Rig Veda 5.28.1: Mandala 5, Sukta 28, Mantra 1
Sukta 5.28
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
समिद्धो अग्निर्दिवि शोचिरश्रेत्प्रत्यङ्ङुषसमुर्विया वि भाति । एति प्राची विश्ववारा नमोभिर्देवाँ ईळाना हविषा घृताची ॥
sámiddho agnír diví śócir aśret pratyáṅ uṣásam urviyā́ ví bhāti | éti prā́cī viśvávārā námo-bhir devā́n īḷānā havíṣā ghṛtā́cī ||
Entzündet schießt Agni, die Flamme am Himmel, als Glanz hervor; der Uṣas zugewandt leuchtet er weit und fern. Von Osten kommt Uṣas, allbegehrenswert; mit Verneigungen ruft sie die Götter, mit der Opfergabe, ghee-gleitend, in strömender Bahn.
Word by Word
- समिद्धः
- kindled, well-litAdjective/Participleपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (भूतकृदन्त, क्त)Role विशेषण (कर्तृपदस्य)Root सम्-इध् (धातु) → समिद्ध (कृदन्त)
- अग्निः
- Agni (fire-god), fireNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- दिवि
- in heaven, in the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (द्यौः), सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकारणRoot दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक: द्यौ/दिव्)
- शोचिः
- flame, radianceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (वि-भा धातोः) / अथवा कर्तृ-सम्बन्धि (अग्नेः तेजः)Root शोचिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अश्रेत्
- leaned/pressed forth; extended (its light)Verbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot श्रि (धातु) [वैदिक: श्रे/श्रि ‘to lean/press on, rest, extend’]
- प्रत्यङ्
- backwards, towards (us)/in returnIndeclinable/Adverbअव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot प्रति + अञ्च् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययभाव)
- उषसम्
- DawnNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (प्रति-अञ्च्/प्रत्यङ्-भावेन ‘उषसम् प्रति’)Root उषस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- उर्विया
- widely, with broad expanseNoun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करण/अधिकारण (विस्तार-भावेन)Root उर्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart, forth, widelyIndeclinableअव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषण (उपसर्ग)Root वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- भाति
- shinesVerbलट्, परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot भा (धातु)
- एति
- goes, comes forthVerbलट्, परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot इ (धातु)
- प्राची
- eastern, forward-movingAdjective (f.)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (उषसः विशेषणम्)Role विशेषण (कर्तृपदस्य)Root प्राञ्च्/प्राची (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्ववारा
- all-lovely, bringing all boonsAdjective (f.)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (उषसः विशेषणम्)Role विशेषण (कर्तृपदस्य)Root विश्व + वार (प्रातिपदिक; वार ‘desirable/choice’)
- नमोभिः
- with obeisances, with reverencesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole करणRoot नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवान्
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्म (ईळ्/ईड् धातोः)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- ईळाना
- praising, invokingParticipleवर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्), आत्मनेपद; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (उषसः/प्राची-विश्ववारा इत्यस्य सह)Role कर्तृ (देवान् प्रति स्तुतिकर्मणि)Root ईळ्/ईड् (धातु) → ईळान (कृदन्त)
- हविषा
- with oblationNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot हविस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- घृताची
- moving with ghee; ghee-bearing (rich in clarified butter)Adjective (f.)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (उषसः विशेषणम्)Role विशेषण (कर्तृपदस्य)Root घृत + अची (प्रातिपदिक; अची ‘moving/going’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सम्भाव्य): समिद्धः | अग्निः | दिवि | शोचिः | अश्रेत् | प्रत्यङ् | उषसम् | उर्विया | वि | भाति || एति | प्राची | विश्ववारा | नमोभिः | देवान् | ईळाना | हविषा | घृताची || प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) अग्निर्दिवि = अग्निः + दिवि (विसर्ग→र्)
- (2) शोचिरश्रेत् = शोचिः + अश्रेत् (विसर्ग→र्)
- (3) प्रत्यङ्ङुषसम् = प्रत्यङ् + उषसम् (ङ् + उ → ङ्ङु, वैदिक-निग्रह/अनुस्वार-प्रभाव)
- (4) उषसमुर्विया = उषसम् + उर्विया (म् + उ → मु)
- (5) नमोभिर्देवान् = नमोभिः + देवान् (विसर्ग→र्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni, kindled, sends his flame upward in the heaven; facing Dawn he shines wide. Dawn comes from the East, rich in boons; with reverence she invokes the gods with oblation, moving with streams of ghee.
