Rig Veda 2.1.10: Mandala 2, Sukta 1, Mantra 10
Sukta 2.1
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
त्वमग्न ऋभुराके नमस्यस्त्वं वाजस्य क्षुमतो राय ईशिषे । त्वं वि भास्यनु दक्षि दावने त्वं विशिक्षुरसि यज्ञमातनिः ॥
tvám agna ṛbhúr āké namasyás tváṃ vā́jasya kṣumáto rā́ya īśiṣe | tváṃ ví bhāsy ánu dhakṣi dā́vane tváṃ viśíkṣur asi yajñám ātániḥ ||
Du, o Agni, bist der Ṛbhu, der kunstvolle Schöpfer, der auf der Höhe verehrungswürdig ist; du gebietest über die Fülle der Kraft und den reichen Überfluss. Du strahlst hervor und entfachst entlang der Bahn rechten Gebens; du bist der unterscheidende Lehrer, der das Opfer (yajña) weithin ausbreitet.
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- thou (you)Pronounपुं/स्त्री/नपुं; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग; संबोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋभुः
- the skillful one / artisanNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषण-भावेन त्वम्-सम्बन्धि)Root ऋभु (प्रातिपदिक)
- आके
- near, close byIndeclinableअव्यय; स्थान/निकटार्थेRole अधिकरणRoot आक (प्रातिपदिक; अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः)
- नमस्यः
- worthy of homageAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (त्वम्-सम्बन्धि विशेषण)Root नमस् (प्रातिपदिक) → नमस्य (विशेषण)
- त्वम्
- thouPronounप्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद्
- वाजस्य
- of strength/prize (vāja)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
- क्षुमतः
- abounding in nourishmentAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन (वाजस्य विशेषण)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root क्षुमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- रायः
- of wealthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root राय्/रायि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘wealth’)
- ईशिषे
- thou rulest / hast masteryVerbलट्; मध्यम? (न) → उत्तम? (न) / द्वितीय? (न); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (ईशे/ईशिषे वैदिक)Role क्रियाRoot ईश् (धातु)
- त्वम्
- thouPronounप्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद्
- वि
- apart, forth, widelyIndeclinableअव्यय; उपसर्गRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- भासि
- thou shinestVerbलट्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot भा (धातु)
- अनु
- along, in accordance withIndeclinableअव्यय; उपसर्गRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot अनु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- दक्षि
- for the sacrificial fee (dakṣiṇā)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचन (वैदिक)Role सम्प्रदानRoot दक्षि (प्रातिपदिक; वैदिक रूप, ‘दक्षिणा/दक्षिण’ से सम्बन्ध)
- दावने
- to give, for givingVerbal noun (infinitival) / Kṛdantaदातुमर्थे; चतुर्थी-एकवचन (दावने = ‘to give’)Role प्रयोजन/सम्प्रदानार्थकRoot दा (धातु) → दावन (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वम्
- thouPronounप्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद्
- वि
- forth, distinctlyIndeclinableअव्यय; उपसर्गRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot वि
- शिक्षुः
- the instructor/guideAgent noun (Kṛdanta)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (त्वम्-सम्बन्धि विशेषण)Root शिक्ष् (धातु) → शिक्षु (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- असि
- thou artVerbलट्; मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot अस् (धातु)
- यज्ञम्
- the sacrificeNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
- आतनिḥ
- the stretcher/spreader (arranger)Agent noun (Kṛdanta)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (त्वम्-सम्बन्धि विशेषण)Root आ-तन् (धातु) → आतनि (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सम्भाव्य): त्वम् | अग्ने | ऋभुः | आके | नमस्यः || त्वम् | वाजस्य | क्षुमतः | रायः | ईशिषे || त्वम् | वि | भासि | अनु | दक्षि | दावने || त्वम् | वि | शिक्षुः | असि | यज्ञम् | आतनिः । 1) ‘अग्न ऋभुराके’ → ‘अग्ने ऋभुः आके’ (सम्बोधन-एकवचन ‘अग्ने’). 2) ‘नमस्य१स्त्वं’ → ‘नमस्यः | त्वम्’ (विसर्ग-सन्धि). 3) ‘भास्यनु’ पाठे ‘भासि अनु’ (इ/अ सन्धि; संहितायां य-आगमः). 4) ‘दक्षि दावने’ वैदिक रूप: ‘दक्षि’ = ‘दक्षिणै/दक्षिणायै’ अर्थे चतुर्थी
- ‘दावने’ = दातुमर्थे कृदन्त-चतुर्थी. 5) ‘विशिक्षुरसि’ → ‘वि | शिक्षुः | असि’ (उपसर्ग-विभाग; विसर्ग-लोप/सन्धि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni is the skilful craftsman, worthy of worship at the summit; he rules over the plenitude of strength and rich abundance. He shines and kindles along right giving; he is the discerning instructor who spreads the sacrifice wide.
