Hymn to Agni
Rigveda VIII.60 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 8 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 art kindled at the dawning! The morning light breaks forth upon the altar. Thy flames do rise and flicker upward bright—a golden tower of fire that reacheth toward the heavens. Hear thou our voice, O Lord of sacred burning, and come now to receive our gifts and praises.
From out the friction of the holy wood thou springest forth, O fire divine and wondrous. The priests have called upon thee with their voices; the faithful gather round thy warmth and splendour. Thou art the messenger between the gods and mortals—receive our gifts and carry them above.
O Agni, bring the gods unto our dwelling! Let Indra come, let Rudra come among us; let all the powers of heaven descend to join us at this sacred place and at this offering. Thou art the guide, the leader of the divine—conduct them hitherward with gentle hand.
The smoke doth rise in spirals toward the heavens, carrying our prayers and our deepest longings. What mortals offer unto thee with reverence shall be made sacred by thy holy burning. Take thou our soma, herbs, and butter, ghee—make all of it most worthy of the gods.
The household fire must be tended through the night hours, that darkness come not upon our dwelling. Keep thou the hearth and all who sleep beside thee from demons, thieves, and those with evil intent. Let no cold darkness creep into our refuge; let thy warm glow dispel all fear and doubt.
When morning breaks and brings the new day's labour, thou art rekindled with the sacred wood. From thee the family gathers strength and courage, to work their fields and tend their herds and cattle. Thou art the centre of the home, O Agni—the bond that joineth all who share the shelter.
Let those who hate us turn aside their hatred; let those with malice put away their anger. Through thy bright flames, O Agni, may our household be blessed with peace, with joy, and with abundance. Guard thou the gates against all evil-doers; let only kinsmen and the good draw near.
O God of fire, thou who knowest all that's hidden within the hearts of men and gods alike, look kindly on our worship and our offering. Accept with grace the hymns that we have fashioned; grant us the favour of the immortal powers. Let us grow old in our beloved dwelling, surrounded by the blessing of the good and noble.
When death at last shall come unto us all—as come it must, for such is fate's decree—let not our spirits wander lost and helpless. O Agni, be our guide unto the realm of fathers, where the ancestors do dwell in peace eternal. Carry us safe across the bridge of light unto the mansion of the blessed ones.
So do we praise thee with our voices lifted; so do we honour thee with gifts and burning. Accept this hymn, O Agni, lord of fire—forever let thy blessing rest upon us.
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 VIII.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.
agna ā yāhy agnibhir hotāraṁ tvā vṛṇīmahe |
ā tvām anaktu prayatā haviṣmatī yajiṣṭham barhir āsade || 1 ||
acchā hi tvā sahasaḥ sūno aṅgiraḥ srucaś caranty adhvare |
ūrjo napātaṁ ghṛtakeśam īmahe 'gniṁ yajñeṣu pūrvyam || 2 ||
agne kavir vedhā asi hotā pāvaka yakṣyaḥ |
mandro yajiṣṭho adhvareṣv īḍyo viprebhiḥ śukra manmabhiḥ || 3 ||
adrogham ā vahośato yaviṣṭhya devām̐ ajasra vītaye |
abhi prayāṁsi sudhitā vaso gahi mandasva dhītibhir hitaḥ || 4 ||
tvam it saprathā asy agne trātar ṛtas kaviḥ |
tvāṁ viprāsaḥ samidhāna dīdiva ā vivāsanti vedhasaḥ || 5 ||
śocā śociṣṭha dīdihi viśe mayo rāsva stotre mahām̐ asi |
devānāṁ śarman mama santu sūrayaḥ śatrūṣāhaḥ svagnayaḥ || 6 ||
yathā cid vṛddham atasam agne saṁjūrvasi kṣami |
evā daha mitramaho yo asmadhrug durmanmā kaś ca venati || 7 ||
mā no martāya ripave rakṣasvine māghaśaṁsāya rīradhaḥ |
asredhadbhis taraṇibhir yaviṣṭhya śivebhiḥ pāhi pāyubhiḥ || 8 ||
pāhi no agna ekayā pāhy u1ta dvitīyayā |
pāhi gīrbhis tisṛbhir ūrjām pate pāhi catasṛbhir vaso || 9 ||
pāhi viśvasmād rakṣaso arāvṇaḥ pra sma vājeṣu no 'va |
tvām id dhi nediṣṭhaṁ devatātaya āpiṁ nakṣāmahe vṛdhe || 10 ||
ā no agne vayovṛdhaṁ rayim pāvaka śaṁsyam |
rāsvā ca na upamāte puruspṛhaṁ sunītī svayaśastaram || 11 ||
yena vaṁsāma pṛtanāsu śardhatas taranto arya ādiśaḥ |
sa tvaṁ no vardha prayasā śacīvaso jinvā dhiyo vasuvidaḥ || 12 ||
śiśāno vṛṣabho yathāgniḥ śṛṅge davidhvat |
tigmā asya hanavo na pratidhṛṣe sujambhaḥ sahaso yahuḥ || 13 ||
nahi te agne vṛṣabha pratidhṛṣe jambhāso yad vitiṣṭhase |
sa tvaṁ no hotaḥ suhutaṁ haviṣ kṛdhi vaṁsvā no vāryā puru || 14 ||
śeṣe vaneṣu mātroḥ saṁ tvā martāsa indhate |
atandro havyā vahasi haviṣkṛta ād id deveṣu rājasi || 15 ||
sapta hotāras tam id īḻate tvāgne sutyajam ahrayam |
bhinatsy adriṁ tapasā vi śociṣā prāgne tiṣṭha janām̐ ati || 16 ||
agnim-agniṁ vo adhriguṁ huvema vṛktabarhiṣaḥ |
agniṁ hitaprayasaḥ śaśvatīṣv ā hotāraṁ carṣaṇīnām || 17 ||
ketena śarman sacate suṣāmaṇy agne tubhyaṁ cikitvanā |
iṣaṇyayā naḥ pururūpam ā bhara vājaṁ nediṣṭham ūtaye || 18 ||
agne jaritar viśpatis tepāno deva rakṣasaḥ |
aproṣivān gṛhapatir mahām̐ asi divas pāyur duroṇayuḥ || 19 ||
mā no rakṣa ā veśīd āghṛṇīvaso mā yātur yātumāvatām |
parogavyūty anirām apa kṣudham agne sedha rakṣasvinaḥ || 20 ||
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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