Inner meaning
When the divine Will (Agni) is consciously kindled in the higher mind (divi), its flame of aspiration rises and meets the incoming illumination (Uṣas). The awakening light approaches from the ‘east’ of consciousness (the forward/incipient direction), bringing all desirable inner attainments. Through reverent surrender (namobhiḥ) and the offering of clarified intention (ghṛta), the illumined movement calls down the higher powers (devāḥ) to participate in the inner sacrifice.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress begins when aspiration is lit in the heights of the mind; then illumination naturally dawns, and sincere offering turns life into a channel through which higher forces descend and reorganize the being.
Themes
dawn-illumination, Agni-kindling, invocation of the gods, clarified offering
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (attributed to the Atri tradition for much of RV 5; specific verse traditionally listed under the Atri Maṇḍala though individual rishi-name is not explicit here)
- Lineage
- Atri
- Other hymns
- RV 5.1, RV 5.2, RV 5.11, RV 5.25
Family tradition
Maṇḍala 5 is predominantly Atri-family hymns; Agni hymns often open inner-sacrificial sequences in this lineage.
Significance
The Atri current emphasizes the ascent from obscurity to luminous order: Agni as the initiator and Uṣas as the revealing light that makes the inner journey practicable.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (with Uṣas as accompanying power)
- Epithets
- samiddha (kindled), śociṣkeśa (flame-haired, implied by śociḥ), havyavāṭ (oblation-bearer, theme of the hymn), ghṛtapṛṣṭha/ghṛtācī (ghee-backed/flowing with ghṛta, via imagery)
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Sūrya, Indra, Soma, Varuṇa-Mitra (as guardians of ṛta)
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine; establishes the sacrifice as a bridge; awakens the dawn of right seeing.
Inner power
Aspiration that rises, illumines, and invites the descending powers; the will that transforms offering into realization.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnihotra / morning kindling and invocation sequence (Agni with Uṣas motifs)
समि॑द्धो अ॒ग्निर्दि॒वि शो॒चिर॑श्रेत्प्र॒त्यङ्ङु॒षस॑मुर्वि॒या वि भा॑ति । एति॒ प्राची॑ वि॒श्ववा॑रा॒ नमो॑भिर्दे॒वाँ ईळा॑ना ह॒विषा॑ घृ॒ताची॑ ॥
सम्ऽइ॑द्धः । अ॒ग्निः । दि॒वि । शो॒चिः । अ॒श्रे॒त् । प्र॒त्यङ् । उ॒षस॑म् । उ॒र्वि॒या । वि । भा॒ति॒ । एति॑ । प्राची॑ । वि॒श्वऽवा॑रा । नमः॑ऽभिः । दे॒वान् । ईळा॑ना । ह॒विषा॑ । घृ॒ताची॑ ॥
sam-iddhaḥ | agniḥ | divi | śociḥ | aśret | pratyaṅ | uṣasam | urviyā | vi | bhāti | eti | prācī | viśva-vārā | namaḥ-bhiḥ | devān | īḷānā | haviṣā | ghṛtācī
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables (approx.; Vedic resolution may vary)
Expansive, forward-driving cadence suited to ascent and revelation.
Builds a sense of rising force (Agni’s leap) followed by widening clarity (Uṣas’ spread), naturally supporting a meditative ‘opening’ experience.
