Rig Veda · 533 of 1027
Mandala 7: HYMN XVII. Agni.
1.AGNI, be kindled well with proper fuel, and let the grass be scattered wide about thee.
2.Let the impatient Portals be thrown open bring thou the Gods impatient to come hither.
3.Taste, Agni: serve the Gods with our oblation. Offer good sacrifices, Jātavedas!
4.Let Jātavedas pay fair sacrifices, worship and gratify the Gods Immortal.
5.Wise God, win for us things that are all-goodly, and let the prayers, we pray today be fruitful.
6.Thee, even thee, the Son of Strength, O Agni, those Gods have made the bearer of oblations.
7.To thee the God may we perform our worship: do thou, besought, grant us abundant riches.
Asked of Guide
Why does this hymn call Agni “Jātavedas” and ask him to “serve the Gods with our oblation”?
The hymn names Agni “Jātavedas” to mark him as the knower of births and the mediator who carries offerings into the gods’ presence; lines 3–4 say “Taste, Agni: serve the Gods with our oblation” and “Let Jātavedas pay fair sacrifices,” which frames Agni as both recipient and ritual messenger. The fire receives the material gift and transforms it into a communicative act, so invoking his role ensures the offering reaches the divine audience.
The requests for fuel, open portals, and abundance (lines 1–2, 7) treat Agni as agent and steward whose proper functioning guarantees efficacy: he must be “kindled well” and bring the “Gods impatient to come hither.” This practical ritual theology echoes themes in the Br̥hadāraṇyaka traditions where ritual agents secure cosmic reciprocity through precise enactment.
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