Hymn to Agni
Rigveda III.1 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 3 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.
I kindle thee, O Agni, lord of fire, the radiant flame that dwelleth in the dawn. Thou art the herald of the gods most high, the messenger whom mortals call to aid. Receive our gifts with favor, O bright one, and bear them upward to the seat of heaven.
In every home thou sittest, O Vaiśvānara, the universal flame that knoweth no decay. The Bhṛgus brought thee forth in ancient days, and all the peoples keep thy sacred fire. Through thee the sacrifice ascendeth straight, and through thy mouth the offerings are made divine.
Thou art the keeper of the eternal law, the ṛta that holdeth heaven and earth in place. The gods have chosen thee their priest and spokesman, the one through whom all worship findeth voice. Accept this hymn, O Agni ever-radiant, and grant to us the blessings we desire.
Strengthen our seed and cattle, O golden one. Ward off the hateful rākṣasas from our homes. Guide us to wealth and days of length unnumbered. Be gracious now, O Agni, lord of splendor.
Thou burnest bright at morning and at noon, at evening thou art kindled once again. No rest knoweth thy flame, no slumber taketh thee — forever watchful, ever vigilant thou standest. The mortals who have honored thee with ghee and soma find abundance in their fields and halls.
Through thee, O flame, we speak unto the gods. Through thee they hear the voice of mortal prayer. Be messenger of our petitions, Agni, and bring us back the blessings we implore. For thou art nearest to us of the gods, thou who dost dwell within our very homes.
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 III.1
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.
somasya mā tavasaṁ vakṣy agne vahniṁ cakartha vidathe yajadhyai |
devām̐ acchā dīdyad yuñje adriṁ śamāye agne tanvaṁ juṣasva || 1 ||
prāñcaṁ yajñaṁ cakṛma vardhatāṁ gīḥ samidbhir agniṁ namasā duvasyan |
divaḥ śaśāsur vidathā kavīnāṁ gṛtsāya cit tavase gātum īṣuḥ || 2 ||
mayo dadhe medhiraḥ pūtadakṣo divaḥ subandhur januṣā pṛthivyāḥ |
avindann u darśatam apsv a1ntar devāso agnim apasi svasṝṇām || 3 ||
avardhayan subhagaṁ sapta yahvīḥ śvetaṁ jajñānam aruṣam mahitvā |
śiśuṁ na jātam abhy ārur aśvā devāso agniṁ janiman vapuṣyan || 4 ||
śukrebhir aṅgai raja ātatanvān kratum punānaḥ kavibhiḥ pavitraiḥ |
śocir vasānaḥ pary āyur apāṁ śriyo mimīte bṛhatīr anūnāḥ || 5 ||
vavrājā sīm anadatīr adabdhā divo yahvīr avasānā anagnāḥ |
sanā atra yuvatayaḥ sayonīr ekaṁ garbhaṁ dadhire sapta vāṇīḥ || 6 ||
stīrṇā asya saṁhato viśvarūpā ghṛtasya yonau sravathe madhūnām |
asthur atra dhenavaḥ pinvamānā mahī dasmasya mātarā samīcī || 7 ||
babhrāṇaḥ sūno sahaso vy adyaud dadhānaḥ śukrā rabhasā vapūṁṣi |
ścotanti dhārā madhuno ghṛtasya vṛṣā yatra vāvṛdhe kāvyena || 8 ||
pituś cid ūdhar januṣā viveda vy asya dhārā asṛjad vi dhenāḥ |
guhā carantaṁ sakhibhiḥ śivebhir divo yahvībhir na guhā babhūva || 9 ||
pituś ca garbhaṁ janituś ca babhre pūrvīr eko adhayat pīpyānāḥ |
vṛṣṇe sapatnī śucaye sabandhū ubhe asmai manuṣye3 ni pāhi || 10 ||
urau mahām̐ anibādhe vavardhāpo agniṁ yaśasaḥ saṁ hi pūrvīḥ |
ṛtasya yonāv aśayad damūnā jāmīnām agnir apasi svasṝṇām || 11 ||
akro na babhriḥ samithe mahīnāṁ didṛkṣeyaḥ sūnave bhāṛjīkaḥ |
ud usriyā janitā yo jajānāpāṁ garbho nṛtamo yahvo agniḥ || 12 ||
apāṁ garbhaṁ darśatam oṣadhīnāṁ vanā jajāna subhagā virūpam |
devāsaś cin manasā saṁ hi jagmuḥ paniṣṭhaṁ jātaṁ tavasaṁ duvasyan || 13 ||
bṛhanta id bhānavo bhāṛjīkam agniṁ sacanta vidyuto na śukrāḥ |
guheva vṛddhaṁ sadasi sve antar apāra ūrve amṛtaṁ duhānāḥ || 14 ||
īḻe ca tvā yajamāno havirbhir īḻe sakhitvaṁ sumatiṁ nikāmaḥ |
devair avo mimīhi saṁ jaritre rakṣā ca no damyebhir anīkaiḥ || 15 ||
upakṣetāras tava supraṇīte 'gne viśvāni dhanyā dadhānāḥ |
suretasā śravasā tuñjamānā abhi ṣyāma pṛtanāyūm̐r adevān || 16 ||
ā devānām abhavaḥ ketur agne mandro viśvāni kāvyāni vidvān |
prati martām̐ avāsayo damūnā anu devān rathiro yāsi sādhan || 17 ||
ni duroṇe amṛto martyānāṁ rājā sasāda vidathāni sādhan |
ghṛtapratīka urviyā vy adyaud agnir viśvāni kāvyāni vidvān || 18 ||
ā no gahi sakhyebhiḥ śivebhir mahān mahībhir ūtibhiḥ saraṇyan |
asme rayim bahulaṁ saṁtarutraṁ suvācam bhāgaṁ yaśasaṁ kṛdhī naḥ || 19 ||
etā te agne janimā sanāni pra pūrvyāya nūtanāni vocam |
mahānti vṛṣṇe savanā kṛtemā janmañ-janman nihito jātavedāḥ || 20 ||
janmañ-janman nihito jātavedā viśvāmitrebhir idhyate ajasraḥ |
tasya vayaṁ sumatau yajñiyasyāpi bhadre saumanase syāma || 21 ||
imaṁ yajñaṁ sahasāvan tvaṁ no devatrā dhehi sukrato rarāṇaḥ |
pra yaṁsi hotar bṛhatīr iṣo no 'gne mahi draviṇam ā yajasva || 22 ||
iḻām agne purudaṁsaṁ saniṁ goḥ śaśvattamaṁ havamānāya sādha |
syān naḥ sūnus tanayo vijāvāgne sā te sumatir bhūtv asme || 23 ||
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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