Rig Veda 8.43.11: Mandala 8, Sukta 43, Mantra 11
Sukta 8.43
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
उक्षान्नाय वशान्नाय सोमपृष्ठाय वेधसे । स्तोमैर्विधेमाग्नये ॥
ukṣā́nnāya vaśā́nnāya sóma-pṛṣṭhāya védhase | stómair vidhēmā́gnaye ||
Agni, genährt von Stier und Kuh, dem weisen Ordner, der Soma auf dem Rücken trägt – ihm wollen wir mit Hymnen die rechte Ordnung fügen, dem Agni darbringen.
Word by Word
- उक्षान्नाय
- to the bull-like leader (Agni)Noun (समास) / Epithetपुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot उक्षन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘बैल/वृषभ’) + नय (प्रातिपदिक; ‘नेता/मार्गदर्शक’)
- वशान्नाय
- to the leader who brings under control / the controller-leaderNoun (समास) / Epithetपुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot वश (प्रातिपदिक; ‘वश/अधीनता/वशीकरण’) + नय (प्रातिपदिक; ‘नेता’)
- सोमपृष्ठाय
- to him whose back/support is Soma (Soma-backed)Noun (समास) / Epithetपुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक) + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; ‘पृष्ठ/आधार/पीठ’)
- वेधसे
- to the wise disposer / the ordainerNounपुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot वेधस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘विधाता/ज्ञानी/कुशल कर्ता’; from √विध्/√वेध् ‘to arrange, to work/know’)
- स्तोमैः
- with hymns / by praisesNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया बहुवचनRole करणRoot स्तोम (प्रातिपदिक; ‘स्तुति/स्तोत्र’)
- विधेम
- may we perform/offer/ordainVerbविधिलिङ् (Optative); उत्तमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया) —Root √धा (धातु; ‘to place, to do’) with preverb वि-; Vedic optative formation
- अग्नये
- to AgniNoun (Deity name)पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): उक्षान्नाय | वशान्नाय | सोमपृष्ठाय | वेधसे | स्तोमैः | विधेम | अग्नये । 1) उक्षान्नाय = उक्षन् + नय (समास) + चतुर्थी-एकवचन -आय
- आ + न → ‘आन्न’ (लिखित रूप: -ान्न-). 2) वशान्नाय = वश + नय (समास) + -आय
- आ + न → -ान्न-. 3) सोमपृष्ठाय = सोम + पृष्ठ (तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहि-प्रयोग) + -आय. 4) वेधसे: वेधस्-शब्द का चतुर्थी एकवचन. 5) स्तोमैः: तृतीया बहुवचन. 6) विधेम: वि- + √धा, विधिलिङ् 1pl. 7) अग्नये: चतुर्थी एकवचन
The meaning
Outer meaning
To Agni, fed by the bull and the cow, to the wise disposer who has Soma on his back, we would do service with hymns.
Inner meaning
‘Bull and cow’ are not mere livestock here but complementary powers: the bull (ukṣan) as forceful energy/initiative, the cow (vaśā) as receptive luminous nourishment (rays of knowledge). Agni is nourished by both—strength and light. ‘Soma on his back’ indicates Agni bears bliss (Soma) as the supporting delight behind the work of transformation. With hymns (stomaiḥ)—inspired word—we establish right order (vidhema): we arrange the inner sacrifice so the flame of inspired intelligence grows.
Universal truth
Lasting spiritual fire is fed by both strength and illumination, and it is sustained by a deeper delight. Right speech and right intention organize the inner life into a progressive sacrifice.
Themes
Agni-Soma relation, praise as ordering power, nourishment symbolism, ritual and psychology
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 1.164 (symbolic cow/light imagery broadly in RV), RV 9 (Soma hymns: Soma as delight supporting illumination)
Significance
The verse encodes a complete inner-yajña economy: energy + knowledge feed the will; bliss supports it; inspired speech organizes it—an Integral Yoga map in Vedic symbols.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Vedhas (wise disposer), Somapṛṣṭha (Soma-backed), Ukṣānna/Vaśānna (nourished by bull/cow)
- Related deities
- Soma, Indra, Bṛhaspati, Sarasvatī (inspired speech)
Cosmic role
Architect of the sacrifice; transformer supported by Soma; establishes the link of force, light, and bliss in manifestation.
