Hymn to Agni
Rigveda I.122 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.
Come hither, O all ye gods! Gather together, ye hosts of the divine assembly. We call upon Mitra and Varuṇa, upon Indra and Agni, upon the Aśvins and upon Soma. Ye guardians of cosmic order, hear our voices!
The Viśvedevas, the All-Gods, do convene. They sit in counsel upon the highest peak of heaven. They behold all things. They know the secrets of the earth and the sky. Nothing is hidden from their sight. They are the witnesses of all deeds, both good and wicked.
O divine ones, we come before you with raised palms and bended knees. We bring the soma, the sacred juice. We kindle the flame of Agni upon the altar. We sing the songs that have been sung since the beginning of time. These are the songs of power, the songs of creation.
Grant us, ye All-Gods, the blessings we seek. Let our cattle multiply. Let our fields grow rich with grain. Let our families be strong and prosperous. Turn away from us the evil eye. Defend us from our enemies. Lead us upon the path of righteousness.
Ye are the keepers of the eternal law. Ye uphold the sacred order that binds heaven and earth together. Accept our worship. Accept our devotion. May we walk ever in the light of your countenance, protected and blessed forevermore.
Colophon
Rigveda I.122 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.122
pra vaḥ pāntaṁ raghumanyavo 'ndho yajñaṁ rudrāya mīḻhuṣe bharadhvam |
divo astoṣy asurasya vīrair iṣudhyeva maruto rodasyoḥ || 1 ||
patnīva pūrvahūtiṁ vāvṛdhadhyā uṣāsānaktā purudhā vidāne |
starīr nātkaṁ vyutaṁ vasānā sūryasya śriyā sudṛśī hiraṇyaiḥ || 2 ||
mamattu naḥ parijmā vasarhā mamattu vāto apāṁ vṛṣaṇvān |
śiśītam indrāparvatā yuvaṁ nas tan no viśve varivasyantu devāḥ || 3 ||
uta tyā me yaśasā śvetanāyai vyantā pāntauśijo huvadhyai |
pra vo napātam apāṁ kṛṇudhvam pra mātarā rāspinasyāyoḥ || 4 ||
ā vo ruvaṇyum auśijo huvadhyai ghoṣeva śaṁsam arjunasya naṁśe |
pra vaḥ pūṣṇe dāvana ām̐ acchā voceya vasutātim agneḥ || 5 ||
śrutam me mitrāvaruṇā havemota śrutaṁ sadane viśvataḥ sīm |
śrotu naḥ śroturātiḥ suśrotuḥ sukṣetrā sindhur adbhiḥ || 6 ||
stuṣe sā vāṁ varuṇa mitra rātir gavāṁ śatā pṛkṣayāmeṣu pajre |
śrutarathe priyarathe dadhānāḥ sadyaḥ puṣṭiṁ nirundhānāso agman || 7 ||
asya stuṣe mahimaghasya rādhaḥ sacā sanema nahuṣaḥ suvīrāḥ |
jano yaḥ pajrebhyo vājinīvān aśvāvato rathino mahyaṁ sūriḥ || 8 ||
jano yo mitrāvaruṇāv abhidhrug apo na vāṁ sunoty akṣṇayādhruk |
svayaṁ sa yakṣmaṁ hṛdaye ni dhatta āpa yad īṁ hotrābhir ṛtāvā || 9 ||
sa vrādhato nahuṣo daṁsujūtaḥ śardhastaro narāṁ gūrtaśravāḥ |
visṛṣṭarātir yāti bāḻhasṛtvā viśvāsu pṛtsu sadam ic chūraḥ || 10 ||
adha gmantā nahuṣo havaṁ sūreḥ śrotā rājāno amṛtasya mandrāḥ |
nabhojuvo yan niravasya rādhaḥ praśastaye mahinā rathavate || 11 ||
etaṁ śardhaṁ dhāma yasya sūrer ity avocan daśatayasya naṁśe |
dyumnāni yeṣu vasutātī rāran viśve sanvantu prabhṛtheṣu vājam || 12 ||
mandāmahe daśatayasya dhāser dvir yat pañca bibhrato yanty annā |
kim iṣṭāśva iṣṭaraśmir eta īśānāsas taruṣa ṛñjate nṝn || 13 ||
hiraṇyakarṇam maṇigrīvam arṇas tan no viśve varivasyantu devāḥ |
aryo giraḥ sadya ā jagmuṣīr osrāś cākantūbhayeṣv asme || 14 ||
catvāro mā maśarśārasya śiśvas trayo rājña āyavasasya jiṣṇoḥ |
ratho vām mitrāvaruṇā dīrghāpsāḥ syūmagabhastiḥ sūro nādyaut || 15 ||
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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