Rig Veda 1.68.3: Mandala 1, Sukta 68, Mantra 3
Sukta 1.68
- Rishi
- Parāśara
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आदित्ते विश्वे क्रतुं जुषन्त शुष्काद्यद्देव जीवो जनिष्ठाः ॥
ā́d ít te víśve krátum juṣanta śúṣkād yád deva jī́vo janiṣṭhā́ḥ ॥
Dann nehmen wahrlich alle deinen Willen und deinen Krátu an; denn, o Gott, lebendig wurdest du aus dem Dürren geboren, Leben erweckend, wo es unfruchtbar war.
Word by Word
- आ
- towards, untoIndeclinableउपसर्ग (preverb)Root आ (उपसर्ग)
- दित्ते
- in/at the given (place/act)Verb-form (participial base used with enclitic)दत्त- (PPP), locative singular (Vedic form: दित्ते = दत्ते)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot दा (धातु) / दत्त (कृदन्त)
- विश्वे
- all (the gods)Adjective (used substantively)masculine nominative pluralRole KartāRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- क्रतुम्
- resolve, power of will; rite/planNounmasculine accusative singularRole KarmaRoot क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
- जुषन्त
- they enjoy/favour, acceptVerbpresent, 3rd person plural, active (Vedic injunctive/imperf.-like without augment; from जुषन्ति)Root जुष् (धातु)
- शुष्कात्
- from the dry (state), from drynessAdjective (substantivized)neuter ablative singularRole ApādānaRoot शुष्क (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- when/that whichPronoun/Relativeneuter nominative/accusative singular (relative)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- देव
- O godNoun (vocative address)masculine vocative singularRole SambodhanaRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- जीवः
- living (one), aliveAdjective/Nounmasculine nominative singularRole KartāRoot जीव (प्रातिपदिक)
- जनिष्ठाः
- you were born / you have been bornVerbaorist, 2nd person singular, middle (Vedic: -िष्ठाः ending)Root जन् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद: आ | दित्ते | विश्वे | क्रतुम् | जुषन्त | शुष्कात् | यत् | देव | जीवः | जनिष्ठाः । (1) आदित्ते = आ + दित्ते (Vedic spelling दित्ते for दत्ते, loc.sg. of दत्त-)
- (2) शुष्का॒द्यत् = शुष्कात् + यत् (त् + य → द्)
- (3) दे॑व जी॒वो = देव + जीवः (visarga sandhi: ओ before voiced consonant)
The meaning
Outer meaning
All accept your will/insight; for you, O god, were born living out of the dry/inert—bringing life where it was barren.
Inner meaning
When Agni awakens in the being, the other god-powers (illumination, harmony, force, delight) consent to his kratu—his directive will and intelligent purpose. The living flame is born from the ‘dry’—the inert, tamasic, unawakened substance of nature—kindling consciousness and vitality in what was deadened or desiccated.
Universal truth
True transformation begins when a conscious will is kindled within inertia; then all capacities align and life renews from within the seemingly lifeless.
Themes
kindling, awakening, will-force
The seer
- Rishi
- Parāśara (traditional; also placed in the Gṛtsamada-associated Agni sequence by some indices)
- Lineage
- Variable in tradition; often linked to Vasiṣṭha line for Parāśara attributions
- Other hymns
- RV 1.65–1.73 (Agni hymns with similar psychological imagery of kindling and growth)
Family tradition
Agni-yoga emphasis: birth of the flame from the human condition and its power to convert inertia into living movement.
Significance
The seer highlights a key yogic event: ignition of the inner fire that compels the rest of the nature to consent to a higher will.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Deva, Jīva (the Living One, implied), Kratu-pati (lord of purposeful will, implied)
- Related deities
- Viśve Devāḥ, Soma (as eventual bliss-result), Indra (illumination-force that follows Agni’s kindling)
Cosmic role
The awakener: brings life and movement out of inert matter; initiates the sacrificial process and carries it upward.
Inner power
Psychic heat that converts tamas to tapas; the will that makes all parts of nature collaborate.
In ritual
Where it is used
Kindling and praising Agni at the start of offerings; also apt in rites emphasizing rekindling (punar-ādheya themes, broadly).
