Hymn to Agni
Rigveda V.13 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 5 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. Praising you, we call on you; praising, we kindle you. O Agni, praising, for your help.
2. We compose today an effective hymn of praise for Agni, the god who touches heaven — seeking wealth from him.
3. May Agni welcome our songs, he who is the priest among men; may he offer worship to the divine people.
4. You, Agni, are far-spreading; you are the beloved priest, the one worth choosing. Through you they extend the sacrifice.
5. The inspired poets strengthen you, Agni, greatest winner of the prize, well praised. Grant us, then, strong vigor.
6. O Agni, as the rim of a wheel encloses the spokes, so you encompass the gods. You reach and attain brilliant bounty.
Translator's note: "draviṇasyavaḥ" (2) is a desiderative meaning something like "desiring wealth/goods," rendered here as "seeking wealth." "Vājasātamam" (5), "most winning of the prize/spoil," is rendered "greatest winner of the prize." "Ṛñjase" (6) is a middle-voice verb of reaching/attaining, rendered "reach and attain."
Colophon
Rigveda V.13 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 V.13
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.
arcantas tvā havāmahe 'rcantaḥ sam idhīmahi |
agne arcanta ūtaye || 1 ||
agneḥ stomam manāmahe sidhram adya divispṛśaḥ |
devasya draviṇasyavaḥ || 2 ||
agnir juṣata no giro hotā yo mānuṣeṣv ā |
sa yakṣad daivyaṁ janam || 3 ||
tvam agne saprathā asi juṣṭo hotā vareṇyaḥ |
tvayā yajñaṁ vi tanvate || 4 ||
tvām agne vājasātamaṁ viprā vardhanti suṣṭutam |
sa no rāsva suvīryam || 5 ||
agne nemir arām̐ iva devām̐s tvam paribhūr asi |
ā rādhaś citram ṛñjase || 6 ||
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).