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Rigveda · Maṇḍala 1

The Path of Light and Protection: A Prayer to Agni for Guidance and Deliverance

📜 8 Verses

Act 1

The Prayer for the Right Path and Protection from Danger

Verses 1, 2, 3, 4

Verse 1

अग्ने॒ नय॑ सु॒पथा॑ रा॒ये अ॒स्मान्विश्वा॑नि देव व॒युना॑नि वि॒द्वान् । यु॒यो॒ध्य१॒॑स्मज्जु॑हुरा॒णमेनो॒ भूयि॑ष्ठां ते॒ नम॑उक्तिं विधेम ॥

ágne náya supáthā rāyé asmā́nvíśvāni deva vayúnāni vidvā́n ǀ yuyodhyásmájjuhurāṇáméno bhū́yiṣṭhām te náma+uktim vidhema ǁ

Verse 2

अग्ने॒ त्वं पा॑रया॒ नव्यो॑ अ॒स्मान्त्स्व॒स्तिभि॒रति॑ दु॒र्गाणि॒ विश्वा॑ । पूश्च॑ पृ॒थ्वी ब॑हु॒ला न॑ उ॒र्वी भवा॑ तो॒काय॒ तन॑याय॒ शं योः ॥

ágne tvám pārayā návyo asmā́ntsvastíbhiráti durgā́ṇi víśvā ǀ pū́śca pṛthvī́ bahulā́ na urvī́ bhávā tokā́ya tánayāya śám yóḥ ǁ

Verse 3

अग्ने॒ त्वम॒स्मद्यु॑यो॒ध्यमी॑वा॒ अन॑ग्नित्रा अ॒भ्यमं॑त कृ॒ष्टीः । पुन॑र॒स्मभ्यं॑ सुवि॒ताय॑ देव॒ क्षां विश्वे॑भिर॒मृते॑भिर्यजत्र ॥

ágne tvámasmádyuyodhyámīvā ánagnitrā abhyámanta kṛṣṭī́ḥ ǀ púnarasmábhyam suvitā́ya deva kṣā́m víśvebhiramṛ́tebhiryajatra ǁ

Verse 4

पा॒हि नो॑ अग्ने पा॒युभि॒रज॑स्रैरु॒त प्रि॒ये सद॑न॒ आ शु॑शु॒क्वान् । मा ते॑ भ॒यं ज॑रि॒तारं॑ यविष्ठ नू॒नं वि॑द॒न्माप॒रं स॑हस्वः ॥

pāhí no agne pāyúbhirájasrairutá priyé sádana ā́ śuśukvā́n ǀ mā́ te bhayám jaritā́ram yaviṣṭha nūnám vidanmā́parám sahasvaḥ ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

In these opening verses, the ṛṣi turns to Agni, the divine mediator and knower of all paths, with an earnest plea for guidance. Life is seen as a journey through difficult, treacherous terrain, fraught with hidden pitfalls and crooked paths of deception (juhurāṇam eno). The poet asks Agni to lead the seeker along the straight and true path (supathā) toward ultimate abundance and spiritual wealth (rāye). Agni is invoked not merely as a physical fire, but as a cosmic intelligence who knows all manifestations of existence (viśvāni vayunāni vidvān). As the hymns progress, the ṛṣi calls upon Agni to ferry humanity safely across all difficulties, comparing the divine protection to a vast, sheltering fortress (pūḥ pṛthvī bahulā na urvī). Agni is asked to ward off diseases and hostile, ungodly forces, shining brightly in his sacred dwelling. There is a deep psychological and spiritual resonance here: Agni is the inner flame of awareness that burns away inner turmoil and protects the devotee from moral and spiritual deviation.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 1: O Agni, knowing all the cosmic manifestations, lead us by the good path toward wealth; keep far away from us the crooked sin, and to you we shall offer our most abundant word of homage.

Verse 2: O Agni, ever young, ferry us across all difficult paths with your blessings; be a broad, expansive, and sheltering earth for our children and descendants, bringing peace and well-being.

Verse 3: O Agni, ward off from us all diseases and the hostile forces that attack men who lack the sacred fire; unite us once more with the earth and with all the immortal gods, O adorable one.

Verse 4: Protect us, O Agni, with your unceasing guardians, shining forth in your dear dwelling. May your worshipper, O youngest and most powerful lord, never know fear, now or in the future.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

The translation follows both the grammatical breakdowns of Padapāṭha and the spiritual commentaries of Sāyaṇa, who interprets 'durgāṇi' as both physical perils and moral sins, while Sri Aurobindo views Agni's path as the progressive evolution of the soul toward truth (ṛta).

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 1

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
अग्ने	agne	O Agni, vocative of agni (fire/divine light)
सुपथा	supathā	by the good path
राये	rāye	for wealth or spiritual treasure
विद्वान्	vidvān	knowing, wise

Verse 2

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
पारय	pāraya	carry across, ferry over
नव्यः	navyaḥ	ever-new, youthful
स्वस्तिभिः	svastibhiḥ	with blessings or safe passages
दुर्गाणि	durgāṇi	difficult places, impassable ways

Verse 3

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
युयोधि	yuyodhi	ward off, keep away
अमीवाः	amīvāḥ	diseases, plagues
अनग्नित्राः	anagni-trāḥ	unprotected by fire
यजत्र	yajatra	worthy of sacrifice, adorable

Verse 4

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
पाहि	pāhi	protect
अजस्रैः	ajasraiḥ	unceasing, eternal
यविष्ठ	yaviṣṭha	youngest
सहस्वः	sahasvaḥ	O mighty one

🧠

Memory Hook

Picture a fearless traveler walking through a dark, tangled forest at night, holding a blazing torch (Agni) that instantly dissolves every trap and beast in their path.

