Hymn to Agni
Rigveda I.21 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, mighty Indra and Agni twain! Accept our praise, ye lords of strength and flame.
We call upon thee both with lifted voice—the Thunderer and the Blazing One.
Indra, who hath smote the serpent down, who drank the Soma's golden brew,
Come thou unto our sacred rite, accept the butter here outpoured.
Agni, the radiant mouth of all the gods, thou guest most beloved,
Carry our offerings up to heaven, bear our prayers upon thy sacred flame.
Both of ye, conquerors in every field, do battle for the worshipper.
Indra strikes down the demon host; Agni consumes the evil powers.
The two of you, together joined, make manifest the gods' delight.
With pressing-stones we crush the Soma stalks, the juice flows golden in the dawn.
This sacred drink we offer both to thee—come, Indra; come, O Holy Fire.
Ye who have conquered all the worlds, ye swift to answer fervent prayer,
Grant us the boon of cattle, grant us strength, grant us the triumph in the fight.
Agni, thou lightest up the dark; Indra, thou shatterer of the foe.
Both of ye dwell within our hearts, both of ye hear the singer's call.
We praise you with unceasing voice, as long as heaven and earth do stand.
Accept this gift, ye mighty lords, and bless the household of your praise.
Colophon
Rigveda I.21 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.21
ihendrāgnī upa hvaye tayor it stomam uśmasi |
tā somaṁ somapātamā || 1 ||
tā yajñeṣu pra śaṁsatendrāgnī śumbhatā naraḥ |
tā gāyatreṣu gāyata || 2 ||
tā mitrasya praśastaya indrāgnī tā havāmahe |
somapā somapītaye || 3 ||
ugrā santā havāmaha upedaṁ savanaṁ sutam |
indrāgnī eha gacchatām || 4 ||
tā mahāntā sadaspatī indrāgnī rakṣa ubjatam |
aprajāḥ santv atriṇaḥ || 5 ||
tena satyena jāgṛtam adhi pracetune pade |
indrāgnī śarma yacchatam || 6 ||
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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