Come thou, O Agni, bright devourer, lord of the flame that linketh heaven and earth!

In thy manifold forms thou dost appear to the gods and the mortals alike—swift as the darting thought, strong as the mighty bull.

From the friction of the wood thou leapt forth, newborn and terrible, stretching thy tongues of light to the very heavens.

Behold him now in his fullness—the divine priest, the household guardian, the cosmic fire that sustaineth all life.

Agni, thou wanderest through all the worlds as messenger betwixt the mortal and the divine.

When the offering is kindled upon the altar, thy smoke doth rise like prayer itself, bearing our words to the gods.

Through thee doth Indra grow in strength; through thee the Ādityas are fed; through thee all creatures draw their vital breath.

The cattle cry out to thee at eventide; the merchant calleth upon thee ere he take to the road.

In the hearth thou keepest the home safe from darkness; in the forest thou showest the hidden path.

Thou burnest the impure, the crooked, the false thing, and makest all things clean and bright.

O gentle Agni, friend of the household, why dost thou rest not?

Continually dost thou spring forth anew, ever young, ever eager, never weary of thy labour.

When the wood hath been consumed, thou risest again; thy form cannot be vanquished, thy strength cannot be spent.

In a thousand shapes thou appearest—as the lightning in the cloud, as the gleam in the eye, as the warmth upon the breast.

Thou art the breath of the cosmos, the pulse of all being, the flame that bindeth all things together.

Receive our offering, O Agni, and carry it aloft to the gods on high.

Let thy flames rise pure and untainted, bearing our supplications to Indra, to the Maruts, to the dawn-maiden Uṣas.

Be thou our guide through the perils of the night, our companion upon every journey.

May thy fire burn bright within our hearts, kindling wisdom, courage, and the love of righteousness.

Grant us strength to overcome our foes, health to bear us through our days, and at last a peaceful passing when our time cometh.

O Agni, thou sacred and eternal flame, receive our worship, and shine upon us always with thy unfailing light.