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Dhammapada · narration sample

A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.

Rig Veda · 853 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN XVI. Agni.

1.Burn him not up, nor quite consume him, Agni: let not his body or his skin be scattered. O Jātavedas, when thou hast matured him, then send him on his way unto the Fathers.

2.When thou hast made him ready, Jātavedas, then do thou give him over to the Fathers. When he attains unto the life that waits him, he shall become the Deities’ controller.

3.The Sun receive thine eye, tne Wind thy spirit; go, as thy merit is, to earth or heaven. Go, if it be thy lot, unto the waters; go, make thine home in plants with all thy members.

4.Thy portion is the goat: with heat consume him: let thy fierce flame, thy glowing splendour, burn him With thine auspicious forms, o Jātavedas, bear this man to the region of the pious.

5.Again, O Agni, to the Fathers send him who, offered in thee, goes with our oblations. Wearing new life let him increase his offspring: let him rejoin a body, Jātavedas.

6.What wound soe’er the dark bird hath inflicted, the emmet, or the serpent, or the jackal, May Agni who devoureth all things heal it and Soma who hath passed into the Brahmans.

7.Shield thee with flesh against the flames of Agni, encompass thee about with fat and marrow, So will the Bold One, eager to attack thee with fierce glow fail to girdle and consume thee.

8.Forbear, O Agni, to upset this ladle: the Gods and they who merit Soma love it. This ladle, this which serves the Gods to drink from, in this the Immortal Deities rejoice them. 9 1 send afar flesh eating Agni, bearing off stains may he depart to Yama’s subjects. But let this other Jātavedas carry oblation to the Gods, for he is skilful. 10 I choose as God for Father-worship Agni, flesh-eater, who hath past within your dwelling, While looking on this other Jātavedas. Let him light flames in the supreme assembly. 11 With offerings meet let Agni bring the Fathers who support the Law. Let him announce oblations paid to Fathers and to Deities. 12 Right gladly would we set thee down, right gladly make thee burn and glow. Gladly bring yearning Fathers nigh to cat the food of sacrifice. 13 Cool, Agni, and again refresh the spot which thou hast scorched and burnt. Here let the water-lily grow, and tender grass and leafy herb. 14 O full of coolness, thou cool Plant, full of fresh moisture, freshening Herb, Come hither with the female frog: fill with delight this Agni here.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn ask Agni to both consume the dead and also spare or cool him?

The hymn treats Agni as two functions at once: the devourer who effects cremation and the preserver who guides the soul. Verses ask Jātavedas to “mature” and send the man to the Fathers while also pleading that Agni not scatter the body and that cooling plants and water refresh the scorched place, so fire completes the rite without destroying the person’s passage to the Deities.

This duality echoes later Vedic ritual logic found in the Gṛhya-sūtras, where sacrificial agents must transform offerings without wasting their ritual value. Agni’s appetite brings the oblation to the Fathers, and his tempering—cooling, shielding, separate sacred flames—protects the integrity required for that journey.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.