HYMN XXXI. Agni: Rig Veda – Book 1 – Ralph T.H. Griffith, Translator

तवमग्ने परथमो अङगिरा रषिर्देवो देवानामभवः शिवः सखा |
तव वरते कवयो विद्मनापसो.अजायन्त मरुतो भराजद्र्ष्टयः ||

तवमग्ने परथमो अङगिरस्तमः कविर्देवानां परि भूषसिव्रतम |
विभुर्विश्वस्मै भुवनाय मेधिरो दविमाता शयुः कतिधा चिदायवे ||

तवमग्ने परथमो मातरिश्वन आविर्भव सुक्रतूया विवस्वते |
अरेजेतां रोदसी होत्र्वूर्ये.असघ्नोर्भारमयजो महोवसो ||

तवमग्ने मनवे दयामवाशयः पुरूरवसे सुक्र्ते सुक्र्त्तरः |
शवात्रेण यत पित्रोर्मुच्यसे पर्या तवा पूर्वमनयन्नापरं पुनः ||

तवमग्ने वर्षभः पुष्टिवर्धन उद्यतस्रुचे भवसि शरवाय्यः |
य आहुतिं परि वेदा वषट्क्र्तिमेकायुरग्रे विश आविवाससि ||

तवमग्ने वर्जिनवर्तनिं नरं सक्मन पिपर्षि विदथे विचर्षणे |
यः शूरसाता परितक्म्ये धने दभ्रेभिश्चित सम्र्ताहंसि भूयसः ||

तवं तमग्ने अम्र्तत्व उत्तमे मर्तं दधासि शरवसे दिवे दिवे |
यस्तात्र्षाण उभयाय जन्मने मयः कर्णोषि परया च सूरये ||

तवं नो अग्ने सनये धनानां यशसं कारुं कर्णुहि सतवानः |
रध्याम कर्मापसा नवेन देवैर्द्यावाप्र्थिवी परावतं नः ||

तवं नो अग्ने पित्रोरुपस्थ आ देवो देवेष्वनवद्य जाग्र्विः |
तनूक्र्द बोधि परमतिश्च कारवे तवं कल्याण वसु विश्वमोपिषे ||

तवमग्ने परमतिस्त्वं पितासि नस्त्वं वयस्क्र्त तव जामयो वयम |
सं तवा रायः शतिनः सं सहस्रिणः सुवीरं यन्ति वरतपामदाभ्य ||

तवामग्ने परथममायुमायवे देवा अक्र्ण्वन नहुषस्य विश्पतिम |
इळामक्र्ण्वन मनुषस्य शासनीं पितुर्यत पुत्रो ममकस्य जायते ||

तवं नो अग्ने तव देव पायुभिर्मघोनो रक्ष तन्वश्च वन्द्य |
तराता तोकस्य तनये गवामस्यनिमेषं रक्षमाणस्तव वरते ||

तवमग्ने यज्यवे पायुरन्तरो.अनिषङगाय चतुरक्ष इध्यसे |
यो रातहव्यो.अव्र्काय धायसे कीरेश्चिन मन्त्रं मनसावनोषि तम ||

तवमग्न उरुशंसाय वाघते सपार्हं यद रेक्णः परमं वनोषि तत |
आध्रस्य चित परमतिरुच्यसे पिता पर पाकंशास्सि पर दिशो विदुष्टरः ||

तवमग्ने परयतदक्षिणं नरं वर्मेव सयूतं परि पासि विश्वतः |
सवादुक्षद्मा यो वसतौ सयोनक्र्ज्जीवयाजं यजते सोपमा दिवः ||

इमामग्ने शरणिं मीम्र्षो न इममध्वानं यमगाम दूरात |
आपिः पिता परमतिः सोम्यानां भर्मिरस्य रषिक्र्न मर्त्यानाम ||

मनुष्वदग्ने अङगिरस्वदङगिरो ययातिवत सदने पूर्ववच्छुचे |
अछ याह्या वहा दैव्यं जनमा सादय बर्हिषि यक्षि च परियम ||

