The Agni Suktam is the opening hymn of the Rigveda, hymn 1.1, and it has nine verses. It is addressed to Agni, the sacred fire, who in the Vedic vision is both the flame on the altar and the priest who stands between people and the gods. Tradition credits the hymn to the sage Madhuchchhandas. The first word of the whole Rigveda is agnim, “Agni”, which is why this hymn is often the first one a student of the Vedas meets.
On this page you will find all nine verses in Devanagari with a simple transliteration, a plain meaning for each, and notes on how the hymn is recited. The language is early Vedic Sanskrit, so a few words carry meanings that later Sanskrit lost, and the meanings below keep close to what the words themselves support. If you are interested in another hymn that calls on Agni to bring a goddess, see the Shri Suktam page.
The text, transliteration and meaning
The verses are shown as they are given in the source, with the opening Om before verse 1, which is a habit of recitation and not part of the Rigveda line itself.
Verse 1
ॐ अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् ।
होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥
Om agnimile purohitam yajnasya devamritvijam
Hotaram ratnadhatamam
MeaningI praise Agni, the household priest, the god of the sacrifice and its ritual priest, the one who calls the gods and bestows the greatest treasures.
Verse 2
अग्निः पूर्वेभिरृषिभिरीड्यो नूतनैरुत ।
स देवाँ एह वक्षति ॥
Agnih purvebhirrishibhiridyo nutanairuta
Sa devan eha vakshati
MeaningAgni is worthy of praise by the seers of old and by those of today. May he bring the gods here.
Verse 3
अग्निना रयिमश्नवत् पोषमेव दिवेदिवे ।
यशसं वीरवत्तमम् ॥
Agnina rayimashnavat poshameva divedive
Yashasam viravattamam
MeaningThrough Agni one may win wealth and growing prosperity, day after day, with renown and the finest company of heroes.
Verse 4
अग्ने यं यज्ञमध्वरं विश्वतः परिभूरसि ।
स इद्देवेषु गच्छति ॥
Agne yam yajnamadhvaram vishvatah paribhurasi
Sa iddeveshu gachchhati
MeaningAgni, the sacrifice that you encompass on every side is the one that truly reaches the gods.
Verse 5
अग्निर्होता कविक्रतुः सत्यश्चित्रश्रवस्तमः ।
देवो देवेभिरा गमत् ॥
Agnirhota kavikratuh satyashchitrashravastamah
Devo devebhira gamat
MeaningAgni, the calling priest, with the wisdom of a seer, true and of the most brilliant fame, may the god come here with the gods.
Verse 6
यदङ्ग दाशुषे त्वमग्ने भद्रं करिष्यसि ।
तवेत् तत् सत्यमङ्गिरः ॥
Yadanga dashushe tvamagne bhadram karishyasi
Tavet tat satyamangirah
MeaningWhatever good you will do for the one who gives, Agni, that is indeed your truth, Angiras.
Verse 7
उप त्वाग्ने दिवेदिवे दोषावस्तर्धिया वयम् ।
नमो भरन्त एमसि ॥
Upa tvagne divedive doshavastardhiya vayam
Namo bharanta emasi
MeaningTo you, Agni, day by day, at dusk and at dawn, we come with our thought, bringing homage.
Verse 8
राजन्तमध्वराणां गोपामृतस्य दीदिविम् ।
वर्धमानं स्वे दमे ॥
Rajantamadhvaranam gopamritasya didivim
Vardhamanam sve dame
MeaningTo you who shine over the rites, the guardian of the order of truth, the radiant one, growing in your own house.
Verse 9
स नः पितेव सूनवेऽग्ने सूपायनो भव ।
सचस्वा नः स्वस्तये ॥
Sa nah piteva sunave'gne supayano bhava
Sachasva nah svastaye
MeaningLike a father to his son, Agni, be easy to approach for us. Stay close to us for our well-being.
Text: Sanskrit Wikisource, page “ऋग्वेदः सूक्तं १.१”. Transliteration is simplified; meanings are our own. Verse numbers appear as labels above each verse.
When and how it is traditionally recited
The hymn is traditionally learned as part of the Rigveda recitation, and in some Vedic schools it is among the first passages a student chants in the traditional intonation. It is also used in Vedic rites that involve a fire, where the sacred fire is lit and honoured before other offerings.
Some families and teachers keep the Agni Suktam for the mornings, and some chant it near a lamp or the household flame. There is no single rule, and practice differs between schools of recitation, regions and families. If you wish to chant it in the traditional manner, learning the pitch accents from a teacher is the usual path.
What the tradition says it is for
Tradition describes Agni as the one who carries the offering to the gods, the purohita or house priest of the sacrifice, and the witness of every rite. The first verse names him with several titles at once: priest, god, caller and giver of treasures. Many teachers read the hymn as a model of how the Vedic poets approach the divine, with praise, request and a closeness like that between father and son.
The third verse speaks of wealth, renown and good company, and the ninth asks for closeness and well-being. These are the hymn’s own wishes, offered in the spirit of the early sacrifice, and they are not promises of any outcome. The poem is a devotional and literary work, not a substitute for professional help with health, money or legal matters.
Fire has stayed at the heart of Vedic and later Hindu practice in the lamp, the hearth and the sacred fire of a homa, and the hymn is a good way to see where that reverence begins.
Pronunciation notes
Say agni as “ag-ni” with a hard g. The long i in purohitam and the long a in yajnasya last about twice as long as the short vowels. The word ritvijam is said “rit-vi-jam”, with the vowel ri made by a light tap of the tongue, close to the ri in a rolled “rit”.
The l in ile is the Vedic retroflex sound, made with the tongue curled back, close to a soft d or l, so “ee-le” is a fair approximation. Aspirates such as dh in ratnadhatamam are a plain consonant with a puff of breath. The final m is a soft nasal hum, and the visarga h at the end of words such as agnih is a gentle echo of the vowel. Rigveda hymns also carry accent marks in their traditional printing, which this page does not show, so a good recording will help with the melody.
Related mantras and pages
- Shri Suktam: a hymn that invokes Agni (Jatavedas) for the goddess Shri
- Purusha Suktam: another Rigveda hymn built around sacrifice
- Gayatri Mantra: a Rigveda verse for daily prayer
- Nasadiya Suktam: a Rigveda hymn of philosophical wonder
- All mantras, stotras, chalisas and aartis
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the Agni Suktam?
It is the first hymn of the Rigveda (1.1), with nine verses in praise of Agni, the sacred fire. Agni is shown as the priest of the sacrifice and the one who brings the gods to the rite.
↳ Who wrote the Agni Suktam?
Tradition credits the sage Madhuchchhandas with the hymn. As with most Vedic hymns, the dating is uncertain, and the tradition itself speaks of the verses as seen by the sages rather than invented by them.
↳ What does the first verse of the Agni Suktam mean?
It says: I praise Agni, the household priest, the god of the sacrifice and its ritual priest, the caller of the gods, who bestows the greatest treasures. Many teachers read the word for treasures as including spiritual wealth as well as material gifts.
↳ Is Agni the same as the fire god in other Hindu texts?
Agni is the same deity, honoured in the Vedas as the fire of the altar, the home and the sacrifice. The Rigveda gives him many roles, among them priest, messenger and guest in the house, and later texts add stories and associations.
↳ When is the Agni Suktam recited?
It is chanted by students of the Rigveda, at the lighting of a sacred fire in many rites, and by some families in the morning. Practice differs by tradition, so follow the custom of your family or teacher.