Hymn to Agni
Rigveda VII.8 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. The king is kindled together with the homages of the pious man, whose face is anointed with ghee. Men, pressing close, implore him with oblations — Agni has blazed at the front of the dawns.
2. This very great one has been found out — the joyful priest, the vigorous son of Manu, Agni. Released upon the earth, he made his light shine wide; with a black track behind him, he has grown strong on the plants.
3. With what favor, Agni, will you shine upon our well-wrought hymn? What wonted gift will you grant us when praised? When, O generous one, shall we become masters, winners of wealth — hard to attain, yet sound?
4. This Agni of Bharata is renowned again and again, as the sun shines out with its vast light — he who has stood against the Pūrus in their battles, the divine guest, shining, has blazed forth.
5. Many are the offerings kindled in you; with all your flames you are well-disposed. Even when praised, Agni, you are heard as you are extolled — grow your own body by yourself, O well-born one.
6. Let this speech, winner of hundreds, winner of thousands, be brought forth for Agni, the doubly mighty — a speech that may bring good to the praisers and to the kinsman, brilliant, driving away affliction, slaying the demons.
7. Now we, the Vasiṣṭhas, beseech you, Agni, ruler over goods, O son of strength — grant sustenance to your praisers, the generous givers. May you all protect us always with blessings.
Translator's note: verse 2's "kṛṣṇapavir" (literally "black-rimmed" or "black-tracked") describes the dark scorch-path Agni leaves as he consumes fuel; rendered here as "black track." Verse 4's "atithiḥ" ("guest") is a standard epithet for Agni as the god received into every household fire.
Colophon
Rigveda VII.8 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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda VII.8
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.
indhe rājā sam aryo namobhir yasya pratīkam āhutaṁ ghṛtena |
naro havyebhir īḻate sabādha āgnir agra uṣasām aśoci || 1 ||
ayam u ṣya sumahām̐ avedi hotā mandro manuṣo yahvo agniḥ |
vi bhā akaḥ sasṛjānaḥ pṛthivyāṁ kṛṣṇapavir oṣadhībhir vavakṣe || 2 ||
kayā no agne vi vasaḥ suvṛktiṁ kām u svadhām ṛṇavaḥ śasyamānaḥ |
kadā bhavema patayaḥ sudatra rāyo vantāro duṣṭarasya sādhoḥ || 3 ||
pra-prāyam agnir bharatasya śṛṇve vi yat sūryo na rocate bṛhad bhāḥ |
abhi yaḥ pūrum pṛtanāsu tasthau dyutāno daivyo atithiḥ śuśoca || 4 ||
asann it tve āhavanāni bhūri bhuvo viśvebhiḥ sumanā anīkaiḥ |
stutaś cid agne śṛṇviṣe gṛṇānaḥ svayaṁ vardhasva tanvaṁ sujāta || 5 ||
idaṁ vacaḥ śatasāḥ saṁsahasram ud agnaye janiṣīṣṭa dvibarhāḥ |
śaṁ yat stotṛbhya āpaye bhavāti dyumad amīvacātanaṁ rakṣohā || 6 ||
nū tvām agna īmahe vasiṣṭhā īśānaṁ sūno sahaso vasūnām |
iṣaṁ stotṛbhyo maghavadbhya ānaḍ yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 7 ||
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).