Rig Veda 3.22.2: Mandala 3, Sukta 22, Mantra 2
Sukta 3.22
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
अग्ने यत्ते दिवि वर्चः पृथिव्यां यदोषधीष्वप्स्वा यजत्र । येनान्तरिक्षमुर्वाततन्थ त्वेषः स भानुरर्णवो नृचक्षाः ॥
agné yát te diví várcaḥ pṛthivyā́ṃ yád óṣadhīṣv apsv ā́ yajatra | yéna antárikṣam urvā́ ātátantha tveṣáḥ sá bhānúr arṇavó nṛcákṣāḥ ||
يا أغني، أيًّا كان لمعانُك في السماء، وعلى الأرض، وفي النبات، وفي المياه—يا جديرَ العبادة—فبه بسطتَ الفضاءَ الواسعَ بينهما؛ ذلك النورُ المتّقدُ بحرٌ لرؤيةِ البشر، يفتحُ فينا البصيرةَ نحو النظامِ الفسيح.
Word by Word
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि-
- यत्
- that whichPronoun (relative)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्म (यद्-सम्बन्धः; ‘that which’)Root यद्-
- ते
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी-एकवचन (enclitic)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root त्वद्-
- दिवि
- in heavenNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot द्यौ/दिव्-
- वर्चः
- splendour, radianceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्म (यद्-सम्बन्धः)Root वर्चस्-
- पृथिव्याम्
- on earthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot पृथिवी-
- यत्
- that whichPronoun (relative)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्म (यद्-सम्बन्धः)Root यद्-
- ओषधीषु
- among the plantsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot ओषधि-
- अप्सु
- in the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot अप्-
- आ
- unto, forth (preverb)Preverb/Indeclinableउपसर्गRoot आ
- यजत्र
- O worshipful oneAdjective (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot यजत्र-
- येन
- by whichPronoun (relative/instrumental)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचनRole करणRoot यद्-
- अन्तरिक्षम्
- the midspace, atmosphereNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अन्तरिक्ष-
- उर्वा
- with wide expanseAdjective (instr.)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचन (Vedic instr. of उरु-)Role करण (सह-करणभावः; ‘with broadness/expanse’)Root उरु-
- आततन्थ
- you have stretched/spreadVerbलिट् (perfect); परस्मैपद; उत्तम? (actually 2nd sg.); एकवचनRole कर्तृ (implicit ‘you’ = Agni)Root √तन् (तनू)
- त्वेषः
- impetuous, blazingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृ/विशेषण (of भानुः)Root त्वेष-
- स
- he/thatPronoun (demonstrative)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृ (with भानुः)Root तद्-
- भानुः
- beam, lightNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot भानु-
- अर्णवः
- flood, oceanNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole उपमान (in simile)Root अर्णव-
- न
- like, asParticleउपमा-निपातRoot न
- ऋचक्षाः
- seer of hymns / hymn-seeing (one whose sight is in the ṛc)Adjective/Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (Vedic nom. in -āḥ)Role विशेषण (of भानुः)Root ऋचक्षस्- (ऋ-चक्षस्) अथवा √चक्ष् + ऋ
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (as in pada-text): यत्ते → यत् + ते
- वर्च॑: (वर्चः) stands as visarga
- यदोषधीष्वप्स्वा → यत् + ओषधीषु + अप्सु + आ
- येनान्तरिक्षम् → येन + अन्तरिक्षम्
- उर्वा॑ततन्थ → उर्वा + आततन्थ
- त्वे॒षः स → त्वेषः + स
- भा॒नुर॑र्ण॒वो → भानुः + अर्णवः
- अर्ण॒वो न → अर्णवः + न. Accent marks in the Saṃhitā are not repeated in the pada forms here
- analysis is based on Rigvedic pada segmentation
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni’s radiance shines in heaven, earth, plants, and waters; by it he has stretched the wide mid-world. That blazing light is like an ocean with human vision.
