Hymn to Agni
Rigveda VII.5 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.
O Agni, thou divine messenger! Thou art the herald of the gods; thou art the voice that speaketh on their behalf. When we whisper our prayers into thy flames, thou hearest them. When we cast our offerings into thy fire, thou receivest them.
Thou dwellest in two worlds, O most unique one. With thy lower flames, thou remainest here among mortals, warming our homes and cooking our food. But with thy upper flames, thou reachest toward heaven, touching the very feet of the gods themselves.
No one else can do what thou doest, O Agni. The swift-running messenger cannot reach so far; the eagle with wings of gold cannot fly so high. But thou—thou art everywhere at once. Thy presence is felt in every fire, in every flame, in every spark.
The smoke from thy fire riseth upward, carrying our messages to Indra, to Mitra, to Varuna, to all the divine powers. Thou translatest the language of mortals into the language of gods. What we cannot express in words, thou expressest through thy flames.
When thou comest from the heavens to our altars, thou bringeth with thee the blessings of the gods. The prayers that we have sent shall return answered; the offerings that we have made shall return multiplied. Through thee, the gifts of the gods flow down to mortals.
We are grateful, O Agni, for this service that thou renderest. Without thee, we would be isolated from the divine realm. We would be alone in our suffering; we would face our struggles without aid or comfort. But because of thee, we are never alone. The gods are always near; their help is always available.
Go swiftly, O messenger of heaven! Carry our words to Indra, the king of the gods! Tell him that his worshippers below still sing his praises. Tell him that we remember his deeds of valor; we celebrate his victories over the demons.
Carry our soma to Soma himself, the lord of the healing plant! Let him know that we understand the value of his gift. Let him know that we will use it wisely, reverently, and always with gratitude.
Bring back to us the blessings of Mitra, the just judge! Bring back to us the prosperity of the Aśvins, the divine healers! Bring back to us the wisdom of Brihaspati, the lord of prayer! Bring back to us the strength of all the gods united!
We wait for thee, O Agni, as the dry earth waiteth for the rain. We long for thy return, as the weary traveler longeth for rest. Bring the blessings of heaven down to our altars; bring them into our homes; bring them into our hearts!
Thou art the bridge, O Agni, that connecteth the two worlds. Without thee, heaven and earth would be separate; the gods and mortals would never meet. But through thy flames, a connection is established. Communication floweth; blessings flow; love floweth.
This is why we honor thee, O messenger god! This is why we kindle thy fire each day; this is why we make our offerings to thee. Thou art the most important of all the divine powers, for through thee alone can the covenant between gods and mortals be maintained.
O Agni, swift and mighty! Carry our prayers to the heavens! Return with blessings for all! Make us worthy of the gods' favor! Keep us in their memory! Let them know that we are faithful, that we are devoted, that we are always ready to receive their grace!
Accept this hymn, O divine messenger! Hear our voices as thou climbest toward the sky! Return to us with the answer that we seek! Be thou our friend, our protector, and our guide!
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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda VII.5
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.
prāgnaye tavase bharadhvaṁ giraṁ divo arataye pṛthivyāḥ |
yo viśveṣām amṛtānām upasthe vaiśvānaro vāvṛdhe jāgṛvadbhiḥ || 1 ||
pṛṣṭo divi dhāyy agniḥ pṛthivyāṁ netā sindhūnāṁ vṛṣabhaḥ stiyānām |
sa mānuṣīr abhi viśo vi bhāti vaiśvānaro vāvṛdhāno vareṇa || 2 ||
tvad bhiyā viśa āyann asiknīr asamanā jahatīr bhojanāni |
vaiśvānara pūrave śośucānaḥ puro yad agne darayann adīdeḥ || 3 ||
tava tridhātu pṛthivī uta dyaur vaiśvānara vratam agne sacanta |
tvam bhāsā rodasī ā tatanthājasreṇa śociṣā śośucānaḥ || 4 ||
tvām agne harito vāvaśānā giraḥ sacante dhunayo ghṛtācīḥ |
patiṁ kṛṣṭīnāṁ rathyaṁ rayīṇāṁ vaiśvānaram uṣasāṁ ketum ahnām || 5 ||
tve asurya1ṁ vasavo ny ṛṇvan kratuṁ hi te mitramaho juṣanta |
tvaṁ dasyūm̐r okaso agna āja uru jyotir janayann āryāya || 6 ||
sa jāyamānaḥ parame vyoman vāyur na pāthaḥ pari pāsi sadyaḥ |
tvam bhuvanā janayann abhi krann apatyāya jātavedo daśasyan || 7 ||
tām agne asme iṣam erayasva vaiśvānara dyumatīṁ jātavedaḥ |
yayā rādhaḥ pinvasi viśvavāra pṛthu śravo dāśuṣe martyāya || 8 ||
taṁ no agne maghavadbhyaḥ purukṣuṁ rayiṁ ni vājaṁ śrutyaṁ yuvasva |
vaiśvānara mahi naḥ śarma yaccha rudrebhir agne vasubhiḥ sajoṣāḥ || 9 ||
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).
🌲