We, the seekers, approached the resplendent Agni with humble hearts, confessing that we have not yet accomplished all your works, O self-luminous one. Yet, we have entered the path of truth, welcomed by the radiant dawns. Before us stands Agni—pure, ever new, many-formed, the lovely eye of the god who delights in our hymns. With reverence, we offered our praises to Agni, the wise sage, asking him to accept our words. We implored him: shine forth, make us prosperous, and grant us abundant wealth, for you are the bestower of countless gifts. In the sacred rite, we called upon Rudra, king of the sacrifice, the true priest who bridges both worlds. We invoked Agni, ancient and golden-formed, helper of the thunderer, to stand by our side. For you, Agni, we prepared a seat as lovingly as a wife adorns a place for her husband. We invited you to draw near, surrounded by your hosts, and to settle among us with thoughts of benevolence and approval. To the ever-attentive, unsated Agni, wise and kindly, we offered our hymns with devotion. We proclaimed praise to the immortal god, invoking him as the stone presses out the sweet drink. Agni, you alone are our reconciler—knower and guardian of truth, self-guided. We wondered: when will your hymns, those of the shared feast, and the bonds of friendship dwell in your house? We questioned how we might speak to Varuṇa, to Heaven, so as not to offend; how to Mitra, gracious one, to Earth; how to Aryaman and Bhaga? We asked, too, how to address the mighty Dhishṇyas, Vāta the swift and auspicious, the far-traveling Aśvins, and Rudra, the slayer of men. How should we offer to Pūṣan, the nourisher, to generous Rudra, to Viṣṇu the wide-striding, for his seed, and to Śarva the great? How to the host of the immortal Maruts, to Sūrya the great, and to Aditi the mighty? Agni, knower of birth, answer us for the fulfillment of heaven. By truth, we invoked you, Agni, with the established truth, accompanied by cows and honeyed offerings. Even in darkness, she is nourished by the shining one; she is filled with milk by her spouse. By truth, the bull, though unyoked, is nourished with milk from behind. Unmoving, he wandered with two companions, drawing forth bright milk from the speckled one. By truth, the Angiras broke open the mountain, rejoicing with the cows as they surrounded the dawn. The men circled her, and she appeared—the light was born in Agni. By truth, the divine and immortal waters, untainted and sweet as honey, flowed forth for the sacred seat, like steeds on their course. We prayed: let us not covet the wonder of another, nor the cows of another’s house, nor the neighbor’s wealth. Let us not accept the burden of a brother’s falsehood, nor the skill of a friend, nor the strength of an enemy. Agni, protect us with your many protections; delighting, well-armed, bring us joy. Strike back and break apart the oppressor, destroy the demon, even if he has grown mighty. With our praises, we sought your grace, Agni. Touch these offerings with our hymns, heroic one, and accept the prayers of the Angiras. May your blessing, divine, endure through the ages. All these paths, O Agni, the wise creator has revealed to you—hidden words, utterances, and the poet’s inspired chants do we praise and offer with our thoughts. We asked Agni to make a path for us, broad as the earth, to advance like a king with his elephant. With his companions, we urged him to stand firm and strike down the demons with his blazing flames. His sparks, swift and fierce, touch everywhere. We prayed, “Burn the insects with your heat, send forth embers in all directions.” We asked Agni to send out his spies, to be the swiftest and the unassailable guardian of our people. Whoever speaks evil of us, from afar or near, let none of them harm us, O Agni. Rise, stand tall, stretch yourself out; let our enemies flee from your sharpness. Whoever creates hostility against us, burn him down like dry wood. We pleaded: be upright, shoot back on our behalf, reveal the divine powers, O Agni. Lower the strength of sorcerers, destroy both kin and non-kin who threaten us, annihilate our enemies. The one who seeks you, youngest one, who approaches the path for prayer, knows your favor. For him, all bright days and riches shine forth; the noble ones illuminate distant places. May he who pleases you with constant offerings and hymns be fortunate and generous. May he prosper in his own life and home; for him, all bright days and blessings assemble. I praised your favor with a loud voice, wishing that this song may grow old with you. May we honor you with fine horses and splendid chariots, upholding dominion for ourselves day by day. We invited Agni to dwell with us abundantly, to come near morning and evening, shining day by day. With cheerful hearts, we wished to serve him in play; may his brilliance help us stand strong among the people. Whoever approaches Agni with fine horses, splendid gold, and a chariot full of wealth, Agni becomes his protector and friend—he delights in the hospitality of men. I loosened the bonds of greatness with words of kinship, following the lineage of my father, Gotama. Agni, youngest Hotar, master of the household, know the meaning of this speech for us. We called upon the ever-wakeful, swift, well-disposed, untiring, unmalicious, and most diligent guardians to protect us from harm, sitting together with you, Agni. These guardians, acting not for self-interest, saw the darkness and were protected from evil. You, all-knowing Agni, preserved the doers of good, while the hostile and greedy could not overpower them. With you as ally and protector, by your guidance, may we attain riches. Dispel both curses, true and false, and let us act without hesitation through your support. With this kindling, we performed worship, asking Agni to accept our praised hymn. Burn away the envious, protect us from harm, from the deceitful and malicious, O friend of the great. With united devotion, we worshipped Agni Vaiśvānara, the generous, with great praise and mighty words, supporting him who upholds both worlds. We asked that he not despise the gift he has given to us mortals, for Agni, the immortal and wise, cooks for us with his heroic might. Agni, of double height, great and strong, with sharp flames, a bull with a thousand streams, knows the hidden track of the cow and has inspired us with this thought. He blazed forth with sharp jaws and burning flame, ever bountiful. Those who diminish the domain of Varuṇa or the steadfast order of Mitra, Agni destroys. We saw that, like women without brothers—divided, hostile wives or mothers at odds—evil and false people have created a deep path of discord. To Agni, we offered a small, shining hymn, praying it not be a heavy burden. You, Agni, have established the vast, firm, deep, and mighty foundation with your sevenfold energy. Upon this, let our thoughts and intentions be as one, purifying the hymn with resolve. On the beautiful hide of the speckled one, in the forefront, the shining form is set to be proclaimed. Thus, with devotion, awe, and unity, we honored Agni, the radiant mediator, protector, and friend, upholding truth, seeking blessings, and praising the divine order that sustains all worlds.