Hymn to Agni
Rigveda III.19 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, sharpened blade of the immortals, thou weapon that neither rusts nor dulls, tempered in the forge of the cosmic order itself—hear us cry out in our need. When our enemies arise like locusts across the plain, when malice threateneth to devour us whole, we call upon thy martial essence, thy flame that consumeth all resistance.
Thou art the warrior's sword, though no hand may grasp thee. Thou art the archer's arrow, though no bow doth loose thee from its string. Yet when the Ṛṣis speak thy name with righteous intention, thy power flows forth like the river in flood, irresistible, all-devouring, crushing beneath its tide whatsoever standeth in opposition.
Yet thou art also the shield, O radiant one—the protection of the good, the fortress of the righteous. Around him who keepeth sacred law, who offereth to thee with pious heart, thy flames do coil like a serpent coil, guarding him from the weapons of the wicked. No arrow flung by hateful hand shall pierce him. No curse shall touch his body. No poisoned word shall find root in his heart.
The demon cries out in terror at thy approach. The sorcerer shrinks back as thy light beginneth to dawn. The liar cannot endure thy presence, for thou burnest away all that is false and deceitful, leaving only naked truth exposed unto the eyes of gods and men.
Grant us thy strength, O Agni, that we may vanquish our foes not through hatred, but through the irresistible power of righteousness. Make us thy instruments of justice. Let us be sharp and sure, swift and unstoppable, yet merciful unto all who come to thee with honest hearts and truthful tongues.
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.19
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.
agniṁ hotāram pra vṛṇe miyedhe gṛtsaṁ kaviṁ viśvavidam amūram |
sa no yakṣad devatātā yajīyān rāye vājāya vanate maghāni || 1 ||
pra te agne haviṣmatīm iyarmy acchā sudyumnāṁ rātinīṁ ghṛtācīm |
pradakṣiṇid devatātim urāṇaḥ saṁ rātibhir vasubhir yajñam aśret || 2 ||
sa tejīyasā manasā tvota uta śikṣa svapatyasya śikṣoḥ |
agne rāyo nṛtamasya prabhūtau bhūyāma te suṣṭutayaś ca vasvaḥ || 3 ||
bhūrīṇi hi tve dadhire anīkāgne devasya yajyavo janāsaḥ |
sa ā vaha devatātiṁ yaviṣṭha śardho yad adya divyaṁ yajāsi || 4 ||
yat tvā hotāram anajan miyedhe niṣādayanto yajathāya devāḥ |
sa tvaṁ no agne 'viteha bodhy adhi śravāṁsi dhehi nas tanūṣu || 5 ||
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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