Rig Veda 6.2.10: Mandala 6, Sukta 2, Mantra 10
Sukta 6.2
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
वेषि ह्यध्वरीयतामग्ने होता दमे विशाम् । समृधो विश्पते कृणु जुषस्व हव्यमङ्गिरः ॥
véṣi hy adhvarīyatā́m agne hótā dáme viśā́m | samṛ́dho viśpate kṛṇu juṣásva hávyam aṅgiraḥ ||
Wahrlich, du führst den Zug des Opfers; o Agni, du bist der Hotṛ im Haus der Völker. Schaffe den Sippen volle Gedeihlichkeit, o Herr des Hauses; nimm die Opfergabe an und genieße sie, o Aṅgiras.
Word by Word
- वे॒षि॒
- you seek / you desire / you pursueVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (मुख्य क्रिया) —Root √वश् (वशँ) / √वेष् (वेषँ) (वेदिक प्रयोग: ‘इच्छ/प्राप्त/सेव’ अर्थे) रूप: वेषि
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपात (अव्यय)Root हि (निपात) अव्यय
- अध्वरीयताम्
- the (company/service) of the adhvaryus; the officiant-priestly serviceNoun (collective/abstract) / ritual termस्त्रीलिङ्ग (प्रायः ‘-ता’ भाववाचक), द्वितीया, एकवचन (भाव/समूहवाचक)Role कर्म (वेषि—किसको?)Root अध्वरीय (प्रातिपदिक; ‘अध्वर’ से)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- होता
- the Hotṛ (invoking priest)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अग्ने—होता) / विधेयRoot होतृ (प्रातिपदिक; √हु ‘यज्/आहुति’ से)
- दमे
- in the house, at homeNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरण (कहाँ?)Root दम (प्रातिपदिक; ‘गृह/आवास’)
- विशाम्
- of the clans/peoplesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (दमे—किसका?)Root विश् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘जन/कुल/प्रजा’)
- समृधः
- prosperous, thrivingAdjective (used predicatively)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (विशाम् के साथ: ‘समृद्धाः विशः’ → ‘समृधो विशः’ वैदिक संधि/रूप)Role कर्म (कृणु—किसे?)Root समृद्धि/समृध् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘सम्+√ऋध्’ ‘समृद्ध/सम्पन्न’)
- विश्पते
- O lord of the clanNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot विश्पति (प्रातिपदिक; विश्+पति)
- कृणु
- make; renderVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (मुख्य क्रिया) —Root √कृ (कृञ्)
- जुषस्व
- enjoy; accept graciouslyVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (मुख्य क्रिया) —Root √जुष् (जुषँ) ‘सेव/प्री/अनुमोद’
- हव्यम्
- the oblation, the offeringNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (जुषस्व—किसे?)Root हव्य (प्रातिपदिक; √हु से)
- अङ्गिरः
- O Aṅgiras (descendant of Aṅgiras); O Aṅgiras-like oneNoun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (वैदिक रूप: -अः < -अस्)Role सम्बोधनRoot अङ्गिरस् (प्रातिपदिक; ऋषि-वंश/अग्नि-विशेषण)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (संधि-विग्रह): वेषि हि अध्वरीयताम् अग्ने होता दमे विशाम् । समृधः विश्पते कृणु जुषस्व हव्यम् अङ्गिरः ॥ 1) ह्य = हि (निपात) + (अध्वरीयताम्) आरम्भ-स्वर
- 2) अध्वरीयतामग्ने = अध्वरीयताम् + अग्ने (म् + अ → म् अ, संहितायां ‘मग्ने’)
- 3) दमे विशाम्: षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध
- 4) समृधो विश्पते: ‘समृधः’ (वैदिक रूप/उच्चारण) + सम्बोधन ‘विश्पते’
- 5) हव्यमङ्गिरः = हव्यम् + अङ्गिरः (म् + अ → म् अ, संहितायां ‘मङ्गिरः’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
You lead the course of the sacrifice; O Agni, you are the Hotṛ in the home of the peoples. Make the communities full of prosperity, O lord of the house; accept the offering, O Angiras.
Inner meaning
Agni is the inner leader of the journey (veṣi…adhvarīyatām): the will guides the whole movement of self-offering. As Hotṛ in the ‘home’ (dame) of our many human parts (viśām), he is the power that calls the gods—invokes higher forces—through right speech and aspiration. As viśpati (lord of the settlement), he harmonizes the collectivity of movements and makes them samṛdha—integrally prosperous, complete in their functioning. As Aṅgiras, he is the seer-flame that delights in the offering (havyam) and turns it into growth of consciousness.
Universal truth
A life becomes whole when an inner guiding will leads it as a conscious sacrifice: invoking higher powers, organizing the parts, and converting offering into enduring prosperity of being.
Themes
Agni-hotṛ, community-prosperity, acceptance-of-offering, Angiras-light-discovery
The seer
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja
- Other hymns
- RV 6.2.1, RV 6.2.2, RV 6.2.7
Family tradition
Bharadvāja Agni hymns integrate household, community, and inner yoga: Agni as Hotṛ and Viśpati who organizes the collective being.
Significance
This is a culminating functional definition: Agni is not only light, but leader of the path, invoker of higher powers, and harmonizer of the inner community—key to Aurobindo’s ‘inner sacrifice’ reading.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Hotṛ, Viśpati, Āṅgiras, Adhvarīyu-leader (implied)
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (invocation/word-power), Indra (force for accomplishment), Soma (delight that seals the offering)
Cosmic role
Priest of the worlds; leader of sacrifice; lord of earthly settlements; converter of offerings into prosperity and right order.