Inner meaning
Agni is ṛbhu—an inner artisan who shapes the instruments of consciousness. At the ‘summit’ (āke) he is adored as the highest awakening of will. He masters vāja and rāya: dynamic force and fullness of being. He shines and ignites in the line of dakṣi—right giving/exchange—meaning the right distribution of energies in the sacrifice. As viśikṣu (discerning teacher), he educates the nature and expands the field of yajña—making the whole life a wide consecration.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress requires an intelligent, skilful will that can shape capacities, distribute energies rightly, and widen life into a conscious offering.
Themes
Agni as craftsman, plenitude (vāja/rāy), teaching/discernment, expansion of yajña
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada Bhārgava
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu (Bhārgava)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.1, RV 2.5
Family tradition
Bhārgava fire-wisdom often stresses craft (ṛbhu) and right arrangement (dakṣa) as keys to effective sacrifice.
Significance
This verse highlights the yogic necessity of skill: aspiration must become a disciplined art that fashions the being into a fit vessel for the divine.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- ṛbhu (skilful artisan), namasya (worthy of adoration), īśiṣe (lord/master), viśikṣu (discerning teacher), yajñam-ātani (spreader of sacrifice)
- Related deities
- Rbhus (divine artisans), Bṛhaspati (teacher through word), Sarasvatī (inspiration/flow)
Cosmic role
Divine craftsman of forms and functions; awakener of sacrificial energy; distributor of boons through right giving.
Inner power
Skill of will: shaping habits, refining perception, training energies, and expanding consecration.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni praise in offering rites; also in soma contexts where right dakṣiṇā is emphasized
त्वम॑ग्न ऋ॒भुरा॒के न॑म॒स्य१॒॑स्त्वं वाज॑स्य क्षु॒मतो॑ रा॒य ई॑शिषे । त्वं वि भा॒स्यनु॑ दक्षि दा॒वने॒ त्वं वि॒शिक्षु॑रसि य॒ज्ञमा॒तनि॑: ॥
त्वम् । अ॒ग्ने॒ । ऋ॒भुः । आ॒के । न॒म॒स्यः॑ । त्वम् । वाज॑स्य । क्षु॒ऽमतः॑ । रा॒यः । ई॒शि॒षे॒ । त्वम् । वि । भा॒सि॒ । अनु॑ । ध॒क्षि॒ । दा॒वने॑ । त्वम् । वि॒ऽशिक्षुः॑ । अ॒सि॒ । य॒ज्ञम् । आ॒ऽतनिः॑ ॥
tvam | agne | ṛbhuḥ | āke | namasyaḥ | tvam | vājasya | kṣu-mataḥ | rāyaḥ | īśiṣe | tvam | vi | bhāsi | anu | dhakṣi | dāvane | tvam | vi-śikṣuḥ | asi | yajñam | ātaniḥ
44
4×11
Energetic instructional cadence; strong mid-line stresses that feel like ‘hammering’ craft into form.
Invokes precision and competence; helps convert aspiration into practical discipline.
