Hymn to Agni
Rigveda III.14 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. The joyous invoking priest has come to the sacred rites — the true sacrificer, wisest of poets, the ordainer. Agni, son of strength, whose chariot is lightning, flame-haired, has set his splendor upon the earth.
2. I offer you a word of homage — accept it, truthful one. It is offered to you, the attentive, the mighty one. Knowing, bring the gods here; as the knowing one, sit down in the middle, on the sacred grass, for our help, you who are worthy of worship.
3. Let your two Dawns, speeding, hasten toward you by the paths of the wind, Agni — when they anoint him, the ancient one, with oblations, the two have taken their place in the dwelling like the two seats of a chariot.
4. Mitra and Varuna, mighty one, and all the Maruts sing out their praise to you for favor, Agni — when, with your flame, son of strength, you stand over the settlements, spreading out over men like the sun.
5. Today we have indeed granted your desire, having approached with outstretched hands, in homage. Worship the gods with your most worshipful mind, with unfailing thought, inspired Agni.
6. From you indeed, son of strength, many helps go forth, god that you are, and rewards go forth. Give us a thousandfold wealth, truly, Agni, with a word that does not deceive.
7. For you, skillful one, wise-minded one, god, we mortals have done these things at the rite. Take notice of all of it, of every well-driven offering; relish here, immortal Agni, all of that.
Translator's note: verse 3's "vandhureva" (like the two chariot-seats/poles) is a compressed simile whose exact referent is debated; it is rendered here conservatively, keeping the image of two seats without resolving what they represent. Verse 7's "surathasya" (of the good chariot / of what is well-conveyed) and "svadeha" (relish/savor here) are likewise terse and rendered conservatively rather than expanded.
Colophon
Rigveda III.14 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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda III.14
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.
ā hotā mandro vidathāny asthāt satyo yajvā kavitamaḥ sa vedhāḥ |
vidyudrathaḥ sahasas putro agniḥ śociṣkeśaḥ pṛthivyām pājo aśret || 1 ||
ayāmi te namaüktiṁ juṣasva ṛtāvas tubhyaṁ cetate sahasvaḥ |
vidvām̐ ā vakṣi viduṣo ni ṣatsi madhya ā barhir ūtaye yajatra || 2 ||
dravatāṁ ta uṣasā vājayantī agne vātasya pathyābhir accha |
yat sīm añjanti pūrvyaṁ havirbhir ā vandhureva tasthatur duroṇe || 3 ||
mitraś ca tubhyaṁ varuṇaḥ sahasvo 'gne viśve marutaḥ sumnam arcan |
yac chociṣā sahasas putra tiṣṭhā abhi kṣitīḥ prathayan sūryo nṝn || 4 ||
vayaṁ te adya rarimā hi kāmam uttānahastā namasopasadya |
yajiṣṭhena manasā yakṣi devān asredhatā manmanā vipro agne || 5 ||
tvad dhi putra sahaso vi pūrvīr devasya yanty ūtayo vi vājāḥ |
tvaṁ dehi sahasriṇaṁ rayiṁ no 'drogheṇa vacasā satyam agne || 6 ||
tubhyaṁ dakṣa kavikrato yānīmā deva martāso adhvare akarma |
tvaṁ viśvasya surathasya bodhi sarvaṁ tad agne amṛta svadeha || 7 ||
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).