Rig Veda Sukta 27
Mandala 5Sukta 276 Mantras

Sukta 27

Sukta 5.27

Devata

Agni Vaiśvānara (with praise that also frames a bountiful lordly power; donor-context with Tri-aruṇa)

Dieser kurze Hymnus preist Agni als Vaiśvānara – das universale Feuer und die herrscherliche Macht, die Wohlstand und rechte Ordnung (ṛta) in der Welt sichtbar macht. Agnis Größe wird im Rahmen eines Gabenkontextes (Tri-aruṇa) entfaltet und die Wirksamkeit des Liedes an das Opferwort (ṛc/vāc) sowie an den Schauplatz des Aśvamedha gebunden; am Ende steht die gemeinsame Anrufung von Indra und Agni, kṣatra – die souveräne Macht – zu stützen.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 5.27

Mantras

Mantra 1

अनस्वन्ता सत्पतिर्मामहे मे गावा चेतिष्ठो असुरो मघोनः । त्रैवृष्णो अग्ने दशभिः सहस्रैर्वैश्वानर त्र्यरुणश्चिकेत ॥

Möge ich den Herrn des wahren Seins anrufen, reich an den Rossen der Kraft; möge der Asura, der wahrnehmungsstärkste, freigebig an Gaben, offenbar werden. O Agni Vaiśvānara, Tri-aruṇa erkennt dich — mit zehntausend — in der vollen Macht deines dreifachen Regens des Überflusses.

Mantra 2

यो मे शता च विंशतिं च गोनां हरी च युक्ता सुधुरा ददाति । वैश्वानर सुष्टुतो वावृधानोऽग्ने यच्छ त्र्यरुणाय शर्म ॥

Wer mir hundert und zwanzig — an Gaben, und die zwei fahlen Rosse, angespannt, leichttragend, schenkt — o Vaiśvānara, schön gepriesen, wachsend, o Agni: gewähre Tri-aruṇa Schutz, bergenden Frieden (śarman).

Mantra 3

एवा ते अग्ने सुमतिं चकानो नविष्ठाय नवमं त्रसदस्युः । यो मे गिरस्तुविजातस्य पूर्वीर्युक्तेनाभि त्र्यरुणो गृणाति ॥

So, o Agni, nach deinem guten Sinn verlangend, bringt Trāsadasyu dem Neuesten das neunte (Lied) dar; der, der mit angespanntem Vorhaben meine alten Worte dem mächtig Geborenen singt — Tri-aruṇa spricht sie aus.

Mantra 4

यो म इति प्रवोचत्यश्वमेधाय सूरये । दददृचा सनिं यते ददन्मेधामृतायते ॥

Wer für mich verkündet: »So!« — dem Helden, zum Aśvamedha; der dem Strebenden durch die ṛc Gewinn verleiht, der dem im ṛta Wandelnden medhā schenkt.

Mantra 5

यस्य मा परुषाः शतमुद्धर्षयन्त्युक्षणः । अश्वमेधस्य दानाः सोमा इव त्र्याशिरः ॥

Er, in dem mich hundert starke Kräfte emporheben – wie kraftvolle Stiere –, dessen Gaben, aus dem Aśvamedha geboren, steigen auf und wogen wie Soma-Pressungen von dreifacher Kraft.

Mantra 6

इन्द्राग्नी शतदाव्न्यश्वमेधे सुवीर्यम् । क्षत्रं धारयतं बृहद्दिवि सूर्यमिवाजरम् ॥

O Indra-Agni, ihr Spender von hundert Gaben: im Aśvamedha festigt die heldische Kraft; tragt die weite Herrschaftsmacht – wie die unalternde Sonne, hochgehalten in der Weite des Himmels.

Inside Sukta 27

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Agni Vaiśvānara is invoked as the true lord (satpati), perceptive and bountiful, whose presence becomes manifest through praise and patronage.

  2. Development

    The hymn ties divine abundance to the ‘triple rain’ of increase and to the social-ritual world (donor Tri-aruṇa), stressing that right speech (ṛc) itself confers gain and medhā.

