Hymn to Agni
Rigveda I.36 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 the radiant Agni, guest of every household and of every home.
Thou art the chosen fire upon the altar; thou art the sacred flame most pure.
We welcome thee into our dwelling; thou art the most honored guest we know.
Accept our love and our devotion; dwell forever in our hearts.
Agni, thou art the friend of man; no god doth come so close to mortals.
Thou sittest in the hall; thou hearest every word that we do speak.
Thou warmest us upon the cold night; thou cookest all the food we eat.
Without thee, we should perish in the darkness and the hunger.
When the sun hath set and darkness falleth upon all the land,
Thou shinest bright within the home, a beacon in the deepest night.
The family gathereth around thy flame to tell their tales and sing.
Thou art the center of all life; thou art the heart of every home.
The ṛṣis have honored thee of old; the ancient kings did pour their offerings.
The Soma hath been pressed for thee; the butter melteth on thy coals.
The finest gifts we have are set before thee—accept them all with pleasure.
Thou art the most welcome of all guests; thou art the favored one.
In sickness, when the mortal man doth lie upon his bed of pain,
'Tis thy warm light that breedeth hope; 'tis thy bright flame that bringeth peace.
In sorrow, when the heart doth break, we come to thee for solace.
Thou art the comforter of all; thou art the gentle, kindly guest.
At dawn thou art the first to greet the sun; at night thou art the last to sleep.
Thou fadest not; thou weary not; thy service knoweth not an end.
O Agni, beloved fire, we thank thee for thy constant care.
Dwell with us always, dear guest; be ever welcome in our home.
Colophon
Rigveda I.36 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.36
pra vo yahvam purūṇāṁ viśāṁ devayatīnām |
agniṁ sūktebhir vacobhir īmahe yaṁ sīm id anya īḻate || 1 ||
janāso agniṁ dadhire sahovṛdhaṁ haviṣmanto vidhema te |
sa tvaṁ no adya sumanā ihāvitā bhavā vājeṣu santya || 2 ||
pra tvā dūtaṁ vṛṇīmahe hotāraṁ viśvavedasam |
mahas te sato vi caranty arcayo divi spṛśanti bhānavaḥ || 3 ||
devāsas tvā varuṇo mitro aryamā saṁ dūtam pratnam indhate |
viśvaṁ so agne jayati tvayā dhanaṁ yas te dadāśa martyaḥ || 4 ||
mandro hotā gṛhapatir agne dūto viśām asi |
tve viśvā saṁgatāni vratā dhruvā yāni devā akṛṇvata || 5 ||
tve id agne subhage yaviṣṭhya viśvam ā hūyate haviḥ |
sa tvaṁ no adya sumanā utāparaṁ yakṣi devān suvīryā || 6 ||
taṁ ghem itthā namasvina upa svarājam āsate |
hotrābhir agnim manuṣaḥ sam indhate titirvāṁso ati sridhaḥ || 7 ||
ghnanto vṛtram ataran rodasī apa uru kṣayāya cakrire |
bhuvat kaṇve vṛṣā dyumny āhutaḥ krandad aśvo gaviṣṭiṣu || 8 ||
saṁ sīdasva mahām̐ asi śocasva devavītamaḥ |
vi dhūmam agne aruṣam miyedhya sṛja praśasta darśatam || 9 ||
yaṁ tvā devāso manave dadhur iha yajiṣṭhaṁ havyavāhana |
yaṁ kaṇvo medhyātithir dhanaspṛtaṁ yaṁ vṛṣā yam upastutaḥ || 10 ||
yam agnim medhyātithiḥ kaṇva īdha ṛtād adhi |
tasya preṣo dīdiyus tam imā ṛcas tam agniṁ vardhayāmasi || 11 ||
rāyas pūrdhi svadhāvo 'sti hi te 'gne deveṣv āpyam |
tvaṁ vājasya śrutyasya rājasi sa no mṛḻa mahām̐ asi || 12 ||
ūrdhva ū ṣu ṇa ūtaye tiṣṭhā devo na savitā |
ūrdhvo vājasya sanitā yad añjibhir vāghadbhir vihvayāmahe || 13 ||
ūrdhvo naḥ pāhy aṁhaso ni ketunā viśvaṁ sam atriṇaṁ daha |
kṛdhī na ūrdhvāñ carathāya jīvase vidā deveṣu no duvaḥ || 14 ||
pāhi no agne rakṣasaḥ pāhi dhūrter arāvṇaḥ |
pāhi rīṣata uta vā jighāṁsato bṛhadbhāno yaviṣṭhya || 15 ||
ghaneva viṣvag vi jahy arāvṇas tapurjambha yo asmadhruk |
yo martyaḥ śiśīte aty aktubhir mā naḥ sa ripur īśata || 16 ||
agnir vavne suvīryam agniḥ kaṇvāya saubhagam |
agniḥ prāvan mitrota medhyātithim agniḥ sātā upastutam || 17 ||
agninā turvaśaṁ yadum parāvata ugrādevaṁ havāmahe |
agnir nayan navavāstvam bṛhadrathaṁ turvītiṁ dasyave sahaḥ || 18 ||
ni tvām agne manur dadhe jyotir janāya śaśvate |
dīdetha kaṇva ṛtajāta ukṣito yaṁ namasyanti kṛṣṭayaḥ || 19 ||
tveṣāso agner amavanto arcayo bhīmāso na pratītaye |
rakṣasvinaḥ sadam id yātumāvato viśvaṁ sam atriṇaṁ daha || 20 ||
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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