Rig Veda 1.14.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 14, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.14
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
आ त्वा कण्वा अहूषत गृणन्ति विप्र ते धियः । देवेभिरग्न आ गहि ॥
ā́ tvā kaṇvā́ ahūṣata gṛṇánti vipra te dhíyaḥ | devébhir agna ā́ gahi ||
Los Kaṇva te han llamado; los videntes te cantan con las fuerzas de su pensamiento. Ven aquí, oh Agni, con los dioses.
Word by Word
- आ
- hither; towardsIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRoot आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- त्वा
- you (as object)Pronounद्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- कण्वाः
- the Kaṇvas (seers)Noun (proper name)प्रथमा, बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्गRole KartāRoot कण्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- अहूषत
- called; invokedVerbलुङ् (अorist), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRoot हू (आह्वाने)
- गृणन्ति
- praise; singVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRoot गृ (स्तुतौ/गायने)
- विप्राः
- inspired poets/priestsNounप्रथमा, बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्गRole KartāRoot विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- of you; yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- धियः
- insights; prayersNounप्रथमा, बहुवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्गRole KartāRoot धि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘thought, insight’)
- देवेभिः
- with the godsNounतृतीया, बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्गRole KaraṇaRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (vocative)सम्बोधन, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्गRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- hither; towardsIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRoot आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- गहि
- come!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; वैदिक रूप ‘गहि’Root गम् (गतौ)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (resolved): आ | त्वा | कण्वाः | अहूषत | गृणन्ति | विप्राः | ते | धियः | देवेभिः | अग्ने | आ | गहि । 1) ‘कण्वा॑’ = कण्वाः (प्रथमा बहुवचन) — विसर्गः पदान्ते लुप्तः संहितायाम्। 2) ‘धिय॑:’ = धियः — विसर्ग-चिह्नः। 3) ‘दे॒वेभि॑रग्न॒’ = देवेभिः + अग्ने — विसर्गस्य ‘र्’ आदेशः (विसर्जनीयस्य रेफादेशः) स्वरयुक्त-संहितायाम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Kaṇvas call Agni; the seers praise him with inspired thoughts. Agni is asked to come together with the gods.
Inner meaning
The seeker’s illumined faculties (vipra-dhiyaḥ) invoke Agni, the divine Will and priest of the inner yajña, to descend into the consciousness along with the assisting god-powers. The mantra describes the core yogic act: concentrated thought-force becoming an effective channel for the descent of higher powers.
Universal truth
When aspiration and luminous intelligence unite, the guiding flame of will awakens and becomes a bridge by which higher forces enter and transform human nature.
Themes
Agni summons, Seer-family voice, Inspired thought (dhī), Soma-ritual
The seer
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Lineage
- Kaṇva (Āṅgirasa-related seer line)
- Other hymns
- RV 1.13, RV 1.14, RV 1.15, RV 8.1, RV 8.2
Family tradition
Kaṇvas are a prominent Rigvedic rishi-family associated with hymns of invocation, sacrifice as inner offering, and the disciplined calling of Agni and allied powers.
Significance
Kaṇva stands for the seer-mind that converts aspiration into effective mantra—thought becoming a vehicle for the gods’ approach (Aurobindonian: dhi as inspired intelligence shaping the inner yajña).
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Hotṛ (invoking priest), Jātavedas (knower of births), Vaiśvānara (universal fire), Dūta (messenger)
- Related deities
- Viśve Devāḥ, Indra, Soma, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine; carrier of offerings; awakener of the sacrificial order (ṛta) in the worlds.
Inner power
Flame of aspiration and will that purifies, organizes, and leads the ascent while enabling descent of higher powers.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni-invocation and deva-āhvāna in soma-related sequences (opening/inviting formula)
आ त्वा॒ कण्वा॑ अहूषत गृ॒णन्ति॑ विप्र ते॒ धिय॑: । दे॒वेभि॑रग्न॒ आ ग॑हि ॥
आ । त्वा॒ । कण्वाः॑ । अ॒हू॒ष॒त॒ । गृ॒णन्ति॑ । वि॒प्र॒ । ते॒ । धियः॑ । दे॒वेभिः॑ अ॒ग्ने॒ । आ । ग॒हि॒ ॥
ā | tvā | kaṇvāḥ | ahūṣata | gṛṇanti | vipra | te | dhiyaḥ | devebhiḥ agne | ā | gahi
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3 pādas of ~8 syllables each
Bright, compact, forward-driving cadence suited to invocation
Quickens aspiration and focuses the mind into a single pointed call, making the mantra feel like a rhythmic ‘summons’.
