Rig Veda 1.45.10: Mandala 1, Sukta 45, Mantra 10
Sukta 1.45
- Rishi
- Kanvas
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
अर्वाञ्चं दैव्यं जनमग्ने यक्ष्व सहूतिभिः । अयं सोमः सुदानवस्तं पात तिरोअह्न्यम् ॥
arvā́ñcaṁ daívyaṁ jánam agne yákṣva sahū́tibhiḥ | ayáṁ sómaḥ sudā́navas táṁ pāta tiró-ahnyam ||
O Agni, wende dich her und opfere für das göttliche Geschlecht, mit den unterstützenden Anrufungen (sahūti). Hier ist der Soma, o ihr reichlich Gebenden: trink ihn, den Soma, der durch den Tag hindurchgeht, dem Tageslicht entrückt.
Word by Word
- अर्वाञ्चम्
- hither(-turned), coming this wayAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अर्वाञ्च् (प्रातिपदिक; arvañc-)
- दैव्यम्
- divineAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot दैव्य (प्रातिपदिक; daivya- < देव)
- जनम्
- people, folkNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot जन (प्रातिपदिक; jana-)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक; agni-)
- यक्ष्व
- worship! perform sacrifice!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root यज् (धातु; yaj-)
- सहूतिभिः
- with joint invocations / with combined callsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole करणRoot सहूति (प्रातिपदिक; sahūti- = सह + ऊति)
- अयम्
- this (here)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्ताRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम; idam-)
- सोमः
- Soma (the pressed juice/deity)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्ताRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक; soma-)
- सुदानवः
- good-giving, bountifulAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्ताRoot सुदानु (प्रातिपदिक; sudānu-)
- तम्
- himPronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम; tad-)
- पात
- protect! guard!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root पा (धातु; pā- ‘to protect’)
- तिरोअह्न्यम्
- lasting through the day / for the whole day (lit. ‘across the day’)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तिरोअह्न्य (प्रातिपदिक; tiro-ahnya- < तिरस् + अहन्)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अर्वाञ्चम् दैव्यम् जनम् अग्ने यक्ष्व सहूतिभिः । अयम् सोमः सुदानवः तम् पात तिरोअह्न्यम् ॥ सन्धि-विशेषाः: (1) तिरस् + अह्न्यम् → तिरोअह्न्यम् (विसर्गस्य ‘ओ’ आदेशः, तिरो-). (2) ‘अयं सोमः’ इत्यत्र संहितायां उच्चारणे ‘अयम्’ इत्यस्य अनुस्वार/मकारः पदान्तः
- पदच्छेदे अयम् + सोमः। (3) ‘यक्ष्व’ लोट्-रूपं √यज् धातोः (वैदिक/छान्दस रूप)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni is invoked to turn toward the sacrificer and perform the offering for the “divine people”; Soma is present and the gods who give good gifts are asked to drink the Soma that endures/extends beyond the day.
Inner meaning
Agni, the divine Will in the seeker, is asked to face inward and lead the inner yajña for the “daivya jana”—the luminous powers of the being (higher faculties) that collaborate in transformation. Soma here is the descending Ananda (bliss-substance) offered into the system; when the inner gods “drink” it, consciousness passes beyond the ordinary day-bound mind (tiro-ahnya)—beyond habitual time-sense, fatigue, and the alternating light/dark of common awareness.
Universal truth
Progress is secured when aspiration (Agni) turns toward the higher nature and offers the energies of life to it; then delight (Soma/Ananda) becomes a stable nourishment that carries consciousness beyond ordinary limitations and renews the whole being.
Themes
Soma-ritual (inner and outer pressing), invocation of divine powers, transition beyond ordinary time-consciousness, yajña as inner integration
The seer
- Rishi
- Kaṇva (Kanvas)
- Lineage
- Kaṇva-gotra (Kaṇva lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 1.45 (Agni hymn, Kaṇva), RV 1.46 (Aśvin hymn, Kaṇva), RV 1.47 (Aśvin context, Kaṇva)
Family tradition
Kanvas are prominent early seers of Agni and Soma; their hymns emphasize the inner yajña—Agni as leader and Soma as the delight that perfects the offering.
