Rig Veda 5.8.2: Mandala 5, Sukta 8, Mantra 2
Sukta 5.8
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Jagati
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
त्वामग्ने अतिथिं पूर्व्यं विशः शोचिष्केशं गृहपतिं नि षेदिरे । बृहत्केतुं पुरुरूपं धनस्पृतं सुशर्माणं स्ववसं जरद्विषम् ॥
tvā́m agne átithiṃ pū́rvyaṃ víśaḥ śocíṣ-keśaṃ gṛhá-patiṃ ní ṣedire | bṛhát-ketuṃ puru-rū́paṃ dhana-spṛ́taṃ su-śármāṇaṃ su-vávasaṃ jarad-víṣam ||
Dich, o Agni, haben die Völker als den uralten Gast gesetzt – flammenhaarig –, als Herrn des Hauses. Mit großem Lichtbanner, vielgestaltig, die Schätze berührend, gute Zuflucht spendend, freigebig im Geben, das Alte und Verderbliche verzehrend.
Word by Word
- त्वाम्
- you (as object)Pronounद्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अतिथिम्
- guestNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
- पूर्व्यम्
- ancient; of oldAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (अतिथिम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्मRoot पूर्व्य (प्रातिपदिक; पूर्व + य)
- विशः
- the clans/settlements (the people)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (वैदिके बहुधा), प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot विश् (प्रातिपदिक)
- शोचिष्केशम्
- flame-haired; with blazing hairAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (अग्निम्/त्वाम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्मRoot शोचिष्केश (समास-प्रातिपदिक; शोचिस् + केश)
- गृहपतिम्
- lord of the house; householderNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (त्वाम् इति समानाधिकरण/विशेष्य)Role कर्मRoot गृहपति (समास-प्रातिपदिक; गृह + पति)
- नि
- down; in; (prefix)Indeclinableउपसर्गः (षद् धातोः सह)Root नि (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- षेदिरे
- they have sat down; they seated (him)Verbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपदRoot षद् (धातु; वैदिके ‘षद्’ = ‘सद्’ उपवेशनार्थः)
- बृहत्केतुम्
- having lofty/brilliant banner; of great radianceAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (त्वाम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्मRoot बृहत्केतु (समास-प्रातिपदिक; बृहत् + केतु)
- पुरुरूपम्
- many-formedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot पुरुरूप (समास-प्रातिपदिक; पुरु + रूप)
- धनस्पृतम्
- winning/attaining wealth; wealth-bestowingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot धनस्पृत् (समास-प्रातिपदिक; धन + स्पृत् < √स्पृश्/स्पृ ‘to touch, win’ वैदिके ‘स्पृत्’ = ‘प्राप्त/स्पर्शक’)
- सुशर्माणम्
- of good shelter/protectionAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सुशर्मन् (समास-प्रातिपदिक; सु + शर्मन्)
- स्ववसम्
- self-powerful; possessing good wealth/strengthAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot स्ववस् (समास-प्रातिपदिक; स्व + वस् ‘good, wealth/power’)
- जरद्विषम्
- hating old age; warding off senilityAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot जरद्विष् (समास-प्रातिपदिक; जरत्/जरद् ‘old age’ + द्विष् ‘hating’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: त्वाम् | अग्ने | अतिथिम् | पूर्व्यम् | विशः | शोचिष्केशम् | गृहपतिम् | नि | षेदिरे | बृहत्केतुम् | पुरुरूपम् | धनस्पृतम् | सुशर्माणम् | स्ववसम् | जरद्विषम् । 1) ‘अग्ने अति…’ इत्यत्र विसर्गादि-सन्धिः न
- सम्बोधन ‘अग्ने’ पृथक्। 2) ‘नि षेदिरे’ इत्यत्र उपसर्ग ‘नि’ + √षद् (वैदिक रूप, सद्-समकक्ष) — संहितायां ‘निषेदिरे’ इति। 3) ‘बृहत्केतुम्’ इत्यत्र समासे ‘बृहत् + केतु’ → ‘बृहत्केतु’। 4) ‘धनस्पृतम्’ इत्यत्र समास ‘धन + स्पृत्’ (वैदिक विशेषण) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The peoples have seated you, O Agni, as the ancient guest, flame-haired, lord of the home—vast-bannered, many-formed, touching riches, giving good shelter, of good giving, consuming what is old and harmful.
