Rig Veda · 364 of 1027
Mandala 5: HYMN X. Agni.
1.BRING us most mighty splendour thou, Agni, resistless on thy way. With overflowing store of wealth mark out for us a path to strength.
2.Ours art thou, wondrous Agni, by wisdom and bounteousness of power. The might of Asuras rests on thee, like Mitra worshipful in act.
3.Agni, increase our means of life, increase the house and home of these, The men, the princes who have won great riches through our hymns of praise.
4.Bright Agni, they who deck their songs for thee have horses as their meed. The men are mighty in their might, they whose high laud, as that of heaven, awakes thee of its own accord.
5.O Agni, those resplendent flames of thine go valorously forth, Like lightnings flashing round us, like a rattling car that seeks the spoil.
6.Now, Agni, come to succour us; let priests draw nigh to offer gifts; And let the patrons of our rites subdue all regions of the earth.
7.Bring to us, Agni, Aṅgiras, lauded of old and lauded now, Invoker! wealth to quell the strong, that singers may extol thee. Be near us in fight for our success.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn keep asking Agni to bring wealth and strength to the singers and princes?
The hymn treats Agni as the active source who “marks out for us a path to strength” and brings “overflowing store of wealth,” so the repeated petitions are practical requests: fire is the mediator who carries offerings to the gods and thereby secures prosperity and victory for community leaders. The singers and princes are named beneficiaries because their well-being maintains the ritual order—Agni’s favour turns ritual praise into tangible gains like houses, horses, and success in battle.
This hymn frames prosperity as a byproduct of proper worship and Agni’s presence: lines asking him to “come to succour us” and to let patrons “subdue all regions of the earth” show confidence that ritual efficacy produces political and material power. This connects to later Vedic sections, and to Max Müller’s translations, which also emphasize Agni’s role as mediator between human sacrifice and divine reward.
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