Hymn to Agni
Rigveda IV.8 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 4 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. Him, your messenger — the all-possessing, the carrier of the offering, immortal, most worthy of sacrifice — him you urge onward with your song.
2. For he, being great, knows the treasure-house and the ascent to heaven; he will bring the gods here.
3. He, O god, knows the homage owed the gods, in the house of the one who lives by truth; he gives even his own cherished wealth.
4. He, the priest — he indeed goes about performing his errand, watchful, knowing the ascent to heaven.
5. May we be those who have given to Agni with offerings of oblation, who nourish and kindle him.
6. They are heard of far and wide, with riches, with good sons, having won them — those who have paid homage to Agni.
7. May riches, much desired, come to us day after day; may prizes of strength arise for us.
8. He, the inspired one, pierces through the tribes of men with his might, swift as an arrow.
Translator's note: "vasudhiti" (2) is rendered "treasure-house" — it names a hoard or store of wealth, possibly the wealth deposited in heaven. "ārodhanaṁ divaḥ" (2, 4), "the ascent to heaven," describes the path or means of mounting to the sky, which Agni as messenger is said to know. "duvaḥ" (6) is rendered "homage" — a term for service or worship offered to a god. "vidhyati" (8), "pierces," is used here for Agni's might overtaking or surpassing the tribes of men, as an arrow overtakes its mark.
Colophon
Rigveda IV.8 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 IV.8
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.
dūtaṁ vo viśvavedasaṁ havyavāham amartyam |
yajiṣṭham ṛñjase girā || 1 ||
sa hi vedā vasudhitim mahām̐ ārodhanaṁ divaḥ |
sa devām̐ eha vakṣati || 2 ||
sa veda deva ānamaṁ devām̐ ṛtāyate dame |
dāti priyāṇi cid vasu || 3 ||
sa hotā sed u dūtyaṁ cikitvām̐ antar īyate |
vidvām̐ ārodhanaṁ divaḥ || 4 ||
te syāma ye agnaye dadāśur havyadātibhiḥ |
ya īm puṣyanta indhate || 5 ||
te rāyā te suvīryaiḥ sasavāṁso vi śṛṇvire |
ye agnā dadhire duvaḥ || 6 ||
asme rāyo dive-dive saṁ carantu puruspṛhaḥ |
asme vājāsa īratām || 7 ||
sa vipraś carṣaṇīnāṁ śavasā mānuṣāṇām |
ati kṣipreva vidhyati || 8 ||
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).