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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 453 of 1027

Mandala 6: HYMN XII. Agni.

1.KING of trimmed grass, Herald within the dwelling, may Agni worship the Impeller’s World-halves. He, Son of Strength, the Holy, from a distance hath spread himself abroad with light like Sūrya.

2.In thee, most wise, shall Dyaus, for full perfection, King! Holy One! pronounce the call to worship. Found in three places, like the Speeder’s footstep, come to present men’s riches as oblations!

3.Whose blaze most splendid, sovran in the forest, shines waxing on his way like the - Impeller. He knows himself, like as a guileless smelter, not to be stayed among the plants, Immortal.

4.Our friends extol him like a steed for vigour even Agni in the dwelling, jatave~as. Trce-fed, he fights with power as doth a champion, like Dawn’s Sire to be praised with sacrifices.

5.Men wonder at his shining glows when, paring the woods with case, o’er the broad earth he goeth, And, like a rushing flood, loosed quickly, burneth, swift as a guilty thief, o’er desert places.

6.So mighty thou protectest us from slander, O Champion, Agni! with all fires enkindled. Bring opulence and drive away affliction. May brave sons gladden us through a hundred winters.

Asked of Guide

Why does this hymn call Agni

The hymn praises Agni as both household fire and cosmic force: “Herald within the dwelling” and a presence that “hath spread himself abroad with light like Sūrya.” It names Agni Custodian of offerings, protector who “bring[s] opulence and drive[s] away affliction,” linking domestic ritual to worldly prosperity.

Agni is pictured as agent and warrior — a smelter, a steed, a champion — because the Rishi wants fire’s usefulness and power to be inseparable from its divinity. That framing matches other Vedic hymns (for example, Rig Veda Mandala 1 hymns praising Agni) which treat ritual fire as both practical mediator and sacred, world-moving presence.

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