Hymn to Agni
Rigveda X.11 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 10 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
The bull hath poured out his draughts of milk for the bull, Soma for Indra, by the milking of the heavens.
He, the ever-young and unbeguiled son of Aditi, knoweth all, as Varuna knoweth—by insight deep and sure.
Let him who is fit for offering set forth the sacrifice, through all the ordered rounds of holy rite.
The Gandharvī murmureth—
may that maiden of the waters hedge my mind round about, when the bellowing of the bellowing bull is heard.
Let Aditi place us in the heart of our desiring.
Our eldest brother shall speak it first—Agni shall declare.
Even now hath Dawn arisen, she who is rich in kine and glory, and walketh beside the Sun, for the sons of Manu.
Then do men beget Agni as Hotar, to portion forth the offerings,
he being eager and yoked to the will of the eager.
Behold this shining drop—Soma, spread wide and gleaming unto all.
The bird, the falcon that was sent, hath borne it to the rite, when the clans of Ārya chose Agni, the wondrous, to be their Hotar.
So was his far-seeing insight born.
Thou art ever a delight, O Agni, like green pastures to a man in good days, when thou leadest forth right rites with Manu’s holy drink, or when, by toil made pure, thou bringest the poet his fitting prize, drawing nigh with riches plentiful.
Awaken now his two begetters—his parents, the kindling-sticks— as a man would rouse the maiden of his heart.
The gladdener seeketh the kine;
his speech riseth from the deep well of his breast.
The strong one speaketh—the doer of goodly work.
The lord revealeth his might, and quaketh with thought divine.
Whoever of mortal men shall win thy grace, O Agni, thou son of might, his name shall echo far and high.
He draweth refreshment unto himself, borne swiftly by his steeds,
bright, fearsome, and steadfast in thy service.
And when this gathering, O Agni, becometh godly in the midst of gods,
a hallowed host among the heavenly ones— then, O thou that sharest gifts at will, set aside for us a portion laden with good.
Hear us where thou sittest, Agni, in thy dwelling, in thy seat of fire.
Yoke now the swift cart of the deathless.
Bring unto us the twain world-halves, whose sons are gods.
Be not far off from the host divine—be with us here!
Colophon
This hymn is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation are to be documented during audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda X.11
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
vṛṣā vṛṣṇe duduhe dohasā divaḥ payāṁsi yahvo aditer adābhyaḥ |
viśvaṁ sa veda varuṇo yathā dhiyā sa yajñiyo yajatu yajñiyām̐ ṛtūn || 1 ||
rapad gandharvīr apyā ca yoṣaṇā nadasya nāde pari pātu me manaḥ |
iṣṭasya madhye aditir ni dhātu no bhrātā no jyeṣṭhaḥ prathamo vi vocati || 2 ||
so cin nu bhadrā kṣumatī yaśasvaty uṣā uvāsa manave svarvatī |
yad īm uśantam uśatām anu kratum agniṁ hotāraṁ vidathāya jījanan || 3 ||
adha tyaṁ drapsaṁ vibhvaṁ vicakṣaṇaṁ vir ābharad iṣitaḥ śyeno adhvare |
yadī viśo vṛṇate dasmam āryā agniṁ hotāram adha dhīr ajāyata || 4 ||
sadāsi raṇvo yavaseva puṣyate hotrābhir agne manuṣaḥ svadhvaraḥ |
viprasya vā yac chaśamāna ukthya1ṁ vājaṁ sasavām̐ upayāsi bhūribhiḥ || 5 ||
ud īraya pitarā jāra ā bhagam iyakṣati haryato hṛtta iṣyati |
vivakti vahniḥ svapasyate makhas taviṣyate asuro vepate matī || 6 ||
yas te agne sumatim marto akṣat sahasaḥ sūno ati sa pra śṛṇve |
iṣaṁ dadhāno vahamāno aśvair ā sa dyumām̐ amavān bhūṣati dyūn || 7 ||
yad agna eṣā samitir bhavāti devī deveṣu yajatā yajatra |
ratnā ca yad vibhajāsi svadhāvo bhāgaṁ no atra vasumantaṁ vītāt || 8 ||
śrudhī no agne sadane sadhasthe yukṣvā ratham amṛtasya dravitnum |
ā no vaha rodasī devaputre mākir devānām apa bhūr iha syāḥ || 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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