Rig Veda Sukta 59
Mandala 1Sukta 597 Mantras

Sukta 59

Sukta 1.59

Rishi

Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya (traditional for RV 1.59)

Devata

Agni Vaiśvānara

Chandas

Triṣṭubh (11-syllable pādas, standard for many Agni hymns here)

Dieser Hymnus preist Agni als Vaiśvānara – das universale Feuer, in dem alle anderen Feuer sich freuen – und als den „Nabel“ (das zentrale Band) menschlicher Siedlungen, der die Menschen in rechter Ordnung zusammenhält. Agni erscheint als der inspirierte Hotṛ, der uralte, machtvolle Lobpreisungen und Opfergaben zu den Göttern trägt und der dem Geschlecht der Bharadvājas wie allen Völkern Kraft, Wohlstand und ein geordnetes Leben verleiht.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 1.59

Mantras

Mantra 1

वया इदग्ने अग्नयस्ते अन्ये त्वे विश्वे अमृता मादयन्ते । वैश्वानर नाभिरसि क्षितीनां स्थूणेव जनाँ उपमिद्ययन्थ ॥

Wahrlich, o Agni, alle anderen Feuer finden ihre Wonne in dir, dem einen unsterblichen Feuer. O Vaiśvānara, du bist Nabel und Knoten der Wohnstätten; wie eine Säule hältst du die Menschen zusammen und führst sie zu Maß und rechter Ordnung.

Mantra 2

मूर्धा दिवो नाभिरग्निः पृथिव्या अथाभवदरती रोदस्योः । तं त्वा देवासोऽजनयन्त देवं वैश्वानर ज्योतिरिदार्याय ॥

Agni wurde das Haupt des Himmels und der Nabel der Erde; dann stand er als tätiger Beweger zwischen den beiden Welten. Dich brachten die Götter hervor, o göttlicher Vaiśvānara – ein Licht wahrlich für den arischen Suchenden.

Mantra 3

आ सूर्ये न रश्मयो ध्रुवासो वैश्वानरे दधिरेऽग्ना वसूनि । या पर्वतेष्वोषधीष्वप्सु या मानुषेष्वसि तस्य राजा ॥

Wie Strahlen in der Sonne, fest und unverrückbar, sind die Reichtümer des Seins in Agni Vaiśvānara niedergelegt. Was in den Bergen ist, in den Pflanzen, in den Wassern, und was in den Menschen ist — über all dies bist du der König.

Mantra 4

बृहती इव सूनवे रोदसी गिरो होता मनुष्यो न दक्षः । स्वर्वते सत्यशुष्माय पूर्वीर्वैश्वानराय नृतमाय यह्वीः ॥

Wie die beiden weiten Welten, dem Sohn zugewandt, so strömen die Worte hervor: Agni, der Hotar, kundig wie ein Mensch vollendeter Tüchtigkeit. Zum Herrn der lichten Sphäre, zum Träger wahrer Kraft, drängen die uralten, machtvollen Sprüche hin — zu Vaiśvānara, dem mannhaftesten Führer, den rasch Dahinströmenden.

Mantra 5

दिवश्चित्ते बृहतो जातवेदो वैश्वानर प्र रिरिचे महित्वम् । राजा कृष्टीनामसि मानुषीणां युधा देवेभ्यो वरिवश्चकर्थ ॥

Selbst über den weiten Himmel hinaus, o Jātavedas Vaiśvānara, ist deine Größe übergeströmt. Du bist König der menschlichen Sippen; durch deine Kampfkraft hast du den Göttern weiten Raum und freien Durchgang bereitet.

Mantra 6

प्र नू महित्वं वृषभस्य वोचं यं पूरवो वृत्रहणं सचन्ते । वैश्वानरो दस्युमग्निर्जघन्वाँ अधूनोत्काष्ठा अव शम्बरं भेत् ॥

Nun verkünde ich die Größe des Stieres, dem die Pūrus folgen als Vṛtrahan, dem Erschläger der Hemmung. Vaiśvānara-Agni, der die Dasyu-Macht niederstreckte, schüttelte die Sperren los und zerschmetterte Śambara.

Mantra 7

वैश्वानरो महिम्ना विश्वकृष्टिर्भरद्वाजेषु यजतो विभावा । शातवनेये शतिनीभिरग्निः पुरुणीथे जरते सूनृतावान् ॥

Vaiśvānara, durch Größe der Erbauer aller Völker, verehrungswürdig bei den Bhāradvājas, weithin leuchtend. Beim Gewinnen der Hunderte, mit seinen hundertfachen Kräften, währt Agni in vielen Führungen, reich an wahrer, glückverheißender Rede.

