1.79.1
हिर॑ण्यकेशो॒ रज॑सो विसा॒रे ऽहि॒र्धुनि॒र्वात॑ इव॒ ध्रजी॑मान् |
शुचि॑भ्राजा उ॒षसो॒ नवे॑दा॒ यश॑स्वतीरप॒स्युवो॒ न स॒त्याः ||
HE in mid-air's expanse hath golden tresses; a raging serpent, like the rushing tempest: Purely refulgent, knowing well the morning; like honourable dames, true, active workers.
In the expanse of mid-space he has golden locks; a roaring serpent, storm-swift like the wind; purely blazing, knower of the dawns—like renowned, industrious, truthful women at their work.
Madhyama Agni appears as lightning-fire in rajas (atmospheric realm): hiraṇyakeśa, ahi-dhuni (roaring serpent of storm). Uṣas-knowing purity links celestial Agni to dawn’s ṛta. The simile of faithful working women honors satya and apasyu—truthful industriousness as cosmic virtue.
Respect atmospheric power: climate, mood, and ‘mid-air’ systems between earth and ideal. Pair force with reliability—storm-energy guided by honest daily work.
1.79.2
आ ते॑ सुप॒र्णा अ॑मिनन्तँ॒ एवै॑: कृ॒ष्णो नो॑नाव वृष॒भो यदी॒दम् |
शि॒वाभि॒र्न स्मय॑मानाभि॒रागा॒त् पत॑न्ति॒ मिह॑: स्त॒नय॑न्त्य॒भ्रा ||
Thy well-winged flashes strengthen in their manner, when the black Bull hath bellowed round about us. With drops that bless and seem to smile he cometh: the waters fall, the clouds utter their thunder.
Your well-winged flashes intensify in their courses when the black bull bellows around us; he comes with auspicious, smiling drops—rains fall, thunderclouds roar.
Suparṇa bolts and the kṛṣṇa vṛṣabha (dark rain-bull) enact Indra–Parjanya dynamics through Agni’s storm form. Śivāḥ mihaḥ—auspicious raindrops—are grace; stanayanti abhrā voice the sky. Rain is śiva when aligned with ṛta’s nourishment.
Hear warning signals before release: pressure builds, then relief. In teams and weather alike, attend the ‘bellow’ so the coming rain (resolution) is welcomed, not feared.
1.79.3
यदी॑मृ॒तस्य॒ पय॑सा॒ पिया॑नो॒ नय॑न्नृ॒तस्य॑ प॒थिभी॒ रजि॑ष्ठैः |
अ॒र्य॒मा मि॒त्रो वरु॑ण॒: परि॑ज्मा॒ त्वचं॑ पृञ्च॒न्त्युप॑रस्य॒ योनौ॑ ||
When he comes streaming with the milk of worship, conducting by directest paths of Order Aryaman, Mitra, Varuṇa, Parijman fill the hide full where lies the nether press-stone.
When he, drinking the milk of ṛta, leads by the straightest paths of Order, Aryaman, Mitra, Varuṇa, and the all-surrounding one fill the hide at the lower press-stone’s womb.
Agni, nourished by ṛtasya payas, guides along rajiṣṭha paths of ṛta. The Ādityas—Aryaman, Mitra, Varuṇa, Parijman—complete the Soma-pressing (upara yoni, leather of the stones). Storm-Agni and social-cosmic guardians converge in yajña’s liquid order.
Straight paths of process integrity fill the ‘vat’ of shared resources. Fair contracts (Mitra–Varuṇa ethics) and clear routes turn raw energy into collective nourishment.
1.79.4
अग्ने॒ वाज॑स्य॒ गोम॑त॒ ईशा॑नः सहसो यहो |
अ॒स्मे धे॑हि जातवेदो॒ महि॒ श्रव॑: ||
O Agni, thou who art the lord of wealth in kine, thou Son of Strength, Vouchsafe to us, O Jātavedas, high renown.
O Agni, lord of cattle-rich contest-wealth, Son of Strength—grant us, O Jātavedas, great renown.
Shift to altar Agni: īśāna of go-mat vāja, Sahasaḥ yahu (Son of Force). Mahi śravas is Vedic fame rooted in worthy deed and divine gift—not hollow celebrity. Jātavedas knows how to bestow lasting name.
Seek reputation that tracks real capacity and care for livelihoods—not viral noise without substance.
1.79.5
स इ॑धा॒नो वसु॑ष्क॒विर॒ग्निरी॒ळेन्यो॑ गि॒रा |
रे॒वद॒स्मभ्यं॑ पुर्वणीक दीदिहि ||
He, Agni, kindled, good and wise, must be exalted in our song: Shine, thou of many forms, shine radiantly on us.
Kindled Agni, treasure-wise seer, is to be praised with speech; O many-faced one, shine wealthily upon us.
Idhāna Agni as vasuṣkavi—seer who knows treasures—is īḍenya (worthy of laud). Purvanīka (many-formed/faced) recalls Agni’s multiple births and aspects; revat dīdihi asks for luminous abundance.
Once a core capability is ‘kindled,’ keep praising and refining it so it radiates value in many forms.
