Rig Veda 4.9.3: Mandala 4, Sukta 9, Mantra 3
Sukta 4.9
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
स सद्म परि णीयते होता मन्द्रो दिविष्टिषु । उत पोता नि षीदति ॥
sa sádma pári nīyate hótā mandró díviṣṭiṣu | utá pótā ní sīdati ||
সদ্মৰ চাৰিওফালে তেওঁক নীয়ে—হোতা ৰূপে; স্বৰ্গ-আকাঙ্ক্ষী সভাসমূহত আনন্দদায়ক ঋত্বিজ। আৰু পোটৃ ৰূপেও তেওঁ বহি পৰে—হবিৰ শুদ্ধ কৰি, সত্তাকো পবিত্ৰ কৰি।
Word by Word
- सः
- he (that one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → स
- सद्म
- seat; abode; dwellingNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot सद्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- परि
- around; all aroundIndeclinable (Preverb)Root परि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- नीयते
- is led / is conductedVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root नी (धातु) < नयति; with उपसर्ग परि-
- होता
- the Hotṛ-priest (invoker)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (सः इत्यस्य विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन)Root होतृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- मन्द्रः
- gladdening; joyous; pleasant-voicedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (होता इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root मन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- दिविष्टिषु
- in the heavenly rites / in the divine servicesNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्Role अधिकरणRoot दिविष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
- उत
- and also; moreoverIndeclinableRoot उत (अव्यय)
- पोता
- the Potṛ-priest (purifier)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot पोतृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- नि
- down; into positionIndeclinable (Preverb)Root नि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- षीदति
- sits down; takes his seatVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root सद् (धातु) → सीदति (वेदिक/वैदिक-रूप); with उपसर्ग नि-
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सः | सद्म | परि | नीयते | होता | मन्द्रः | दिविष्टिषु | उत | पोता | नि | षीदति । 1) ‘स’ + (विसर्जनीय) → ‘सः’ (पद-रूप). 2) ‘परि’ उपसर्गः ‘नीयते’ इत्यनेन सह (परि-नी-) अर्थसम्बन्धेन योज्यते
- लेखने पृथक् पदम्। 3) ‘नि’ उपसर्गः ‘षीदति’ इत्यनेन सह (नि-सीद-)। 4) ‘षीदति’ वैदिक-लेखनं/उच्चारणं ‘सीदति’ (धातु सद्) इत्यस्य
- उपसर्गे ‘नि’ सति ‘नि षीदति’ इति पदपाठवत्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
He is led around the dwelling as the Hotṛ, the gladdening priest in the heaven-seeking assemblies; and as the Pótṛ too he sits down.
Inner meaning
Agni moves through the ‘dwelling’ (sadma)—the whole embodied being—circulating as hotṛ, the power that calls and invokes: the inspired speech and aspiration that summons higher forces. He is mandra, bringing gladness: the inner sacrifice is not grim but luminous. In diviṣṭiṣu—assemblies that seek the heaven—our gathered faculties aspire upward. As potṛ, Agni ‘sits’ to purify: he separates, clarifies, strains out mixture in the offering—psychologically, he refines motives, emotions, and energies so they become fit for truth.
Universal truth
Spiritual practice needs both invocation (calling higher help) and purification (refining what we offer); the same inner fire can do both throughout the whole life-house.
Themes
Agni as priestly powers, invocation and purification, heaven-aspiration (div)
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama (traditional attribution)
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 4.9.1, RV 4.9.2, RV 4.9.3, RV 4.9.4, RV 4.9.5
Family tradition
Strong emphasis on inner priesthood: multiple yajña-functions are psychological powers of one Agni.
Significance
Shows the integral action of Agni across the whole being—calling the higher and purifying the lower—so heaven can be realized inwardly.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- hotā, mandra, potā
- Related deities
- Sarasvatī (speech), Soma (delight of offering), Indra (illumined force)
Cosmic role
Priest of the sacrifice; organizer of ritual functions; purifier of oblation.
