Thou art the voice of mortals raised toward heaven, O Agni! When the priest speaks the sacred mantra before thy flame, dost thou not take up that prayer and amplify it? The words that leave the human mouth are weak and frail—they rise no higher than the height of a man's outstretched arm. But thou, O Agni, when thou speakest, thy voice carries to the uttermost reaches of the cosmos. The gods themselves incline their ears.

It is through thy voice that the offering becomes effective. The ghee that is poured upon the fire seems a pittance, a morsel too insignificant for the gods to notice—yet through thee it is transformed. Thy flames catch the offering and carry it across the vast distances that separate heaven from earth. In thy mouth, the barley becomes ambrosia. In thy heat, the oil becomes the drink of immortality.

Without thee, O Agni, what is our prayer? A whisper lost in the wind! What is our sacrifice? A handful of ashes scattered upon the ground! But thou givest our offerings voice. Thou makest them audible to the infinite. The gods hear because thou speakest on our behalf. Indra, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman—all the celestial powers attend when Agni invokes their names.

The Bhāradvājas kindle thee and make their petition. We do not shout; we do not strain our voices. We sing softly, knowing that thou wilt take our words and raise them to the heavens with the power of thy divine speech. We place our trust in thy mediation. We depend upon thy eloquence.

O Agni, greatest of invokers! Speak our prayer before the assembled gods. Make our offering acceptable in their sight. Give us thy voice, that we may be heard in the high places.