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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 857 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN XX. Agni.

1.SEND unto us a good and happy mind. 2 1 worship Agni, Youthfullest of Gods, resistless, Friend of laws; Under whose guard and heavenly light the Spotted seek the Mother’s breast: 3 Whom with their mouth they magnify, bannered with flame and homed in light. He glitters with his row of teeth. 4 Kind, Furtherer of men, he comes, when he hath reached the ends of heaven, Sage, giving splendour to the clouds. 5 To taste man’s offerings, he, the Strong, hath risen erect at sacrifice: Fixing his dwelling he proceeds. 6 Here are oblation, worship, rest: rapidly comes his furtherance. To sword-armed Agni come the Gods. 7 With service for chief bliss I seek the Lord of Sacrifice, Agni, whom They call the Living, Son of Cloud. 8 Blest evermore be all the men who come from us, who magnify Agni with sacrificial gifts. 9 The path he treads is black and white and red, and striped, and brown, crimson, and glorious. His sire begat him bright with hues of gold. 10 Thus with his thoughts, O Son of Strength, O Agni, hath Vimada, accordant with the Immortals, Offered thee hymns, soliciting thy favour. Thou hast brought all food, strength, a prosperous dwelling.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn call Agni both 'Friend of laws' and 'Son of Cloud'?

The hymn names Agni as “Friend of laws” to stress his role as guardian of order and the sacrificial rules; he is the divine presence who makes rituals effective and secures “worship, rest” and “furtherance” for people who honor him. Calling him “Son of Cloud” links Agni to the sky and to fertility—the clouds supply rain and sustenance—so Agni stands between earthly offerings and heavenly gifts, bringing “all food, strength, a prosperous dwelling.”

This combination portrays Agni as both legal-moral power and cosmological connector: law-keeping priest and mediator to the gods. For a parallel, see W. Norman Brown’s studies of Vedic ritual which show Agni’s double function as sacrificial agent and cosmic link between humans and the Immortals.

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