Hymn to Agni
Rigveda III.18 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. Be well-disposed toward us, Agni, when we draw near — like a friend to a friend, like a father, kind and true. For the peoples of these lands are full of hostility: burn back the enmities that turn against us.
2. Burn well, Agni, the enemies within; burn the curse spoken by the hostile stranger. Burn, O Vasu, discerning one, the thoughtless — let your unaging, tireless flames spread wide.
3. Seeking you with kindling-wood and ghee, Agni, I offer this oblation for strength and power, as far as I am able, praising with sacred word this divine hymn, for the winning of a hundredfold gain.
4. Praised one, rise up with your blaze, son of strength; grant abundant vigor to those who labor at the rite. Bring rich well-being, Agni, to the people of Viśvāmitra — we have polished your body again and again.
5. Make wealth for us, best winner of riches; for that is what you become, Agni, once kindled — bringing riches into the dwelling of the fortunate singer of praise. With smooth-anointed hands you take on beautiful forms.
Translator's note: verse 4's "viśvāmitreṣu" names the Viśvāmitra people/clan, to whom this Maṇḍala 3 hymn is traditionally attributed. Verse 5's "sṛprā karasnā dadhiṣe vapūṁṣi" (smooth/anointed forearms, taking on forms) is a compact, somewhat opaque image; rendered here conservatively rather than expanded.
Colophon
Rigveda III.18 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.18
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.
bhavā no agne sumanā upetau sakheva sakhye pitareva sādhuḥ |
purudruho hi kṣitayo janānām prati pratīcīr dahatād arātīḥ || 1 ||
tapo ṣv agne antarām̐ amitrān tapā śaṁsam araruṣaḥ parasya |
tapo vaso cikitāno acittān vi te tiṣṭhantām ajarā ayāsaḥ || 2 ||
idhmenāgna icchamāno ghṛtena juhomi havyaṁ tarase balāya |
yāvad īśe brahmaṇā vandamāna imāṁ dhiyaṁ śataseyāya devīm || 3 ||
uc chociṣā sahasas putra stuto bṛhad vayaḥ śaśamāneṣu dhehi |
revad agne viśvāmitreṣu śaṁ yor marmṛjmā te tanva1m bhūri kṛtvaḥ || 4 ||
kṛdhi ratnaṁ susanitar dhanānāṁ sa ghed agne bhavasi yat samiddhaḥ |
stotur duroṇe subhagasya revat sṛprā karasnā dadhiṣe vapūṁṣi || 5 ||
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).