Hymn to Agni
Rigveda VI.15 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 6 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. This is your guest who wakes at dawn, lord of all the clans — I honor him with my song. Pure from his birth in heaven, he indeed reaches there; for a long time he feeds on the unmoving seed.
2. Like a friend well-established, whom the Bhṛgus placed in the tree, worthy of praise, his flame rising upward — you, wondrous one, well pleased when the offering is savored, are magnified with praises day after day.
3. You, benign increaser of strength, overcomer of the foe both far and near — O son of might, extend to mortals your broad shelter of wealth: broad shelter to Vītahavya, broad shelter to Bharadvāja.
4. Agni, your shining guest, bright as the sun, the priest of Manu whose rite is good — like an inspired sage of heavenly speech, I extol with well-woven hymns the oblation-bearing god, the divine servant.
5. He who with purifying, visible splendor has shone on the earth like the radiance of dawn — like one prevailing on the course of Etaśa, rejoice now — he who, ageless, thirsts as if in the heat.
6. Honor each Agni with kindling wood; let me sing to each dear guest of yours. Draw the immortal one near with your songs — the god among gods indeed wins what is to be desired; the god among gods indeed accepts our service.
7. I praise with kindling wood and song the kindled Agni, pure and purifying, steadfast at the front of the rite — the inspired priest, rich in boons, free from guile, the poet-seer. We beseech Jātavedas with our goodwill.
8. You, Agni, the immortal messenger, oblation-bearer in every age, they have held as praiseworthy guardian. Both gods and mortals have sat before you in homage — the watchful, pervading lord of the people.
9. Serving, O Agni, according to the ordinances of both, messenger of the gods, you range over the two realms together. When we choose your insight and your favor, then indeed be gracious to us with threefold shelter.
10. May we, unknowing, worship him of fair form, fair to see, graceful in his movement — him who knows more than we. Knowing all the ways, may he perform the sacrifice; may Agni announce our offering among the immortals.
11. Him, Agni, you protect, and him you carry safely through — whoever has offered to you, the seer, a hymn, O hero, or the kindling of the sacrifice, or its invocation — him indeed you fill with strength and wealth.
12. You, Agni, protect us from the malicious one; you, mighty one, protect us from disgrace. May abundant sustenance come to you, and may enviable wealth, a thousandfold, come to us.
13. Agni is the priest, the lord of the house, the king; Jātavedas, he knows all births. He who is the best sacrificer among gods and among mortals — may he, keeper of truth, offer the sacrifice for us.
14. Agni, whatever rite of the people is held today, O priest of purifying flame — you attend it, for you are the sacrificer. May you offer rightly by your greatness, since you have spread wide. Carry the oblations, youngest one, that are yours today.
15. Look upon our well-prepared offerings; may the two worlds set you here to be worshipped. Help us, bountiful one, in the winning of the prize. O Agni, may we cross over all dangers — may we cross them, by your help may we cross.
16. Agni, fair of face, with all the gods, sit first upon the fleece-covered seat, the nest full of butter. Lead the sacrifice rightly to Savitṛ, for the one who offers it.
17. This Agni here, in the manner of Atharvan, the sages churn forth; sprouting like a shoot, they brought forth the unconfused one, for the dark ones.
18. Be born for the feast of the gods, for wholeness, for well-being. Bring hither the immortal gods, increaser of truth; make the sacrifice reach the gods.
19. We indeed, O lord of the house of the people, Agni, have made you great with kindling wood. May our household fires stand firm; sharpen us together with your keen brilliance.
Translator's note: several phrases in this hymn resist confident rendering. "Vītahavya" (vv. 2–3) is likely a proper name of a patron rather than a plain adjective, and is kept as a name. "dhvasmanvat pāthaḥ" (v. 12) is obscure; "abundant sustenance" is a conservative approximation. "aṅkūyantam" and "śyāvyābhyaḥ" (v. 17, the fire-churning verse) are difficult — the first rendered as "sprouting like a shoot," the second left as "the dark ones," possibly a group of women associated with the rite. "asthūri" (v. 19, "may our household fires stand firm") is likewise uncertain.