Inner power
The organizing will that leads sādhanā, calls down higher help, and integrates the personality into a prosperous wholeness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni’s Hotṛ function in Soma-yajña; household rites invoking Agni as gṛhapati/viśpati
वेषि॒ ह्य॑ध्वरीय॒तामग्ने॒ होता॒ दमे॑ वि॒शाम् । स॒मृधो॑ विश्पते कृणु जु॒षस्व॑ ह॒व्यम॑ङ्गिरः ॥
वेषि॑ । हि । अ॒ध्व॒रि॒ऽय॒ताम् । अग्ने॑ । होता॑ । दमे॑ । वि॒शाम् । स॒म्ऽऋधः॑ । वि॒श्प॒ते॒ । कृ॒णु॒ । जु॒षस्व॑ । ह॒व्यम् । अ॒ङ्गि॒रः॒ ॥
veṣi | hi | adhvari-yatām | agne | hotā | dame | viśām | sam-ṛdhaḥ | viśpate | kṛṇu | juṣasva | havyam | aṅgiraḥ
44
4 × 11 (likely)
processional, directive, community-oriented
Creates a feeling of being led on a path; strengthens resolve and invokes a sense of collective harmony.
- अध्वर (adhvara)
- Literal: sacrifice, ritual course. Symbolic: the journey of conscious self-offering and transformation
- वेṣi (veṣi)
- Literal: you lead, you guide. Symbolic: inner guidance of the will directing the path
- होता (hotā)
- Literal: invoking priest. Symbolic: power of aspiration/mantric call that brings higher consciousness
- दमे (dame)
- Literal: in the house. Symbolic: in the embodied being; the inner home of nature
- विशाम् (viśām)
- Literal: of the peoples/clans. Symbolic: the many parts, tendencies, and faculties in us
- समृद्ध (samṛdha)
- Literal: well-prospered, complete. Symbolic: integral fullness—harmonized growth of all parts
- विश्पति (viśpati)
- Literal: lord of the settlement. Symbolic: governing center that orders the collectivity within
- हव्य (havya)
- Literal: oblation. Symbolic: all that we offer—breath, thought, desire, action—into the fire of transformation
- अङ्गिरस् (aṅgiras)
- Literal: Angiras (seer-family name). Symbolic: flame as seer-power; luminous intelligence in action
Agni as Hotṛ in household and Soma rites; invocation to accept havis and to secure samṛddhi (integral prosperity) for the yajamāna and community.
At the start of sacrifice and during invocations; also in domestic fire worship as affirmation of Agni’s role
Calling Agni to lead; offering havis; praying for prosperity of the community
Use as a ‘daily leadership’ mantra: before group work/family harmony, or before beginning a disciplined practice session.
adhvará-: ‘sacrifice’ (often analyzed as a-dhvara ‘unbroken/undamaged’), the intact movement of offering; psychologically, continuous aspiration. hotṛ́: from √hu ‘to call, invoke’ → the summoner of divine powers. sam-ṛ́dh: √ṛdh ‘grow, prosper’ with sam- ‘together/fully’ → integral increase (inner fullness). viśpáti: viś ‘settlement/clan’ + páti ‘lord’ → organizing mastery over the collective energies.
adhvara as unbroken inner practice, samṛddhi as integral growth, invocation (hotṛ) as bridge between human and divine
Agni as leader of adhvara establishes ṛta in action and community—right arrangement of energies.
Hotṛ as truth-calling speech: aspiration aligned with satya invokes higher powers.
Building a prosperous ‘settlement’ of the being; from scattered parts to ordered wholeness.
Integral Yoga / Vedic karmic mysticism
The ‘march of sacrifice’ is the progressive path of practice; the home is the embodied field; prosperity is harmonious functioning of all faculties under the inner flame.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the priest-leader (Hotṛ) who conducts the sacrifice and thereby builds prosperity for the people—mythically the divine mediator who makes the human ‘home’ a fit field for the gods.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- hotṛ from √hu ‘call’ corresponds to inherited IE sacral speech-act patterns where invocation effects presence. √ṛdh ‘grow’ parallels IE growth lexemes (semantic field of increase/prosper), while páti ‘lord’ continues PIE *pótis.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi requests Agni to lead the striving sacrificers and to accept the offering; Agni, as viśpati, reciprocates by organizing the collective energies into samṛddhi—ordered, protected increase under ṛta.
Surrender the day’s actions into the inner fire; feel Agni leading the ‘march’ of your intentions toward clarity and harmony.
Maṇipūra (leadership/will) with integration into Anāhata (offering)
5-5 coherent breathing; silently offer each exhale as havya into the heart-flame
guided action (karma in yoga)
Morning: recite 11 times, then set one clear intention (‘adhvara’) and one offering (habit to purify). Evening: 3 times in gratitude, offering results back to the flame.
Triṣṭubh with clear pāda breaks; keep invocatory rise on agne hotā and settling cadence on aṅgiraḥ.
Emphasize veṣi, adhvarīyatām, hotā, viśām, samṛdho, viśpate, juṣasva, havyam, aṅgiraḥ.
veṣi: ṣ retroflex, short i, adhvarīyatām: dhv cluster; long ī; final ām nasalized, hotā: long ā, viśām: ś palatal; long ā with nasal m, juṣasva: ṣ retroflex; sv cluster clear, aṅgiraḥ: ṅ nasal; final ḥ audible
commanding yet devotional; clear articulation
11
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.