Significance
The Kaṇva vision often moves from invocation (calling the powers) to inner assimilation (Soma-drinking): a psychology of transformation where aspiration and delight cooperate to open higher consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (with Soma as invoked power/oblation)
- Epithets
- purohita (implied priest-leader), yajñiya (fit for sacrifice, implied by yakṣva), havya-vāhana (carrier of offerings, thematic)
- Related deities
- Soma, Viśve Devāḥ (divine folk), Indra (often co-drinker of Soma)
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine worlds; establishes the rite that sustains ṛta (right order) and brings the gods to the sacrifice.
Inner power
Conscious will and discernment that kindles upward striving, organizes the being, and makes the offering effective; Soma as the bliss that seals and widens realization.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni-Soma offering sequences; general Agni invocation within Soma-yāga atmosphere
अ॒र्वाञ्चं॒ दैव्यं॒ जन॒मग्ने॒ यक्ष्व॒ सहू॑तिभिः । अ॒यं सोम॑: सुदानव॒स्तं पा॑त ति॒रोअ॑ह्न्यम् ॥
अ॒र्वाञ्च॑म् । दैव्य॑म् । जन॑म् । अग्ने॑ । यक्ष्व॑ । सहू॑तिऽभिः । अ॒यम् । सोमः॑ । सु॒ऽदा॒न॒वः॒ । तम् । पा॒त॒ । ति॒रःऽअ॑ह्न्यम् ॥
arvāñcam | daivyam | janam | agne | yakṣva | sahūti-bhiḥ | ayam | somaḥ | su-dānavaḥ | tam | pāta | tiraḥ-ahnyam
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3 pādas × ~8 syllables
Compact, forward-driving cadence; suited to invocation and swift inner turning.
Creates alert concentration (jāgrat-smṛti) and a clean upward lift; supports a quick ignition of will and a bright, contained joy.
- arvāñcam
- Literal: turned hither, facing toward. Symbolic: the Will turning inward toward the Divine aim; recollection and reorientation of consciousness
- daivyaṃ janam
- Literal: the divine folk/people. Symbolic: the inner luminous powers (devas) and higher faculties in the adhara that must be nourished
- agne
- Literal: Agni, fire. Symbolic: divine Will/aspiration; priest of the inner sacrifice (purohita)
- yakṣva
- Literal: sacrifice, worship, offer. Symbolic: consecrate energies/thoughts into a transformative process
- sahūtibhiḥ
- Literal: with the summons/invitations together. Symbolic: harmonized calls of aspiration, prayer, and right thought that support the inner rite
- somaḥ
- Literal: Soma. Symbolic: divine Ananda/bliss; immortal delight that empowers illumination
- sudānavas
- Literal: good givers, bountiful ones. Symbolic: luminous powers that bestow inner wealth—clarity, strength, joy
- pāta
- Literal: drink!. Symbolic: receive/assimilate the Ananda into the faculties
- tiroahnyam (tiraḥ-ahnyam)
- Literal: beyond/overpassing the day. Symbolic: beyond surface waking time-consciousness; beyond mental alternation into a more continuous light
Agni-Soma offering context within Soma rites (general Soma-yajña usage; invitatory function to bring the devas to the pressing and offering)
At the kindling/invocation moments where Agni is asked to bring/serve the gods; also in Soma contexts calling the devas to drink.
Recitation during offering and invitation (āvāhana) to the deities; mental ‘turning’ and ‘feeding’ of the inner fire in contemplative use.
Use as a short practice-mantra for reorientation: (1) turn inward (arvāñcam), (2) offer breath/attention to the inner fire (yakṣva), (3) receive bliss beyond ordinary time (tiroahnyam).
Key terms: (1) arvāñc- ‘hitherward’ from adverbial stem *arvā́k ‘towards here’; marks the descent/approach of the divine into the human arena. (2) yakṣva: imperative 2sg of √yaj ‘to worship, sacrifice’; inner sense: to effect the offering/union. (3) sahūti-bhiḥ: instrumental plural of sahū́ti ‘joint invocation’ (sa- ‘together’ + √hū ‘to call’); indicates coordinated aspirations and calls. (4) somaḥ from √su ‘to press/extract’; psychologically the ‘pressed’ essence of delight/illumination. (5) su-dānavaḥ: su- ‘good’ + dā́nu/dā́na ‘giving’ (from √dā ‘to give’); the divine givers of right bounty. (6) tiraḥ-ahnyam: tiraḥ ‘across, beyond’ + ahnya ‘daily/diurnal’ (< áhan ‘day’); ‘that which goes beyond the day’—symbolically beyond limited temporal consciousness.
