Rig Veda · 693 of 1027
Mandala 8: HYMN LXXIII. Agni.
1.AGNI, your dearest Guest, I laud, him who is loving as a friend, Who brings us riches like a car.
2.Whom as a far-foreseeing Sage the Gods have, from the olden time, Established among mortal men.
3.Do thou, Most Youthful God, protect the men who offer, hear their songs, And of thyself preserve their seed.
4.What is the praise wherewith, O God, Aṅgiras, Agni, Son of Strength, We, after thine own wish and thought,
5.May serve thee, O thou Child of Power, and with what sacrifice’s plan? What prayer shall I now speak to thee?
6.Our God, make all of us to dwell in happy habitations, and Reward our songs with spoil and wealth.
7.Lord of the house, what plenty fills the songs which thou inspirest now, Thou whose hymn helps to win the kine?
8.Hirn Wise and Strong they glorify, the foremost Champion in the fray, And mighty in his dwelling-place.
9.Agni, he dwells in rest and peace who smites and no one smites again: With hero sons he prospers well
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn call Agni both 'Guest' and 'Lord of the house'?
The hymn treats Agni as “your dearest Guest” because he arrives at the sacrifice to be welcomed and fed; his presence is temporary and honored through songs and offerings. Calling him “Lord of the house” recognizes that the same fire becomes the household’s sustaining power, the source of wealth and progeny whom the singers ask to “preserve their seed.”
This double role ties ritual hospitality to domestic authority: Agni moves between altar and hearth, mediating between mortals and gods and securing “plenty” and prosperity. That movement echoes the emphasis in Hymn LXXIII on Agni’s foresight and protection, similar to how the Grihya-sutras treat the hearth-fire as both guest and guardian of the family.
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