एतेनाग्ने बरह्मणा वाव्र्धस्व शक्ती वा यत ते चक्र्मा विदा वा |
उत पर णेष्यभि वस्यो अस्मान सं नः सर्ज सुमत्या वाजवत्या ||

 

tvamaghne prathamo aṅghirā ṛṣirdevo devānāmabhavaḥ śivaḥ sakhā |
tava vrate kavayo vidmanāpaso.ajāyanta maruto bhrājadṛṣṭayaḥ ||

tvamaghne prathamo aṅghirastamaḥ kavirdevānāṃ pari bhūṣasivratam |
vibhurviśvasmai bhuvanāya medhiro dvimātā śayuḥ katidhā cidāyave ||

tvamaghne prathamo mātariśvana āvirbhava sukratūyā vivasvate |
arejetāṃ rodasī hotṛvūrye.asaghnorbhāramayajo mahovaso ||

tvamaghne manave dyāmavāśayaḥ purūravase sukṛte sukṛttaraḥ |
śvātreṇa yat pitrormucyase paryā tvā pūrvamanayannāparaṃ punaḥ ||

tvamaghne vṛṣabhaḥ puṣṭivardhana udyatasruce bhavasi śravāyyaḥ |
ya āhutiṃ pari vedā vaṣaṭkṛtimekāyuraghre viśa āvivāsasi ||

tvamaghne vṛjinavartaniṃ naraṃ sakman piparṣi vidathe vicarṣaṇe |
yaḥ śūrasātā paritakmye dhane dabhrebhiścit samṛtāhaṃsi bhūyasaḥ ||

tvaṃ tamaghne amṛtatva uttame martaṃ dadhāsi śravase dive dive |
yastātṛṣāṇa ubhayāya janmane mayaḥ kṛṇoṣi prayaā ca sūraye ||

tvaṃ no aghne sanaye dhanānāṃ yaśasaṃ kāruṃ kṛṇuhi stavānaḥ |
ṛdhyāma karmāpasā navena devairdyāvāpṛthivī prāvataṃ naḥ ||

tvaṃ no aghne pitrorupastha ā devo deveṣvanavadya jāghṛviḥ |
tanūkṛd bodhi pramatiśca kārave tvaṃ kalyāṇa vasu viśvamopiṣe ||

tvamaghne pramatistvaṃ pitāsi nastvaṃ vayaskṛt tava jāmayo vayam |
saṃ tvā rāyaḥ śatinaḥ saṃ sahasriṇaḥ suvīraṃ yanti vratapāmadābhya ||

tvāmaghne prathamamāyumāyave devā akṛṇvan nahuṣasya viśpatim |
iḷāmakṛṇvan manuṣasya śāsanīṃ pituryat putro mamakasya jāyate ||

tvaṃ no aghne tava deva pāyubhirmaghono rakṣa tanvaśca vandya |
trātā tokasya tanaye ghavāmasyanimeṣaṃ rakṣamāṇastava vrate ||

tvamaghne yajyave pāyurantaro.aniṣaṅghāya caturakṣa idhyase |
yo rātahavyo.avṛkāya dhāyase kīreścin mantraṃ manasāvanoṣi tam ||

tvamaghna uruśaṃsāya vāghate spārhaṃ yad rekṇaḥ paramaṃ vanoṣi tat |
ādhrasya cit pramatirucyase pitā pra pākaṃśāssi pra diśo viduṣṭaraḥ ||

tvamaghne prayatadakṣiṇaṃ naraṃ varmeva syūtaṃ pari pāsi viśvataḥ |
svādukṣadmā yo vasatau syonakṛjjīvayājaṃ yajate sopamā divaḥ ||

imāmaghne śaraṇiṃ mīmṛṣo na imamadhvānaṃ yamaghāma dūrāt |
āpiḥ pitā pramatiḥ somyānāṃ bhṛmirasy ṛṣikṛn martyānām ||

manuṣvadaghne aṅghirasvadaṅghiro yayātivat sadane pūrvavacchuce |
acha yāhyā vahā daivyaṃ janamā sādaya barhiṣi yakṣi ca priyam ||

etenāghne brahmaṇā vāvṛdhasva śaktī vā yat te cakṛmā vidā vā |
uta pra ṇeṣyabhi vasyo asmān saṃ naḥ sṛja sumatyā vājavatyā ||

