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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 301 of 1027

Mandala 4: HYMN V. Agni.

1.How shall we give with one accord oblation to Agni, to Vaiśvānara the Bounteous? Great light, with full high growth hath he uplifted, and, as a pillar bears the roof, sustains it.

2.Reproach not him who, God and self-reliant, vouchsafed this bounty unto me a mortal,— Deathless, discerner, wise, to me the simple, Vaiśvānara most manly, youthful Agni.

3.Sharp-pointed, powerful, strong, of boundless vigour, Agni who knows the lofty hymn, kept secret As the lost milch-cow’s track, the doubly Mighty,—he hath declared to me this hidden knowledge.

4.May he with sharpened teeth, the Bounteous Giver, Agni, consume with flame most fiercely glowing. Those who regard not Varuṇa’s commandments and the dear stedfast laws of sapient Mitra.

5.Like youthful women without brothers, straying, like dames who hate their lords, of evil conduct, They who are full of sin, untrue, unfaithful, they have engendered this abysmal station.

6.To me, weak, innocent, thou, luminous Agni, hast boldly given as ’twere a heavy burthen, This Pṛṣṭha hymn, profound and strong and mighty, of seven elements, and with offered dainties.

7.So may our song that purifies, through wisdom reach in a moment him the Universal, Established on the height, on earth’s best station, above the beauteous grassy skin of Pṛśni.

8.Of this my speech what shall I utter further? They indicate the milk stored up in secret When they have thrown as ’twere the cows’ stalls open. The Bird protects earths’ best and well-loved station.

9.This is the Great Ones’ mighty apparition which from of old the radiant Cow hath followed. This, shining brightly in the place of Order, swift, hasting on in secret, she discovered.

10.He then who shone together with his Parents remembered Pṛśni’s fair and secret treasure, Which, in the Mother Cow’s most lofty station, the Bull’s tongue, of the flame bent forward, tasted.

11.With reverence I declare the Law, O Agni; what is, comes by thine order, Jātavedas. Of this, whate’er it be, thou art the Sovran, yea, all the wealth that is in earth or heaven.

12.What is our wealth therefrom, and what our treasure? Tell us O Jātavedas, for thou knowest, What is our best course in this secret passage: we, unreproached, have reached a place far distant.

13.What is the limit, what the rules, the guerdon? Like fleet-foot coursers speed we to the contest. When will the Goddesses, the Immortal’s Spouses, the Dawns, spread over us the Sun-God’s splendour?

14.Unsatisfied, with speech devoid of vigour, scanty and frivolous and inconclusive, Wherefore do they address thee here, O Agni? Let these who have no weapons suffer sorrow.

15.The majesty of him the Good, the Mighty, aflame, hath shone for glory in the dwelling. He, clothed in light, hath shone most fair to look on, wealthy in boons, as a home shines with riches.

Asked of Guide

Why does the poet call Agni both 'Vaiśvānara' and 'Jātavedas' in this hymn?

The poet uses Vaiśvānara to name Agni as the all-consuming, universal fire—“Great light, with full high growth” who sustains the roof of the world and bears bounty to mortals. That epithet highlights Agni’s role as the pervasive, life-giving flame and protector who reveals hidden wealth like Pṛśni’s secret milk.

Jātavedas names Agni as knower and revealer of sacrificial truth—“what is, comes by thine order, Jātavedas”—so the speaker asks him about limits, rules, and the best course. The hymn combines both aspects: Vaiśvānara as cosmic sustainer and Jātavedas as the inner guide who discloses sacred knowledge, a pairing also emphasized elsewhere in the Rig Veda.

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.