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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 145 of 1027

Mandala 1: HYMN CXLV. Agni.

1.Ask ye of him for he is come, he knoweth it; he, full of wisdom, is implored, is now implored. With him are admonitions and with him commands: he is the Lord of Strength, the Lord of Power and Might.

2.They ask of him: not all learn by their questioning what he, the Sage, hath grasped, as ’twere, with his own mind. Forgetting not the former nor the later word, he goeth on, not careless, in his mental power.

3.To him these ladles go, to him these racing mares: he only will give ear to all the words I speak. All-speeding, victor, perfecter of sacrifice, the Babe with flawless help hath mustered vigorous might.

4.Whate’er he meets he grasps and then runs farther on, and straightway, newly born, creeps forward with his kin. He stirs the wearied man to pleasure and great joy what time the longing gifts approach him as he comes.

5.He is a wild thing of the flood and forest: he hath been laid upon the highest surface. He hath declared the lore of works to mortals, Agni the Wise, for he knows Law, the Truthful.

Asked of Guide

Why is Agni described as 'newly born' and also a wise Lord of Strength?

The hymn presents Agni as both ever-renewing and timelessly powerful: he “newly born, creeps forward with his kin” while also being “full of wisdom” and the “Lord of Strength.” This links his continual rebirth to his role as the moving, present force that carries sacrifice, speech, and law to humans.

The poem treats renewal as a form of authority, so Agni’s infancy signals active beginning rather than weakness; his youth powers motion and reception of offerings. This idea resonates with the Rig Veda’s broader portrayal of Agni as in, for example, other hymns where his recurring birth sustains ritual order and reveals the “lore of works.”

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