Inner meaning
The ‘viśaḥ’ (powers/communities of the being) enthrone Agni as atithi—the divine Guest who arrives when invited but then becomes the master within. ‘Flame-haired’ indicates thought-currents lit by will. Agni’s ‘great banner’ is the high sign of illumination guiding life; ‘many-formed’ shows he works in body, life, and mind differently. He ‘touches riches’ by opening inner resources (strength, clarity, joy). He gives ‘good shelter’—a protected inner poise—and ‘burns the old poison’: obsolete habits, fatigued desires, toxic residues of the past (jarad-viṣam).
Universal truth
When the inner fire is given a seat of honor, it becomes a protecting guide, unlocks inner wealth, and steadily purifies inherited and aged poisons of habit.
Themes
Agni-as-guest, installation, purification, wealth-as-felicity
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya) (traditional)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.8.1, RV 5.7
Family tradition
The Ātreya strain often presents Agni as the inner guest/master whose enthronement purifies and enriches the whole being.
Significance
Atri’s emphasis on seating Agni indicates a deliberate inner enthronement—making aspiration a stable governance rather than a passing mood.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- atithi pūrvya, śociṣkeśa, gṛhapati, bṛhatketu, pururūpa, dhanaspṛt, suśarmāṇa, jaradviṣa
- Related deities
- Uṣas (illumination), Indra (victory of light), Soma (delight that follows purification)
Cosmic role
Householder of the worlds; purifier and protector; awakener of light-signs that guide beings.
Inner power
Psychic fire that purifies the past, protects the present, and unlocks future resources.
In ritual
Where it is used
Hospitality-to-Agni motif in agni-upāsanā; stotra at kindling and seating of fire
त्वाम॑ग्ने॒ अति॑थिं पू॒र्व्यं विश॑: शो॒चिष्के॑शं गृ॒हप॑तिं॒ नि षे॑दिरे । बृ॒हत्के॑तुं पुरु॒रूपं॑ धन॒स्पृतं॑ सु॒शर्मा॑णं॒ स्वव॑सं जर॒द्विष॑म् ॥
त्वाम् । अ॒ग्ने॒ । अति॑थिम् । पू॒र्व्यम् । विशः॑ । शो॒चिःऽके॑शम् । गृ॒हऽप॑तिम् । नि । से॒दि॒रे॒ । बृ॒हत्ऽके॑तुम् । पु॒रु॒ऽरूप॑म् । ध॒न॒ऽस्पृत॑म् । सु॒ऽशर्मा॑णम् । सु॒ऽअव॑सम् । ज॒र॒त्ऽविष॑म् ॥
tvām | agne | atithim | pūrvyam | viśaḥ | śociḥ-keśam | gṛha-patim | ni | sedire | bṛhat-ketum | puru-rūpam | dhana-spṛtam | su-śarmāṇam | su-avasam | jarat-viṣam
48
4 pādas × ~12 syllables
Long-breathed, descriptive, enthroning cadence; suitable for ‘seating’ and establishing.
Induces a sense of stable installation of Agni; supports purification imagery with sustained tone.
