Hymn to Agni
Rigveda I.95 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.
Hidden in the waters dwelleth a secret fire! Agni, thou art concealed beneath the surface, yet thy power is manifest everywhere. The waters do not extinguish thee; rather do they shield thee from view. Within the depths of the ocean, thou burnest with an eternal flame. In the rivers and streams, in the springs and wells, in the waters that mortals drink — in all of these dost thou dwell.
The waters are thy mothers, and thou dost kindle within them a fire that is not fire — a heat that is not heat. It is a mystery beyond the comprehension of ordinary minds. The Rishis have glimpsed it in their meditations. The wise have spoken of it. Yet do most mortals pass through their lives unaware of thy hidden presence.
When the waters of the womb do surround the child, thou art there — the life-force giving warmth and growth. When the waters of the body do flow through our veins, thou art there — keeping us alive and strong. When the waters of the earth do nourish the crops, thou art there — transforming the seed into fruit and grain.
The sacred soma plant groweth by the waters. When we do crush it and pour the juice into the ritual cup, thy hidden fire doth illumine it, making it precious and divine. The plants that grow beside the water doth partake of thy essence.
O Agni, hidden in the depths! We acknowledge thy secret presence. We honor thee though thou art unseen. We know that thou dwellest in all waters, in all life-giving liquids. Let thy hidden fire illumine our minds. Let it warm our hearts. Let it guide us ever toward wisdom and truth. Thou art the fire behind the veil.
Colophon
Rigveda I.95 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.95
dve virūpe carataḥ svarthe anyānyā vatsam upa dhāpayete |
harir anyasyām bhavati svadhāvāñ chukro anyasyāṁ dadṛśe suvarcāḥ || 1 ||
daśemaṁ tvaṣṭur janayanta garbham atandrāso yuvatayo vibhṛtram |
tigmānīkaṁ svayaśasaṁ janeṣu virocamānam pari ṣīṁ nayanti || 2 ||
trīṇi jānā pari bhūṣanty asya samudra ekaṁ divy ekam apsu |
pūrvām anu pra diśam pārthivānām ṛtūn praśāsad vi dadhāv anuṣṭhu || 3 ||
ka imaṁ vo niṇyam ā ciketa vatso mātṝr janayata svadhābhiḥ |
bahvīnāṁ garbho apasām upasthān mahān kavir niś carati svadhāvān || 4 ||
āviṣṭyo vardhate cārur āsu jihmānām ūrdhvaḥ svayaśā upasthe |
ubhe tvaṣṭur bibhyatur jāyamānāt pratīcī siṁham prati joṣayete || 5 ||
ubhe bhadre joṣayete na mene gāvo na vāśrā upa tasthur evaiḥ |
sa dakṣāṇāṁ dakṣapatir babhūvāñjanti yaṁ dakṣiṇato havirbhiḥ || 6 ||
ud yaṁyamīti saviteva bāhū ubhe sicau yatate bhīma ṛñjan |
uc chukram atkam ajate simasmān navā mātṛbhyo vasanā jahāti || 7 ||
tveṣaṁ rūpaṁ kṛṇuta uttaraṁ yat sampṛñcānaḥ sadane gobhir adbhiḥ |
kavir budhnam pari marmṛjyate dhīḥ sā devatātā samitir babhūva || 8 ||
uru te jrayaḥ pary eti budhnaṁ virocamānam mahiṣasya dhāma |
viśvebhir agne svayaśobhir iddho 'dabdhebhiḥ pāyubhiḥ pāhy asmān || 9 ||
dhanvan srotaḥ kṛṇute gātum ūrmiṁ śukrair ūrmibhir abhi nakṣati kṣām |
viśvā sanāni jaṭhareṣu dhatte 'ntar navāsu carati prasūṣu || 10 ||
evā no agne samidhā vṛdhāno revat pāvaka śravase vi bhāhi |
tan no mitro varuṇo māmahantām aditiḥ sindhuḥ pṛthivī uta dyauḥ || 11 ||
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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