainam aśnoty aṁhatir agne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 2 ||
śakema tvā samidhaṁ sādhayā dhiyas tve devā havir adanty āhutam |
tvam ādityām̐ ā vaha tān hy u1śmasy agne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 3 ||
bharāmedhmaṁ kṛṇavāmā havīṁṣi te citayantaḥ parvaṇā-parvaṇā vayam |
jīvātave prataraṁ sādhayā dhiyo 'gne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 4 ||
viśāṁ gopā asya caranti jantavo dvipac ca yad uta catuṣpad aktubhiḥ |
citraḥ praketa uṣaso mahām̐ asy agne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 5 ||
tvam adhvaryur uta hotāsi pūrvyaḥ praśāstā potā januṣā purohitaḥ |
viśvā vidvām̐ ārtvijyā dhīra puṣyasy agne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 6 ||
yo viśvataḥ supratīkaḥ sadṛṅṅ asi dūre cit san taḻid ivāti rocase |
rātryāś cid andho ati deva paśyasy agne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 7 ||
pūrvo devā bhavatu sunvato ratho 'smākaṁ śaṁso abhy astu dūḍhyaḥ |
tad ā jānītota puṣyatā vaco 'gne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 8 ||
vadhair duḥśaṁsām̐ apa dūḍhyo jahi dūre vā ye anti vā ke cid atriṇaḥ |
athā yajñāya gṛṇate sugaṁ kṛdhy agne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 9 ||
yad ayukthā aruṣā rohitā rathe vātajūtā vṛṣabhasyeva te ravaḥ |
ād invasi vanino dhūmaketunāgne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 10 ||
adha svanād uta bibhyuḥ patatriṇo drapsā yat te yavasādo vy asthiran |
sugaṁ tat te tāvakebhyo rathebhyo 'gne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 11 ||
ayam mitrasya varuṇasya dhāyase 'vayātām marutāṁ heḻo adbhutaḥ |
mṛḻā su no bhūtv eṣām manaḥ punar agne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 12 ||
devo devānām asi mitro adbhuto vasur vasūnām asi cārur adhvare |
śarman syāma tava saprathastame 'gne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 13 ||
tat te bhadraṁ yat samiddhaḥ sve dame somāhuto jarase mṛḻayattamaḥ |
dadhāsi ratnaṁ draviṇaṁ ca dāśuṣe 'gne sakhye mā riṣāmā vayaṁ tava || 14 ||
yasmai tvaṁ sudraviṇo dadāśo 'nāgāstvam adite sarvatātā |
yam bhadreṇa śavasā codayāsi prajāvatā rādhasā te syāma || 15 ||
sa tvam agne saubhagatvasya vidvān asmākam āyuḥ pra tireha deva |
tan no mitro varuṇo māmahantām aditiḥ sindhuḥ pṛthivī uta dyauḥ || 16 ||
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).