Hymn to Agni
Rigveda III.10 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.
O all-knowing one, thou seest all things! The eye of Agni pierceth every darkness and every concealment. What mortal man can hide his deeds from thee, O fire? Thou art present at every altar, thou witnessest every sacrifice, thou knowest the hearts of all creatures.
When the merchant maketh his exchange, thou seest whether his weights be true or false. When the warrior draweth his sword, thou knowest whether his cause be just. When the woman guardeth her husband's home, thou seest the purity of her heart. Nothing escapeth thy all-penetrating gaze.
And yet, O Agni, thou art not cruel in thy knowing. Thou dost not punish mortals for their hidden thoughts, thou dost not consume us because of our weaknesses. Nay, thou seest all things, and knowing all things, thou art merciful. Thou knowest that mortals are frail and struggling, and so thou showest patience with our failings.
The gods themselves rely upon thy knowledge. When they would know the truth of a matter, they turn their attention to thee, for thou art the witness that cannot lie. Thou art the judge that cannot be bribed. Thou art the record-keeper that cannot be deceived.
O Agni, source of all knowing, grant unto us also a portion of thy vision! Let us learn to see truly, to perceive the world as it is, to understand the hidden causes of all events. Let us not be deceived by appearances, but let us see through to the reality that lieth beneath. And grant unto us the wisdom to understand what we perceive, that we might dwell in truth and righteousness all the days of our lives.
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.10
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.
tvām agne manīṣiṇaḥ samrājaṁ carṣaṇīnām |
devam martāsa indhate sam adhvare || 1 ||
tvāṁ yajñeṣv ṛtvijam agne hotāram īḻate |
gopā ṛtasya dīdihi sve dame || 2 ||
sa ghā yas te dadāśati samidhā jātavedase |
so agne dhatte suvīryaṁ sa puṣyati || 3 ||
sa ketur adhvarāṇām agnir devebhir ā gamat |
añjānaḥ sapta hotṛbhir haviṣmate || 4 ||
pra hotre pūrvyaṁ vaco 'gnaye bharatā bṛhat |
vipāṁ jyotīṁṣi bibhrate na vedhase || 5 ||
agniṁ vardhantu no giro yato jāyata ukthyaḥ |
mahe vājāya draviṇāya darśataḥ || 6 ||
agne yajiṣṭho adhvare devān devayate yaja |
hotā mandro vi rājasy ati sridhaḥ || 7 ||
sa naḥ pāvaka dīdihi dyumad asme suvīryam |
bhavā stotṛbhyo antamaḥ svastaye || 8 ||
taṁ tvā viprā vipanyavo jāgṛvāṁsaḥ sam indhate |
havyavāham amartyaṁ sahovṛdham || 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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