- atithi
- Literal: guest. Symbolic: indwelling divine presence invited by aspiration
- śociṣkeśa
- Literal: flame-haired. Symbolic: mind and life lit with fiery clarity; luminous thought-streams
- gṛhapati
- Literal: lord of the home. Symbolic: governing consciousness in the embodied nature
- bṛhatketu
- Literal: having a vast banner/sign. Symbolic: high illumination that leads the journey
- pururūpa
- Literal: many-formed. Symbolic: Agni’s multiple operations in different layers of the being
- dhanaspṛt
- Literal: touching/attaining riches. Symbolic: opening inner treasures: strength, knowledge, delight
- suśarmāṇa
- Literal: bringing good shelter/peace. Symbolic: protective inner peace and right environment for growth
- svavasa
- Literal: of good giving/own power. Symbolic: self-existent power that supports right works
- jaradviṣa
- Literal: having old poison; consuming old poison. Symbolic: burning aged toxicity: stale desires, fears, resentments
Installation of Agni as household guest and lord (gārhapatya symbolism); also an inner rite of establishing the flame of will as purifier of decay.
When installing/maintaining household or altar fire; also in daily fire reverence
Seating/inviting Agni (āvāhana) and kindling; offerings for protection and purification
Use as a purification mantra: chant before sleep to ‘burn old poison’—resentments, stale cravings, mental toxins.
atithi ‘guest’ encodes invited indwelling; śociṣ ‘flame’ + keśa ‘hair’ gives vivid iconography; √sad ‘seat’ = install as stable presence; ketu again ‘banner/sign’ of light; puru-rūpa indicates multiple operations of Agni in psyche; jarad-viṣa frames Agni as consumer of decay/toxicity—psychologically, purifier of stale formations.
indwelling divine presence (atithi, gṛhapati), purification of old formations (jarad-viṣa), light as guiding sign (ketu)
To seat Agni is to seat ṛta in the ‘house’ of the being.
Bṛhatketu as truth-sign: inner discernment that reveals what must be burned away.
Renewal through fire: the old is consumed so the new form can manifest.
Yoga of transformation (Aurobindonian): purification of subconscient residues to free higher action.
evening (implied by purification/settling; not explicit)
unspecified
House = body-life-mind; banner = guiding illumination; poison = toxic samskāras; fire = transformative will.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘divine guest installed in the house’ mythologem: Agni is seated by the peoples as atithi and gṛhapati. This is the archetype of welcoming the divine power into the human dwelling so it can burn away jarad-viṣa—old, poisonous accretions of consciousness—and make the being a protected, prosperous home of light.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √sad ‘sit/seat’ reflects PIE *sed- ‘sit’ (cf. Latin sedēre). ketu as ‘sign/banner’ participates in an old poetic register of ‘visible token’ (conceptual parallels with IE ‘glory-sign’ traditions).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The human collectivity (viśaḥ) performs the key act: they ‘seat’ Agni—making the inner presence stable. Agni’s reciprocal role is described through epithets: he protects (suśarman), helps (su-avas), brings riches (dhana-spṛt as inner plenitude), and purges decay (jarad-viṣa).
Enthrone Agni in the heart as the ‘guest-lord’; invite him to burn the ‘old poison’ of habit.
Anāhata (seat of the guest) with cleansing support into Svādhiṣṭhāna (habit-energy)
Slow exhale-focused breathing; mentally repeat jaradviṣam on the exhale for 12 breaths
Protected calm with cleansing warmth
Visualize a small steady flame in the heart. On inhale: ‘ni ṣedire’ (I seat you). On exhale: ‘jaradviṣam’ (burn the old toxin). End by feeling ‘suśarmāṇa’—a sheltered inner space.
Standard Vedic accenting; keep long vowels sustained in pūrvyaṃ, śociṣkeśaṃ, bṛhatketum, jaradviṣam (exact svara needs accent text).
Let the first half feel like enthronement (ni ṣedire), second half like unfolding epithets; slightly emphasize jaradviṣam as a cleansing seal.
śociṣkeśam: articulate śo-ciṣ-ke-śam (ṣ retroflex), bṛhatketum: vocalic ṛ in bṛhat, pururūpam: roll the repeated ru clearly, jaradviṣam: keep ṣ, not ‘s’
Gentle but firm; warming tone
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