Hymn to Agni
Rigveda V.17 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 5 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 and Indra, conjoined in glory! Fire and thunder walk together in the cosmos, each mighty in their separate way, yet mightier still when they move as one. The flame that burns below meets the lightning-flash above, and the universe trembles at their accord.
Agni, thou kindle'st all desire and transformation. Indra, thou shatters the obstacles that bind the waters and the light. One is the priest who offers; the other is the slayer who conquers. Both are needed for the work to be accomplished upon earth.
We see thee, O Indra, riding thy chariot across the sky. The storms obey thee; the rain falls at thy command. Thou hast slain the serpent Vṛtra and set the waters free. The cows low in the valleys; the rivers run full and swift. The drought is broken by thy mighty hand.
And thou, O Agni, art the inner fire, the sacred heat that dwells within all living things. Thy flames purify the sacrifice; thy warmth sustains the body; thy light guides the soul through darkness. Without thee, there is only cold and death.
Together, fire and lightning form the warp and weft of existence itself. Where they meet, creation stirs. Where they touch, the abundant earth responds. Grant us thy joint blessing, O mighty pair. Make us worthy of your fire and thunder. Let us not falter or stumble in thy presence.
Thou art the dual power that upholds the three worlds. Accept our prayer and the butter we pour. Guard our herds, our homes, our children, and our souls. Be ever at our side, O Agni and Indra, until the end of all things.
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 V.17
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 yajñair deva martya itthā tavyāṁsam ūtaye |
agniṁ kṛte svadhvare pūrur īḻītāvase || 1 ||
asya hi svayaśastara āsā vidharman manyase |
taṁ nākaṁ citraśociṣam mandram paro manīṣayā || 2 ||
asya vāsā u arciṣā ya āyukta tujā girā |
divo na yasya retasā bṛhac chocanty arcayaḥ || 3 ||
asya kratvā vicetaso dasmasya vasu ratha ā |
adhā viśvāsu havyo 'gnir vikṣu pra śasyate || 4 ||
nū na id dhi vāryam āsā sacanta sūrayaḥ |
ūrjo napād abhiṣṭaye pāhi śagdhi svastaya utaidhi pṛtsu no vṛdhe || 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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