Hymn to Indra and Agni
Rigveda III.12 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 3 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. O Indra and Agni, come with our songs to the pressed, excellent draught; drink of it, moved by our devotion.
2. O Indra and Agni, together with the singer's call the watchful sacrifice advances; with this song drink this pressed soma.
3. I choose Indra and Agni, who delight the sages, at the sacrifice's urging; may the two of them be satisfied here with soma.
4. I call the two generous givers, the Vṛtra-slayers, the co-victors, unconquered — Indra and Agni, most winning of spoils.
5. The hymn-singers, knowers of chants, the praisers, sing out to you two; Indra and Agni, I choose that nourishment come to us.
6. O Indra and Agni, you shook down ninety strongholds ruled by dāsa lords, together, with a single act.
7. O Indra and Agni, our prayers, born of labor, go forth toward you, following the paths of truth.
8. O Indra and Agni, yours are the mighty powers, the shared dwelling-places, and the offerings; yours is the swift contest set in motion.
9. O Indra and Agni, you excel over the shining realms of heaven in contests of strength; that valor of yours is renowned.
Translator's note: verse 8's "aptūryam" (a swift deed or contest, related to crossing/racing) and verse 1's "nabhaḥ" (rendered here simply as "draught," literally closer to "moisture/outpouring") are terse compounds without a single settled modern equivalent; rendered conservatively.
Colophon
Rigveda III.12 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 III.12
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.
indrāgnī ā gataṁ sutaṁ gīrbhir nabho vareṇyam |
asya pātaṁ dhiyeṣitā || 1 ||
indrāgnī jarituḥ sacā yajño jigāti cetanaḥ |
ayā pātam imaṁ sutam || 2 ||
indram agniṁ kavicchadā yajñasya jūtyā vṛṇe |
tā somasyeha tṛmpatām || 3 ||
tośā vṛtrahaṇā huve sajitvānāparājitā |
indrāgnī vājasātamā || 4 ||
pra vām arcanty ukthino nīthāvido jaritāraḥ |
indrāgnī iṣa ā vṛṇe || 5 ||
indrāgnī navatim puro dāsapatnīr adhūnutam |
sākam ekena karmaṇā || 6 ||
indrāgnī apasas pary upa pra yanti dhītayaḥ |
ṛtasya pathyā3 anu || 7 ||
indrāgnī taviṣāṇi vāṁ sadhasthāni prayāṁsi ca |
yuvor aptūryaṁ hitam || 8 ||
indrāgnī rocanā divaḥ pari vājeṣu bhūṣathaḥ |
tad vāṁ ceti pra vīryam || 9 ||
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).