1.79.6
क्ष॒पो रा॑जन्नु॒त त्मनाग्ने॒ वस्तो॑रु॒तोषस॑: |
स ति॑ग्मजम्भ र॒क्षसो॑ दह॒ प्रति॑ ||
O Agni, shining of thyself by night and when the morning breaks, Burn, thou whose teeth are sharp, against the Rākṣasas.
O Agni, self-shining king by night and at daybreak and dawn—sharp-toothed one, burn the Rākṣasas in turn.
Agni as self-luminous across kṣapaḥ, vastu, and uṣas mirrors sandhyā continuity. Tigmajambha (sharp jaws) against rakṣas is the protective face of the same flame that blesses—śiva and ugra in one Deva.
Maintain circadian vigilance: protect boundaries at night and at transitions. Sharp clarity against predatory behavior is care, not cruelty.
1.79.7
अवा॑ नो अग्न ऊ॒तिभि॑र्गाय॒त्रस्य॒ प्रभ॑र्मणि |
विश्वा॑सु धी॒षु व॑न्द्य ||
Adorable in all our rites, favour us, Agni, with thine aid, When the great hymn is chanted forth.
Favor us, Agni, with your protections at the launching of the Gāyatra hymn—you who are praiseworthy in all contemplations.
Ūti (protective aids) are sought at gāyatrasya prabharmaṇi—when Gāyatrī-metered praise is set in motion. Vandya in viśvāsu dhīṣu: Agni is adorable across every mode of sacred thought.
At the start of focused creative work, invoke protective conditions—quiet, tools, allies—so attention can open fully.
1.79.8
आ नो॑ अग्ने र॒यिं भ॑र सत्रा॒साहं॒ वरे॑ण्यम् |
विश्वा॑सु पृ॒त्सु दु॒ष्टर॑म् ||
Bring to us ever-conquering wealth, wealth, Agni, worthy of our choice, In all our frays invincible.
Bring us, Agni, wealth that always conquers, choice-worthy, hard to overcome in every battle.
Rayi that is satrāsāha and duṣṭara in all pṛtsus is resilience-capital—resources that do not fail under contest. Vareṇya marks wealth worthy of conscious choice, not accidental loot.
Prefer durable assets and skills that hold under stress over fragile windfalls that vanish in the first conflict.
1.79.9
आ नो॑ अग्ने सुचे॒तुना॑ र॒यिं वि॒श्वायु॑पोषसम् |
मा॒र्डी॒कं धे॑हि जी॒वसे॑ ||
Give us, O Agni, through thy grace wealth that supporteth all our life, Thy favour so that we may live.
Through good awareness grant us, Agni, wealth that nourishes the whole span of life; place your merciful favor for our living.
Sucetunā (through clear consciousness) links prosperity to buddhi. Viśvāyupoṣasam rayi nourishes the entire life-span; mārdīka is compassionate grace for jīvana—holistic living, not mere survival.
Aim for livelihood systems that support lifelong wellbeing—health, learning, relationships—guided by lucid kindness.
1.79.10
प्र पू॒तास्ति॒ग्मशो॑चिषे॒ वाचो॑ गोतमा॒ग्नये॑ |
भर॑स्व सुम्न॒युर्गिर॑: ||
O Gotama, desiring bliss present thy songs composed with care To Agni of the pointed flames.
O Gotama, bring purified speeches to sharp-flamed Agni; as one longing for welfare, bear forth your songs.
Self-address to the Rishi: pūtāḥ vācaḥ for tigmaśocis Agni. Sumnayu (seeking weal) shapes girāḥ—mantra must be purified before meeting the pointed flame. Inner editor before outer offering.
Edit before you publish. Desire for wellbeing does not excuse careless speech toward powerful systems or people.
1.79.11
यो नो॑ अग्नेऽभि॒दास॒त्यन्ति॑ दू॒रे प॑दी॒ष्ट सः |
अ॒स्माक॒मिद् वृ॒धे भ॑व ||
May the man fall, O Agni, who near or afar assaileth us: Do thou increase and prosper us.
Whoever assails us, Agni—near or far—may he stumble; be for our growth alone.
Protective prayer: abhidāsati meets failure (padīṣṭa), while Agni is asked to be asmākam vṛdhe—for our increase. Vedic kṣatriya-dharma of the altar: defense without celebrating cruelty; growth of the dharmic side.
Set boundaries that make harm fail, and reinvest energy in growth. Defense is complete when flourishing continues.
1.79.12
स॒ह॒स्रा॒क्षो विच॑र्षणिर॒ग्नी रक्षां॑सि सेधति |
होता॑ गृणीत उ॒क्थ्य॑: ||
Keen and swift Agni, thousand-eyed, chaseth the Rākṣasas afar: He singeth, herald meet for lauds.
Thousand-eyed, keen Agni drives the Rākṣasas away; the Hotar, worthy of hymns, is praised.
Sahasrākṣa Agni—omnivigilant awareness—sedhati rakṣāṃsi. As Hotar ukthya he is both guardian and singer. Closing image: all-seeing flame that clears and lauds within ṛta.
Cultivate many-eyed awareness—distributed sensing, transparency—so threats are expelled early and the ‘herald’ function (clear communication) stays laudable.