Hymn to Agni
Rigveda I.74 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.
O Agni, thou art the household fire—gentle and fierce, mild and terrible, depending upon the need! In the family hearth thou burnest soft and warm, a comfort to all who gather near. Yet shouldst anyone dare threaten those whom thou protectest, thy fury becometh terrible to behold.
The woman tending thy flames knoweth thee well, O Fire. She feedeth thee with wood as a mother feedeth her child. She speaketh to thee gently. She maketh her offerings with reverence and affection. And thou respondest by warming her home, by cooking the food that nourisheth her family, by driving away the cold of winter nights.
The children play in thy light without fear. They watch thy dancing and leaping with joy in their hearts. They learn from observing thee the secrets of transformation, the beauty of controlled power, the mystery of light emerging from darkness. Thou art their first teacher, O Agni, teaching them before they have words to understand.
Yet thou art fierce when duty calleth! When strangers approach with evil intent, when enemies would breach the sanctity of the home, thy flames rise up in terrible wrath. The intruder hath cause to fear thee then! The evildoer shall find no welcome at thy altar!
This is why thou art called the lord of the household, O Agni. Not because thou rulest with tyranny and fear, but because thou providest protection with gentle strength. Thou art approachable and kind, yet formidable and mighty. Thou understandest the needs of thy people. Thou knowest when to comfort and when to defend.
The family that honors thee and tends thee well shall never lack for warmth or safety. The home where thy flames burn bright is blessed beyond measure. Grant us, O Agni, the wisdom to honor thee always! Make our homes into sanctuaries of peace and of strength!
Colophon
Rigveda I.74 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.74
upaprayanto adhvaram mantraṁ vocemāgnaye |
āre asme ca śṛṇvate || 1 ||
yaḥ snīhitīṣu pūrvyaḥ saṁjagmānāsu kṛṣṭiṣu |
arakṣad dāśuṣe gayam || 2 ||
uta bruvantu jantava ud agnir vṛtrahājani |
dhanaṁjayo raṇe-raṇe || 3 ||
yasya dūto asi kṣaye veṣi havyāni vītaye |
dasmat kṛṇoṣy adhvaram || 4 ||
tam it suhavyam aṅgiraḥ sudevaṁ sahaso yaho |
janā āhuḥ subarhiṣam || 5 ||
ā ca vahāsi tām̐ iha devām̐ upa praśastaye |
havyā suścandra vītaye || 6 ||
na yor upabdir aśvyaḥ śṛṇve rathasya kac cana |
yad agne yāsi dūtyam || 7 ||
tvoto vājy ahrayo 'bhi pūrvasmād aparaḥ |
pra dāśvām̐ agne asthāt || 8 ||
uta dyumat suvīryam bṛhad agne vivāsasi |
devebhyo deva dāśuṣe || 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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