Hymn to Agni
Rigveda VIII.43 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. These songs of praise arise for Agni, the inspired ordainer, whose sacrifice is never broken.
2. For you who delight in it, O Jātavedas, O far-seeing one — Agni, I bring forth fitting praise.
3. Sharp indeed, like flames, are your fires, Agni; with your teeth you devour the forests.
4. Tawny, smoke-bannered, wind-driven, the fires strain upward toward the sky, each on its own.
5. These kindled fires, each apart, appeared together like the beacons of the dawns.
6. Dark tracks spread at his feet in the advance of Jātavedas, when Agni moves out across the earth.
7. Making the plants his food, devouring them, Agni does not tire — going again even to the tender young ones.
8. With his tongues he bends low again and again; with his flame he crackles loudly; Agni shines in the woods.
9. Your dwelling, Agni, is in the waters; you are lodged also among the plants; being in the womb, you are born again.
10. Your flame blazes up, Agni, from the ghee poured as offering, licking at the mouth of the ladle.
11. To him whose food is the ox, whose food is the barren cow, whose surface is sprinkled with soma, the ordainer — let us worship Agni with our hymns.
12. And with reverence we approach you, Agni, invoking priest of choicest power, with kindling-wood.
13. And, O bright Agni who receives the offering, we call on you as the Bhṛgus called, as Manu called, as the Aṅgirases called.
14. You indeed, Agni, are kindled by fire, the inspired one by the truly inspired, friend by friend.
15. So, Agni, give to the inspired worshiper who has offered — give wealth in the thousands, food rich in sons.
16. Agni, my brother, born of strength, with ruddy horses, of pure ordinances — accept this hymn of mine.
17. And you, Agni, praised by me, eager as toward the lowing cow — they have reached you as cows reach the stall.
18. For you, O most Aṅgiras-like Agni, all the good settlements, each apart, have submitted to your desire.
19. With their insights the wise, the intelligent, the discerning poets have urged Agni forward to take his seat at the feast.
20. You, the vigorous one in the courses, O Agni — performing the sacrifice, they praise you as carrier and priest.
21. For in many places you are alike, ruling over all the clans; in battles we call upon you.
22. Praise him — Agni, who, given the offering, shines brightly with ghee; may he hear this call of ours.
23. We call upon you, hearing Jātavedas, Agni, who drives away our enemies.
24. I praise Agni, the wondrous king of the clans, this overseer of sacred order; may he indeed hear.
25. We urge Agni on like a swift steed in a race — Agni who stirs through all life, set in place like a vigorous young warrior.
26. Striking down the scornful, driving off the haters, burning the demons day after day — blaze forth, Agni, with your sharp flame.
27. You whom the people kindle as in the way of Manu, O most Aṅgiras-like Agni — heed my word.
28. Whether you are born of heaven, Agni, or born of the waters, O you made of strength, we call on you with songs.
29. Indeed for you these peoples, all the good settlements, each apart, prepare food for you to eat.
30. So may we, devout toward you, Agni who watches over men every day, be those who cross safely through hard passages.
31. We approach with joyous hearts Agni the delightful, dear to many, keen, of purifying flame.
32. You, Agni, rich in light, releasing rays like the sun with its beams, boldly strike away the darkness.
33. We beseech of you, O mighty one, that gift which never fails — the desirable wealth that comes from you, Agni.
Translator's note: verse 6 (rodhati) and verse 30 (nṛcakṣasaḥ, durgahā) contain words whose precise sense is debated; they are rendered conservatively above, following the most literal reading of the roots.
