Rig Veda 10.115.7: Mandala 10, Sukta 115, Mantra 7
Sukta 10.115
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
एवाग्निर्मर्तैः सह सूरिभिर्वसुः ष्टवे सहसः सूनरो नृभिः । मित्रासो न ये सुधिता ऋतायवो द्यावो न द्युम्नैरभि सन्ति मानुषान् ॥
evā́gnír mártaiḥ sahá sūríbhir vásuḥ stávé sáhasaḥ sū́naro nṛ́bhiḥ | mitrā́so ná yé su-dhítā ṛtā́yavo dyā́vo ná dyumnáir abhí sánti mā́nuṣān ||
So möge Agni, der leuchtende Vasu (das Gute), von Sterblichen zusammen mit den erleuchteten Führern gepriesen werden; wie ein starker Sohn der Kraft unter den Menschen. Wie die Mitras — fest gegründet in rechter Einsicht, Wanderer des Ṛta —, wie die Himmel mit ihren Glanzlichtern, stehen sie über und rings um den Menschen, ihn drängend umgebend.
Word by Word
- एव
- indeed, just, thusIndeclinableनिपात (emphatic particle)Root एव
- अग्निः
- Agni (fire-god)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot अग्नि
- मर्तैः
- by/with mortalsNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot मर्त
- सह
- together withIndeclinableउपसर्गसदृश अव्यय; ‘with’ (governs instr.)Root सह
- सूरिभिः
- with patrons/chieftainsNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot सूरि
- वसुः
- the good one; benefactor (Vasu)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole Kartā (apposition to अग्निः)Root वसु
- ष्टवे
- praises/is praised (utters praise)Verbलट् (present); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन (Vedic: ‘ष्टवे’ for ‘स्तवे’)Root स्तु
- सहसः
- of might/strengthNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive)Root सहस्
- सूनरः
- of good manliness; very manlyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole Kartā (apposition to अग्निः)Root सूनर
- नृभिः
- with menNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot नृ
- मित्रासः
- friends; MitrasNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot मित्र
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-निपात (comparative ‘like’)Root न
- ये
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole Kartā (relative pronoun)Root यद्
- सुधिताः
- well-ordered, well-disposedAdjective (PPP)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन; क्त (past passive participle) from √धा/√धि in sense ‘set/placed/ordered well’Role Kartā (agreeing with ये/मित्रासः)Root सु-धि (धि) → सुधित
- ऋतायवः
- seekers of ṛta (cosmic order)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole Kartā (apposition)Root ऋतायू
- द्यावः
- skiesNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन (Vedic plural of द्यौ ‘sky’)Role Kartā (simile base)Root द्यौ
- न
- likeIndeclinableउपमा-निपातRoot न
- द्यु॒म्नैः
- with splendors, with gloriesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot द्यु॒म्न
- अभि
- towards, uponIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय; ‘towards, over, upon’Root अभि
- सन्ति
- are, existVerbलट् (present); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRoot अस्
- मानुषान्
- men, human beingsNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot मानुष
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic sandhi resolution): ए॒वाग्निर्मर्तै॑: → एव + अग्निः + मर्तैः (अ + अ = आ; visarga before m often written as ‘:’ in transcription)
- स॒ह सू॒रिभि॒र्वसु॑: → सह + सूरिभिः + वसुः (ः + व → often shown as ‘र्व’ in continuous text)
- ष्टवे is Vedic orthography for स्तवे (present 3sg Ā. of √स्तु)
- सू॒नरो॒ नृभि॑: → सूनरः + नृभिः (ः + न → assimilation)
- ऋता॒यवो॒ द्यावो॒ → ऋतायवः + द्यावः (ः + द → voiced assimilation in saṃhitā)
- द्यु॒म्नैर॒भि → द्युम्नैः + अभि (ः + अ → r/zero sandhi in saṃhitā; here written together)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Thus may Agni, the bright good (Vasu), be praised by mortals with the illumined leaders; like a strong son of might among men. Like the Mitras—well-established, travellers of Ṛta—like the heavens with splendors, they stand around human beings.
