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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 79 of 1027

Mandala 1: HYMN LXXIX. Agni.

1.HE in mid-air’s expanse hath golden tresses; a raging serpent, like the rushing tempest: Purely refulgent, knowing well the morning; like honourable dames, true, active workers.

2.Thy well-winged flashes strengthen in their manner, when the black Bull hath bellowed round about us. With drops that bless and seem to smile he cometh: the waters fall, the clouds utter their thunder.

3.When he comes streaming with the milk of worship, conducting by directest paths of Order Aryaman, Mitra, Varuṇa, Parijman fill the hide full where lies the nether press-stone.

4.O Agni, thou who art the lord of wealth in kine, thou Son of Strength, Vouchsafe to us, O Jātavedas, high renown.

5.He, Agni, kindled, good and wise, must be exalted in our song: Shine, thou of many forms, shine radiantly on us.

6.O Agni, shining of thyself by night and when the morning breaks, Burn, thou whose teeth are sharp, against the Rākṣasas.

7.Adorable in all our rites, favour us, Agni, with thine aid, When the great hymn is chanted forth.

8.Bring to us ever-conquering wealth, wealth, Agni, worthy of our choice, In all our frays invincible.

9.Give us, O Agni, through thy grace wealth that supporteth all our life, Thy favour so that we may live.

10.O Gotama, desiring bliss present thy songs composed with care To Agni of the pointed flames.

11.May the man fall, O Agni, who near or afar assaileth us: Do thou increase and prosper us.

12.Keen and swift Agni, thousand-eyed, chaseth the Rākṣasas afar: He singeth, herald meet for lauds.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn call Agni both a golden-haired serpent and 'thousand-eyed'?

The hymn names Agni with vivid, overlapping images to capture his many roles: as the golden-haired serpent he moves through mid-air and dawn like a living flame, “purely refulgent” and bringing the morning; as “thousand-eyed” he watches and protects, a vigilant herald who chases Rākṣasas. These metaphors describe the same fire acting in different contexts—dawn, ritual flame, and guardian force—so the multiplicity of images signals Agni’s manifold presence in the world and rite.

This technique matches other Rigveda hymns that build a deity by accretion of epithets rather than a single definition; compare Mandala 1 hymns where Dawn and Agni are similarly layered with images to show function and power. The poem’s phrases—“shining of thyself by night” and “keen and swift…thousand-eyed”—point to agency, visibility, and protective activity rather than literal anatomy.

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