Hymn to Agni
Rigveda X.115 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.
Brilliant is the waxing of the tender babe, though he draweth not nigh to his twin mothers for suck.
Though the udderless hath begotten him, yet he hath waxed full-grown in a breath, setting forth upon a mighty errand.
He is set in the house, named Agni—chief of craftsmen— who bindeth fast the timbers with his biting tooth, with his grinding tongue; he, master of rite, snorteth like a bull of strength amid the field.
Him do I call for you—the god seated on the wood as a bird in the bough, the drop from the reed resting in the wooden cup, snorting, sweeping the earth, undulating in motion, the bearer of gifts with a mouth like a draught-horse, flaming forth in might, a runner beneath a solemn charge.
O thou ageless one, thy flames rush forth to burn, eager as winds, steadfast as hills—they round thee in brightness; fierce-hearted, they reach to Trita like warriors charging the matchless champion, bidding him forth to strive.
Even this Agni, pride of the Kaṇvas, comrade at their side, breaker of foes far and near— let him shield the song-weavers, let him guard the givers; let Agni stretch forth their aid to us.
O thou of noble stock, the prize-taker, the greater in might, to Jātavedas doth the flame reach thirsting, yielding the gift— he who, by choice, dareth greatly, though in a waterless land; he, the foremost, who for hunger’s sake pierceth the desolate wild.
Thus is Agni hailed among men of strength with their mortal lords, the bold child of force, lauded by the worthy— these patrons, firm in their place as goodly friends, true-seekers, outshining the line of Manu as the heavens outshine below.
“O child of feeding, mighty in thy being”—thus speaketh the bullish tongue of Upastuta.
We shall raise thy praise—we, enriched with champions through thy grace, stretching the threads of life yet further for our days.
So have the sons of Vṛṣṭihavya, the Upastutas, seers of old, made thee known, O Agni.
Shield them now—both singers and their lords.
With the cry of “Vaṣaṭ, vaṣaṭ,” they have stood aright before thee; with “Homage, homage,” they have drawn nigh in awe.
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.115
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.
citra ic chiśos taruṇasya vakṣatho na yo mātarāv apyeti dhātave |
anūdhā yadi jījanad adhā ca nu vavakṣa sadyo mahi dūtya1ṁ caran || 1 ||
agnir ha nāma dhāyi dann apastamaḥ saṁ yo vanā yuvate bhasmanā datā |
abhipramurā juhvā svadhvara ino na prothamāno yavase vṛṣā || 2 ||
taṁ vo viṁ na druṣadaṁ devam andhasa indum prothantam pravapantam arṇavam |
āsā vahniṁ na śociṣā virapśinam mahivrataṁ na sarajantam adhvanaḥ || 3 ||
vi yasya te jrayasānasyājara dhakṣor na vātāḥ pari santy acyutāḥ |
ā raṇvāso yuyudhayo na satvanaṁ tritaṁ naśanta pra śiṣanta iṣṭaye || 4 ||
sa id agniḥ kaṇvatamaḥ kaṇvasakhāryaḥ parasyāntarasya taruṣaḥ |
agniḥ pātu gṛṇato agniḥ sūrīn agnir dadātu teṣām avo naḥ || 5 ||
vājintamāya sahyase supitrya tṛṣu cyavāno anu jātavedase |
anudre cid yo dhṛṣatā varaṁ sate mahintamāya dhanvaned aviṣyate || 6 ||
evāgnir martaiḥ saha sūribhir vasuḥ ṣṭave sahasaḥ sūnaro nṛbhiḥ |
mitrāso na ye sudhitā ṛtāyavo dyāvo na dyumnair abhi santi mānuṣān || 7 ||
ūrjo napāt sahasāvann iti tvopastutasya vandate vṛṣā vāk |
tvāṁ stoṣāma tvayā suvīrā drāghīya āyuḥ prataraṁ dadhānāḥ || 8 ||
iti tvāgne vṛṣṭihavyasya putrā upastutāsa ṛṣayo 'vocan |
tām̐ś ca pāhi gṛṇataś ca sūrīn vaṣaḍ vaṣaḻ ity ūrdhvāso anakṣan namo nama ity ūrdhvāso anakṣan || 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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