Inner meaning
Agni as Vasu is the ‘good substance’—the luminous wealth of consciousness. Mortals and sūrīs together praise him: the human effort aligned with higher guiding lights. Agni is ‘son of might’—born of force (sahas) as an inner power among our human faculties. The comparison with Mitra indicates harmonizing, right-related powers of understanding (sudhitāḥ) moving in Ṛta; ‘heavens with splendors’ suggests higher luminous planes pressing upon and surrounding the human to uplift it. The ‘they’ can be read as the allied divine powers around Agni—supporting ascent.
Universal truth
When human aspiration collaborates with illumined guidance, the inner fire becomes true wealth and strength; then powers of harmony and right order surround the human being and lift it toward a greater light.
Themes
Agni praised with seers/leaders, Rita-guided powers, enveloping light over humanity
The seer
Significance
The verse functions as a communal seal: the mantra is not only individual but collective—mortals and sūrīs together establishing Agni as wealth and uplift, supported by Mitra-like harmonies of Ṛta.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (as Vasu; allied to Mitra-like powers)
- Epithets
- Vasu (वसु), sahasaḥ sūnara (सहसः सूनर)
- Related deities
- Mitra, Varuṇa (Ṛta guardianship, implicit), Indra (splendors/illumination, implicit)
Cosmic role
Giver of inner wealth and strength; establishes harmony and right order; mediates descent of heavenly splendors into human life.
Inner power
Illumined will that becomes a stable good in the nature; organizes relations and thoughts into Ṛta-aligned clarity.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise/affirmation (stotra) of Agni with community participation
ए॒वाग्निर्मर्तै॑: स॒ह सू॒रिभि॒र्वसु॑: ष्टवे॒ सह॑सः सू॒नरो॒ नृभि॑: । मि॒त्रासो॒ न ये सुधि॑ता ऋता॒यवो॒ द्यावो॒ न द्यु॒म्नैर॒भि सन्ति॒ मानु॑षान् ॥
ए॒व । अ॒ग्निः । मर्तैः॑ । स॒ह । सू॒रिऽभिः॑ । वसुः॑ । स्त॒वे॒ । सह॑सः । सू॒नरः॑ । नृऽभिः॑ । मि॒त्रासः॑ । न । ये । सुऽधि॑ताः । ऋ॒त॒ऽयवः॑ । द्यावः॑ । न । द्यु॒म्नैः । अ॒भि । स॒न्ति॒ । मानु॑षान् ॥
eva | agniḥ | martaiḥ | saha | sūri-bhiḥ | vasuḥ | stave | sahasaḥ | sūnaraḥ | nṛ-bhiḥ | mitrāsaḥ | na | ye | su-dhitāḥ | ṛta-yavaḥ | dyāvaḥ | na | dyumnaiḥ | abhi | santi | mānuṣān
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4 × ~11
Expansive and affirming; similes (‘like Mitras’, ‘like heavens’) create widening waves of meaning.
Produces uplift and collective support; evokes protective, surrounding luminosity.
- वसुः (vasuḥ)
- Literal: good, wealth, bright one. Symbolic: luminous substance; inner richness of being
- सूरिभिः (sūribhiḥ)
- Literal: with seer-lords. Symbolic: with inner/outer guides; illumined faculties
- सहसः सूनरः (sahasaḥ sūnaraḥ)
- Literal: strong son of might. Symbolic: born of tapas-force; effective inner power
- मित्रासः (mitrāsaḥ)
- Literal: Mitra-powers. Symbolic: harmonizing truths; right relation and clear understanding
- सुधिताः (sudhitāḥ)
- Literal: well-established, well-ordered. Symbolic: right-set intelligence; purified thought
- ऋतायवः (ṛtāyavaḥ)
- Literal: travellers of Ṛta. Symbolic: forces moving by the law of truth and harmony
- द्यावः (dyāvaḥ)
- Literal: heavens. Symbolic: higher luminous consciousness-planes
- द्यु्म्नैः (dyumnaiḥ)
- Literal: with splendors. Symbolic: illumining powers; rays of higher mind
Stotra-style affirmation of Agni in communal rite; applicable where Agni is praised with the participation of patrons/priests (sūri).