Inner meaning
The one flame of consciousness expresses across all planes: higher mind (dyu), physical foundation (pṛthivī), vital growth (oṣadhī), and flowing life-energies (āpaḥ). This integrated radiance widens the intermediate field (antarikṣa)—the psychological mid-region where thoughts, emotions, and impulses mix. When Agni’s light fills it, the being becomes ‘nṛcakṣas’—possessing the awakened seeing of the true human, capable of perceiving the vast order (uru/ṛta).
Universal truth
A single inner clarity, when allowed to permeate every level of life, widens the whole field of consciousness; vision becomes oceanic—broad, steady, and inclusive.
Themes
All-pervading Agni, Cosmic wideness, Illumination and vision, Elemental integration (sky/earth/plants/waters)
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Viśvāmitra (Gāthina lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.12, RV 3.13, RV 3.14, RV 3.15
Family tradition
Viśvāmitra hymns often emphasize widening (uru), world-linking (dyu–pṛthivī–antarikṣa), and the conquest of light through Agni and Indra.
Significance
The seer’s vision integrates planes: spiritual practice is not escape but pervasion—Agni’s varcas entering mind, life, and body to create a wide, ordered consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Yajatra (adorable, worthy of sacrifice), Tveṣa (blazing)
- Related deities
- Uṣas (illumination), Sūrya (truth-light), Āpaḥ (supporting currents)
Cosmic role
All-pervading flame that upholds the worlds and widens the mid-region; awakens perception.
Inner power
Illuminating will that pervades and organizes the mixed mid-plane, turning it into a clear field for right seeing and right action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni praise in offerings that acknowledge Agni’s presence in all realms (invocation before/within oblations)
अग्ने॒ यत्ते॑ दि॒वि वर्च॑: पृथि॒व्यां यदोष॑धीष्व॒प्स्वा य॑जत्र । येना॒न्तरि॑क्षमु॒र्वा॑त॒तन्थ॑ त्वे॒षः स भा॒नुर॑र्ण॒वो नृ॒चक्षा॑: ॥
अग्ने॑ । यत् । ते॒ । दि॒वि । वर्चः॑ । पृ॒थि॒व्याम् । यत् । ओष॑धीषु । अ॒प्ऽसु । आ । य॒ज॒त्र॒ । येन॑ । अ॒न्तरि॑क्षम् । उ॒रु । आ॒ऽत॒तन्थ॑ । त्वे॒षः । सः । भा॒नुः । अ॒र्ण॒वः । नृ॒ऽचक्षाः॑ ॥
agne | yat | te | divi | varcaḥ | pṛthivyām | yat | oṣadhīṣu | ap-su | ā | yajatra | yena | antarikṣam | uru | ātatantha | tveṣaḥ | saḥ | bhānuḥ | arṇavaḥ | nṛ-cakṣāḥ
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4 × ~11 syllables
Broad and expansive; less ‘charging’ than purely martial triṣṭubh, more ‘widening’ in feel.
Creates spaciousness in the chest and head; supports contemplative clarity with steady power.
- वर्चः (varcaḥ)
- Literal: splendor, brilliance. Symbolic: luminous energy of consciousness that empowers all parts of the being
- दिवि (divi)
- Literal: in heaven. Symbolic: higher mind/illumined plane
- पृथिव्याम् (pṛthivyām)
- Literal: on earth. Symbolic: physical nature, stability, embodiment
- ओषधीषु (oṣadhīṣu)
- Literal: in plants. Symbolic: growth-force, healing vitality, regenerative energies
- अप्सु (apsu) / आपः (āpaḥ)
- Literal: in waters. Symbolic: life-flows, subtle currents, purified emotional-vital movement
- अन्तरिक्षम् उरु (antarikṣam uru)
- Literal: wide mid-world. Symbolic: expanded inner space between higher and lower—mind-vital field made vast
- भानुः (bhānuḥ)
- Literal: radiance. Symbolic: raying power of revelation
- अर्णवः (arṇavaḥ)
- Literal: ocean, flood. Symbolic: vastness of luminous consciousness
- नृचक्षाः (nṛcakṣāḥ)
- Literal: having human sight. Symbolic: true seeing mind in the human—discriminating, receptive to ṛta
Praise of Agni’s all-pervading splendor across realms; inwardly, awakening of vision across body-life-mind and widening of the intermediate field.
