Hymn to Agni
Rigveda X.91 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.
Awakening, he is kindled by the watchful, master of the hearth within the house, refreshed where refreshment last did tread, the chosen Hotar of every gift, far-striding, far-shining, a true companion to the one who stands as friend.
With beauty fair to behold, a guest in every dwelling, in every piece of timber is he set, as a hawk in flight amidst the trees.
He is of the folk, and turneth not from any people.
Of the kin is he, and abideth in all their tents.
Full of craft by thy cunning, full of strength by thy will, O Agni, thou art the wise poet through thy song.
A goodly one, thou alone dost keep the treasure, fostered by both Earth and Heaven.
Foreknowing Agni, thou settlest in due season to thy butter-rich womb, where refreshment left its trace.
Thy comings gleam like the mornings, thy reins as clean as the sun’s own beams.
Thy fair lights blaze as the lightning before rain, gleaming like the beacons at dawn’s edge.
Loosed toward tree and leaf, thou claspest them all, taking them to thy mouth as thy meat.
The green things bore him as their seed in season; the waters, as his mothers, brought him forth.
The trees and sprigs swelled with life,
birthing him who changeth not in any place.
When stirred by wind, aroused, thou spreadest abroad, harrying the dry meat as thou dost please.
Thy undying hosts—thy flames—set themselves apart like charioteers in line, as thou consumest, O Agni.
Maker of wisdom, forwarder of the rite,
Agni the Hotar, greatest in gathered thought, him they call for at the small offering, him again for the great—none other than thee.
The wise in worship choose but thee, Agni, as Hotar at the rite; they seek the gods through thee, laying before thee gifts that bring delight, offering with bent grass in hand.
Thine is the task of Hotar, thine of Potar in its turn; thine too the Neṣṭar’s seat. Thou art the fire-waker of him who walketh the path of truth.
Thine is the charge of Praśāstar;
thou servest as Adhvaryu, as Brahman and house-lord alike.
The mortal who, for thee the deathless,
O Agni, doeth pious work with stick or sacred meal— for him thou becomest the Hotar, his quest thou takest upon thyself.
Thou speakest for him, thou sacrificest, thou fulfillest the Adhvaryu’s part.
These offerings—our thoughts, our words, our songs, our verse, and fair praises—have come to thee, to Jātavedas, the good, the strength-giver of strengthful lays.
This new hymn I would lift to him, the age-worn yet ever hungry for song.
Let it reach his heart, drawing nigh as a bride arrayed in beauty comes unto her love.
To him are loosed the horse, the bull, the ox, the yoked cow and the ram, all poured forth— to him who drinketh kīlāla, with soma on his back.
For such a one I fashion a lovely thought with all my heart—for Agni.
An offering is poured into thy mouth, Agni, as ghee to the ladle, as soma to the cup.
Grant us wealth that winneth reward, rich in brave men, renowned, bright, and high.
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.91
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.
saṁ jāgṛvadbhir jaramāṇa idhyate dame damūnā iṣayann iḻas pade |
viśvasya hotā haviṣo vareṇyo vibhur vibhāvā suṣakhā sakhīyate || 1 ||
sa darśataśrīr atithir gṛhe-gṛhe vane-vane śiśriye takvavīr iva |
janaṁ-janaṁ janyo nāti manyate viśa ā kṣeti viśyo3 viśaṁ-viśam || 2 ||
sudakṣo dakṣaiḥ kratunāsi sukratur agne kaviḥ kāvyenāsi viśvavit |
vasur vasūnāṁ kṣayasi tvam eka id dyāvā ca yāni pṛthivī ca puṣyataḥ || 3 ||
prajānann agne tava yonim ṛtviyam iḻāyās pade ghṛtavantam āsadaḥ |
ā te cikitra uṣasām ivetayo 'repasaḥ sūryasyeva raśmayaḥ || 4 ||
tava śriyo varṣyasyeva vidyutaś citrāś cikitra uṣasāṁ na ketavaḥ |
yad oṣadhīr abhisṛṣṭo vanāni ca pari svayaṁ cinuṣe annam āsye || 5 ||
tam oṣadhīr dadhire garbham ṛtviyaṁ tam āpo agniṁ janayanta mātaraḥ |
tam it samānaṁ vaninaś ca vīrudho 'ntarvatīś ca suvate ca viśvahā || 6 ||
vātopadhūta iṣito vaśām̐ anu tṛṣu yad annā veviṣad vitiṣṭhase |
ā te yatante rathyo3 yathā pṛthak chardhāṁsy agne ajarāṇi dhakṣataḥ || 7 ||
medhākāraṁ vidathasya prasādhanam agniṁ hotāram paribhūtamam matim |
tam id arbhe haviṣy ā samānam it tam in mahe vṛṇate nānyaṁ tvat || 8 ||
tvām id atra vṛṇate tvāyavo hotāram agne vidatheṣu vedhasaḥ |
yad devayanto dadhati prayāṁsi te haviṣmanto manavo vṛktabarhiṣaḥ || 9 ||
tavāgne hotraṁ tava potram ṛtviyaṁ tava neṣṭraṁ tvam agnid ṛtāyataḥ |
tava praśāstraṁ tvam adhvarīyasi brahmā cāsi gṛhapatiś ca no dame || 10 ||
yas tubhyam agne amṛtāya martyaḥ samidhā dāśad uta vā haviṣkṛti |
tasya hotā bhavasi yāsi dūtya1m upa brūṣe yajasy adhvarīyasi || 11 ||
imā asmai matayo vāco asmad ām̐ ṛco giraḥ suṣṭutayaḥ sam agmata |
vasūyavo vasave jātavedase vṛddhāsu cid vardhano yāsu cākanat || 12 ||
imām pratnāya suṣṭutiṁ navīyasīṁ voceyam asmā uśate śṛṇotu naḥ |
bhūyā antarā hṛdy asya nispṛśe jāyeva patya uśatī suvāsāḥ || 13 ||
yasminn aśvāsa ṛṣabhāsa ukṣaṇo vaśā meṣā avasṛṣṭāsa āhutāḥ |
kīlālape somapṛṣṭhāya vedhase hṛdā matiṁ janaye cārum agnaye || 14 ||
ahāvy agne havir āsye te srucīva ghṛtaṁ camvīva somaḥ |
vājasaniṁ rayim asme suvīram praśastaṁ dhehi yaśasam bṛhantam || 15 ||
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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