- ऋभुः (ṛbhuḥ)
- Literal: skilful one/artisan. Symbolic: the formative power that crafts inner faculties and right instruments
- आके (āke)
- Literal: at the top/summit. Symbolic: higher consciousness; the peak of aspiration and clarity
- वाज (vāja)
- Literal: force, victory, plenitude of energy. Symbolic: dynamic power of effective action and progress
- क्षुमत् (kṣumat)
- Literal: abounding, rich in nourishment. Symbolic: substantial inner plenitude; strength that sustains
- रायः (rāyaḥ)
- Literal: riches. Symbolic: spiritual wealth—capacities, wideness, joy, resources of consciousness
- दक्षि (dakṣi)
- Literal: to burn/kindle; also ‘dakṣiṇā’ right-giving (contextual). Symbolic: right offering and right distribution; the law of exchange between human effort and divine response
- वि-शिक्षुः (viśikṣuḥ)
- Literal: discerner/teacher. Symbolic: inner guide that distinguishes true from false and trains the nature
- यज्ञम् आतनिः (yajñam ātaniḥ)
- Literal: spreader of the sacrifice. Symbolic: power that extends consecration to all parts of life
Praise during kindling and offering: Agni as the one who lights the sequence of oblations and expands the rite; applicable in Soma and new/full moon offerings as the ordering priest-power.
During hymns that emphasize Agni’s skill and the widening of yajña.
Offerings with intention of right giving and right arrangement of the rite.
Before study, teaching, or skillful work; to invoke clarity, craftsmanship, and disciplined expansion of practice.
ṛbhú- relates to √ṛbh/ṛpbh 'skillful, ingenious' (the Rbhus as archetypal craftsmen), here internalized as Agni’s formative intelligence. vāja from √vaj/√vāj conveys 'driving strength, prize, sustenance' → interpreted as 'plenitude of force'. īśiṣe from √īś indicates sovereign possession. ātaniḥ from √tan 'stretch' frames yajña as an expansion of consciousness.
skill in formation (ṛbhu) as tapas-informed craftsmanship, dakṣiṇā/right giving as right order (ṛta) in exchange
Right giving (dakṣi) as an expression of ṛta—energy placed where it belongs.
Discerning teacher (viśikṣu) aligns action with truth of the path.
Agni as artisan shaping forms; sacrifice as the means by which consciousness widens and becomes effective.
Integral yoga psychology: transformation through disciplined will and widening consecration.
Summit = higher mind; spreading flame = expansion of awareness; craftsmanship = formation of capacities.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as ṛbhu (divine craftsman) who fashions and expands the yajña: the mythic artisan motif is psychologized as the power that perfects the inner instruments and spreads the field of sacrifice-consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √tan 'stretch' has broad Indo-European cognacy (Latin tendere, English tend), supporting the metaphor of 'spreading' the rite. √īś 'to own/rule' aligns with inherited notions of sovereign possession. The verse uses verbal aspect (vi bhāsi, anu dhakṣi) to depict sequential ignition—an oral-formulaic technique for process description.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The human seeks increase and right giving; Agni reciprocates by radiance, by kindling the ordered offerings, and by instructive discernment (viśikṣuḥ) that widens the sacrificer’s capacity.
Invoke the ‘skilful will’ that crafts habits and instruments of practice; widen the offering to all activities.
maṇipūra (discipline/force) and viśuddha (teacher/discernment)
Moderate ujjāyī with emphasis on smooth exhale to cultivate skill and steadiness.
Bright, competent, organized expansiveness.
Chant once, then name (silently) one capacity to refine (speech, attention, desire). Offer it into the fire; feel Agni ‘recrafting’ it and spreading yajña into the day.
Follow marked accents; keep ‘ṛbhur’ crisp; sustain long vowels in ‘rāya’ and ‘dāvane’.
Do not blur ‘vi bhāsi’—give a slight separation; keep ‘yajñam ātaniḥ’ as a clear closing cadence.
‘ṛbhuḥ’ with vocalic ṛ (not ri)., ‘kṣumato’ with kṣ cluster cleanly., ‘īśiṣe’ long ī., ‘viśikṣuḥ’ = vi-śik-ṣuḥ (kṣu cluster).
Bright, precise, slightly energetic; articulate consonant clusters.
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