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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 888 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN LI. Agni. Gods.

1.LARGE was that covering, and firm of texture, folded wherein thou enteredst the waters. One Deity alone, O Jātavedas Agni, saw all thy forms in sundry places.

2.What God hath seen me? Who of all their number clearly beheld my forms in many places? Where lie, then, all the sacred logs of Agni that lead him God-ward, Varuṇa and Mitra?

3.In many places, Agni Jātavedas, we sought thee hidden in the plants and waters. Then Yama marked thee, God of wondrous splendour! effulgent from thy tenfold secret dwelling,

4.I fled in fear from sacrificial worship, Varuṇa, lest the Gods should thus engage me. Thus were my forms laid down in many places. This, as my goal, I Agni saw before me.

5.Come; man is pious and would fain do worship, he waits prepared: in gloom thou, Agni, dwellest. Make pathways leading God-ward clear and easy, and bear oblations with a kindly spirit.

6.This goal mine elder brothers erst selected, as he who drives a car the way to travel. So,Varuṇa, I fled afar through terror, as flies the wild-bull from an archer’s bowstring.

7.We give thee life unwasting, Jātavedas, so that, employed, thou never shalt be injured. So, nobly born! shalt thou with kindly spirit bear to the Gods their share of men’s oblations.

8.Grant me the first oblations and the latter, entire, my forceful shares of holy presents, The soul of plants, the fatness of the waters, and let there be long life, ye Gods, to Agni.

9.Thine be the first oblations and the latter, entire, thy forceful shares of holy presents. Let all this sacrifice be thine, O Agni, and let the world’s four regions how before thee.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn say Agni appears in “many places” and hides in plants and waters?

The hymn describes Agni as present across multiple realms—plants, waters, the sacrificial logs—because Agni is both the sacred fire and the inner divine presence that manifests in varied, hidden forms. Phrases like “folded wherein thou enteredst the waters” and “hidden in the plants and waters” depict a deity who pervades material elements and the ritual medium, so the worshipper must find him everywhere to perform proper oblation.

Because Agni moves offerings to the gods, the hymn prays for clear “pathways leading God-ward” and the full shares of sacrifice to be borne without loss. This theme of an immanent mediator echoes how later texts such as the Upanishads treat the inner fire (jāta-vedas) as the link between human ritual and the divine self.

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.