Hymn to Agni
Rigveda X.122 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 10 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced for the Good Works Library from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
1. Like a Vasu of wondrous splendor I praise him — the lovely, kind guest, not to be treated with hostility. He gives bounties that nourish all: Agni, the priest, the lord of the house, and heroic strength.
2. Delighting in it, Agni, welcome my speech — you who know all the ways, skillful one. Clad in ghee, send forth a path for the sacred word; the gods brought it forth in accordance with your law.
3. Going about the seven realms, the immortal one — may he give to the giver, be generous to the one who does good deeds. Agni, with wealth rich in brave sons, truly excellent — favor him who has come to you with the kindling-stick.
4. The seven oblation-bearers call upon the banner of the sacrifice, the foremost priest, the vigorous one — Agni who hears, his back streaked with ghee, the bull, the god who grants heroic strength to the one who gives.
5. You are the first messenger, worthy to be chosen; being called upon, rejoice toward the immortal offering. The Maruts groomed you in the house of the worshipper; the Bhṛgus made you shine forth with their hymns of praise.
6. Milking forth refreshment, well-yielding, all-nourishing, for the sacrifice-loving worshipper, skillful one — Agni, dripping with ghee, shining through the sacred order three times, circling the round of the sacrifice, you show your skill.
7. You indeed, at the breakings of this dawn, the sons of Manu worshipped, making you their messenger. The gods made you grow great for your own glorification, Agni, anointing you with ghee at the rite.
8. The Vasiṣṭhas have called down to you, the prize-winning one, praising you, Agni, among the sages at the sacred gatherings. Maintain the growth of wealth among the worshippers. Protect us always with blessings.
Translator's note: verse 6's "sukratūyase" (a denominative verb, "you act as one of good skill/insight") and verse 3's "svābhuvā" (roughly "innately excellent, genuinely good") resist a single fixed English equivalent; both are rendered conservatively for sense rather than literally.
Colophon
Rigveda X.122 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 X.122
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
vasuṁ na citramahasaṁ gṛṇīṣe vāmaṁ śevam atithim adviṣeṇyam |
sa rāsate śurudho viśvadhāyaso 'gnir hotā gṛhapatiḥ suvīryam || 1 ||
juṣāṇo agne prati harya me vaco viśvāni vidvān vayunāni sukrato |
ghṛtanirṇig brahmaṇe gātum eraya tava devā ajanayann anu vratam || 2 ||
sapta dhāmāni pariyann amartyo dāśad dāśuṣe sukṛte māmahasva |
suvīreṇa rayiṇāgne svābhuvā yas ta ānaṭ samidhā taṁ juṣasva || 3 ||
yajñasya ketum prathamam purohitaṁ haviṣmanta īḻate sapta vājinam |
śṛṇvantam agniṁ ghṛtapṛṣṭham ukṣaṇam pṛṇantaṁ devam pṛṇate suvīryam || 4 ||
tvaṁ dūtaḥ prathamo vareṇyaḥ sa hūyamāno amṛtāya matsva |
tvām marjayan maruto dāśuṣo gṛhe tvāṁ stomebhir bhṛgavo vi rurucuḥ || 5 ||
iṣaṁ duhan sudughāṁ viśvadhāyasaṁ yajñapriye yajamānāya sukrato |
agne ghṛtasnus trir ṛtāni dīdyad vartir yajñam pariyan sukratūyase || 6 ||
tvām id asyā uṣaso vyuṣṭiṣu dūtaṁ kṛṇvānā ayajanta mānuṣāḥ |
tvāṁ devā mahayāyyāya vāvṛdhur ājyam agne nimṛjanto adhvare || 7 ||
ni tvā vasiṣṭhā ahvanta vājinaṁ gṛṇanto agne vidatheṣu vedhasaḥ |
rāyas poṣaṁ yajamāneṣu dhāraya yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 8 ||
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).