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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 559 of 1027

Mandala 7: HYMN XLIII Viśvedevas.

1.SING out the pious at your sacrifices to move with adorations Earth and Heaven- The Holy Singers, whose unmatched devotions, like a tree’s branches, part in all directions.

2.Let sacrifice proceed like some fleet courser: with one accord lift ye on high the ladles. Strew sacred grass meet for the solenm service: bright flames that love the Gods have mounted upward.

3.Like babes in arms reposing on their mother, let the Gods sit upon the grass’s summit. Let general fire make bright the flame of worship: scorn us not, Agni, in the Gods’ assembly.

4.Gladly the Gods have let themselves be honoured, milking the copious streams of holy Order. The highest might to-day is yours, the Vasits’: come ye, as many as ye are, one-minded.

5.So, Agni, send us wealth among the people: may we be closely knit to thee, O Victor, Unharmed, and rich, and taking joy together. Preserve us evermore, ye ods, with blessings.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn ask Agni to 'scorn us not' when the gods are honored?

The hymn shows priests offering orderly sacrifice so the gods can “sit upon the grass’s summit,” and it asks Agni to accept and protect that worship. Agni controls the ritual flame and the hymn treats him as both gatekeeper and guarantor of the rite’s success.

Asking “scorn us not, Agni” is a plea for ritual efficacy and social well‑being: if Agni refuses the offering the gods won’t “milk the copious streams of holy Order.” This theme of dependence on a mediator appears in other Vedic hymns, where the fire god’s favor secures wealth and communal unity.

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