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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 454 of 1027

Mandala 6: HYMN XIII. Agni.

1.FROM thee, as branches from a tree, O Agni, from thee, Auspicious God! spring all our blessings- Wealth swiftly, strength in battle with our foemen, the rain besought of heaven, the flow of waters.

2.Thou art our Bhaga to send wealth thou dwellest, like circumambient air, with wondrous splendour. Friend art thou of the lofty Law, like Mitra, Controller, Agni! God! of many a blessing.

3.Agni! the hero slays with might his foeman; the singer bears away the Paṇi’s booty- Even he whom thou, Sage, born in Law, incitest by wealth, accordant with the Child of Waters.

4.The man who, Son of Strength 1 with sacrifices, hymns, lauds, attracts thy fervour to the altar, Enjoys each precious thing, O God, O Agni, gains wealth of corn and is the lord of treasures.

5.Grant, Son of Strength, to men for their subsistence such things as bring high fame and hero children. For thou with might givest much food in cattle even to the wicked wolf when he is hungry.

6.Eloquent, Son of Strength, Most Mighty, Agni, vouchsafe us seed and offspring, full of vigour. May I by all my songs obtain abundance. May brave sons gladden us through a hundred winters.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn call Agni 'Son of Strength' and link him to wealth and offspring?

The hymn names Agni “Son of Strength” to present him as the active giver whose energy produces tangible blessings: wealth, rain, crops and victory. Agni’s role as ritual mediator connects him to Bhaga (giver of wealth) and Mitra (order), so invoking his vigour summons both material prosperity and social order.

By praising Agni’s stirring of sacrifice and song the rishi treats ritual speech as causative—“the man who…attracts thy fervour to the altar” receives sustenance and heirs. This practical theology matches themes in the Rigveda and in later ritual discussions like those in the Gṛhya-sūtras, where domestic rites channel divine agency into family prosperity.

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