Ṛta (right order enacted through yajña), transcending temporal mind (crossing the day-bound consciousness), Ananda (Soma as delight that supports illumination)
Agni’s right offering maintains ṛta; the ‘divine folk’ are powers of ṛta operating in the seeker.
Soma as truth-delight that does not perish with the day’s alternations; it carries the being toward a more constant truth-consciousness.
The gods’ drinking of Soma is a recurring creation-image: delight becomes the fuel for widening consciousness and manifesting higher order in life.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: ascent by tapas (Agni) and descent/assimilation of Ananda (Soma).
Twilight/threshold implied by ‘beyond the day’ (transition from ordinary waking to deeper light)
unspecified
Fire = will; Soma = delight; ‘day’ = surface mind-time; ‘beyond day’ = supramental/psychic continuity and widened awareness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘summoning of the gods to the yajña’ through Agni as messenger-priest: Agni turns hither, brings the divine host, and enables their ‘drinking’ of Soma. Mythically it is the recurring pattern of descent/approach of the luminous powers to the human sacrifice; psychologically it is the calling down of higher faculties to partake of delight-illumination so the being can pass beyond its day-bound limits.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √yaj ‘sacrifice’ aligns with PIE *h₁yeh₁g- ‘to worship, sacrifice’ (cf. Avestan yasna- ‘worship’). √hū ‘call’ in sahūti relates to PIE *ḱleu̯-? (hearing/fame) is not direct; rather √hū is Indo-Iranian ‘invoke’ (cf. Avestan zaotar- ‘invoker/priest’ in ritual sphere differs, but the shared Indo-Iranian sacrificial lexicon is clear). áhan ‘day’ reflects PIE *h₂egʷʰ-? (day) is uncertain; but the inherited temporal lexicon and compounding style (tiraḥ-ahnya) shows archaic poetic morphology: preverb/adverb + temporal adjective to encode a metaphysical ‘beyond’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s speech acts as a ‘co-invocation’ (sahūti): human aspiration organizes itself into a collective call, and Agni is asked to execute the sacrifice—i.e., to translate intention into effective offering. The reciprocity is explicit: the divine powers are invited to drink Soma (delight/illumination), and in return they become ‘sudānavaḥ’, bestowers of right riches—spiritual plenitude that helps the sacrificer exceed the ordinary day-measure of consciousness.
Reorientation of will toward the inner Divine and reception of Ananda that surpasses mental time.
anahata (heart: Soma-Ananda assimilation)
Gentle inhale on arvāñcaṃ… (turning inward), soft exhale on …pāta tiroahnyam (release into timelessness).
From focused waking (manas) to quiet wideness (citta-prasāda) with a taste of timeless delight.
Begin with 3 slow repetitions to kindle aspiration (Agni). Pause, feel a subtle ‘nectar’ descending in the heart. End with 9 repetitions, letting the sense of time loosen while staying lucid.
Vedic svara varies by śākhā; generally maintain udātta peaks on key invocatory words (agne, somaḥ) with surrounding anudātta and occasional svarita falls per pada recitation tradition.
Keep ‘Agne’ clearly called (open ‘e’), and let the cadence slightly lift on invocatory verbs (yakṣva, pāta). Avoid flattening the final ‘-nyam’ in tiroahnyam—keep it light, not heavy.
arvāñcaṃ: nasalized ‘ñc’ cluster, do not say ‘arvancham’ too hard, daivyaṃ: ‘ai’ diphthong, soft ‘vy’, yakṣva: clear ‘kṣv’ conjunct, no extra vowel, sahūtibhiḥ: long ‘ū’, aspirate ‘bh’, somaḥ: visarga lightly echoed before pause, tiroahnyam: split mentally as tiraḥ-ahnyam; keep ‘hny’ conjunct crisp
Bright, steady, offering-toned; end with a softened, widening resonance on the last word.
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