Hymn to Agni
Rigveda VII.9 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, we kindle thee with grateful hearts! Thou art the source of all prosperity; thou art the bringer of all blessings. The wealth that we possess floweth from thee; the children that we cherish are given unto us through thy favor.
Guard our cattle, O mighty flame! Let them grow fat upon the pastures; let them multiply and increase in number. Keep the wolf from our flocks; keep the thief from our herds. Be thou the protector of all that we possess!
Shield our family, O Agni! Keep watch over our house while we sleep! Drive away the evil spirits that would do us harm! Let no curse fall upon our children; let no sickness enter our home!
We rely upon thee, O Agni, more than upon our own strength. For though we are weak and frail, thou art mighty and powerful. Through thy favor, we can overcome any obstacle; through thy blessing, we can achieve any goal.
Accept this prayer, O protector of families! Grant us prosperity and wealth! Bless our children with long life and good health! Make our home a place of joy and peace! Be our guardian forever!
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.9
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.
abodhi jāra uṣasām upasthād dhotā mandraḥ kavitamaḥ pāvakaḥ |
dadhāti ketum ubhayasya jantor havyā deveṣu draviṇaṁ sukṛtsu || 1 ||
sa sukratur yo vi duraḥ paṇīnām punāno arkam purubhojasaṁ naḥ |
hotā mandro viśāṁ damūnās tiras tamo dadṛśe rāmyāṇām || 2 ||
amūraḥ kavir aditir vivasvān susaṁsan mitro atithiḥ śivo naḥ |
citrabhānur uṣasām bhāty agre 'pāṁ garbhaḥ prasva1 ā viveśa || 3 ||
īḻenyo vo manuṣo yugeṣu samanagā aśucaj jātavedāḥ |
susaṁdṛśā bhānunā yo vibhāti prati gāvaḥ samidhānam budhanta || 4 ||
agne yāhi dūtya1m mā riṣaṇyo devām̐ acchā brahmakṛtā gaṇena |
sarasvatīm maruto aśvināpo yakṣi devān ratnadheyāya viśvān || 5 ||
tvām agne samidhāno vasiṣṭho jarūthaṁ han yakṣi rāye puraṁdhim |
puruṇīthā jātavedo jarasva yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 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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