Agni: The Double-Born Lord of Splendor and Sacrifice

📜 5 Verses

Act 1

Act I: The Lord of Wealth and the Flowing Spring

Verses 1, 2

Verse 1

म॒हः स रा॒य एष॑ते॒ पति॒र्दन्नि॒न इ॒नस्य॒ वसु॑नः प॒द आ । उप॒ ध्रजं॑त॒मद्र॑यो वि॒धन्नित् ॥

maháḥ sá rāyá éṣate pátirdánniná inásya vásunaḥ padá ā́ ǀ úpa dhrájantamádrayo vidhánnít ǁ

Verse 2

स यो वृषा॑ न॒रां न रोद॑स्योः॒ श्रवो॑भि॒रस्ति॑ जी॒वपी॑तसर्गः । प्र यः स॑स्रा॒णः शि॑श्री॒त योनौ॑ ॥

sá yó vṛ́ṣā narā́m ná ródasyoḥ śrávobhirásti jīvápītasargaḥ ǀ prá yáḥ sasrāṇáḥ śiśrītá yónau ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

In these opening verses, the Ṛṣi invokes Agni as the ultimate master of radiant wealth and divine abundance. He is the sovereign who seeks out the vast treasures, moving swiftly into his proper place in the sacrificial abode. The mountains themselves—symbolizing steadfast and unyielding barriers—pay homage to his fiery impetus. He is further described as the bull among men, straddling heaven and earth with his renown. Agni is the source from which all living beings draw their life-giving sustenance, flowing like a sacred spring. Having sped forth from his hidden origins, he takes his rightful seat in the sacred womb of the altar, ready to bridge the human and the divine.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 1: He, the lord of vast wealth, seeks out the treasure at the place of the master; the steadfast mountains pay homage as he moves with rushing speed.

Verse 2: He who is the bull among men, spanning heaven and earth with his glory, is the source of life-drinking; speeding forth, he settles in his womb.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

Sāyaṇa interprets the 'mountains' (adrayas) as the clouds or the pressing stones of the sacrifice, while modern commentators like Aurobindo view them as symbolic of hardened earthly consciousness yielding to the divine fire.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 1

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
महः	mahaḥ	of the great, vast
रायः	rāyaḥ	of wealth, treasure
पतिः	patiḥ	lord, master
अद्रयः	adrayāḥ	stones, mountains

Verse 2

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
वृषा	vṛṣā	bull, shower of benefits
रोदस्योः	rodasyoḥ	of heaven and earth
जीवपीतसर्गः	jīvapīta-sargaḥ	source or stream yielding drink to the living
योनौ	yonau	in the womb, place of birth

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Memory Hook

Imagine a roaring forge in the heart of the mountains, pouring out rivers of molten gold that feed all living creation.

Act 2

Act II: The Hundred-Souled Light and the Cosmic Priest

Verses 3, 4, 5

Verse 3

आ यः पुरं॒ नार्मि॑णी॒मदी॑दे॒दत्यः॑ क॒विर्न॑भ॒न्यो॒३॒॑ नार्वा॑ । सूरो॒ न रु॑रु॒क्वाञ्छ॒तात्मा॑ ॥

ā́ yáḥ púram nā́rmiṇīmádīdedátyaḥ kavírnabhanyó nā́rvā ǀ sū́ro ná rurukvā́ñchatā́tmā ǁ

Verse 4

अ॒भि द्वि॒जन्मा॒ त्री रो॑च॒नानि॒ विश्वा॒ रजां॑सि शुशुचा॒नो अ॑स्थात् । होता॒ यजि॑ष्ठो अ॒पां स॒धस्थे॑ ॥

abhí dvijánmā trī́ rocanā́ni víśvā rájāṃsi śuśucānó asthāt ǀ hótā yájiṣṭho apā́m sadhásthe ǁ

Verse 5

अ॒यं स होता॒ यो द्वि॒जन्मा॒ विश्वा॑ द॒धे वार्या॑णि श्रव॒स्या । मर्तो॒ यो अ॑स्मै सु॒तुको॑ द॒दाश॑ ॥

ayám sá hótā yó dvijánmā víśvā dadhé vā́ryāṇi śravasyā́ ǀ márto yó asmai sutúko dadā́śa ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

The vision broadens as Agni blazes forth like a swift steed of the storm clouds, illuminating the wave-filled fortress of life. He shines with the brilliance of the sun itself, possessing a hundred souls or inner centers of consciousness. His radiance fills all the realms of space, touching every corner of existence with divine light. He is the double-born—born of wood through friction and born from the celestial waters or the divine realms. Acting as the supreme Hotṛ priest, most devoted in sacrifice, he gathers all desirable boons through his quest for glory. The mortal who approaches him with swift devotion finds all treasures safely deposited within his care.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 3: He shines like a wave-tossed fortress, swift as a storm-steed or a running horse, radiant like the sun with a hundred souls.

Verse 4: Twice-born, he stands illuminating all the three luminous realms and all spaces, the most sacrificial priest in the abode of the waters.

Verse 5: This is that twice-born priest who holds all desirable things through his yearning for glory, whom the zealous mortal worships with rich offerings.