At communal recitation or concluding affirmations where protection and uplift of the human field is invoked
Collective praise; establishing Agni as Vasu and calling allied Ṛta-powers to surround the sacrificer
Use in group meditation/chanting to invoke a shared field of harmony, right understanding, and uplift.
√stu ‘praise, affirm’ (stávé optative) indicates a deliberate act of ‘setting’ Agni in consciousness. vasu (from √vas ‘dwell/shine’ and semantic field ‘good, bright, wealth’) readily bears the inner sense ‘luminous good’. mitra (PIE *mei- ‘bind/measure’ suggested) is the power of harmony and right relation; su-dhita (√dhā ‘place, set’) = ‘well-established’; ṛta-yu (√i ‘go’ with ṛta) = ‘one who moves according to cosmic truth’. dyumná (from √dyut ‘shine’) marks luminous intensities that ‘encompass’ (abhi) the human.
Rita (explicit), harmonious order (Mitra principle), collective affirmation of the divine in man
Explicit: ṛtāyavaḥ—powers moving in Ṛta; Mitra as harmonizer of Ṛta in relations and thought.
Sudhitāḥ indicates intelligence established in truth; praise becomes effective when mind is rightly ordered.
Descent/pressure of ‘heavens with splendors’ upon the human signifies higher consciousness influencing and transforming the mortal.
Vedic harmony doctrine (Mitra-Ṛta) integrated with yogic ascent/descent (Aurobindo: higher planes surrounding and uplifting mind-life-body).
dawn-to-day transition (implied by ‘dyumnaiḥ’ splendors)
Heavens = higher mind; splendors = rays of illumination; Agni = central will; Mitra = harmonizing clarity.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- A communal enthronement of Agni: mortals and sūris establish/praise the Fire so it stands among men as a ‘son of might’. The comparison to Mitras and heavens frames a mythic image of luminous, ṛta-abiding powers surrounding and uplifting humanity.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The verse uses inherited IE poetic parallelism: Agni ~ Mitras ~ Dyāvaḥ, each modified by participial/adjectival clusters. Roots √as (santi), √stu (stave), √dhā (su-dhitāḥ), √dyut (dyumnaiḥ) are pan-IE in distribution and support the antiquity of the diction.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi positions the human collective (martaiḥ… sūribhiḥ… nṛbhiḥ) as co-workers who ‘set’ Agni by conscious praise, inviting the devatā to take up residence and function as a stabilizing, ṛta-aligned power over the human field.
Invoke Agni as ‘inner wealth’ and ask Mitra-like clarity to harmonize thoughts/relations; feel a canopy of higher light surrounding the body-mind.
Ājñā (clarity) with Sahasrāra (heavenly canopy)
Coherent breathing (5-5) while visualizing a dome of light above and around; chant on exhale to ‘seal’ the field.
Quiet uplift; relational harmony; luminous containment.
Chant 12 times before group work or difficult conversations; intend ‘sudhitā’—rightly placed understanding—so speech and action move in Ṛta.
Tri-svara; keep ‘evā’ opening steady; lift gently on ‘vasuḥ’ and ‘ṛtāyavo’ to mark the Ṛta emphasis.
Maintain clarity in similes: slight pause after ‘mitrāso na’ and ‘dyāvo na’ to let images widen.
: sandhi—pronounce as e-vāg-niḥ, not breaking harshly, : long ū; soft ‘bh’, : clear vocalic ‘ṛ’ at start; avoid ‘ri’, : ‘dyum’ as one cluster; keep nasalization light
Even, spacious, slightly upward resonance (head tone) to evoke ‘heavens’.
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