Hymn to Agni
Rigveda III.16 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 Agni, my beloved, my truest friend! It is I, Viśvāmitra, who speaketh to thee now from the depths of my heart. Not as a priest making formal petition, but as a man speaketh to his dearest companion. Thou knowest me better than I know myself — thou art present at every moment of my life, thou seest every secret of my soul.
When I kindle thee each morning, it is as though I am greeting an old friend whom I have known since time beyond remembering. The warmth of thy presence comforteth me, the light of thy countenance gladdeneth my eyes. In all the long journey of my life, thou hast been constant, faithful, true. Thou hast never abandoned me, never turned away thy face from me.
Thou knowest my struggles and my triumphs, my failures and my small successes. Thou hast witnessed every prayer I have uttered, every offering I have made. When I could not speak, thou hast known the cry of my heart. When I have stumbled and fallen, thou hast been there to restore me, to kindle again the fire of my hope.
What gift can I give unto thee, O beloved flame? What offering could possibly equal the devotion thou hast shown unto me? Yet I would give thee all that I have — my years, my strength, my very life itself. I would kindle thee with my own breath if I could, would feed thy flame with my own substance, would make myself as naught if thereby I could show the depth of my gratitude.
Grant unto me, O Agni, that my love for thee shall only deepen with the passing of the years. Let my heart ever turn toward thee as the flame turneth toward the heavens. Let my devotion burn as brightly as thou burnest. And when the time cometh for my life to pass into shadow, let it be thy flame that receiveth me, that transformeth me, that carryeth my essence unto the feet of the immortals. For thou art my beloved, O Agni, and I am thine eternal servant.
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.16
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.
ayam agniḥ suvīryasyeśe mahaḥ saubhagasya |
rāya īśe svapatyasya gomata īśe vṛtrahathānām || 1 ||
imaṁ naro marutaḥ saścatā vṛdhaṁ yasmin rāyaḥ śevṛdhāsaḥ |
abhi ye santi pṛtanāsu dūḍhyo viśvāhā śatrum ādabhuḥ || 2 ||
sa tvaṁ no rāyaḥ śiśīhi mīḍhvo agne suvīryasya |
tuvidyumna varṣiṣṭhasya prajāvato 'namīvasya śuṣmiṇaḥ || 3 ||
cakrir yo viśvā bhuvanābhi sāsahiś cakrir deveṣv ā duvaḥ |
ā deveṣu yatata ā suvīrya ā śaṁsa uta nṛṇām || 4 ||
mā no agne 'mataye māvīratāyai rīradhaḥ |
māgotāyai sahasas putra mā nide 'pa dveṣāṁsy ā kṛdhi || 5 ||
śagdhi vājasya subhaga prajāvato 'gne bṛhato adhvare |
saṁ rāyā bhūyasā sṛja mayobhunā tuvidyumna yaśasvatā || 6 ||
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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