This is the ritual litany of Agni — the Āprī hymn, wherein the sacrifice is made manifest in words and fire. The priest speaketh, and the cosmos doth answer.

Come hither, O Agni, summoned by the sacrifice! The honey-sweet butter floweth for thee; the barley is winnowed; the wood is split and ready. Thou art the priest of priests, the mouth through which all prayer ascendeth. Come thou first, O flame!

The Hotar calleth! The Adhvaryu prepareth the altar-mound! The Ādityas witness! The Maruts gather in the sky! The Vasus attend! The Rudras stand watchful! O sacred flame, gather unto thyself all the gods, and show them forth this offering.

Thou, O Agni, art the messenger between the mortal world and the halls of the immortals. When we pour ghee upon thee, it riseth as golden smoke. When we speak our prayers, thy tongue carryeth them heavenward. Thou art the only bridge that existeth between the earth below and the sky above.

The offering is made! The butter burneth! The smoke ascendeth in spirals of white and gray! The gods receive! The rite is performed! Through thee, O Agni, the sacrifice is made whole and perfect. Through thee, the devotion of men reacheth the throne of Indra.

Now grant us thy favor! Show the gods our devotion! Let them pour down upon us the blessings we crave — cattle and sons, wisdom and strength, victory in battle and long life in peace. Thou art the keeper of the sacrifice, O Agni. All things are made sacred through thy flame.