HYMN CXLII. Agni. – Rig Veda – Book 10

अयमग्ने जरिता तवे अभूदपि सहसः सूनो नह्यन्यदस्त्याप्यम |
भद्रं हि शर्म तरिवरूथमस्ति त आरेहिंसानामप दिद्युमा कर्धि ||

परवत ते अग्ने जनिमा पितूयतः साचीव विश्वा भुवना नय्र्ञ्जसे |
पर सप्तयः पर सनिषन्त नो धियः पुरश्चरन्तिपशुपा इव तमना ||

उत वा उ परि वर्णक्षि बप्सद बहोरग्न उलपस्य सवधावः |
उत खिल्या उर्वराणां भवन्ति मा ते हेतिं तविषींचुक्रुधाम ||

यदुद्वतो निवतो यासि बप्सत पर्थगेषि परगर्धिनीवसेना |
यदा ते वातो अनुवाति शोचिर्वप्तेव शमश्रु वपसिप्र भूम ||

परत्यस्य शरेणयो दद्र्श्र एकं नियानं बहवो रथासः |
बाहू यदग्ने अनुमर्म्र्जानो नयंं उत्तानामन्वेषिभूमिम ||

उत ते शुष्मा जिहतामुत ते अर्चिरुत ते अग्ने शशमानस्यवाजाः |
उच्छ्वञ्चस्व नि नम वर्धमान आ तवाद्य विश्वेवसवः सदन्तु ||

अपामिदं नययनं समुद्रस्य निवेशनम |
अन्यंक्र्णुष्वेतः पन्थां तेन याहि वशाननु ||

आयने ते परायणे दूर्वा रोहन्तु पुष्पिणिः |
हरदाश्चपुण्डरीकाणि समुद्रस्य गर्हा इमे ||

ayamaghne jaritā tve abhūdapi sahasaḥ sūno nahyanyadastyāpyam |
bhadraṃ hi śarma trivarūthamasti ta ārehiṃsānāmapa didyumā kṛdhi ||

pravat te aghne janimā pitūyataḥ sācīva viśvā bhuvanā nyṛñjase |
pra saptayaḥ pra saniṣanta no dhiyaḥ puraścarantipaśupā iva tmanā ||

uta vā u pari vṛṇakṣi bapsad bahoraghna ulapasya svadhāvaḥ |
uta khilyā urvarāṇāṃ bhavanti mā te hetiṃ taviṣīṃcukrudhāma ||

yadudvato nivato yāsi bapsat pṛthagheṣi praghardhinīvasenā |
yadā te vāto anuvāti śocirvapteva śmaśru vapasipra bhūma ||

pratyasya śreṇayo dadṛśra ekaṃ niyānaṃ bahavo rathāsaḥ |
bāhū yadaghne anumarmṛjāno nyaṃṃ uttānāmanveṣibhūmim ||

ut te śuṣmā jihatāmut te arcirut te aghne śaśamānasyavājāḥ |
ucchvañcasva ni nama vardhamāna ā tvādya viśvevasavaḥ sadantu ||

apāmidaṃ nyayanaṃ samudrasya niveśanam |
anyaṃkṛṇuṣvetaḥ panthāṃ tena yāhi vaśānanu ||

āyane te parāyaṇe dūrvā rohantu puṣpiṇiḥ |
hradāścapuṇḍarīkāṇi samudrasya ghṛhā ime ||

English Translation

Translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith

1. WITH thee, O Agni, was this singer of the laud: he hath no other kinship, O thou Son of Strength.
Thou givest blessed shelter with a triple guard. Keep the destructive lightning far away from us.

2 Thy birth who seekest food is in the falling flood, Agni: as Comrade thou winnest all living things.
Our coursers and our songs shall be victorious: they of themselves advance like one who guards the herd.

3 And thou, O Agni, thou of Godlike nature, sparest the stones, while caring up the brushwood.
Then are thy tracks like deserts in the corn-lands. Let us not stir to wrath thy mighty arrow.

4 O’er hills through vales devouring as thou goest, thou partest like an army fain for booty
As when a barber shaves a beard, thou shavest earth when the wind blows on thy flame and fans it.

5 Apparent are his lines as he approaches the course is single, but the cars are many,
When, Agni, thou, making thine arms resplendent, advancest o’er the land spread out beneath thee.

6 Now let thy strength, thy burning flames fly upward, thine energies, O Agni, as thou toilest.
Gape widely, bend thee, waxing in thy vigour: let all the Vasus sit this day beside thee.

7 This is the waters’ reservoir, the great abode of gathered streams.
Take thou another path than this, and as thou listest walk thereon.

8 On thy way hitherward and hence let flowery Durva grass spring up
Let there be lakes with lotus blooms. These are the mansions of the flood.