Rig Veda 3.22.4: Mandala 3, Sukta 22, Mantra 4
Sukta 3.22
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh-like / mixed
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace)
पुरीष्यासो अग्नयः प्रावणेभिः सजोषसः । जुषन्तां यज्ञमद्रुहोऽनमीवा इषो महीः ॥
purīṣyā́so agnáyaḥ prāvaṇébhir sajóṣasaḥ | juṣántāṃ yajñám adrúho ’namīvā́ íṣo mahī́ḥ ||
Mögen die purīṣya-Feuer, die gemeinsam an ihren Hängen dahinziehen, das Opfer einmütig annehmen — ohne Feindschaft und ohne Krankheit. Mögen in uns die großen nährenden Kräfte (iṣaḥ) wachsen und einen weiten, heilen Grund für das Werk festigen.
Word by Word
- पुरीष्याः
- abounding (in nourishment/strength); richAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role विशेषण (कर्तृ-पदस्य)Root पुरीष्य (प्रातिपदिक; पुरीष ‘गोमय/मल’ + य-प्रत्यय) अथवा पुरीष्य ‘समृद्ध/स्थूल/पुष्ट’ (विशेषण)
- अग्नयः
- the fires / AgnisNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रावणेभिः
- with helps/favors; with aidsNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया बहुवचनम्Role करणRoot प्रावण (प्रातिपदिक; प्र-√अव्/√अवन् ‘to favor/aid’ से निष्पन्न ‘अनुग्रह/सहाय’ अथवा ‘प्रावण’ = ‘उपकार/सहाय’)
- सजोषसः
- in concord; of one accordAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role विशेषण (कर्तृ-पदस्य)Root सजोषस् (प्रातिपदिक; स- ‘सह’ + जोषस् ‘संतोष/अनुग्रह/प्रसन्नता’)
- जुषन्ताम्
- let them enjoy/favorVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे) प्रथमपुरुषः बहुवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role क्रियाRoot √जुष् (सेवने/प्रीतौ)
- यज्ञम्
- the sacrificeNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
- अद्रुहः
- non-injuring; not treacherousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role विशेषण (कर्तृ-पदस्य)Root अद्रुह् (प्रातिपदिक; अ-निषेध + द्रुह् ‘द्रोह/हानि’)
- अनमीवाः
- free from sickness; unailingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role विशेषण (कर्तृ-पदस्य)Root अनमीव (प्रातिपदिक; अ- + अमीव ‘रोग/व्याधि’)
- इषः
- nourishments; refreshmentsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया बहुवचनम् (वैदिक रूप: इषः = इषाः)Role कर्म (जुषन्ताम् के द्वितीयार्थे)Root इष्/इषा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘बल/पोषण/आहार/समृद्धि’)
- महीः
- great; abundantAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया बहुवचनम् (वैदिक रूप)Role विशेषण (इषः)Root मही (प्रातिपदिक; ‘महती’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: पुरीष्याः | अग्नयः | प्रावणेभिः | सजोषसः | जुषन्ताम् | यज्ञम् | अद्रुहः | अनमीवाः | इषः | महीः || 1) ‘अद्रुहोऽनमीवा’ इति संहितायाम्: अद्रुहः + अनमीवाः → अद्रुहोऽनमीवाः (विसर्गस्य ओकारादेशः, अ-आदौ ‘ऽ’)
- 2) ‘इषो महीः’ इति संहितायाम्: इषः + महीः → इषो महीः (विसर्गस्य ओकारादेशः, म्-आदौ)
- 3) ‘इषः’ तथा ‘महीः’ इत्यत्र वैदिके द्वितीया-बहुवचनरूपे (इषाः, महीः/महतीः) संहितापाठे संक्षिप्तरूपाणि दृश्यन्ते
The meaning
Outer meaning
May the purīṣya fires moving together along their slopes accept the sacrifice in harmony, without hostility or affliction; may the great nourishing powers increase.
Inner meaning
The ‘purīṣya’ fires are the functional flames in the embodied nature—those that work in the dense foundation (purīṣa as the packed/grounding substance) and along the ‘slopes’ (prāvaṇa) of our tendencies and channels. The prayer is for all inner fires (mental, vital, physical) to act in concord (sajoṣasaḥ), free from inner sabotage (adruhaḥ) and disease of consciousness (anamīvāḥ). Then the great ‘iṣaḥ’—nourishing inspirations, energies, and capacities—grow wide and stable, giving a healthy base for the yoga of works (yajña).
Universal truth
When our different energies cooperate without inner conflict, life becomes a harmonious sacrifice and nourishment naturally increases—health, clarity, and strength arise together.
Themes
Harmony of forces, Health and non-hostility, Nourishment/increase, Collective Agnis
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Viśvāmitra (Gāthina lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.21, RV 3.22, RV 3.23
Family tradition
Family hymns often include practical inner-ritual directions: harmonize the instruments (fires) so the sacrifice yields increase (iṣ).
Significance
Viśvāmitra’s yoga includes purification of the embodied nature; the plural ‘fires’ indicates an integral discipline rather than a single peak experience.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni(s) (plural; functional fires)
- Epithets
- Purīṣya (embodied/stabilizing), Sajoṣas (harmonizing)
- Related deities
- Āpaḥ (purification), Aśvins (healing, implied by anamīvāḥ), Sarasvatī/Iḷā (nourishing inspiration, implied by iṣaḥ)
Cosmic role
Agni multiplied as household/ritual fires and as diverse operations in nature; ensures the sacrifice is accepted and fruitful.
Inner power
Coordinating intelligence of will across mind-life-body; power to remove inner hostility and restore health of energies.
