Hymn to Agni
Rigveda III.12 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 Indra and O Agni, mightiest of gods, hear now the song of Viśvāmitra! We invoke thee jointly, we praise thee together, for ye are the supreme powers, the conquerors of evil, the defenders of the law. Indra with thy thunderbolt and Agni with thy flame — together ye are invincible!
When the demons rose in ancient days, threatening to overturn the cosmic order, it was thou, O Indra, who didst smite them with thy weapons. And it was thou, O Agni, who didst consume their flesh, didst purify the world of their corruption. Thou art the complement of each other, the perfect partners in destruction of all that is evil.
The thunder roareth and the lightning flasheth — this is the voice of Indra crying out his mighty challenge! The fire burneth and the smoke riseth — this is the answer of Agni, the echo that reverberate through all the worlds! Together, thy sounds are the music of cosmic power, the hymn that maketh creation shudder with awe.
In battle, O mighty pair, your enemies fall like leaves before the wind. No fortress can withstand your assault, no army can hold its ground against your fury. The demons flee before you, the evil ones are scattered like dust, and the cosmic order is restored through your terrible and beautiful power.
Therefore, O Indra-Agni, lords of might, accept our offering! Grant unto us a measure of your strength, that we too might overcome our enemies and establish justice in our lands. Let us partake of your fearlessness, your unwavering determination, your sacred fury. And in return, we shall kindle the fires of sacrifice more brightly still, and thunder forth thy praises so that all the world shall know the glory of the mighty pair.
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.12
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.
indrāgnī ā gataṁ sutaṁ gīrbhir nabho vareṇyam |
asya pātaṁ dhiyeṣitā || 1 ||
indrāgnī jarituḥ sacā yajño jigāti cetanaḥ |
ayā pātam imaṁ sutam || 2 ||
indram agniṁ kavicchadā yajñasya jūtyā vṛṇe |
tā somasyeha tṛmpatām || 3 ||
tośā vṛtrahaṇā huve sajitvānāparājitā |
indrāgnī vājasātamā || 4 ||
pra vām arcanty ukthino nīthāvido jaritāraḥ |
indrāgnī iṣa ā vṛṇe || 5 ||
indrāgnī navatim puro dāsapatnīr adhūnutam |
sākam ekena karmaṇā || 6 ||
indrāgnī apasas pary upa pra yanti dhītayaḥ |
ṛtasya pathyā3 anu || 7 ||
indrāgnī taviṣāṇi vāṁ sadhasthāni prayāṁsi ca |
yuvor aptūryaṁ hitam || 8 ||
indrāgnī rocanā divaḥ pari vājeṣu bhūṣathaḥ |
tad vāṁ ceti pra vīryam || 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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