Inner power
Inspired intelligence (Agni as will in mind) that organizes life-energy and knowledge into steady progress, sustained by delight.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni praise in soma-related contexts; also general stotra to establish Agni as vedhas (arranger)
उ॒क्षान्ना॑य व॒शान्ना॑य॒ सोम॑पृष्ठाय वे॒धसे॑ । स्तोमै॑र्विधेमा॒ग्नये॑ ॥
उ॒क्षऽअ॑न्नाय । व॒शाऽअ॑न्नाय । सोम॑ऽपृष्ठाय । वे॒धसे॑ । स्तोमैः॑ । वि॒धे॒म॒ । अ॒ग्नये॑ ॥
ukṣa-annāya | vaśāannāya | soma-pṛṣṭhāya | vedhase | stomaiḥ | vidhema | agnaye
Compact 2-line verse in saṃhitā presentation; likely 4 pādas underlying
Declarative and orderly; strong nominal compounds give a ‘built’ architectural feel.
Stabilizes resolve; evokes a sense of right arrangement and consecrated work.
- उक्षऽअन्नाय (ukṣa-annāya)
- Literal: fed by the bull. Symbolic: nourished by forceful energy—courage, initiative, dynamic prāṇa
- वशाऽअन्नाय (vaśā-annāya)
- Literal: fed by the cow. Symbolic: nourished by receptive light—rays of knowledge, sustaining insight
- सोमपृष्ठाय (soma-pṛṣṭhāya)
- Literal: having Soma as back/support. Symbolic: supported by bliss (ānanda) as the secret strength behind tapas
- वेधसे (vedhase)
- Literal: wise disposer/arranger. Symbolic: the power that orders the sacrifice—intelligence that builds right inner formations
- स्तोमैः (stomaiḥ)
- Literal: with hymns/praises. Symbolic: mantric speech, inspired thought that shapes consciousness
- विधेम (vidhema)
- Literal: we would arrange/serve rightly. Symbolic: we establish right order in the being—consecrated action
Praise formula in soma-related contexts: Agni as soma-bearer and ritual ordainer; suitable for soma-sacrifice sequences where Agni mediates offerings.
During soma-sacrifice sequences or when invoking Agni as the organizer of offerings
Recitation of stoma while tending fire; aligning offerings and chant
Mantra for integrating practice: balance energy (bull), insight (cow), and delight (Soma) through disciplined mantra and right action.
vedhá- ‘disposer/ordainer’ from √vidh ‘to arrange, apportion, worship’ (distinct from √vid ‘know’). ukṣán ‘bull’ symbolizes force/virility; vaśā ‘cow’ symbolizes yielding abundance and the milch of nourishment (innerly, streams of plenty). soma-pṛṣṭha: Soma (delight/immortalizing essence) supported by Agni—an inner linkage of will (Agni) carrying delight (Soma) as sustaining power for ascent.
soma (ānanda/delight) supported by will (agni), vidh (right ordering) as ṛta in action, nourishment as spiritual force
‘Vedhas’ and ‘vidhema’ emphasize Ṛta as conscious arrangement—order is not mechanical but intelligent and inspired.
True speech (stoma) as a vehicle of Satya that builds right inner forms.
Integration of force, light, and bliss as the triune support of evolution.
Integral Vedic psychology: sacrifice as self-organization toward higher consciousness.
Bull = dynamic prāṇa/drive; cow = rays of knowledge; Soma = blissful essence; Agni = will that transforms and unites them.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as bearer/support of Soma: will carries delight, enabling the sacrificial transformation. The ‘bull/cow nourishment’ encodes complementary energies—force and abundance—feeding the divine fire.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The bull/cow polarity as force/nourishment is a common Indo-European poetic dyad. While exact lexical cognates vary, the symbolic grammar (male force + female abundance feeding the sacred power) is typologically archaic within IE mythopoesis.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi ‘vidhema’—seeks to establish right order for Agni through stoma (structured speech). The reciprocity is speech-for-power: inspired utterance supports Agni’s ordering intelligence, which in turn supports Soma’s delight in the practitioner.
Integrate three supports: strength (ukṣan), illumination (go/vaśā), delight (Soma) to feed the inner fire of practice.
Manipura (fire) supported by Anahata (delight/ānanda) and Ajna (illumination)
3-part breath awareness: lower belly (strength) → chest (delight) → brow (light), then offer all into the central flame
Integrated, consecrated, quietly heroic.
Before action, invoke strength without aggression (bull purified), receive knowledge without passivity (cow luminous), remember delight as support (Soma). Speak/think a short stoma (affirmation/mantra) to ‘arrange’ the day around Agni.
Keep compound words clean and evenly weighted; allow a dignified rise on key epithets (somapṛṣṭhāya, vedhase).
Do not break compounds incorrectly; sustain long vowels; keep final ‘agnaye’ clear and devotional.
: uk-ṣān-nā-ya (retroflex ṣ, long ā), : va-śān-nā-ya (palatal ś), : so-ma-pṛ-ṣṭhā-ya (retroflex ṣṭh, vocalic ṛ), : ve-dha-se (dh), : sto-maiḥ (ai diphthong, visarga light)
Steady, confident, hymn-like; warm resonance.
108
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