आदित्ते॒ विश्वे॒ क्रतुं॑ जुषन्त॒ शुष्का॒द्यद्दे॑व जी॒वो जनि॑ष्ठाः ॥
आत् । इत् । ते॒ । विश्वे॑ । क्रतु॑म् । जु॒ष॒न्त॒ । शुष्का॑त् । यत् । दे॒व॒ । जी॒वः । जनि॑ष्ठाः ॥
āt | it | te | viśve | kratum | juṣanta | śuṣkāt | yat | deva | jīvaḥ | janiṣṭhāḥ
44
4 × ~11; strong mid-line caesura typical of Triṣṭubh.
Energizing and developmental; conveys ‘birth’ and ‘acceptance’ as a turning point.
Invokes a felt ignition—useful for overcoming dullness; the rhythm supports upward surge from inertia to life.
- क्रतुम् (kratum)
- Literal: will, resolve, intelligent plan. Symbolic: the divine discernment-will that organizes transformation
- जुषन्त (juṣanta)
- Literal: they enjoy/accept. Symbolic: inner consent of the faculties; harmonized collaboration
- शुष्कात् (śuṣkāt)
- Literal: from the dry. Symbolic: from inertia, barrenness, tamas; unresponsive substance
- जीवः (jīvaḥ)
- Literal: living. Symbolic: the awakened life-force and conscious being
- जनिष्ठाः (janiṣṭhāḥ)
- Literal: you were born. Symbolic: the manifestation of Agni in the human vessel; ignition of aspiration
Supports kindling imagery: fire born from dry wood; psychologically, ignition of will in inert nature. Used in Agni rites to affirm successful arousal of the divine force
At moments of lighting/strengthening the sacred fire and inviting divine cooperation.
Ignition, ghee oblation, invocation for effective kratu (right will) in the rite.
Chant when facing lethargy, depression, or procrastination; as a mantra of ‘awakening from the dry’ before meditation or work.
krátu- denotes effective will/intelligence (not mere ‘sacrifice’ here). √juṣ ‘take pleasure in, approve’ indicates harmonious consent of faculties/powers. śuṣká- ‘dry’ becomes a powerful symbol for inertia; Agni as jīvá ‘living’ is born from it—life awakened from deadness.
kratu as conscious will, transformation of inertia into life, consent/harmony of powers
When all ‘accept kratu’, the inner ṛta is restored—faculties act in right relation.
Kratu as truth-guided will (not egoic desire).
Life and consciousness emerge from apparent inertness through the agency of fire/heat (Agni).
Integral-psychological Veda: evolution from inconscience to consciousness via awakened will (Agni).
dry season imagery (symbolic)
Dryness = unresponsive mind-life; Agni’s birth = awakening of aspiration and purposeful will that vivifies the whole being.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Birth of fire from the dry: the living flame emerges from inert dryness and becomes acceptable to all gods. Inner sense: the divine will awakens in the inert parts of nature; once awakened, all faculties consent to its leadership.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √jan ‘be born’ is IE (PIE *ǵenh₁- ‘beget, produce’, cf. Greek gígnomai, Latin gignō). The semantic polarity ‘dry’ vs. ‘living’ encodes a transformation motif common to IE poetics (life from inert matter).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi celebrates Agni’s decisive gift: awakening kratu (effective will) from inertia. The human seeker asks implicitly for the same ignition—so that all inner powers align and approve.
Kindle the ‘living will’: feel a warm, steady aspiration rising from the dull parts of the nature.
Maṇipūra (transformative fire) with support from Anāhata (psychic consent)
Kapalabhati (gentle, if suitable) or 4-4-6 breathing to energize; then quiet sitting with inner flame visualization.
From tamasic heaviness to luminous, willing wakefulness.
Offer the ‘dry’ parts—habit, fatigue, doubt—into Agni; invite all inner powers to ‘accept the kratu’ and cooperate.
Chant with Vedic accents per Śākala; keep clear udātta peaks on marked syllables; let svarita fall be audible but controlled.
Mark the turning point with a slight lift on ‘kratum’; articulate ‘śuṣkād’ distinctly to emphasize emergence from inertia.
(ād it): keep sandhi clear—long ‘ā’, then distinct ‘it’, (kratum): short ‘a’, crisp ‘t’ dental, (śuṣkāt): retroflex ‘ṣ’, and ‘śuṣ’ with rounded ‘u’
Bright and energizing; slightly stronger on ‘jīvo janiṣṭhāḥ’.
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