Hymn to Agni
Rigveda X.165 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.
O gods, when the dove, sent as herald of Unmaking, cometh to seek its lot, we shall lift our voices in song, and cast it out with rite.
Let there be health for those that walk on two legs, and health for those that walk on four.
Let the dove, though sent forth, bear us goodwill; O ye gods, let the bird of omen bring no ill beneath our roof.
Let Agni, the fire-born seer, delight in what we lay upon the flame— and let the wingèd shaft pass us by.
This dart with wings shall not seize us by guile.
In yonder hearth it marketh its track.
May our kine be kept, and our kin unharmed.
Let not the dove bring hurt upon us, O gods.
When the owl doth cry, it cometh to naught— so too when the dove leaveth sign in the flame.
To him for whom it is sent, be all due awe:
to Yama, who is Death and end of days.
With this verse, thrust the dove away.
Glad of its draught, lead thou thy cow in circle 'round, blotting out all bane and burden.
And when it leaveth us our strengthening meat, then swiftest of wings, let it fly far hence.
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.165
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.
devāḥ kapota iṣito yad icchan dūto nirṛtyā idam ājagāma |
tasmā arcāma kṛṇavāma niṣkṛtiṁ śaṁ no astu dvipade śaṁ catuṣpade || 1 ||
śivaḥ kapota iṣito no astv anāgā devāḥ śakuno gṛheṣu |
agnir hi vipro juṣatāṁ havir naḥ pari hetiḥ pakṣiṇī no vṛṇaktu || 2 ||
hetiḥ pakṣiṇī na dabhāty asmān āṣṭryām padaṁ kṛṇute agnidhāne |
śaṁ no gobhyaś ca puruṣebhyaś cāstu mā no hiṁsīd iha devāḥ kapotaḥ || 3 ||
yad ulūko vadati mogham etad yat kapotaḥ padam agnau kṛṇoti |
yasya dūtaḥ prahita eṣa etat tasmai yamāya namo astu mṛtyave || 4 ||
ṛcā kapotaṁ nudata praṇodam iṣam madantaḥ pari gāṁ nayadhvam |
saṁyopayanto duritāni viśvā hitvā na ūrjam pra patāt patiṣṭhaḥ || 5 ||
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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