Hymn to Agni
Rigveda VII.15 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 7 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.
Agni, thou art born of many forms! Each time the wood is kindled, thou dost come anew. Thou livest in the flint; thou livest in the sticks of wood. Thou art the brightness in the eyes of those who gaze upon thy beauty. In the beating of the heart, thou dwellest; in the warmth of breath, thy presence liveth.
The gods did fashion thee for the sake of mankind. They made thee the messenger, the herald who doth carry up the sacrifice to heaven. Without thee, the offering would fall like a stone into the void. With thee, it riseth up like smoke toward the blessed realm of gods immortal.
Thou art the friend of man in every dwelling. When the night is cold and darkness covereth all, thy flames do leap and dance with living vigor. The child is warmed beside thy glowing embers; the elder findeth comfort in thy glow. Thou art life itself, O bright one.
In the time of battle, thou standest with the warrior. The man who maketh offering unto thee and calleth upon thy name shall never lack for courage. Thou givest strength to his arm and clearness to his sight. With thee beside him, he walketh through the very jaws of death and emergeth victorious.
Agni, thou receivest the gift of butter and of grain. The smoke that riseth from thy flames ascendeth unto Indra, unto Vayu, unto all the gods that dwell on high. Thou art the link that joineth mortal and immortal. Thou art the bridge between the earth and heaven.
Grant unto us, O Agni, thy blessing! May thy sacred fire burn away all evil from our hearts. May thy protecting flame enfold our home and all that dwell within. May thy bright presence guard us through all the days of our lives.
We honor thee, O Agni, with our hymns and offerings. Be thou our friend, our father, our protector in 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 VII.15
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.
upasadyāya mīḻhuṣa āsye juhutā haviḥ |
yo no nediṣṭham āpyam || 1 ||
yaḥ pañca carṣaṇīr abhi niṣasāda dame-dame |
kavir gṛhapatir yuvā || 2 ||
sa no vedo amātyam agnī rakṣatu viśvataḥ |
utāsmān pātv aṁhasaḥ || 3 ||
navaṁ nu stomam agnaye divaḥ śyenāya jījanam |
vasvaḥ kuvid vanāti naḥ || 4 ||
spārhā yasya śriyo dṛśe rayir vīravato yathā |
agre yajñasya śocataḥ || 5 ||
semāṁ vetu vaṣaṭkṛtim agnir juṣata no giraḥ |
yajiṣṭho havyavāhanaḥ || 6 ||
ni tvā nakṣya viśpate dyumantaṁ deva dhīmahi |
suvīram agna āhuta || 7 ||
kṣapa usraś ca dīdihi svagnayas tvayā vayam |
suvīras tvam asmayuḥ || 8 ||
upa tvā sātaye naro viprāso yanti dhītibhiḥ |
upākṣarā sahasriṇī || 9 ||
agnī rakṣāṁsi sedhati śukraśocir amartyaḥ |
śuciḥ pāvaka īḍyaḥ || 10 ||
sa no rādhāṁsy ā bhareśānaḥ sahaso yaho |
bhagaś ca dātu vāryam || 11 ||
tvam agne vīravad yaśo devaś ca savitā bhagaḥ |
ditiś ca dāti vāryam || 12 ||
agne rakṣā ṇo aṁhasaḥ prati ṣma deva rīṣataḥ |
tapiṣṭhair ajaro daha || 13 ||
adhā mahī na āyasy anādhṛṣṭo nṛpītaye |
pūr bhavā śatabhujiḥ || 14 ||
tvaṁ naḥ pāhy aṁhaso doṣāvastar aghāyataḥ |
divā naktam adābhya || 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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