Inner power
Invocatory flame (mantric call) and discriminating purifier (viveka-like action) that stabilizes the inner rite.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni’s priestly roles in Soma sacrifice and fire rites (Hotṛ/Potṛ functions)
स सद्म॒ परि॑ णीयते॒ होता॑ म॒न्द्रो दिवि॑ष्टिषु । उ॒त पोता॒ नि षी॑दति ॥
सः । सद्म॑ । परि॑ । नी॒य॒ते॒ । होता॑ । म॒न्द्रः । दिवि॑ष्टिषु । उ॒त । पोता॑ । नि । सी॒द॒ति॒ ॥
saḥ | sadma | pari | nīyate | hotā | mandraḥ | diviṣṭiṣu | uta | potā | ni | sīdati
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4 × ~11
Balanced, ceremonial movement—suggesting circumambulation and settling.
Encourages a sense of orderly inner ritual: first movement, then calm establishment.
- sadma
- Literal: dwelling, house. Symbolic: the embodied system; the life-field of the seeker
- pari nīyate
- Literal: is led around. Symbolic: pervades/circulates through all parts; integrative movement of consciousness
- hotā
- Literal: invoking priest. Symbolic: power of aspiration and true speech that calls the divine
- mandraḥ
- Literal: gladdening, delightful. Symbolic: joyful ardor; luminous enthusiasm in sadhana
- diviṣṭiṣu
- Literal: in heaven-seeking assemblies. Symbolic: inner gatherings of faculties oriented to higher mind (dyu) and light
- potā
- Literal: purifier/priest who strains. Symbolic: discriminating purifier that refines offerings—removes impurity and confusion
- ni sīdati
- Literal: sits down. Symbolic: establishes a stable purifying presence in the being
Priestly identifications of Agni: Hotṛ (invocation) and Pótṛ (purification), reflecting multiple ritual offices internalized as functions of the divine Fire.
During role-invocations of priests and establishment of the rite; circumambulation/arrangement sequences.
Leading Agni (or the fire) around, seating, invoking, purifying offerings.
Use to structure practice: (1) invoke higher help, (2) purify intention, (3) sit in stable joy.
hotṛ from √hu ‘to invoke, call’ (PIE *ǵʰewh₁- ‘pour, invoke’ debated; Vedic: call/offer). potṛ from √pū ‘to purify’ → the purifying function. mandra ‘delighting’ related to √mand ‘to rejoice, be glad’ → inner joy as sign of right working. div from √div ‘shine’ (PIE *diw- ‘sky, day, shine’).
purification (śuddhi) as condition for truth, delight (ānanda) accompanying right order
Priestly order (hotṛ/potṛ) mirrors ṛta—right functioning of powers.
Purification prepares the offering for truth; invocation calls truth-forces.
Establishing ‘heaven’ (div) within the house of earth (body-life).
Vedic integralism: one divine principle manifests as many functional powers.
House = body-mind; sky = higher consciousness; fire circulates to connect and purify.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the multi-function priest: the same divine power performs invocation (Hotṛ) and purification (Pótṛ). Mythically, the rite is a living being with offices; psychologically, inner fire both calls the higher powers and cleanses the nature to receive them.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- diviṣṭiṣu centers the ‘div’ lexeme from PIE *diw- ‘sky/daylight’, a pan-IE marker for luminous divinity (cf. Lat. diēs, deus; Gk. Ζεύς via *dyēws). The semantic bridge supports the verse’s ‘heaven-aspiration’ reading.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi does not merely praise; he ritually ‘leads’ and ‘seats’ Agni, indicating a cooperative installation of divine function in the human dwelling (sadma). Agni reciprocates by delight (mandra) and by purification (potṛ), making the human assembly fit for the divine.
Let Agni move through the ‘house’ scanning and uplifting each part; then rest as the purifier seated within.
Anāhata to Maṇipūra axis (joy + will)
Body-scan with breath: inhale ‘pari’ (widen), exhale ‘śuddhi’ (purify), 11 cycles.
Quiet joy with clear discrimination.
Chant, then do a slow inner circumambulation: head–throat–heart–navel–pelvis; offer each region to the flame; end sitting still with the sense of a seated purifier.
Keep measured svara rises on hotā and mandraḥ; soften and settle on ni sīdati to mirror ‘sitting’.
Two-phase delivery: slightly more mobile in sa sadma pari nīyate; more grounded in uta potā ni sīdati.
hotā: long ā, mandro: dental d + r cluster clean, diviṣṭiṣu: ṣṭ consonant cluster precise
Clear, even, gently bright.
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