Inside Sukta 59

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Agni is hailed as the one immortal fire in whom all other fires delight, the Vaiśvānara who is the “navel” of habitations and a pillar-like support of people (1.59.1).

  2. Development

    The hymn develops Agni’s priestly and cosmic roles: he is the skilled Hotṛ, the recipient of ancient powerful praises, and the luminous lord whose true strength draws inspired speech toward him (cf. 1.59.4).

  3. Climax

    Agni-Vaiśvānara is proclaimed great and world-forming—“builder of all peoples”—granting hundredfold winning and mighty capacities that sustain collective life.

  4. Where it settles

    It closes by rooting this universal power in the Bharadvāja tradition: Agni remains enduring through many guidances, rich in truthful, auspicious speech, continuing to protect and prosper the community (1.59.7).

The deity: Agni Vaiśvānara

  • In the VedaAgni is the immortal fire present in many forms—household flame, sacrificial fire, and cosmic light. As Vaiśvānara he is the fire “belonging to all men,” the central support of dwellings and the skilled Hotṛ who receives and elevates praise.
  • Cosmic functionMediator between humans and gods, transforming offerings into a divine share; the organizing principle of sacrifice that sustains ṛta (right order) and links earth and heaven.
  • Inner significanceThe illumined will and digestive/transformative power in the human being—conscience, aspiration, and inner heat that unifies scattered impulses and leads them toward measure, truth, and right action.

The seer

  • Bharadvāja BārhaspatyaBharadvāja gotra; traditionally “Bārhaspatya” (connected with Bṛhaspati/Angiras line) · A principal seer of the Rig Veda associated with powerful Agni hymns and the Bharadvāja family’s priestly tradition, emphasizing Agni as the organizer of sacrifice and social order.

Famous verses

vaiśvānara nābhir asi kṣitīnāṃ
Verse 1.59.1Defines the hymn’s core theology: Agni as the single immortal fire in whom all fires rejoice, and as Vaiśvānara the “navel” and pillar of human settlements—linking sacrifice, society, and ṛta.Read verse 1.59.1 →
बृहती इव सूनवे रोदसी गिरो होता मनुष्यो न दक्षः । स्वर्वते सत्यशुष्माय पूर्वीर्वैश्वानराय नृतमाय यह्वीः ॥
Verse 1.59.4Portrays Agni as the capable Hotṛ and the magnet of ancient inspired utterances, connecting the hymn to the living ritual act of speech becoming offering.Read verse 1.59.4 →
vaiśvānaro mahimnā viśvakṛṣṭiḥ
Verse 1.59.7Summative exaltation: Vaiśvānara as “builder of all peoples,” wide-shining and adored among the Bharadvājas, granting hundredfold strength and enduring guidance.Read verse 1.59.7 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Universal (vaiśvānara) presence in all fires
  • Hotṛ-priest and messenger of offerings
  • Pillar/support of communities and households
  • Bearer of ṛta: measure, order, and right alignment
  • Wide-shining (vibhāvā), luminous and strengthening
  • Giver of prosperity and “hundredfold” powers

Also by this seer

  • Numerous Rig Veda hymns attributed to the Bharadvājas, especially in Mandala 6 (the Bharadvāja family book)
  • Agni and Indra praise hymns across the early mandalas in the Bharadvāja tradition
  • Later Vedic memory links Bharadvāja with priestly lineages and transmission of ritual knowledge (śrauta orientation)

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare the altar/āhavanīya or gārhapatya fire space; establish purity and silence
  • Kindle or brighten Agni (samidh-ādhāna) with dry fuel while reciting opening praise to Vaiśvānara
  • Invite Agni as Hotṛ to take the seat and carry the hymn and offerings to the gods
  • Offer oblations in measured sequence (āhuti), affirming Agni as the “navel” that binds the settlement and aligns it with ṛta
  • Conclude with a prosperity request—strength, orderly life, and enduring protection for the people/lineage

Offerings

  • Ghee (ājya) oblations
  • Kindling sticks (samidh)
  • Grain or cakes in domestic contexts (anna/puroḍāśa where applicable)
  • Soma-related praise in the wider sacrificial frame (when integrated into soma rites)

Frequently Asked Questions

Vaiśvānara is Agni as the universal fire shared by all people—present in homes, in sacrifice, and as a cosmic power that holds communities together.

It means Agni is the central bond of settled life: the hearth and ritual fire around which order, unity, and right measure (ṛta) are established.

It can be recited during lighting a lamp or tending a sacred fire, with a simple ghee offering, to invoke clarity, inner strength, and harmony in the household or community.

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