- आ (ā)
- Literal: towards, hither. Symbolic: movement of invocation; bringing the higher force into the field of practice
- कण्वाः (kaṇvāḥ)
- Literal: the Kaṇvas (a seer-family). Symbolic: the lineage of inspired aspiration; the “call” of the awakened tradition within
- अहूषत (ahūṣata)
- Literal: they have called/invoked. Symbolic: the act of inner summons (adhyātmika āhvāna) that opens the being
- विप्र (vipra)
- Literal: inspired/illumined sage. Symbolic: the awakened discerning consciousness capable of receiving intuition
- धियः (dhiyaḥ)
- Literal: thoughts, insights, inspirations. Symbolic: thought-forces/intuitional formations that shape the path for descent
- देवेभिः (devebhiḥ)
- Literal: with the gods. Symbolic: with the supporting powers of the Truth (deva-śaktayaḥ) collaborating in the sacrifice
- अग्ने (agne)
- Literal: O Agni. Symbolic: divine Will, inner fire, leader of transformation
- आ गहि (ā gahi)
- Literal: come here. Symbolic: descent/arrival of the flame into the heart-mind for effective working
Priestly invitation: Agni is summoned by the Kaṇva singers to lead the gods to the soma session.
At the start of offerings/invitations, especially where Agni is asked to bring the gods
Calling Agni to the seat and inviting the gods to participate
Use as a short pre-meditation invocation: ‘May the guiding will come with higher powers into my practice.’
ahūṣata: from √hū ‘call’; Vedic aorist forms often carry perfective ‘they have invoked’. dhiyaḥ: from √dhī ‘to think, perceive, meditate’—in RV typically ‘inspired vision/thought-force’. gahi: imperative from √gam (PIE *gʷem- ‘go/come’; cf. Lat. venīre via different root, but Gk. baínō is different; Germanic come is different; still PIE *gʷem- is well-attested: Skt. gam, Av. jam).
dhi as inspired cognition, ṛta through right invocation and right thought, collective approach of divine powers
Agni is the establisher of ṛta in the human being by right action and right offering.
Vipra-dhi aligns thought with truth-seeing, enabling true reception.
Descent of the gods into the human field to build the divine order within.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral (Aurobindo): ascent-descent reciprocity through Agni as psychic will.
dawn/early ritual hour (typal of invocatory hymns)
Fire = awakened will; smoke/path = rising aspiration; ‘coming’ = descent of higher consciousness into mind and life.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘clan of seers calling the divine fire’: the poets’ dhī and song are powers that summon Agni. Innerly, concentrated inspired thought becomes the call that brings the mediating flame and, with it, the assisting gods into the human field.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √gam ‘come/go’ (gahi) reflects PIE *gʷem- (also in Avestan). The performative ‘call’ √hū is Indo-Iranian; the prominence of speech-act verbs reflects the PIE poetic-ritual inheritance where utterance is action.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Kaṇvas offer dhī and praise as the means of contact; Agni reciprocates by coming ‘with the gods’. The verse depicts a cooperative ecology: inspired cognition (human) opens the channel; Agni (divine will) traverses it and brings the higher powers.
Invoke the inner flame of will to lead the practice and call supportive higher qualities (clarity, courage, harmony).
Anāhata (heart) / Maṇipūra (will-fire)
Gentle nāsikā breathing with a brief pause after inhale while inwardly repeating ‘ā… agne… ā gahi’
Collected aspiration (tapas) moving toward receptive silence
Begin with 3 repetitions; feel a warm, steady flame in the heart; offer distracted thoughts into it; then sit receptive for the ‘arrival’ of calm strength.
Vedic tri-svara (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as per Śākala tradition; preserve udātta on key invocatory words (e.g., ā, agne) per samh accent.
Keep the udātta crisp (slightly raised pitch), let svarita fall-glide, and maintain anudātta as the low base; avoid flattening ‘ā gahi’.
Hold long ‘ā’ clearly in ā tvā and ā gahi, Retroflex ‘ṇ’ in kaṇvāḥ, Keep ‘vipra’ with clear short ‘i’ and single ‘p’, Agne: short ‘e’ (not ‘ai’)
Clear, forward, invoking; not heavy—like a call that opens space
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