Hymn to Agni
Rigveda V.86 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.
Praise to Indra and Agni, the mighty pair! Thunder and fire united in glory! When they march together, nothing can stand against them. The enemies of the Āryas flee in terror at their coming.
Indra the king striketh with his thunderbolt, and the enemies scatter like dust before the wind. His roar shaketh the mountains. His power is without measure. He drinketh the soma and becomes intoxicated with strength, more powerful than any force in creation. He is the protector of the Ārya people, the slayer of demons, the upholder of the heavens.
Agni the priest, the mediator between gods and men, accepteth our sacrifices and carries our prayers upward. Where his flames leap, the offerings are transformed and ascend to the divine realms. He knoweth the ancient ways of ritual. He is the keeper of sacred knowledge. Without him, we would have no connection to the gods.
Together, O Indra and Agni, ye are the strength and the spirituality that sustain the cosmos! Lightning and flame, violence and purification, the warrior's might and the priest's wisdom—these are united in your natures. Ye are the pillars upon which the three worlds rest.
We offer you the richest soma, the finest ghee, the most fragrant herbs. Accept our devotion. Grant us victory over our enemies and peace in our hearts. Help us to conduct the rituals correctly. Let the flames consume our offerings with pleasure.
O Indra, grant us the courage of heroes. O Agni, grant us the purity of the sacred fire. Together, make us worthy of your protection and your blessings.
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.86
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.
indrāgnī yam avatha ubhā vājeṣu martyam |
dṛḻhā cit sa pra bhedati dyumnā vāṇīr iva tritaḥ || 1 ||
yā pṛtanāsu duṣṭarā yā vājeṣu śravāyyā |
yā pañca carṣaṇīr abhīndrāgnī tā havāmahe || 2 ||
tayor id amavac chavas tigmā didyun maghonoḥ |
prati druṇā gabhastyor gavāṁ vṛtraghna eṣate || 3 ||
tā vām eṣe rathānām indrāgnī havāmahe |
patī turasya rādhaso vidvāṁsā girvaṇastamā || 4 ||
tā vṛdhantāv anu dyūn martāya devāv adabhā |
arhantā cit puro dadhe 'ṁśeva devāv arvate || 5 ||
evendrāgnibhyām ahāvi havyaṁ śūṣyaṁ ghṛtaṁ na pūtam adribhiḥ |
tā sūriṣu śravo bṛhad rayiṁ gṛṇatsu didhṛtam iṣaṁ gṛṇatsu didhṛtam || 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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