Colophon
Rigveda VIII.43 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.43
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.
ime viprasya vedhaso 'gner astṛtayajvanaḥ |
giraḥ stomāsa īrate || 1 ||
asmai te pratiharyate jātavedo vicarṣaṇe |
agne janāmi suṣṭutim || 2 ||
ārokā iva ghed aha tigmā agne tava tviṣaḥ |
dadbhir vanāni bapsati || 3 ||
harayo dhūmaketavo vātajūtā upa dyavi |
yatante vṛthag agnayaḥ || 4 ||
ete tye vṛthag agnaya iddhāsaḥ sam adṛkṣata |
uṣasām iva ketavaḥ || 5 ||
kṛṣṇā rajāṁsi patsutaḥ prayāṇe jātavedasaḥ |
agnir yad rodhati kṣami || 6 ||
dhāsiṁ kṛṇvāna oṣadhīr bapsad agnir na vāyati |
punar yan taruṇīr api || 7 ||
jihvābhir aha nannamad arciṣā jañjaṇābhavan |
agnir vaneṣu rocate || 8 ||
apsv agne sadhiṣ ṭava sauṣadhīr anu rudhyase |
garbhe sañ jāyase punaḥ || 9 ||
ud agne tava tad ghṛtād arcī rocata āhutam |
niṁsānaṁ juhvo3 mukhe || 10 ||
ukṣānnāya vaśānnāya somapṛṣṭhāya vedhase |
stomair vidhemāgnaye || 11 ||
uta tvā namasā vayaṁ hotar vareṇyakrato |
agne samidbhir īmahe || 12 ||
uta tvā bhṛguvac chuce manuṣvad agna āhuta |
aṅgirasvad dhavāmahe || 13 ||
tvaṁ hy agne agninā vipro vipreṇa san satā |
sakhā sakhyā samidhyase || 14 ||
sa tvaṁ viprāya dāśuṣe rayiṁ dehi sahasriṇam |
agne vīravatīm iṣam || 15 ||
agne bhrātaḥ sahaskṛta rohidaśva śucivrata |
imaṁ stomaṁ juṣasva me || 16 ||
uta tvāgne mama stuto vāśrāya pratiharyate |
goṣṭhaṁ gāva ivāśata || 17 ||
tubhyaṁ tā aṅgirastama viśvāḥ sukṣitayaḥ pṛthak |
agne kāmāya yemire || 18 ||
agniṁ dhībhir manīṣiṇo medhirāso vipaścitaḥ |
admasadyāya hinvire || 19 ||
taṁ tvām ajmeṣu vājinaṁ tanvānā agne adhvaram |
vahniṁ hotāram īḻate || 20 ||
purutrā hi sadṛṅṅ asi viśo viśvā anu prabhuḥ |
samatsu tvā havāmahe || 21 ||
tam īḻiṣva ya āhuto 'gnir vibhrājate ghṛtaiḥ |
imaṁ naḥ śṛṇavad dhavam || 22 ||
taṁ tvā vayaṁ havāmahe śṛṇvantaṁ jātavedasam |
agne ghnantam apa dviṣaḥ || 23 ||
viśāṁ rājānam adbhutam adhyakṣaṁ dharmaṇām imam |
agnim īḻe sa u śravat || 24 ||
agniṁ viśvāyuvepasam maryaṁ na vājinaṁ hitam |
saptiṁ na vājayāmasi || 25 ||
ghnan mṛdhrāṇy apa dviṣo dahan rakṣāṁsi viśvahā |
agne tigmena dīdihi || 26 ||
yaṁ tvā janāsa indhate manuṣvad aṅgirastama |
agne sa bodhi me vacaḥ || 27 ||
yad agne divijā asy apsujā vā sahaskṛta |
taṁ tvā gīrbhir havāmahe || 28 ||
tubhyaṁ ghet te janā ime viśvāḥ sukṣitayaḥ pṛthak |
dhāsiṁ hinvanty attave || 29 ||
te ghed agne svādhyo 'hā viśvā nṛcakṣasaḥ |
tarantaḥ syāma durgahā || 30 ||
agnim mandram purupriyaṁ śīram pāvakaśociṣam |
hṛdbhir mandrebhir īmahe || 31 ||
sa tvam agne vibhāvasuḥ sṛjan sūryo na raśmibhiḥ |
śardhan tamāṁsi jighnase || 32 ||
tat te sahasva īmahe dātraṁ yan nopadasyati |
tvad agne vāryaṁ vasu || 33 ||
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).