Hymn to Agni
Rigveda I.1 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed to Agni, the divine fire, messenger between mortals and gods, the eternal priest of the sacred rite. It is one of the 1,028 hymns of the Rigveda organized within Maṇḍala 1, the first of ten books. The ṛṣi (seer) to whom this hymn is attributed and its precise liturgical context are recorded in the traditional Śākalya Anukramaṇī.
The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas and one of the oldest surviving religious texts in the world, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in the Vedic Sanskrit of the Indus-Sarasvatī region. Its hymns were preserved through oral transmission across millennia before being committed to writing. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
I praise Agni, the household priest, the god of the sacrifice, the lord of the offering, who beareth the gift to the gods.
Agni it was whom the ancient ṛṣis did kindle; Agni whom the mortals of old set blazing through their offerings. He it is who bringeth forth riches; may he come this day to our aid and sit upon the grass of worship.
Through Agni doth the mortal reach unto the gods; through Agni doth the prayer ascend on high. Agni is the messenger, the bridge between the earth and heaven—he whom we praise with hymns and with the pressing of the soma.
O Agni, thou art the keeper of treasures, the lord of the dwelling. Thou art the friend of men, as a father to his son. Do thou come unto us with thy benevolence; be thou present in our sacrifice, O thou of the radiant flame.
With riches and with offspring mayest thou reward us. O Agni, grant us prosperity in our herds, in our children, in our strength. Bring forth the wealth that maketh glad the heart; light thou the way unto the gods on high.
Unto thee, Agni, do we sing our hymns; to thee we offer our oblations. Be thou gracious unto us, O protector of the rite, the sustainer of the world. May thy favor rest upon the singers; may thy benediction fall upon all who praise thee.
O god of the sacred flame, accept our offering; carry it to the gods on thy bright path. We have kindled thee at the dawn; thou shinest forth with glory. Hear our prayer, O Jātavedas, and grant us that which we desire.
Colophon
Rigveda I.1 is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, the version that has been transmitted and is considered canonical in the mainstream tradition. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE; this hymn addresses Agni, the divine fire, messenger between mortals and gods, the eternal priest of the sacred rite. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation session to be documented during Kshatriya Blood Rule audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda I.1
agnim īḻe purohitaṁ yajñasya devam ṛtvijam |
hotāraṁ ratnadhātamam || 1 ||
agniḥ pūrvebhir ṛṣibhir īḍyo nūtanair uta |
sa devām̐ eha vakṣati || 2 ||
agninā rayim aśnavat poṣam eva dive-dive |
yaśasaṁ vīravattamam || 3 ||
agne yaṁ yajñam adhvaraṁ viśvataḥ paribhūr asi |
sa id deveṣu gacchati || 4 ||
agnir hotā kavikratuḥ satyaś citraśravastamaḥ |
devo devebhir ā gamat || 5 ||
yad aṅga dāśuṣe tvam agne bhadraṁ kariṣyasi |
tavet tat satyam aṅgiraḥ || 6 ||
upa tvāgne dive-dive doṣāvastar dhiyā vayam |
namo bharanta emasi || 7 ||
rājantam adhvarāṇāṁ gopām ṛtasya dīdivim |
vardhamānaṁ sve dame || 8 ||
sa naḥ piteva sūnave 'gne sūpāyano bhava |
sacasvā naḥ svastaye || 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).
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