Hymn to Agni Vaiśvānara
Rigveda VII.5 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 7 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. Bring forth a song to Agni the mighty, charioteer of heaven, of earth — who in the lap of all the immortals, Vaiśvānara, has grown strong through the wakeful ones.
2. Agni, sought out, was set in heaven and on earth, leader of rivers, bull of the standing waters. He shines out over the tribes of men, Vaiśvānara, growing strong in his splendor.
3. From fear of you the dark tribes went forth, scattered, abandoning their goods, when you, Vaiśvānara, blazing for Puru, O Agni, split open their strongholds and shone.
4. Earth and heaven follow your threefold ordinance, O Agni Vaiśvānara; you have spread through the two worlds with your radiance, blazing with unceasing flame.
5. The tawny flames, roaring, follow you, O Agni, and songs that surge, dripping with ghee — you, lord of the peoples, charioteer of riches, Vaiśvānara, banner of the dawns and of the days.
6. In you the Vasus have set their lordly power, for those mighty as Mitra delight in your will. You, O Agni, drove the dasyus from their dwelling, generating broad light for the Ārya.
7. Born in the highest heaven, you at once guard the region like Vāyu. Generating the worlds, you have cried out over them, O Jātavedas, granting favor for offspring.
8. Send to us that shining refreshment, O Agni Vaiśvānara Jātavedas, by which, O all-bounteous one, you swell the gift — wide fame — for the mortal who offers.
9. Grant that, O Agni, to our generous patrons: wealth rich in nourishment, and renowned strength. O Vaiśvānara, grant us great shelter, O Agni, in accord with the Rudras and the Vasus.
Translator's note: "arati" (v.1) is an obscure epithet, rendered here conservatively as "charioteer"; some render it "ruler" or "envoy." "Vaiśvānara" ("belonging to all men," an epithet and near-name of Agni in his cosmic, all-pervading aspect) is left untranslated as a proper epithet throughout, following standard practice.
Colophon
Rigveda VII.5 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 VII.5
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.
prāgnaye tavase bharadhvaṁ giraṁ divo arataye pṛthivyāḥ |
yo viśveṣām amṛtānām upasthe vaiśvānaro vāvṛdhe jāgṛvadbhiḥ || 1 ||
pṛṣṭo divi dhāyy agniḥ pṛthivyāṁ netā sindhūnāṁ vṛṣabhaḥ stiyānām |
sa mānuṣīr abhi viśo vi bhāti vaiśvānaro vāvṛdhāno vareṇa || 2 ||
tvad bhiyā viśa āyann asiknīr asamanā jahatīr bhojanāni |
vaiśvānara pūrave śośucānaḥ puro yad agne darayann adīdeḥ || 3 ||
tava tridhātu pṛthivī uta dyaur vaiśvānara vratam agne sacanta |
tvam bhāsā rodasī ā tatanthājasreṇa śociṣā śośucānaḥ || 4 ||
tvām agne harito vāvaśānā giraḥ sacante dhunayo ghṛtācīḥ |
patiṁ kṛṣṭīnāṁ rathyaṁ rayīṇāṁ vaiśvānaram uṣasāṁ ketum ahnām || 5 ||
tve asurya1ṁ vasavo ny ṛṇvan kratuṁ hi te mitramaho juṣanta |
tvaṁ dasyūm̐r okaso agna āja uru jyotir janayann āryāya || 6 ||
sa jāyamānaḥ parame vyoman vāyur na pāthaḥ pari pāsi sadyaḥ |
tvam bhuvanā janayann abhi krann apatyāya jātavedo daśasyan || 7 ||
tām agne asme iṣam erayasva vaiśvānara dyumatīṁ jātavedaḥ |
yayā rādhaḥ pinvasi viśvavāra pṛthu śravo dāśuṣe martyāya || 8 ||
taṁ no agne maghavadbhyaḥ purukṣuṁ rayiṁ ni vājaṁ śrutyaṁ yuvasva |
vaiśvānara mahi naḥ śarma yaccha rudrebhir agne vasubhiḥ sajoṣāḥ || 9 ||
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).