Shloka 53
Ahaṅkāra-Tripartition and the Rise of Indriyas, Devatās, and Cosmic Administrators
गङ्गाद्यनन्तरं जज्ञे स्वाहा वै मन्त्रदेवता / स्वाहानामाग्निभार्योक्ता गङ्गादिभ्योधमा श्रुता
gaṅgādyanantaraṃ jajñe svāhā vai mantradevatā / svāhānāmāgnibhāryoktā gaṅgādibhyodhamā śrutā
Nach Gaṅgā und den anderen wurde Svāhā geboren, die Gottheit selbst, welche die Mantra-Opfergaben lenkt. Svāhā gilt als Gemahlin Agnis; und man vernimmt, sie sei die vortrefflichste unter denen, die mit Gaṅgā beginnen.
Lord Vishnu
Concept: Mantra and offering become efficacious through proper invocation (Svāhā) and the mediating fire (Agni); devotion expressed as disciplined ritual speech and act.
Vedantic Theme: Vāk (sacred speech) as śakti; karma-kāṇḍa as a preparatory purifier (citta-śuddhi) supporting higher realization.
Application: Perform offerings—literal or symbolic—with mindful speech: dedicate actions, conclude intentions with a conscious ‘offering’ attitude.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: ritual-site
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: sections on dāna, homa, and ritual merit where Agni is the carrier and mantra correctness is stressed; Garuda Purana: śrāddha passages where fire/offerings and mantras support ancestral rites (contextual)
FAQs
This verse identifies Svāhā as the mantradevatā—the presiding power of mantra-offerings—highlighting that oblations in fire-sacrifice are ritually completed through the Svāhā-formula.
By calling Svāhā the wife of Agni and the deity of mantra-offerings, the verse presents a ritual theology: Agni carries the offering, while Svāhā is the sanctifying utterance that directs it to the intended deity.
In homa, śrāddha-related fires, or daily offerings, pronounce mantras carefully and end oblations with “svāhā” with attention and purity, treating it as a meaningful invocation rather than a mere word.