- अग्नि (agni)
- Literal: fire. Symbolic: divine Will; inner priest who leads the yoga/sacrifice
- दिवि (divi)
- Literal: in heaven. Symbolic: in the higher mind; luminous plane of consciousness
- शोचिः (śociḥ)
- Literal: flame, radiance. Symbolic: upward-leaping aspiration; light of discernment
- उषस् (uṣas)
- Literal: dawn. Symbolic: illumination; spiritual awakening that reveals the path
- प्राची (prācī)
- Literal: eastern. Symbolic: the forward-leading light; first arising of Truth in consciousness
- नमोभिः (namobhiḥ)
- Literal: with salutations. Symbolic: receptive surrender; consent of the ego to the higher working
- हविष् (haviṣ)
- Literal: oblation. Symbolic: offered energies—thought, emotion, action given to the Divine
- घृताची (ghṛtācī)
- Literal: moving with ghee/streams of ghee. Symbolic: flowing with clarified will/intelligence (ghṛta) that nourishes the gods
Agni-kindling and dawn-offering atmosphere; applicable to morning pressing/pravargya-adjacent imagery in broader soma liturgy; inner practice: kindle aspiration so it meets the arriving illumination and can invoke higher powers.
At dawn or early morning offerings; also as an opening invocation in Agni rites.
Kindling the fire, offering ghee, recitation to invite devāḥ.
Use at the start of meditation or sādhanā to kindle aspiration and invite inner clarity before work or study.
sam-iddhaḥ from √idh 'kindle' (PIE *h₁eydʰ- 'kindle' debated). √bhā 'shine' is a classic IE root (cf. Greek phaos 'light'). uṣas (Dawn) cognate with Greek Ēōs, Latin Aurora (< PIE *h₂éwsōs). ghṛta (clarified butter) from √ghṛ 'to sprinkle/shine' (semantic overlap: brightness, unctuous clarity); in inner sense, 'clarified' consciousness.
awakening (uṣas) as descent of illumination, invocation (īḷ) as bridge between human and divine, clarity (ghṛta) as purified mind-substance
Agni’s ordered ascent and Dawn’s lawful arrival symbolize ṛta: illumination comes when will is rightly kindled.
Dawn as disclosure of satya—what truly is—within consciousness.
Daily re-creation of the world through light emerging from darkness; the inner cosmos is reconstituted by illumination.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: ascent (Agni) and descent (Uṣas bringing the gods) as a double movement of realization.
dawn
Dawn = first spiritual seeing; fire = concentrated will; ghee = clarified mind-substance that feeds higher states; east = the leading edge of awakening.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The recurring dawn-myth: Dawn arrives from the East bearing boons; Agni, kindled, meets her and together they make possible the invocation of the gods. Psychologically, aspiration ignites and turns toward awakening light, enabling the descent of higher powers.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- uṣas is a prime IE inheritance (PIE *h₂éwsōs). √bhā 'shine' belongs to widespread IE light vocabulary. The formulaic pairing of dawn + fire as cosmic transitions reflects inherited Indo-European poetics of daily renewal.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi observes and participates: by kindling Agni (human aspiration), he aligns with Uṣas (illumination) who then 'invokes' the gods with oblation—depicting a cooperative rite where human offering enables divine arrival.
Kindle the inner flame in the ‘sky of the mind’ and receive the dawn of insight; practice the double movement: aspiration upward, illumination downward.
ājñā (clarity/vision) with support from maṇipūra (will/inner fire)
Gentle ujjāyī or equal-ratio breathing (sama-vṛtti) while visualizing a steady upward flame and a widening dawn-light in the forehead.
Waking-to-luminous (from tamas to sattva), receptive and quietly exalted.
Begin with a short invocation, offer one persistent desire/impulse into the ‘ghee-stream’ of clarified intention, then sit to receive the first intuitions without forcing.
Mixed udatta/anudatta/svarita per Rigvedic accent; key lifts on samíddho, agnír, uṣásam, prācī, devā́n.
Maintain clear rise on marked acute syllables; let svarita glide down after the rise; keep unmarked syllables steady and light.
Keep retroflex ṇ in pratyaṅṅ with a clear nasal closure., Hold long vowels: dīvi ( short i), bhāti long, prācī (, ) both long., śociḥ: pronounce ś (palatal) not s; final ḥ as soft visarga., ghṛtācī: ghṛ = voiced aspirate + ṛ; avoid turning ṛ into ‘ri’.
Bright, steady, slightly ascending energy; avoid heaviness to match dawn imagery.
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