Rig Veda 2.10.2: Mandala 2, Sukta 10, Mantra 2
Sukta 2.10
श्रूया अग्निश्चित्रभानुर्हवं मे विश्वाभिर्गीर्भिरमृतो विचेताः । श्यावा रथं वहतो रोहिता वोतारुषाह चक्रे विभृत्रः ॥
śrūyā́ agníś citrá-bhānur hávaṃ me viśvā́bhir gī́r-bhir amṛ́to vícetāḥ | śyā́vā ráthaṃ vahato róhitā vā utā́ruṣā́ha cakre víbhṛtraḥ ||
لِيَسْمَعْ أَغْنِي ذو البهاءِ المتنوّع ندائي—الخالِدُ البصير—بجميعِ أناشيدي المُوحاة. اثنانِ داكنان واثنانِ أَحْمَران يجرّون مَرْكَبَه—قُواهُ المقرونة—حاملين إيّاه بسَنَدٍ ثابتٍ.
Invocation for attentive hearing (śrūyāḥ) during praise; chariot imagery aligns Agni with swift arrival to the offering in soma rites.
Hearing as divine response (śruti principle), Interplay of dark and red forces (subconscient to illumination), Movement of the sacrifice (ratha)
The yoked pairs reflect ṛta as balance of complementary powers in ordered motion.
Vicetas is the truth-seeing intelligence that keeps movement aligned.
Many-colored light suggests differentiated powers emerging from one fire-consciousness.
Integral yogic symbolism (energies yoked to the psychic will).
dusk-to-dawn symbolism (dark and ruddy)
Dark pair = depth/endurance/subconscient power; Ruddy pair = aspiration/illumination; Chariot = sadhana’s movement; Hearing = receptivity of higher guidance.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The god’s chariot drawn by paired powers: Agni arrives to the call riding a ratha whose yoking forces are dark and ruddy. Psychologically, the divine movement is supported by both the hidden energies (śyāva) and the illumining forces (rohitā/aruṣā), harnessed to carry the work forward.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- cakra ‘wheel’ is a clear cognate of PIE *kʷekʷlo- (Greek kúklos). This shared ‘wheel’ lexeme is a hallmark of IE chariot poetics. √śru ‘hear’ ties to PIE *ḱlew- (hearing/fame complex), reinforcing the oral-poetic substrate.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi offers total speech (viśvābhir gīrbhiḥ) and asks for divine hearing; in return Agni is envisioned as mobilizing his yoked powers to come—suggesting that sincere, complete aspiration sets the divine dynamism in motion within the practitioner.
Unify complementary energies (endurance and aspiration) under the inner fire’s guidance.
alternate-nostril (nāḍī-śodhana) to ‘yoke’ pairs; then repeat mantra on a steady exhale
integrated, centered dynamism
Visualize a four-steeded chariot: two forces from depth (dark) and two from aspiration (ruddy). Offer them to Agni; feel the practice become smooth and supported.
Maintain clear udātta on key invoked words (;; ). Respect svarita falls to preserve Vedic contour.
Each pada should end with a controlled settle; avoid rushing the chariot-description—let imagery land.
Articulate śyāvā with clear palatal ś, Keep rohitā with short ‘i’ and dental ‘t’, Do not insert extra vowels in clusters: citra-bhānuḥ, viśvābhir gīrbhiḥ
clear, pictorial, slightly expansive on citrabhānu
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