Hymn to Agni
Rigveda X.80 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.
Agni bestoweth a team that bringeth reward; Agni giveth a hero, famed and worthy, whose renown springeth from deed and toil.
Through both halves of the world he wandereth, anointing all with holy fire; yea, he granteth a woman with a hero in her womb—Plenitude herself.
Let Agni’s kindling be of good omen and gain.
He hath taken seat in the twin vastnesses of the world.
He driveth the bold to triumph in war;
he breaketh the many hindrances that lie in the way.
Agni helped old Jaratkarṇa;
he burned out Jarūtha from the waters.
He freed Atri from the seething pot, and brought Nr̥medha to his kin and seed.
Agni bringeth riches decked with men of might; he giveth a seer whose song bringeth thousands.
He stretcheth the gift toward heaven above; his realm is scattered o’er manifold lands.
It is Agni whom the sages strive to summon in chant; Agni is he whom men call upon in times of trial;
Agni, whom the birds cry out to as they fly through the sky.
Agni doth encircle the herds by the thousand.
Agni is called by the tribes of Manu’s line; Agni is hailed by all born of Manu and Nahus’ seed.
He hath found the Gandharvan path of truth; his meadows are laid in rivers of ghee.
For Agni did the Ṛbhus shape their holy word; unto Agni have we spoken a hymn full-wrought and fine.
O Agni, thou youngest of the gods—
speed the singer on his way, and by the rite, win wealth abounding.
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.80
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.
agniḥ saptiṁ vājambharaṁ dadāty agnir vīraṁ śrutyaṁ karmaniḥṣṭhām |
agnī rodasī vi carat samañjann agnir nārīṁ vīrakukṣim puraṁdhim || 1 ||
agner apnasaḥ samid astu bhadrāgnir mahī rodasī ā viveśa |
agnir ekaṁ codayat samatsv agnir vṛtrāṇi dayate purūṇi || 2 ||
agnir ha tyaṁ jarataḥ karṇam āvāgnir adbhyo nir adahaj jarūtham |
agnir atriṁ gharma uruṣyad antar agnir nṛmedham prajayāsṛjat sam || 3 ||
agnir dād draviṇaṁ vīrapeśā agnir ṛṣiṁ yaḥ sahasrā sanoti |
agnir divi havyam ā tatānāgner dhāmāni vibhṛtā purutrā || 4 ||
agnim ukthair ṛṣayo vi hvayante 'gniṁ naro yāmani bādhitāsaḥ |
agniṁ vayo antarikṣe patanto 'gniḥ sahasrā pari yāti gonām || 5 ||
agniṁ viśa īḻate mānuṣīr yā agnim manuṣo nahuṣo vi jātāḥ |
agnir gāndharvīm pathyām ṛtasyāgner gavyūtir ghṛta ā niṣattā || 6 ||
agnaye brahma ṛbhavas tatakṣur agnim mahām avocāmā suvṛktim |
agne prāva jaritāraṁ yaviṣṭhāgne mahi draviṇam ā yajasva || 7 ||
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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