Rig Veda 5.13.6: Mandala 5, Sukta 13, Mantra 6
Sukta 5.13
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
अग्ने नेमिरराँ इव देवाँस्त्वं परिभूरसि । आ राधश्चित्रमृञ्जसे ॥
ágne némir arā́m̐ iva devā́ṃs tváṃ pari-bhū́r asi | ā́ rā́dhaś citrám ṛñjase ||
হে অগ্নি, যেমন নাভি আরাগুলিকে ঘিরে থাকে, তেমনি তুমি দেবগণকে পরিবেষ্টন কর; যজ্ঞে তুমি তাদের সর্বব্যাপী অধিপতি। তুমি আমাদের নিকট টেনে আনো চিত্র-রাধস্—বহুবর্ণ, বহুবিধ সমৃদ্ধি।
Word by Word
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (address)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- नेमिः
- (as) the felly/rim (of a wheel)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उपमा-आधारः)Root नेमि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- अरान्
- spokesNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-बहुवचनRole कर्म (उपमेय-सम्बन्धः)Root अरा- (प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-अव्ययRoot इव
- देवान्
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot देव- (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वम्
- thou, youPronounउत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- परिभूः
- one who encompasses/surpasses (all around)Noun/Adjective (agentive)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषणम् (विधेय)Root परि-√भू (भू) → परिभू- (धातु/प्रातिपदिक)
- असि
- you areVerbलट् (वर्तमान); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (अस्ति-क्रिया)Root √अस् (अस्)
- आ
- unto, towardsPreverb/Indeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात (आ- ‘towards, unto’)Root आ
- राधः
- bounty, gift, wealthNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन (कर्म)Role कर्मRoot राधस्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्रम्
- bright, splendid, wondrousAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन (राधः-विशेषणम्)Role कर्म-विशेषणम्Root चित्र- (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋञ्जसे
- you arrange/bring (it) to (us); you bestowVerbलट् (वर्तमान); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRole कर्म-प्रवृत्तिः (क्रिया)Root √ऋञ्ज् (ऋञ्ज्) ‘to make straight/arrange, set in order; (RV) to reach/attain’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अग्ने | नेमिः | अरान् | इव | देवान् | त्वम् | परिभूः | असि | आ | राधः | चित्रम् | ऋञ्जसे । 1) देवान् + त्वम्: संधि-नियमेन ‘देवांस्त्वम्’ (न् + त् → ंस् + त्)
- 2) राधः + चित्रम्: विसर्गः परे चकारे ‘राधश्चित्रम्’ (ः + च → श्च)
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Agni, like the nave around the spokes you encompass the gods; you are their all-surrounding master. You draw near a many-colored richness.
Inner meaning
Agni is the central organizing power: as the hub (nemi) holds the spokes (arāḥ), so the inner fire holds together the various divine powers (devān)—illumination, force, harmony, delight—so they can act as one system in us. As paribhūḥ, Agni is the overruling integrator in the rite of life. From this integration he brings ā rādhaḥ citram: a ‘many-hued’ abundance—diverse fulfillments and capacities, each in its right place, arriving as a coordinated descent rather than scattered gains.
Universal truth
Inner unity is the condition for true abundance: when the central will is awakened, the many powers of life become harmonized and fulfillment arrives in diversified but ordered forms.
Themes
Agni as axis/center, pantheon integration, bestowal of varied riches
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 5.13.2-5, Rig Veda 5.11, Rig Veda 5.12
Family tradition
Ātri’s vision often emphasizes integration—many gods acting through one Agni, the central priest-power.
Significance
The seer presents a psychological map: the divine powers are many, but they must be held by a central fire of will; then the ‘many-colored’ fulfillment becomes possible.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- paribhū (all-encompassing master), nemi-iva (hub-like center)
- Related deities
- Viśve Devāḥ, Indra, Soma
Cosmic role
Axis of the sacrificial cosmos; coordinator of the gods; channel for bounty and fulfillment.
