Rig Veda 10.80.3: Mandala 10, Sukta 80, Mantra 3
Sukta 10.80
अग्निर्ह त्यं जरतः कर्णमावाग्निरद्भ्यो निरदहज्जरूथम् । अग्निरत्रिं घर्म उरुष्यदन्तरग्निर्नृमेधं प्रजयासृजत्सम् ॥
agnír ha tyáṁ jarátaḥ kárṇam āvágnír adbhyó nír adahaj jarū́tham | agnír átriṁ gharmé uruṣyad ántar agnír nṛ-médhaṁ pra-jáyā asṛjat sám ||
Agni wahrlich bewahrte jenes Ohr des Greises; Agni verbrannte Jarūtha aus den Wassern heraus. Agni schützte Atri im Innern der Glut; Agni ließ Nṛmedha samt Nachkommenschaft hervorgehen.
Recitation as protective and restorative praise: Agni as healer/saviour in ordeals (gharma) and purifier of vital waters; suitable for rites seeking protection, healing, and continuity (prajā).
śruti-receptivity (ear) preserved, tapas/ordeal and protection, purification of the vital (waters)
Agni restores right order by correcting distortions lodged in the waters (vital).
Truth is accessed through preserved śruti (inner hearing) and protected seerhood (Atri).
Regeneration: new ‘prajā’ as new formations of consciousness born from purification.
Psychological symbolism of faculties (hearing/vision) and planes (waters/heat) consistent with Aurobindo-Kashyap approach.
Waters = vital/subconscient currents; heat = tapas pressure; ear = receptivity; burning in waters = purification of emotions/desires without repression.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as rescuer-healer in legendary exempla: he protects, purifies, and releases—saving the seer in the heat (Atri), burning out affliction from waters, and granting progeny/continuity. Mythically a catalogue of salvations; psychologically the safeguarding of receptivity and vision through inner tapas.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The repeated aorist/perfect narrative style (‘āva’, ‘adahat’, ‘uruṣyat’, ‘asṛjat’) mirrors archaic IE hymn diction: short finite verb clauses enumerating divine deeds (arete-style). This is structurally comparable to Greek hymn catalogues of divine actions.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi invokes precedent: Agni has already acted as protector and purifier for exemplary figures; therefore he is dependable for the present sacrificer. The bond is trust grounded in remembered divine interventions—Agni as constant guardian through ordeals.
Protect inner receptivity; offer emotional knots into a calm inner flame; endure tapas without losing the seer’s poise.
Anahata (vital waters refined) and Manipura (purifying fire)
Cooling inhale (as ‘waters’), warming steady exhale (as ‘Agni’); on exhale imagine jarūtha dissolving as steam.
Steady endurance with compassionate purification.
If emotions surge, do not suppress: witness them as ‘waters’; invoke Agni to ‘burn out’ the pattern while keeping the heart quiet. End with a moment of listening—restore the ‘ear’ of inner guidance.
Vedic accents indicated; keep the refrain-like ‘agnir’ openings consistent in pitch movement.
Mark pāda caesura clearly; avoid rushing compound clusters (e.g., nir-adahat).
: aspirate ‘gh’ and keep ‘rma’ clear., : pronounce ‘dbhy’ cluster smoothly (ad-bhyaḥ)., : retroflex ṛ, and ‘medha’ with dental ‘dh’.
Protective, warm, steady; not harsh.
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