Act 2

The Shield Against Malice and the Attainment of Grace

Verses 5, 6, 7, 8

Verse 5

मा नो॑ अ॒ग्नेऽव॑ सृजो अ॒घाया॑वि॒ष्यवे॑ रि॒पवे॑ दु॒च्छुना॑यै । मा द॒त्वते॒ दश॑ते॒ मादते॑ नो॒ मा रीष॑ते सहसाव॒न्परा॑ दाः ॥

mā́ no agné’va sṛjo aghā́yāviṣyáve ripáve ducchúnāyai ǀ mā́ datváte dáśate mā́dáte no mā́ rī́ṣate sahasāvanpárā dāḥ ǁ

Verse 6

वि घ॒ त्वावाँ॑ ऋतजात यंसद्गृणा॒नो अ॑ग्ने त॒न्वे॒३॒॑ वरू॑थं । विश्वा॑द्रिरि॒क्षोरु॒त वा॑ निनि॒त्सोर॑भि॒ह्रुता॒मसि॒ हि दे॑व वि॒ष्पट् ॥

ví gha tvā́vām̐ ṛtajāta yaṃsadgṛṇānó agne tanvé várūtham ǀ víśvādririkṣórutá vā ninitsórabhihrútāmási hí deva viṣpáṭ ǁ

Verse 7

त्वं ताँ अ॑ग्न उ॒भया॒न्वि वि॒द्वान्वेषि॑ प्रपि॒त्वे मनु॑षो यजत्र । अ॒भि॒पि॒त्वे मन॑वे॒ शास्यो॑ भूर्मर्मृ॒जेन्य॑ उ॒शिग्भि॒र्नाक्रः ॥

tvám tā́m̐ agna ubháyānví vidvā́nvéṣi prapitvé mánuṣo yajatra ǀ abhipitvé mánave śā́syo bhūrmarmṛjénya uśígbhirnā́kráḥ ǁ

Verse 8

अवो॑चाम नि॒वच॑नान्यस्मि॒न्मान॑स्य सू॒नुः स॑हसा॒ने अ॒ग्नौ । व॒यं स॒हस्र॒मृषि॑भिः सनेम वि॒द्यामे॒षं वृ॒जनं॑ जी॒रदा॑नुं ॥

ávocāma nivácanānyasminmā́nasya sūnúḥ sahasāné agnáu ǀ vayám sahásramṛ́ṣibhiḥ sanema vidyā́meṣám vṛjánam jīrádānum ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

The second half of the sūkta deepens the petition against external malice and internal moral failing. The ṛṣi begs Agni not to abandon the seeker to the wrath of the envious, the malicious, or those who deny the sacred order. Agni is addressed as 'Sahasāvan' (possessor of might), capable of creating an impenetrable armor (varūtha) around the devotee's true self (tanve). In the concluding verses, the poet reflects on Agni's universal scope—how the divine fire knows and guides both worlds, fulfilling the ancient mandate of Manu, the archetypal human. The sūkta culminates in a powerful collective aspiration: having uttered these true, inspired words, the community of sages hopes to attain the thousandfold spiritual bounty and the life-giving, surging energy (jīradānum iṣam) that sustains human flourishing.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 5: Do not abandon us, O Agni, to the malicious, the deceitful, or to harmful falsehood. Do not deliver us over to the spoiler, the biter, or the one who seeks to injure us, O mighty lord.

Verse 6: Truly, a protector like you, O Agni born of Truth, grants a shelter to the body against every assailant, every detractor, and every crooked malice, for you are the all-pervading lord, O divine power.

Verse 7: You, O adorable Agni, knowing both kinds of beings, reach them at the dawn of human awakening. You have become the preceptor and guide for mortal Manu, polished and adorned like a radiant sacrificial creation.

Verse 8: We have uttered these inspired words before this mighty Agni, son of strength. May we, along with the sages, attain a thousandfold wealth and come into the possession of life-giving, nourishing energy.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

Sāyaṇa interprets 'ubhayān' as gods and men, while modern philologists see it as referring to different classes of beings or worlds. The transition from individual protection to the collective attainment of 'sahasram' (a thousandfold abundance) highlights the Vedic view that spiritual realization overflows into material and communal flourishing.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 5

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
अवसृजः	ava sṛjaḥ	abandon, let loose upon
रिपवे	ripave	to the deceiver or enemy
दुच्छुनायै	ducchunāyai	to misfortune or evil intent
सहसावन्	sahasāvan	O mighty one, possessor of strength

Verse 6

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
ऋतजात	ṛta-jāta	born of cosmic order/truth
वरूथम्	varūtham	shelter, defense, armor
रिरिक्षोः	ririkṣoḥ	of one who wishes to harm
विष्पट्	viṣpaṭ	all-pervading, ruling everywhere

Verse 7

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
उभयान्	ubhayān	both (gods and men, or worlds)
प्रपित्वे	prapitve	at the approach, at dawn
शास्यः	śāsyaḥ	to be instructed, to be obeyed
मर्मृजेन्यः	marmṛjenyaḥ	worthy of being cleansed/adorned

Verse 8

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
अवोचाम	avocāma	we have spoken
निवचनानि	nivacanāni	inspired utterances, mantras
सहस्रम्	sahasram	a thousandfold abundance
जीरदानुम्	jīra-dānum	life-giving, swift-flowing

🧠

Memory Hook

Imagine a knight putting on an unbreakable suit of glowing golden armor, forged in pure flame, making him completely invulnerable to arrows of hatred and envy.