Agni, born of the friction of the sticks! The priest of the gods, the mediator between heaven and earth. Thou liest hidden in the wood until the churning brings thee forth. Then thou blazest up, roaring with joy, triumphant in thy newborn strength.

Thou hast neither father nor mother, O wondrous one, yet thou art born again and again. The wood containeth thee; the hand of the priest draweth thee forth. Each day thou art kindled anew; each night thou fallest back into slumber. Yet thou art eternal, unchanging in thy nature despite thy changing forms.

In the house, thou sittest by the hearth, warming the cold, cooking the food, giving light in the darkness. Thou art the friend of the family, the guardian of the home. When the weary laborer returns from the fields, thy flame welcometh him. When the sick one lies upon the bed, thy warmth healeth him.

Yet thou art also terrible, O Agni! When thou escapest the control of mortals, thou consumest everything. The house burneth; the forest burneth; the very grass burneth beneath thy touch. Thou art a powerful god, and we must treat thee with reverence and respect.

Thou art the priest who never errs, O Agni! Not like the mortal priests, who grow confused and forget the sacred words, who lose their way in the rituals. Thou knowest precisely what must be done; thou hearest precisely what must be heard. Thou dost carry the oblation to the gods with perfect knowledge of the intention behind it.

None among the gods can gainsay thee. None can challenge thy authority. For thou art the mediator; thou art the messenger. What thou carriest to Indra, Indra receiveth. What thou bringeth to Mitra, Mitra accepteth. Thy word is truth; thy will is law.

The Vasiṣṭhas sing thy praises, O flame-bearer! Our ancestors called upon thee when they dwelt in caves and hunted wild beasts. They found thee in the stone; they preserved thee in the ash. Through long ages, from father to son, they passed thee down, this sacred fire that never dies.

Now we kindle thee in thy temple; now we feed thee with offerings. We do not forget thy kindness; we do not neglect thy worship. As thou hast sustained our ancestors, so shall thou sustain us. As thou hast warmed their hearths, so shalt thou warm ours.

Blaze upward, O Agni, toward the very vault of heaven! Let thy smoke rise like a pillar reaching from earth to sky. Let the gods see thy flames from their celestial dwelling places. Let them know that the mortals below still remember them, still honor them, still invoke their presence.

With each tongue of flame, carry a prayer. With each curl of smoke, carry a blessing. Let not one word of our hymn be lost; let not one offering be overlooked. Thou art our voice, O Agni; thou art our strength. Through thee alone do we have access to the divine realm.

Fear fleeth before thy flames, O Agni! The darkness trembleth and crumbleth to ash. The evil spirits shriek and vanish. The demons find no refuge near thy fire. All that is unclean is consumed; all that is pure is purified.

Come into our homes, O Agni! Drive out the hatred and the malice! Burn away the fear and the doubt! Make our hearts clean and our thoughts pure! Let us stand before thee with no shadow of evil upon us!

Thou art both gentle and fierce, O mighty one. Thou givest warmth and light; thou givest pain and destruction. In thy hands is blessing and curse alike. Yet if we honor thee rightly, if we offer thee the proper gifts, thy fire shall be a blessing unto us. Thy flames shall warm us in winter; thy light shall guide us in darkness; thy power shall protect us from all harm.

We do not fear thee, O Agni, though we reverence thee deeply. For we know that thou art just, that thou art righteous. Thou givest reward to the faithful; thou givest punishment to the wicked. In thy presence, all truth is revealed. None can lie before thy flames; none can hide their deeds.

O Agni, household priest of all the earth! Kindly accept this hymn of the Vasiṣṭhas! Hear our prayers and carry them swiftly to the gods! Guard us from evil! Bless our homes! Make us prosperous and strong! Accept our offerings and be our friend forever!