  3. Climax

    The ritual word is portrayed as actively empowering the sacrificer—granting success to the striving one and intelligence to the follower of ṛta, within an Aśvamedha frame.

  4. Where it settles

    The concluding appeal to Indra–Agni asks for sustained heroic power and wide kṣatra, likened to the unaging Sun upheld in the vast heaven.

The deity: Agni Vaiśvānara

  • In the VedaVaiśvānara is Agni as the ‘belonging to all men’ fire—bright, perceptive, and bountiful, manifesting as the sacrificial flame and as a lordly, Asura-like power of order and generosity.
  • Cosmic functionHe links heaven and earth as the ritual messenger, carries offerings to the gods, and establishes prosperity, protection, and the maintenance of ṛta through sacrifice.
  • Inner significanceThe awakened inner fire—clarity, discernment, and the power of truthful speech (ṛc) that converts aspiration into attainment and stabilizes noble strength (kṣatra) within the seeker.

The seer

  • Atri (Atraya tradition; exact seer uncertain in this sukta)Atri-gotra (Atrayas), Mandala 5 family collection · The Atris are renowned for hymns to Agni and other deities that emphasize luminous order (ṛta), protection, and the sacrificial fire as a universal mediator.

Famous verses

vaiśvānara
Verse 5.27.1Sets the hymn’s tone: Agni as Vaiśvānara, perceptive and bountiful, with an explicit donor-context (Tri-aruṇa) and imagery of overflowing abundance.Read verse 5.27.1 →
dadad medhām ṛtāyate
Verse 5.27.4Highlights the Vedic idea that the ṛc/vāc is efficacious—bestowing ‘gain’ (sani) and ‘inspired intelligence’ (medhā) to the one aligned with ṛta, within the Aśvamedha ritual horizon.Read verse 5.27.4 →
sūryam ivājaram
Verse 5.27.6Concludes with a powerful Indra–Agni invocation to uphold heroic might and sovereign power (kṣatra), using the striking simile of the unaging Sun in the wide heaven.Read verse 5.27.6 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Universal (vaiśvānara)
  • Mediator and messenger of the sacrifice
  • Perceptive/illumining intelligence (cetiṣṭha)
  • Bountiful giver and increaser of wealth (maghona)
  • Upholder of ṛta through inspired word (ṛc)
  • Allied with Indra for sovereign power and victory

Also by this seer

  • Large portions of Rig Veda Mandala 5 (family hymns of the Atris)
  • Agni hymns emphasizing Vaiśvānara as the all-pervading fire-principle
  • Praise-poems connected with patronage (dāna-stuti) and ritual performance

The rite, step by step

  • Establish the sacred fire and seat the offering with purification and intention (saṃkalpa).
  • Invoke Agni as Vaiśvānara, praising his universal presence and perceptive power.
  • Recite the hymn as an energizing ‘ṛc’ that is itself treated as a giver of gain (sani) and inspired intelligence (medhā).
  • Offer oblations while requesting prosperity, protection, and the steadying of kṣatra (noble sovereignty/strength).
  • Conclude with the paired invocation to Indra–Agni for heroic might and wide dominion, sealing the rite with thanksgiving.

Offerings

  • Ghee (ājya) into the fire
  • Soma or soma-substitute in śrauta context
  • Grain/oblations (caru) as appropriate to the rite
  • Honor-gifts (dakṣiṇā) in patronage/royal-sacrifice framing

Frequently Asked Questions

Agni Vaiśvānara is Agni as the ‘universal’ fire—present in sacrifice and in the world—who brings light, order, and prosperity by carrying offerings and awakening clarity.

Tri-aruṇa appears as a patron/donor figure through whom Agni’s bounty and recognition are framed; the hymn reflects the Vedic link between ritual praise, patronage, and prosperity.

It treats the ṛc as effective action: the rightly spoken verse grants ‘gain’ to the striver and ‘medhā’ (inspired intelligence) to the one who follows truth (ṛta).

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