Hymn to Agni
Rigveda V.43 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.
The divine assembly gathereth at the call of the sacred hymn! From the far corners of the cosmos they come, drawn by the offering and the prayer. The heavens themselves seem to open and pour forth the gods as water poureth from a pitcher.
Behold! Indra cometh riding upon his golden chariot, pulled by the great storm-horses! His Vajra gleameth in his hand; his roar shaketh the pillars of creation. Agni cometh forth from the center of all fires, his form dancing and shifting, his heat warming all the worlds. The flames of sacrifice rise to greet him.
Varuṇa descendeth from his celestial throne, clothed in splendor and wisdom ancient beyond measure. His eyes see all that is done upon earth—no secret can be hidden from him. Mitra cometh at his side, smiling upon all who honor the sacred bond of oath and compact.
The Maruts sweep in upon the wind, a thousand strong, wild and fierce and beautiful! They sing their terrible song; they dance the dance that shaketh mountains. The Aśvins arrive riding their golden horses, bringing healing and hope to those who dwell in darkness and despair.
And thus the divine assembly completeth itself! All the gods that ought to be here have gathered together. The circle is made whole. The divine presence is palpable, almost visible in the sacred space. The very air trembleth with holiness. We mortals stand at the threshold of heaven itself, permitted for this moment to perceive what is ordinarily hidden. O ye gods, accept our humble worship! Let this gathering be auspicious for all who participate.
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.43
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 dhenavaḥ payasā tūrṇyarthā amardhantīr upa no yantu madhvā |
maho rāye bṛhatīḥ sapta vipro mayobhuvo jaritā johavīti || 1 ||
ā suṣṭutī namasā vartayadhyai dyāvā vājāya pṛthivī amṛdhre |
pitā mātā madhuvacāḥ suhastā bhare-bhare no yaśasāv aviṣṭām || 2 ||
adhvaryavaś cakṛvāṁso madhūni pra vāyave bharata cāru śukram |
hoteva naḥ prathamaḥ pāhy asya deva madhvo rarimā te madāya || 3 ||
daśa kṣipo yuñjate bāhū adriṁ somasya yā śamitārā suhastā |
madhvo rasaṁ sugabhastir giriṣṭhāṁ caniścadad duduhe śukram aṁśuḥ || 4 ||
asāvi te jujuṣāṇāya somaḥ kratve dakṣāya bṛhate madāya |
harī rathe sudhurā yoge arvāg indra priyā kṛṇuhi hūyamānaḥ || 5 ||
ā no mahīm aramatiṁ sajoṣā gnāṁ devīṁ namasā rātahavyām |
madhor madāya bṛhatīm ṛtajñām āgne vaha pathibhir devayānaiḥ || 6 ||
añjanti yam prathayanto na viprā vapāvantaṁ nāgninā tapantaḥ |
pitur na putra upasi preṣṭha ā gharmo agnim ṛtayann asādi || 7 ||
acchā mahī bṛhatī śaṁtamā gīr dūto na gantv aśvinā huvadhyai |
mayobhuvā sarathā yātam arvāg gantaṁ nidhiṁ dhuram āṇir na nābhim || 8 ||
pra tavyaso namaüktiṁ turasyāham pūṣṇa uta vāyor adikṣi |
yā rādhasā coditārā matīnāṁ yā vājasya draviṇodā uta tman || 9 ||
ā nāmabhir maruto vakṣi viśvān ā rūpebhir jātavedo huvānaḥ |
yajñaṁ giro jarituḥ suṣṭutiṁ ca viśve ganta maruto viśva ūtī || 10 ||
ā no divo bṛhataḥ parvatād ā sarasvatī yajatā gantu yajñam |
havaṁ devī jujuṣāṇā ghṛtācī śagmāṁ no vācam uśatī śṛṇotu || 11 ||
ā vedhasaṁ nīlapṛṣṭham bṛhantam bṛhaspatiṁ sadane sādayadhvam |
sādadyoniṁ dama ā dīdivāṁsaṁ hiraṇyavarṇam aruṣaṁ sapema || 12 ||
ā dharṇasir bṛhaddivo rarāṇo viśvebhir gantv omabhir huvānaḥ |
gnā vasāna oṣadhīr amṛdhras tridhātuśṛṅgo vṛṣabho vayodhāḥ || 13 ||
mātuṣ pade parame śukra āyor vipanyavo rāspirāso agman |
suśevyaṁ namasā rātahavyāḥ śiśum mṛjanty āyavo na vāse || 14 ||
bṛhad vayo bṛhate tubhyam agne dhiyājuro mithunāsaḥ sacanta |
devo-devaḥ suhavo bhūtu mahyam mā no mātā pṛthivī durmatau dhāt || 15 ||
urau devā anibādhe syāma || 16 ||
sam aśvinor avasā nūtanena mayobhuvā supraṇītī gamema |
ā no rayiṁ vahatam ota vīrān ā viśvāny amṛtā saubhagāni || 17 ||
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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