English Translation

Translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith

1 Thou, Agni, wast the earliest Aṅgiras, a Seer; thou wast, a God thyself, the Gods’ auspicious Friend.
After thy holy ordinance the Maruts, sage, active through wisdom, with their glittering spears, were born.

2 O Agni, thou, the best and earliest Aṅgiras, fulfillest as a Sage the holy law of Gods.
Sprung from two mothers, wise, through all existence spread, resting in many a place for sake of living man.

3 To Mātariśvan first thou, Agni, wast disclosed, and to Vivasvān through thy noble inward power.
Heaven and Earth, Vasu! shook at the choosing of the Priest: the burthen thou didst bear, didst worship mighty Gods.

4 Agni thou madest heaven to thunder for mankind; thou, yet more pious, for pious Purūravas.
When thou art rapidly freed from thy parents, first eastward they bear thee round, and, after, to the west.

5 Thou, Agni, art a Bull who makes our store increase, to be invoked by him who lifts the ladle up.
Well knowing the oblation with the hallowing word, uniting all who live, thou lightenest first our folk
6 Agni, thou savest in the synod when pursued e’en him, farseeing One! who walks in evil ways.
Thou, when the heroes fight for spoil which men rush, round, slayest in war the many by the hands of few.

7 For glory, Agni, day by day, thou liftest up the mortal man to highest immortality,
Even thou who yearning for both races givest them great bliss, and to the prince grantest abundant food.

8 O Agni, highly lauded, make our singer famous that he may win us store of riches:
May we improve the rite with new performance. O Earth and Heaven, with all the Gods, protect us.

9 O blameless Agni lying in thy Parents’ lap, a God among the Gods, be watchful for our good.
Former of bodies, be the singer’s Providence: all good things hast thou sown for him, auspicious One!

10 Agni, thou art our Providence, our Father thou: we are thy brethren and thou art our spring of life.
In thee, rich in good heroes, guard of high decrees, meet hundred, thousand treasures, O infallible!

11 Thee, Agni, have the Gods made the first living One for living man, Lord of the house of Nahuṣa.
Iḷā they made the teacher of the sons of men, what time a Son was born to the father of my race.

12 Worthy to be revered, O Agni, God, preserve our wealthy patrons with thy succours, and ourselves.
Guard of our seed art thou, aiding our cows to bear, incessantly protecting in thy holy way.

13 Agni, thou art a guard close to the pious man; kindled art thou, four-eyed! for him who is unarmed.
With fond heart thou acceptest e’en the poor man’s prayer, when he hath brought his gift to gain security.

14 Thou, Agni gainest for the loudly-praising priest the highest wealth, the object of a man’s desire.
Thou art called Father, caring even for the weak, and wisest, to the simple one thou teachest lore.

15 Agni, the man who giveth guerdon to the priests, like well-sewn armour thou guardest on every side.
He who with grateful food shows kindness in his house, an offerer to the living, is the type of heaven.

16 Pardon, we pray, this sin of ours, O Agni,—the path which we have trodden, widely straying,
Dear Friend and Father, caring for the pious, who speedest nigh and who inspirest mortals.

17 As erst to Manus, to Yayāti, Aṅgiras, so Aṅgiras! pure Agni! come thou to our hall.
Bring hither the celestial host and seat them here upon the sacred grass, and offer what they love.

18 By this our prayer be thou, O Agni, strengthened, prayer made by us after our power and knowledge.
Lead thou us, therefore, to increasing riches; endow us with thy strength-bestowing favour.