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 · 839 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN II. Agni.

1.GLADDEN the yearning Gods, O thou Most Youthful: bring them, O Lord of Seasons, knowing seasons, With all the Priests Celestial, O Agni. Best worshipper art thou of all Invokers.

2.Thine is the Herald’s, thine the Cleanser’s office, thinker art thou, wealth-giver, true to Order. Let us with Svāhā offer up oblations, and Agni, worthy God, pay the Gods worship.

3.To the Gods’ pathway have we travelled, ready to execute what work we may accomplish. Let Agni, for he knows, complete the worship. He is the Priest: let him fix rites and seasons.

4.When we most ignorant neglect the statutes of you, O Deities with whom is knowledge, Wise Agni shall correct our faults and failings, skilled to assign each God his fitting season.

5.When, weak in mind, of feeble understanding, mortals bethink them not of sacrificing, Then shall the prudent and discerning Agni worship the Gods, best worshipper, in season.

6.Because the Father hath produced thee, Leader of all our solemn rites, their brilliant Banner: So win by worship pleasant homes abounding in heroes, and rich food to nourish all men.

7.Thou whom the Heaven and Earth, thou whom the Waters, and Tvaṣṭar, maker of fair things, created, Well knowing, all along the Fathers’ pathway, shine with resplendent light, enkindled, Agni.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn call Agni the 'best worshipper' and 'priest' of the gods?

The chapter portrays Agni as both the one who carries offerings and the one who knows rites: he is “best worshipper” because he executes sacrifice when humans are forgetful, offering Svāhā and completing the worship. Calling him “priest” names his role as fixer of rites and seasons, the agent who assigns each god “his fitting season” and maintains Ṛta (order).

This hymn treats Agni as a mediator created by the Father and Tvaṣṭar, lit and sent along the Fathers’ pathway to secure homes, heroes, and nourishment through correct ritual action. For a parallel on priests as ritual mediators, compare Eliade’s The Sacred and the Profane, which emphasizes sacred agents who sustain cosmic order by recurring rites.

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.