Inner power
Centralized will and psychic integration that unifies faculties and draws down harmonized abundance.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni as coordinator of devas in the rite; invoked when seeking comprehensive blessings and orderly fulfillment
अग्ने॑ ने॒मिर॒राँ इ॑व दे॒वाँस्त्वं प॑रि॒भूर॑सि । आ राध॑श्चि॒त्रमृ॑ञ्जसे ॥
अग्ने॑ । ने॒मिः । अ॒रान्ऽइ॑व । दे॒वान् । त्वम् । प॒रि॒ऽभूः । अ॒सि॒ । आ । राधः॑ । चि॒त्रम् । ऋ॒ञ्ज॒से॒ ॥
agne | nemiḥ | arān-iva | devān | tvam | pari-bhūḥ | asi | ā | rādhaḥ | citram | ṛñjase
24
3×8 (approx.)
circular/centering feel (hub-spoke image), then a bright flourish on citram
Recenters scattered attention; evokes wholeness and then a sense of colorful plenitude arriving.
- नेमि (nemi)
- Literal: nave/hub (of a wheel). Symbolic: central psychic will that holds the system together
- अर (arāḥ)
- Literal: spokes. Symbolic: multiple faculties/powers radiating from the center
- परिभू (paribhū)
- Literal: encompassing, overmastering. Symbolic: integral mastery that coordinates and governs inner forces
- देवान् (devān)
- Literal: the gods. Symbolic: luminous powers of consciousness
- राधस् (rādhas)
- Literal: bounty, favor, richness. Symbolic: fulfillment-force; effective support and grace for works
- चित्र (citra)
- Literal: variegated, bright, many-colored. Symbolic: diverse powers and joys; multifaceted perfection
Verse emphasizing Agni as the integrator of the pantheon in the rite; suitable in sequences invoking multiple deities through Agni as channel.
During offerings that invite multiple deities; concluding or consolidating moments of an Agni sequence
Recite to ‘gather’ the gods around Agni; offer ghee while asking for rādhas (bounty)
Use when life feels fragmented: chant to re-center priorities and invite a balanced ‘many-hued’ flourishing (health, clarity, relationships, work) in right order.
nemi ‘hub’ (wheel imagery) encodes centrality and stability; ara ‘spoke’ indicates radiating supports—Agni as the center holding divine functions together. pari-bhū (pari + √bhū ‘be’) conveys ‘encompass/overmaster’. rādhas is ‘fulfillment’ rather than mere wealth. √ṛñj suggests ‘arrange, make straight/ready’—Agni organizes the manifold (citra) gifts/powers into availability for the seeker.
integration of divine powers, central will organizing faculties, manifold fulfillment (citra rādhas)
Hub-spoke order images ṛta: many functions held in one law and center.
True bounty is ordered and luminous (citra), not chaotic accumulation.
Cosmos as a wheel: center (Agni) organizes multiplicity; fulfillment descends as differentiated harmony.
Vedic integralism: unity-in-multiplicity; devas as powers coordinated by the psychic fire.
Wheel = psycho-spiritual system; hub = central will/psychic being; spokes = faculties; ‘many-colored bounty’ = diverse siddhis/supports arriving harmoniously.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the hub of the gods: the mythologem of a central fire-power that gathers, contains, and coordinates the divine functions, making their ‘many-colored’ fulfillments available to the human seeker.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The wheel metaphor is pan-Indo-European in poetic diction (cosmos/rite as a wheel). √bhū ‘be’ is a fundamental IE root (*bʰuH-). The image of a central axis organizing multiplicity reflects inherited structural metaphors used for cosmic order.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi acknowledges Agni as the one who can ‘encompass the gods’—thus the human does not approach scattered powers separately but through the central awakened will; Agni reciprocates by arranging and bringing near the manifold rādhas (fulfillments).
Centering practice: feel a luminous flame at the heart as the hub; let thoughts, senses, energies become spokes aligned to it; invite a balanced abundance to descend.
anahata
coherent breathing (5–6 breaths/min). On inhale: gather to center; on exhale: expand evenly through ‘spokes’.
integrated wholeness; coordinated faculties; quiet joy
When overwhelmed, chant once, then sit and ‘re-hub’ your system: name your main faculties (mind, speech, breath, emotion, action) and align each to the central will before proceeding.
Let nemiḥ and paribhūḥ carry steady prominence; brighten slightly on citram (variegated) before settling.
Make the simile clear: nemir arām̐ iva (hub like spokes). Keep paribhūḥ firm; color the tone on citram.
nemir: short ‘e’, light ‘r’, arām̐ iva: long ā; nasalization on ām̐; keep iva separate, paribhūr: long ū; roll ‘r’ lightly, rādhaś: dh aspirated; final ś crisp, ṛñjase: initial ṛ syllabic; ‘ñj’ cluster clear
centered, resonant, slightly circular phrasing
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
