Hymn to Agni
Rigveda VIII.103 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 8 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. He has appeared, best pathfinder, in whom they have set their vows. Our songs draw near to Agni, newly born, who strengthens the noble one.
2. Agni of Divodāsa goes forth toward the gods as if by his own might; turning along his mother the earth, he stands on the summit of the vault of heaven.
3. The peoples tremble before him, as he performs deeds worth repeated praise; like the winner of a thousand at the contest for wisdom's prize — honor Agni yourselves, with your hymns.
4. The mortal you lead forward to riches, who has given to you, O bountiful one — he gains, O Agni, in his own house a hero-son who sings the hymns, himself flourishing a thousandfold.
5. He breaks through even to the well-guarded prize with his steed, he wins imperishable fame. In you, among the gods, forever, O abounding in riches, may we secure all that is good.
6. He who apportions all wealth, the joyous priest of the peoples — like the first cups of the sweet draught, our praises go forth to this Agni.
7. Like a chariot-horse, the bountiful ones who seek the gods groom him with songs. In both son and grandson, O wondrous one, O lord of the people, grant us the bounty of the generous patrons.
8. Sing forth to the most bounteous one, to the truthful, the great one of bright flame — we who praise him, sing to Agni.
9. May the bounteous one, kindled, radiant, given oblations, win us glory rich in heroes. Will his newest favor not come to us, bringing its rewards?
10. Praise the dearest of the dear, the guest seated at the hearth, Agni, the ruler of chariots.
11. He who, rising, established, all-knowing, worthy of worship, turns wealth toward us — whose waves are hard to cross in the downward rush, like a river's, as he seeks with insight to win the prize.
12. May this guest, good Agni, much-praised, not be angry with us — he who invokes well and performs the rite well.
13. May no harm come, O bountiful Agni, to those who approach you with fitting words, by whatever paths. For even the humble man, having offered oblation and performed the rite well, calls on you for your service as messenger.
14. Come, O Agni, friend of the Maruts, with the Rudras, to drink the soma. With Sobhari's hymn, rejoice in this fine praise, in Svarṇara.
Translator's note: verse 11 uses three unusual instrumental forms (uditā, niditā, veditā — "as riser," "as one established," "as knower") whose exact syntactic force is uncertain; the rendering here is conservative. "Svarṇara" in verse 14 is left untranslated as a place-name (literally suggesting "sun-water" or a luminous realm), since its precise referent is unclear.
Colophon
Rigveda VIII.103 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 VIII.103
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.
adarśi gātuvittamo yasmin vratāny ādadhuḥ |
upo ṣu jātam āryasya vardhanam agniṁ nakṣanta no giraḥ || 1 ||
pra daivodāso agnir devām̐ acchā na majmanā |
anu mātaram pṛthivīṁ vi vāvṛte tasthau nākasya sānavi || 2 ||
yasmād rejanta kṛṣṭayaś carkṛtyāni kṛṇvataḥ |
sahasrasām medhasātāv iva tmanāgniṁ dhībhiḥ saparyata || 3 ||
pra yaṁ rāye ninīṣasi marto yas te vaso dāśat |
sa vīraṁ dhatte agna ukthaśaṁsinaṁ tmanā sahasrapoṣiṇam || 4 ||
sa dṛḻhe cid abhi tṛṇatti vājam arvatā sa dhatte akṣiti śravaḥ |
tve devatrā sadā purūvaso viśvā vāmāni dhīmahi || 5 ||
yo viśvā dayate vasu hotā mandro janānām |
madhor na pātrā prathamāny asmai pra stomā yanty agnaye || 6 ||
aśvaṁ na gīrbhī rathyaṁ sudānavo marmṛjyante devayavaḥ |
ubhe toke tanaye dasma viśpate parṣi rādho maghonām || 7 ||
pra maṁhiṣṭhāya gāyata ṛtāvne bṛhate śukraśociṣe |
upastutāso agnaye || 8 ||
ā vaṁsate maghavā vīravad yaśaḥ samiddho dyumny āhutaḥ |
kuvin no asya sumatir navīyasy acchā vājebhir āgamat || 9 ||
preṣṭham u priyāṇāṁ stuhy āsāvātithim |
agniṁ rathānāṁ yamam || 10 ||
uditā yo niditā veditā vasv ā yajñiyo vavartati |
duṣṭarā yasya pravaṇe normayo dhiyā vājaṁ siṣāsataḥ || 11 ||
mā no hṛṇītām atithir vasur agniḥ purupraśasta eṣaḥ |
yaḥ suhotā svadhvaraḥ || 12 ||
mo te riṣan ye acchoktibhir vaso 'gne kebhiś cid evaiḥ |
kīriś cid dhi tvām īṭṭe dūtyāya rātahavyaḥ svadhvaraḥ || 13 ||
āgne yāhi marutsakhā rudrebhiḥ somapītaye |
sobharyā upa suṣṭutim mādayasva svarṇare || 14 ||
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).