Hymn to Agni Vaishvanara
Rigveda III.2 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. For Vaishvanara, strengthener of the cosmic order, we bring forth devotion, purified like ghee, for Agni. Both the gods and Manu's officiants shape him as the priest with their thought, as a craftsman with his axe fits together a chariot.
2. By his birth he made both worlds shine; he became the praiseworthy son of two mothers. Agni, the oblation-bearer, unaging, well-disposed, hard to deceive, the guest of the peoples, rich in light.
3. By the power of mastery, at the establishing of order, the gods brought Agni to birth through their perceptions — the great one, shining with radiance and light. Wishing to win, like one seeking a racehorse's prize, I call upon him.
4. Desiring to gain from the joyful one, we choose the excellent, bold, praiseworthy strength — the gift of the Bhrigus, the eager one of poetic wisdom, Agni ruling with divine flame.
5. Here the people, having strewn the sacred grass, with ladles ready, have placed Agni in front for their favor — famed for strength, beautifully shining, belonging to all the gods, the fierce one of the sacrifices, who accomplishes the aim of the ritual-workers.
6. O you of the purifying flame, around your dwelling indeed, O priest, at the sacrifices, the men who have strewn the grass attend you, O Agni, desiring your favor and friendship. Grant them wealth.
7. He filled the two worlds and the great heavenly light when, being born, the ritual-workers sustained him. He, the poet-seer, is led forth for the rite, eager like a racehorse to win the prize.
8. Pay homage to the giver of oblations, lord of the good rite; honor Jatavedas, the one of the house. The charioteer of the great cosmic order, far-seeing — Agni became the priest of the gods.
9. The immortal eager ones purified the three kindlings of the mighty, far-ranging Agni. One of them they placed among mortals for enjoyment; one stayed in its place, and the other two went to their kindred realm.
10. The human offerings fashioned him together, the seer, lord of the peoples, like an axe sharpened for keenness. He goes, active, to heights and depths; he has set his seed in these worlds.
11. Having been born, he, the bull, quickens things in the wombs, in their many forms, roaring like a lion. Vaishvanara, broad in form, immortal, distributes goods and treasures to the worshiper.
12. Vaishvanara, as of old, climbed to the vault, the ridge of heaven, praised with good hymns. As before, generating wealth for his creatures, watchful, he goes around the same course.
13. Him who upholds the cosmic order, worthy of sacrifice, the inspired poet worthy of hymns, whom Matarishvan set as a dweller in heaven — him of the brilliant path, golden-haired, well-blazing Agni, we implore for renewed well-being.
14. The pure one on his course, vigorous, sun-seeing, the beacon of heaven, dwelling in the luminous realm, waking at dawn — Agni, the head of heaven, unopposed — him we implore with homage, the mighty one.
15. The gladdening priest, pure, without guile, house-friendly, worthy of praise, seen by all peoples, beautiful in form like a brilliant chariot, beneficial to humankind — him we constantly implore for wealth.
Translator's note: verse 9's "three kindlings" and their distribution among mortal, heavenly, and kindred realms refers to an old and much-debated image of Agni's threefold fire (earthly, atmospheric, celestial); the Sanskrit is compressed and admits more than one reading, so the rendering here stays close to the literal sense rather than resolving the ambiguity. In verse 13, "Matarishvan" is kept as a proper name (a figure associated with bringing fire down to earth) rather than translated.
Colophon
Rigveda III.2 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.2
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.
vaiśvānarāya dhiṣaṇām ṛtāvṛdhe ghṛtaṁ na pūtam agnaye janāmasi |
dvitā hotāram manuṣaś ca vāghato dhiyā rathaṁ na kuliśaḥ sam ṛṇvati || 1 ||
sa rocayaj januṣā rodasī ubhe sa mātror abhavat putra īḍyaḥ |
havyavāḻ agnir ajaraś canohito dūḻabho viśām atithir vibhāvasuḥ || 2 ||
kratvā dakṣasya taruṣo vidharmaṇi devāso agniṁ janayanta cittibhiḥ |
rurucānam bhānunā jyotiṣā mahām atyaṁ na vājaṁ saniṣyann upa bruve || 3 ||
ā mandrasya saniṣyanto vareṇyaṁ vṛṇīmahe ahrayaṁ vājam ṛgmiyam |
rātim bhṛgūṇām uśijaṁ kavikratum agniṁ rājantaṁ divyena śociṣā || 4 ||
agniṁ sumnāya dadhire puro janā vājaśravasam iha vṛktabarhiṣaḥ |
yatasrucaḥ surucaṁ viśvadevyaṁ rudraṁ yajñānāṁ sādhadiṣṭim apasām || 5 ||
pāvakaśoce tava hi kṣayam pari hotar yajñeṣu vṛktabarhiṣo naraḥ |
agne duva icchamānāsa āpyam upāsate draviṇaṁ dhehi tebhyaḥ || 6 ||
ā rodasī apṛṇad ā svar mahaj jātaṁ yad enam apaso adhārayan |
so adhvarāya pari ṇīyate kavir atyo na vājasātaye canohitaḥ || 7 ||
namasyata havyadātiṁ svadhvaraṁ duvasyata damyaṁ jātavedasam |
rathīr ṛtasya bṛhato vicarṣaṇir agnir devānām abhavat purohitaḥ || 8 ||
tisro yahvasya samidhaḥ parijmano 'gner apunann uśijo amṛtyavaḥ |
tāsām ekām adadhur martye bhujam u lokam u dve upa jāmim īyatuḥ || 9 ||
viśāṁ kaviṁ viśpatim mānuṣīr iṣaḥ saṁ sīm akṛṇvan svadhitiṁ na tejase |
sa udvato nivato yāti veviṣat sa garbham eṣu bhuvaneṣu dīdharat || 10 ||
sa jinvate jaṭhareṣu prajajñivān vṛṣā citreṣu nānadan na siṁhaḥ |
vaiśvānaraḥ pṛthupājā amartyo vasu ratnā dayamāno vi dāśuṣe || 11 ||
vaiśvānaraḥ pratnathā nākam āruhad divas pṛṣṭham bhandamānaḥ sumanmabhiḥ |
sa pūrvavaj janayañ jantave dhanaṁ samānam ajmam pary eti jāgṛviḥ || 12 ||
ṛtāvānaṁ yajñiyaṁ vipram ukthya1m ā yaṁ dadhe mātariśvā divi kṣayam |
taṁ citrayāmaṁ harikeśam īmahe sudītim agniṁ suvitāya navyase || 13 ||
śuciṁ na yāmann iṣiraṁ svardṛśaṁ ketuṁ divo rocanasthām uṣarbudham |
agnim mūrdhānaṁ divo apratiṣkutaṁ tam īmahe namasā vājinam bṛhat || 14 ||
mandraṁ hotāraṁ śucim advayāvinaṁ damūnasam ukthyaṁ viśvacarṣaṇim |
rathaṁ na citraṁ vapuṣāya darśatam manurhitaṁ sadam id rāya īmahe || 15 ||
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).