Hymn to Agni
Rigveda VI.60 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 6 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 Indra, thou art mighty still; O Agni, thou art burning bright. Together do ye dwell in us and guide our steps throughout the day.
Indra, thy strength is like the mountains high, immovable and great. Agni, thy warmth is like the sun, that giveth life to all the earth.
We call upon you both this day, as did our fathers ages past. They called upon you in their need, and ye did answer and did hear.
The soma floweth; the fire burneth; the prayer riseth up on high. All the divine powers gather here to share in this great sacrifice.
O Indra, wielder of the bolt, thou art the champion of our cause. When all our enemies do rise, thou strikenest them all down.
O Agni, thou art our nearest friend. In every home, in every heart, thou art the sacred fire that burneth always true.
Grant us thy protection now, that we may dwell in peace and safety. Let no misfortune touch our folk. Let health be in our dwellings.
O mighty Indra, give to us the strength to overcome all obstacles. O sacred Agni, give to us the wisdom to see truth and honor it.
When we do gather to make sacrifice, be pleased with what we offer. When we do gather to make prayer, do thou give ear unto our words.
And at the end of all our days, when we must pass beyond the veil, may we dwell with you in that eternal realm, where thy power and thy grace shall shine forever and aye.
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 VI.60
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.
śnathad vṛtram uta sanoti vājam indrā yo agnī sahurī saparyāt |
irajyantā vasavyasya bhūreḥ sahastamā sahasā vājayantā || 1 ||
tā yodhiṣṭam abhi gā indra nūnam apaḥ svar uṣaso agna ūḻhāḥ |
diśaḥ svar uṣasa indra citrā apo gā agne yuvase niyutvān || 2 ||
ā vṛtrahaṇā vṛtrahabhiḥ śuṣmair indra yātaṁ namobhir agne arvāk |
yuvaṁ rādhobhir akavebhir indrāgne asme bhavatam uttamebhiḥ || 3 ||
tā huve yayor idam papne viśvam purā kṛtam |
indrāgnī na mardhataḥ || 4 ||
ugrā vighaninā mṛdha indrāgnī havāmahe |
tā no mṛḻāta īdṛśe || 5 ||
hato vṛtrāṇy āryā hato dāsāni satpatī |
hato viśvā apa dviṣaḥ || 6 ||
indrāgnī yuvām ime3 'bhi stomā anūṣata |
pibataṁ śambhuvā sutam || 7 ||
yā vāṁ santi puruspṛho niyuto dāśuṣe narā |
indrāgnī tābhir ā gatam || 8 ||
tābhir ā gacchataṁ naropedaṁ savanaṁ sutam |
indrāgnī somapītaye || 9 ||
tam īḻiṣva yo arciṣā vanā viśvā pariṣvajat |
kṛṣṇā kṛṇoti jihvayā || 10 ||
ya iddha āvivāsati sumnam indrasya martyaḥ |
dyumnāya sutarā apaḥ || 11 ||
tā no vājavatīr iṣa āśūn pipṛtam arvataḥ |
indram agniṁ ca voḻhave || 12 ||
ubhā vām indrāgnī āhuvadhyā ubhā rādhasaḥ saha mādayadhyai |
ubhā dātārāv iṣāṁ rayīṇām ubhā vājasya sātaye huve vām || 13 ||
ā no gavyebhir aśvyair vasavyai3r upa gacchatam |
sakhāyau devau sakhyāya śambhuvendrāgnī tā havāmahe || 14 ||
indrāgnī śṛṇutaṁ havaṁ yajamānasya sunvataḥ |
vītaṁ havyāny ā gatam pibataṁ somyam madhu || 15 ||
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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