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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 445 of 1027

Mandala 6: HYMN IV Agni.

1.As at man’s service of the Gods, Invoker, thou, Son of Strength, dost sacrifice and worship, So bring for us to-day all Gods together, bring willingly the willing Gods, O Agni.

2.May Agni, radiant Herald of the morning, meet to be known, accept our praise with favour. Dear to all life, mid mortal men Immortal, our guest, awake at dawn, is Jātavedas.

3.Whose might the very heavens regard with wonder: bright as the Sun he clothes himself with lustre. He who sends forth,, Eternal Purifier, hath shattered e’en the ancient works of Aśna.

4.Thou art a Singer, Son! our feast-companion: Agni at birth prepared his food and pathway. Therefore vouchsafe us strength, O Strength-bestower. Win like a King: foes trouble not thy dwelling.

5.Even he who cats his firm hard food with swiftness,and overtakes the nights as Vāyu kingdoms. May we o’ercome those who resist thine orders, like a steed casting down the flying foemen.

6.Like Sūrya with his fulgent rays, O Agni, thou overspreadest both the worlds with splendour. Decked with bright colour he dispels the darkness, like Auśija, with clear flame swifily flying.

7.We have elected thee as most delightful for thy beams’ glow: hear our great laud, O Agni. The best men praise thee as the peer of Indra in strength, mid Gods, like Viyu in thy bounty.

8.Now, Agni, on the tranquil paths of riches come to us for our weal: save us from sorrow. Grant chiefs and bard this boon. May we live happy, with hero children, through a hundred winters.

Asked of Guide

Why do the rishis call Agni both 'Jātavedas' and 'Herald of the morning' here?

The hymn names Agni ‘Jātavedas’ to mark his intimate, knowing role among mortals and gods — “Dear to all life, mid mortal men Immortal, our guest” — emphasizing his presence at ritual hearths where he receives praise and conveys offerings. Calling him ‘Herald of the morning’ frames Agni as the bringer of light and renewal, the dawn figure who “awake at dawn” disperses darkness and readies the world for the gods’ favor.

Together those epithets link Agni’s domestic, sacrificial function with cosmic action: he both knows (Jātavedas) and announces the divine day (Herald of the morning), so the hymn asks him to “bring willingly the willing Gods” and to “come to us for our weal.” This pairing resembles themes in the Rigveda where a deity’s personal cult role and cosmic power converge, as also emphasized for Agni in other Mandalas.

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