At the opening of a rite to establish Agni as pervading witness and carrier; also suitable for daily recitation to ‘consecrate the day’.
Offer ghee with the thought of pervasion—light entering body, breath, mind, and environment.
A ‘pervasion meditation’ mantra: scan awareness from head (divi) to feet (pṛthivī), then through breath/life (āpaḥ) and growth (oṣadhī), widening the inner sky (antarikṣa).
varcas from √vṛc/√vṛj? (standard: varcas ‘splendor, vigor’), denotes luminous potency. ā-√tan ‘stretch’ (ātatantha) is PIE *ten- ‘stretch’ (Latin tendere). arṇava ‘flood/ocean’ used for vast radiance—symbol of immeasurable luminous consciousness. nṛ-cakṣas: nṛ ‘man’ + cakṣas ‘sight’ (√cakṣ ‘see’, PIE *kʷek̂- ‘see’): Agni’s light becomes the power that enables human seeing.
pervasion of consciousness across planes, widening (uru) of the antarikṣa (life-mind field), vision (cakṣas) as illumination of the human instrument
Agni’s varcas reveals ṛta by widening the mid-world where confusion normally reigns.
Bhānu as truth-ray makes perception ‘nṛcakṣas’—aligned with reality, not distortion.
Worlds are ‘stretched’ by consciousness-force; inner creation mirrors cosmic extension (ātatantha).
Aurobindonian integral psychology: pervasion of higher light into all parts of nature.
Higher mind, body, growth-vitality, emotional-vital currents unified by one luminous will; ocean = vast consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni’s universal pervasion and world-forming expansion: his radiance exists in all realms and ‘stretches’ the wide mid-world. Psychologically, the awakened will-light pervades mind, body, vitality, and the subconscient waters, widening the inner field so human sight (nṛ-cakṣas) becomes capable of truth.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- ātatantha from √tan reflects PIE *ten- ‘stretch’ (Latin tendere, English tend). cakṣ- ‘see’ has PIE visual-root correspondences. The fourfold realm listing (sky/earth/plants/waters) matches an old Indo-European tendency to enumerate cosmic strata.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi contemplates Agni’s splendor across all planes and implicitly asks for that same radiance to become ‘human-seeing’—transforming the seeker’s perception. Praise becomes a means of aligning the human instrument with the all-pervading divine light.
Pervasion of luminous will through all layers; widening the ‘inner sky’ for clear seeing.
Anahata to Ajna (widening and vision)
Sama-vṛtti (equal inhale/exhale) with brief kumbhaka to feel ‘stretching’ of inner space.
Spacious clarity; steady luminous awareness.
Repeat slowly; with each pāda, place Agni’s radiance in one layer—head/sky, body/earth, growth/plant-life, breath-waters—then rest in a wide inner expanse.
Tri-svara; keep clear udātta on agne, varcaḥ, antarikṣam, bhānuḥ.
Let the cadence broaden on ‘uru ātatantha’; keep ‘tveṣaḥ sa bhānuḥ’ crisp and bright.
ṛ in pṛthivyām is vocalic ‘ri’, oṣadhīṣu: long ī, retroflex ṣ, apsv ā: avoid inserting extra consonant; link smoothly, nṛcakṣāḥ: nṛ (vocalic ṛ) + cakṣāḥ (kṣ cluster)
Clear, resonant, expansive; avoid harshness—aim for ‘oceanic’ tone.
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