In ritual
Where it is used
Household/auxiliary fire harmonization; general acceptance formula for yajña
पु॒री॒ष्या॑सो अ॒ग्नय॑: प्राव॒णेभि॑: स॒जोष॑सः । जु॒षन्तां॑ य॒ज्ञम॒द्रुहो॑ऽनमी॒वा इषो॑ म॒हीः ॥
पु॒री॒ष्या॑सः । अ॒ग्नयः॑ । प्र॒व॒णेभिः॑ । स॒ऽजोष॑सः । जु॒षन्ता॑म् । य॒ज्ञम् । अ॒द्रुहः॑ । अ॒न॒मी॒वाः । इषः॑ । म॒हीः ॥
purīṣyāsaḥ | agnayaḥ | pravaṇebhiḥ | sa-joṣasaḥ | juṣantām | yajñam | adruhaḥ | anamīvāḥ | iṣaḥ | mahīḥ
32
2 lines of 16 syllables (or 4 pādas of ~8; Vedic anuṣṭubh flexibility)
Compact, practical, mantra-like; suited for repeated recitation as a harmonizing formula.
Grounding and balancing; settles scattered energies and promotes somatic calm.
- पुरीष्याः (purīṣyāḥ)
- Literal: connected with purīṣa; earthy/packed. Symbolic: fires working in the dense embodied foundation; stabilizing transformative energies
- अग्नयः (agnayaḥ)
- Literal: fires (plural). Symbolic: multiple functional wills: thought-fire, life-fire, body-fire
- प्रावणेभिः (prāvaṇebhiḥ)
- Literal: by slopes/declivities. Symbolic: channels and tendencies through which energies move; habitual gradients
- सजोषसः (sajoṣasaḥ)
- Literal: in one accord. Symbolic: harmonized cooperation of parts of the being
- यज्ञम् (yajñam)
- Literal: sacrifice. Symbolic: consecrated action; offering of all movements to the divine
- अद्रुहः (adruhaḥ)
- Literal: not hostile, not injuring. Symbolic: free from inner betrayal—no self-sabotage or divided will
- अनमीवाः (anamīvāḥ)
- Literal: without sickness. Symbolic: free from disorder, depression, agitation—psychic hygiene
- इषः महीः (iṣaḥ mahīḥ)
- Literal: great nourishment/refreshments. Symbolic: large inflows of strength, inspiration, and sustaining joy
Harmonization of multiple fires in the rite; inwardly, coordination of multiple inner fires (will, aspiration, digestion, illumination) to act without conflict.
When establishing or tending fires; before offerings to ensure concord and freedom from obstacles.
Arrange/maintain fires; offer ghee; pray for non-injury and health; invoke nourishment (iṣ).
Use as a daily ‘energy alignment’ chant before work: harmonize mind, breath, and body; set intention of non-conflict and steady nourishment.
iṣ (from √iṣ ‘to seek/impel, refresh’) signifies both nourishment and impulsion—inner increase. adruh from druh ‘injure, be hostile’ (PIE *dʰreugh- proposed for ‘deceive/harm’ in some accounts): asks for absence of inner sabotage. an-amīva ‘without disease’ (āmīva ‘affliction’) indicates harmony in the psycho-physical system. purīṣya is a technical epithet; often linked to ‘purīṣa’ (moist earth/dung/settling substance) → stabilizing, grounding aspect of fire.
harmony (sa-joṣas) as condition for ṛta, health/wholeness (an-amīva), iṣ (nourishing increase)
Sajoṣas and adruha express ṛta as inner concord; disorder is ‘disease’ (amīvā).
Stability of the foundation (purīṣa) allows growth of nourishment (iṣ) and successful manifestation.
Integral psychology: purification and coordination of instruments as basis for higher realization.
Multiple metabolic/psychic fires; slopes = habitual energy pathways; nourishment = ojas/inspiration that sustains practice.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The coordinated plurality of fires: many Agnis acting in harmony to accept the yajña and generate great nourishment. Psychologically, it is the unification of multiple inner energies so they do not conflict (adruh, anamīva) but jointly increase the life-force (iṣ) in service of the work.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The plural ‘agnayaḥ’ reflects the functional multiplicity common in archaic Indo-European cults (multiple hearth/ritual fires). The root √juṣ (accept/enjoy) parallels Indo-Iranian ritual vocabulary of divine ‘favor’. āp/ iṣ semantic fields of nourishment and impulse are typical of early IE poetic-ritual diction.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi requests not a single boon but a condition: harmonious, non-injuring functioning of the fires so the sacrifice can proceed without inner disorder. The gods respond by stabilizing the psycho-physical field and increasing the nourishing impulsions (iṣ).
Harmonize the ‘three instruments’ (mind, life-force, body) as cooperating fires; remove self-sabotage.
Manipura (fire) with grounding in Muladhara
Long exhale breathing (1:2 ratio) to calm agitation; feel warmth in navel center without strain.
Settled, cohesive embodiment.
Before asana/work/meditation, chant and then briefly observe: (1) mind-fire steady, (2) breath-fire smooth, (3) body-fire warm. Offer the coming activity as yajña; watch for ‘adruha’—no inner contradiction.
Tri-svara; anuṣṭubh-like verses often chanted with even pacing; keep udātta on agnayaḥ, yajñam, iṣaḥ.
Maintain clear segmentation: first line invocation, second line blessing; avoid rushing consonant clusters.
purīṣyāso: long ī and retroflex ṣ, prāvaṇebhiḥ: long ā; bh sound voiced aspirate, juṣantāṃ: nasalization on āṃ, anamīvā: long ī; keep vā open
Warm, grounding, unified tone (avoid sharp intensity).
21
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
