Hymn to Agni
Rigveda IV.3 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 4 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.
Thou art the mouth of the gods, O Agni! The divine hotṛ who speaketh for all heaven. When mortals pour the oblation, it is thy tongue that tasteth it. When men sing the hymn, it is thine ear that heareth. Thou art the translator between earth and sky, the envoy of the Devas, the priest eternal.
The gods did not make themselves known until thou didst speak for them. Thou art their voice. In thy flames they see themselves reflected. In thy smoke they smell the sweetness of our devotion. Without thee, they would be silent, distant, unknowable. But thou art the bridge! Thou art the connecting fire that bindeth the mortal realm to the divine.
O Agni, hotṛ supreme! Thou standest at the great sacrifice with thy hands raised. The Soma floweth, the butter burneth, the grain falleth into thy mouth. And thou, with thy golden voice, criest out: "Hear, O gods! Hear the prayer of these mortals! Come ye, taste ye, grant ye blessing!" Thus thou speakest, and the gods do listen.
Indra heareth thy call and the clouds gather. Varuṇa heareth thy voice and the waters obey. The Maruts hear and the winds blow strong. The Ādityas hear and the sun rideth forth in his golden chariot. All heaven moveth at thy word, O Agni. Thou art more mighty than the mightiest god, for it is through thy mouth that all divinity floweth forth.
Vāmadeva honoureth thee this day, O hotṛ! Let thy flames lick the clouds. Let thy smoke ascend without end. Let thy voice boom through the three worlds, proclaiming the glory of the sacrifice. Thou art the throat of heaven, the tongue of the immortals. Accept our oblation. Carry our praise to the throne of Indra the King.
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 IV.3
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.
ā vo rājānam adhvarasya rudraṁ hotāraṁ satyayajaṁ rodasyoḥ |
agnim purā tanayitnor acittād dhiraṇyarūpam avase kṛṇudhvam || 1 ||
ayaṁ yoniś cakṛmā yaṁ vayaṁ te jāyeva patya uśatī suvāsāḥ |
arvācīnaḥ parivīto ni ṣīdemā u te svapāka pratīcīḥ || 2 ||
āśṛṇvate adṛpitāya manma nṛcakṣase sumṛḻīkāya vedhaḥ |
devāya śastim amṛtāya śaṁsa grāveva sotā madhuṣud yam īḻe || 3 ||
tvaṁ cin naḥ śamyā agne asyā ṛtasya bodhy ṛtacit svādhīḥ |
kadā ta ukthā sadhamādyāni kadā bhavanti sakhyā gṛhe te || 4 ||
kathā ha tad varuṇāya tvam agne kathā dive garhase kan na āgaḥ |
kathā mitrāya mīḻhuṣe pṛthivyai bravaḥ kad aryamṇe kad bhagāya || 5 ||
kad dhiṣṇyāsu vṛdhasāno agne kad vātāya pratavase śubhaṁye |
parijmane nāsatyāya kṣe bravaḥ kad agne rudrāya nṛghne || 6 ||
kathā mahe puṣṭimbharāya pūṣṇe kad rudrāya sumakhāya havirde |
kad viṣṇava urugāyāya reto bravaḥ kad agne śarave bṛhatyai || 7 ||
kathā śardhāya marutām ṛtāya kathā sūre bṛhate pṛcchyamānaḥ |
prati bravo 'ditaye turāya sādhā divo jātavedaś cikitvān || 8 ||
ṛtena ṛtaṁ niyatam īḻa ā gor āmā sacā madhumat pakvam agne |
kṛṣṇā satī ruśatā dhāsinaiṣā jāmaryeṇa payasā pīpāya || 9 ||
ṛtena hi ṣmā vṛṣabhaś cid aktaḥ pumām̐ agniḥ payasā pṛṣṭhyena |
aspandamāno acarad vayodhā vṛṣā śukraṁ duduhe pṛśnir ūdhaḥ || 10 ||
ṛtenādriṁ vy asan bhidantaḥ sam aṅgiraso navanta gobhiḥ |
śunaṁ naraḥ pari ṣadann uṣāsam āviḥ svar abhavaj jāte agnau || 11 ||
ṛtena devīr amṛtā amṛktā arṇobhir āpo madhumadbhir agne |
vājī na sargeṣu prastubhānaḥ pra sadam it sravitave dadhanyuḥ || 12 ||
mā kasya yakṣaṁ sadam id dhuro gā mā veśasya praminato māpeḥ |
mā bhrātur agne anṛjor ṛṇaṁ ver mā sakhyur dakṣaṁ ripor bhujema || 13 ||
rakṣā ṇo agne tava rakṣaṇebhī rārakṣāṇaḥ sumakha prīṇānaḥ |
prati ṣphura vi ruja vīḍv aṁho jahi rakṣo mahi cid vāvṛdhānam || 14 ||
ebhir bhava sumanā agne arkair imān spṛśa manmabhiḥ śūra vājān |
uta brahmāṇy aṅgiro juṣasva saṁ te śastir devavātā jareta || 15 ||
etā viśvā viduṣe tubhyaṁ vedho nīthāny agne niṇyā vacāṁsi |
nivacanā kavaye kāvyāny aśaṁsiṣam matibhir vipra ukthaiḥ || 16 ||
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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