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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 844 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN VII. Agni.

1.O AGNI, shared by all men living bring us good luck for sacrifice from earth and heaven. With us be thine intelligence, WonderWorker! Protect us, God, with thy far-reaching blessings.

2.These hymns brought forth for thee, O Agni, laud thee for bounteous gifts, with cattle and with horses. Good Lord, when man from thee hath gained enjoyment, by hymns, O noblyborn, hath he obtained it.

3.Agni I deem my Kinsman and my Father, count him my Brother and my Friend for ever. I honour as the face of lofty Agni in heaven the bright and holy light of Sūrya.

4.Effectual, Agni, are our prayers for profit. He whom, at home thou, Priest for ever, guardest Is rich in food, drawn by red steeds, and holy: by day and night to him shall all be pleasant.

5.Men with their arms have generated Agni, helpful as some kind friend, adorned with splendours, And stablished as Invoker mid the people the ancient Priest the sacrifice’s lover.

6.Worship, thyself, O God, the Gods in heaven: what, void of knowledge, shall the fool avail thee? As thou, O God, hast worshipped Gods by seasons, so, nobly-born! to thine own self pay worship.

7.Agni, be thou our Guardian and Protector bestow upon us life and vital vigour. Accept, O Mighty One, the gifts we offer, and with unceasing care protect our bodies.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn call Agni both Father and Kinsman?

The hymn names Agni “my Kinsman and my Father” to show his role across social and ritual life: he is intimate like family and origin-giving like a father, because he mediates sacrifices that secure cattle, horses, and prosperity. Verse 3 ties Agni to Sūrya’s “bright and holy light,” linking domestic fire with cosmic light so the household and the heavens share a single sacred presence.

That double kinship also explains why Agni is invoked as Protector and Priest who grants “life and vital vigour” (verses 4 and 7); his priestly function makes him both guardian of the family’s present needs and the source of their ritual continuity. This reading resonates with the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad’s treatment of fire as an inner and outer sacrificial principle that orders both the body and the world.

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