Listen

Dhammapada · narration sample

A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.

Rig Veda · 452 of 1027

Mandala 6: HYMN XI. Agni.

1.EAGERLY Sacrifice thou, most skilful, Agni! Priest, pressing on as if the Maruts sent thee. To our oblation bring the two Nāsatyas, Mitra and Varuṇa and Earth and Heaven.

2.Thou art our guileless, most delightful Herald, the God, among mankind, of holy synods. A Priest with purifying tongue, O Agni, sacrifice with thy mouth to thine own body.

3.For even the blessed longing that is in thee would bring the Gods down to the singer’s worship, When the Aṅgirases’ sagest Sage, the Poet, sings the sweet measure at the solemn service.

4.Bright hath he beamed, the wise, the far-refulgent. Worship the two widespreading Worlds, O Agni, Whom as the Living One rich in oblations the Five Tribes, bringing gifts, adorn with homage.

5.When I with reverence clip the grass for Agni, when the trimmed ladle, fullof oil, is lifted, Firm on the seat of earth is based the altar: eye-like, the sacrifice is directed Sun-ward.

6.Enrich us, O thou Priest of many aspects, with the Gods, Agni, with thy fires, enkindled. O Son of Strength, clad in the robe of riches, may we escape from woe as from a prison.

Asked of Guide

Why does the poet call Agni a 'Priest' and ask him to 'sacrifice with thy mouth to thine own body'?

The hymn treats Agni as both deity and active officiant: calling him a “Priest” names him the ritual agent who carries offerings to the gods. When the poet says “sacrifice with thy mouth to thine own body,” he asks Agni to perform the ritual gesture himself—consume and transform the oblation—so the offering reaches the divine company through Agni’s action. The language echoes hymns elsewhere in the Rig Veda where fire is the mediator who “brings the two Nāsatyas, Mitra and Varuṇa,” and whose “purifying tongue” effects communion. This idea matches what Max Müller highlights in his translations: Agni functions as the household priest and divine messenger who enacts sacrifice on behalf of worshippers.

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.