O radiant one, thou burnest away all that is foul and false! Where thy flame spreadeth, the darkness fleeth in terror. The spirits of darkness, the demons that walk in shadow, the lies and deceits that creep through the night — all these are consumed by thy celestial fire.

Thou art the conqueror of dullness, the slayer of ignorance, the victor over all things that oppose the light. When thou dost kindle, the world is made new. The old is burned away, the stale is consumed, and all that is fresh and pure remaineth in thy wake. This is thy eternal work — to purify, to illuminate, to make all things bright.

The thief cannot steal in thy presence, for thou seest all things. The liar cannot deceive, for thy light revealeth the truth. The evil-doer cannot hide, for thy gaze pierceth all shadows. Nothing unclean can withstand thy brilliance, nothing corrupt can survive thy touch. Thou art the great sanitizer, the cosmic cleanser, the fire that maketh all things whole.

But thy destruction is not cruel — it is merciful. Thou burnest away only that which is ready to be burned. The gold is purified in thy flame but not consumed. The seed is scorched by thy heat but germinateth stronger than before. Even in thy violence there is healing, even in thy fury there is compassion.

Therefore, O Agni, scourge of the darkness, purifier of all things, come thou unto our souls and burn away our impurities! Consume our sins, calcinate our doubts, reduce to ash all that separateth us from the light. Let us be made clean through thy divine fire, let us be reborn in thy flame, let us shine forth like unto thee in radiance and in truth.