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Rig Veda · 1 of 1027
Mandala 1: HYMN I. Agni.
1.I Laud Agni, the chosen Priest, God, minister of sacrifice, The hotar, lavishest of wealth.
2.Worthy is Agni to be praised by living as by ancient seers. He shall bring hitherward the Gods.
3.Through Agni man obtaineth wealth, yea, plenty waxing day by day, Most rich in heroes, glorious.
4.Agni, the perfect sacrifice which thou encompassest about Verily goeth to the Gods.
5.May Agni, sapient-minded Priest, truthful, most gloriously great, The God, come hither with the Gods.
6.Whatever blessing, Agni, thou wilt grant unto thy worshipper, That, Aṅgiras, is indeed thy truth.
7.To thee, dispeller of the night, O Agni, day by day with prayer Bringing thee reverence, we come
8.Ruler of sacrifices, guard of Law eternal, radiant One, Increasing in thine own abode.
9.Be to us easy of approach, even as a father to his son: Agni, be with us for our weal.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn call Agni both priest and sacrifice?
The hymn presents Agni as the hotar, “chosen Priest, God, minister of sacrifice,” who simultaneously is “the perfect sacrifice which thou encompassest about.” It treats Agni as the ritual agent who carries offerings to the gods and as the living locus of the offering itself, so praise addresses both his function and his substance.
That double role ties ritual efficacy to presence: Agni mediates between worshippers and devas and embodies the sacrificial power that secures wealth and law. This matching of role and being appears across Vedic ritual literature, especially in later Brāhmaṇa explanation where priest and rite are inseparable.
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