Colophon
Rigveda VI.15 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 VI.15
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.
imam ū ṣu vo atithim uṣarbudhaṁ viśvāsāṁ viśām patim ṛñjase girā |
vetīd divo januṣā kac cid ā śucir jyok cid atti garbho yad acyutam || 1 ||
mitraṁ na yaṁ sudhitam bhṛgavo dadhur vanaspatāv īḍyam ūrdhvaśociṣam |
sa tvaṁ suprīto vītahavye adbhuta praśastibhir mahayase dive-dive || 2 ||
sa tvaṁ dakṣasyāvṛko vṛdho bhūr aryaḥ parasyāntarasya taruṣaḥ |
rāyaḥ sūno sahaso martyeṣv ā chardir yaccha vītahavyāya sapratho bharadvājāya saprathaḥ || 3 ||
dyutānaṁ vo atithiṁ svarṇaram agniṁ hotāram manuṣaḥ svadhvaram |
vipraṁ na dyukṣavacasaṁ suvṛktibhir havyavāham aratiṁ devam ṛñjase || 4 ||
pāvakayā yaś citayantyā kṛpā kṣāman ruruca uṣaso na bhānunā |
tūrvan na yāmann etaśasya nū raṇa ā yo ghṛṇe na tatṛṣāṇo ajaraḥ || 5 ||
agnim-agniṁ vaḥ samidhā duvasyata priyam-priyaṁ vo atithiṁ gṛṇīṣaṇi |
upa vo gīrbhir amṛtaṁ vivāsata devo deveṣu vanate hi vāryaṁ devo deveṣu vanate hi no duvaḥ || 6 ||
samiddham agniṁ samidhā girā gṛṇe śucim pāvakam puro adhvare dhruvam |
vipraṁ hotāram puruvāram adruhaṁ kaviṁ sumnair īmahe jātavedasam || 7 ||
tvāṁ dūtam agne amṛtaṁ yuge-yuge havyavāhaṁ dadhire pāyum īḍyam |
devāsaś ca martāsaś ca jāgṛviṁ vibhuṁ viśpatiṁ namasā ni ṣedire || 8 ||
vibhūṣann agna ubhayām̐ anu vratā dūto devānāṁ rajasī sam īyase |
yat te dhītiṁ sumatim āvṛṇīmahe 'dha smā nas trivarūthaḥ śivo bhava || 9 ||
taṁ supratīkaṁ sudṛśaṁ svañcam avidvāṁso viduṣṭaraṁ sapema |
sa yakṣad viśvā vayunāni vidvān pra havyam agnir amṛteṣu vocat || 10 ||
tam agne pāsy uta tam piparṣi yas ta ānaṭ kavaye śūra dhītim |
yajñasya vā niśitiṁ voditiṁ vā tam it pṛṇakṣi śavasota rāyā || 11 ||
tvam agne vanuṣyato ni pāhi tvam u naḥ sahasāvann avadyāt |
saṁ tvā dhvasmanvad abhy etu pāthaḥ saṁ rayiḥ spṛhayāyyaḥ sahasrī || 12 ||
agnir hotā gṛhapatiḥ sa rājā viśvā veda janimā jātavedāḥ |
devānām uta yo martyānāṁ yajiṣṭhaḥ sa pra yajatām ṛtāvā || 13 ||
agne yad adya viśo adhvarasya hotaḥ pāvakaśoce veṣ ṭvaṁ hi yajvā |
ṛtā yajāsi mahinā vi yad bhūr havyā vaha yaviṣṭha yā te adya || 14 ||
abhi prayāṁsi sudhitāni hi khyo ni tvā dadhīta rodasī yajadhyai |
avā no maghavan vājasātāv agne viśvāni duritā tarema tā tarema tavāvasā tarema || 15 ||
agne viśvebhiḥ svanīka devair ūrṇāvantam prathamaḥ sīda yonim |
kulāyinaṁ ghṛtavantaṁ savitre yajñaṁ naya yajamānāya sādhu || 16 ||
imam u tyam atharvavad agnim manthanti vedhasaḥ |
yam aṅkūyantam ānayann amūraṁ śyāvyābhyaḥ || 17 ||
janiṣvā devavītaye sarvatātā svastaye |
ā devān vakṣy amṛtām̐ ṛtāvṛdho yajñaṁ deveṣu pispṛśaḥ || 18 ||
vayam u tvā gṛhapate janānām agne akarma samidhā bṛhantam |
asthūri no gārhapatyāni santu tigmena nas tejasā saṁ śiśādhi || 19 ||
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).