Hymn to Agni
Rigveda V.27 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, accept this hymn of praise for the generosity of Tryaruna and Trasadasyu, the great patrons of the Atri clan! These men have poured forth their wealth upon the altar of the gods with hands as open as the sky. Their offerings rise like mountains heaped with treasure.
Tryaruna hath given cattle without number. His herds stretch across the plains like clouds gathering before the storm. Each beast is perfect, unblemished, chosen with care to honor the sacred fire. The wealth that he hath surrendered unto thee, O Agni, would suffice to feed a thousand families for a thousand years.
Trasadasyu, his companion in generosity, hath given gold and precious stones. From his coffers floweth treasure like water from the source of a river. He hath given horses swift as the wind. He hath given chariots decorated with gold. He hath given garments woven with the finest thread. All of this doth he place upon thy altar with gladness and without grudging.
These men understand a truth that escapeth the comprehension of lesser mortals: that to give unto the gods is to invest in one's own eternity. Every rupee that they sacrifice, every head of cattle that they surrender, every precious stone that they place at thy feet shall return to them a thousandfold in the realms beyond death.
O Agni, remember these names! Tryaruna and Trasadasyu—remember them in the heavens! Let the gods know of their magnificence and their worthiness. Let their descendants prosper through all generations. Let their names be sung in praise through all the ages of the world.
For those who serve the sacred fire with such devotion and such generosity deserve a blessing beyond measure. May they dwell in happiness. May their families flourish. May their memory be honored forever among the righteous. This is our prayer for them, O Agni, spoken in gratitude for their example of perfect sacrifice.
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.27
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.
anasvantā satpatir māmahe me gāvā cetiṣṭho asuro maghonaḥ |
traivṛṣṇo agne daśabhiḥ sahasrair vaiśvānara tryaruṇaś ciketa || 1 ||
yo me śatā ca viṁśatiṁ ca gonāṁ harī ca yuktā sudhurā dadāti |
vaiśvānara suṣṭuto vāvṛdhāno 'gne yaccha tryaruṇāya śarma || 2 ||
evā te agne sumatiṁ cakāno naviṣṭhāya navamaṁ trasadasyuḥ |
yo me giras tuvijātasya pūrvīr yuktenābhi tryaruṇo gṛṇāti || 3 ||
yo ma iti pravocaty aśvamedhāya sūraye |
dadad ṛcā saniṁ yate dadan medhām ṛtāyate || 4 ||
yasya mā paruṣāḥ śatam uddharṣayanty ukṣaṇaḥ |
aśvamedhasya dānāḥ somā iva tryāśiraḥ || 5 ||
indrāgnī śatadāvny aśvamedhe suvīryam |
kṣatraṁ dhārayatam bṛhad divi sūryam ivājaram || 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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