Rig Veda 7.13.3: Mandala 7, Sukta 13, Mantra 3
Sukta 7.13
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
जातो यदग्ने भुवना व्यख्यः पशून्न गोपा इर्यः परिज्मा । वैश्वानर ब्रह्मणे विन्द गातुं यूयं पात स्वस्तिभिः सदा नः ॥
jā́to yád agne bhúvanā vyàkhyáḥ paśū́n na gopā́ iryàḥ parí-jmā́ | vaiśvā́nara bráhmaṇe vinda gātúṃ yūyáṃ pāta svastí-bhiḥ sadā́ naḥ ||
Nacido, oh Agni, extendiste tu mirada sobre los mundos — como un pastor que guarda los rebaños, móvil, recorriéndolo todo en derredor. Oh Vaiśvānara, halla para el Brahman, la Palabra sagrada en ascenso, el camino del paso; y que vosotros nos guardéis siempre con estados propicios de bienestar.
Word by Word
- जातः
- born, arisenAdjective/Participleपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (अग्नेः विशेषणम्)Root √जन् (जायते) / प्रातिपदिक: जात-
- यत्
- when/that whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (सम्बन्धसूचकं)Role (सम्बन्ध/उपपद) — यदा/यत्-सम्बन्धःRoot यद् (सर्वनाम)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि-
- भुवनानि
- the worlds, beings/realmsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot भुवन-
- वि
- apart, forth, distinctlyIndeclinableRoot वि (उपसर्ग)
- अख्यः
- became manifest/renowned; was proclaimedVerb (participle used predicatively)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (जातः…अख्यः = ‘born … (you) became manifest/renowned’)Role Kartā (अग्नेः)Root √ख्या (आख्याते) / क्त-ppp: आख्य-
- पशून्
- cattle, creaturesNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot पशु-
- न
- like, asIndeclinableRoot न
- गोपाः
- a herdsman, protector of cattleNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (वेदिके प्रथमा-एकवचने -आः)Role Kartā (उपमान-कर्तृ)Root गोपा- (गो + पा ‘protector’)
- ईर्यः
- moving, hastening, activeAdjective/Participleपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (गोपाः इव)Role Kartā (गोपाः-विशेषणम्)Root √ईर्/ईरय् (‘to set in motion, to go’) / ईर्य-
- परिज्मा
- going around, roaming aboutAdjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (गोपाः-विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (गोपाः-विशेषणम्)Root परिज्मन्- (परि + √ज्म/जम् ‘to go’ > ‘going around’)
- वैश्वानर
- O Vaiśvānara (Agni as ‘belonging to all men’)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वैश्वानर-
- ब्रह्मणे
- for the sacred formulation/prayerNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole Sampradāna (हितार्थ/उद्देश्य)Root ब्रह्मन्-
- विन्द
- find, obtainVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया) —Root √विद् (विन्दति)
- गातुम्
- path, way, accessNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot गातु-
- यूयम्
- you (all)Pronounप्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot युष्मद्
- पात
- protectVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole (क्रिया) —Root √पा (पिबति/पाति ‘to protect’)
- स्वस्तिभिः
- with well-being, with blessingsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot स्वस्ति-
- सदा
- alwaysIndeclinableRoot सदा
- नः
- us/ourPronounषष्ठी/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role Sampradāna/Adhikaraṇa (रक्षणस्य ‘us’)Root अस्मद्
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: जातः | यत् | अग्ने | भुवनानि | वि | अख्यः || पशून् | न | गोपाः | ईर्यः | परिज्मा || वैश्वानर | ब्रह्मणे | विन्द | गातुम् || यूयम् | पात | स्वस्तिभिः | सदा | नः || 1) ‘व्यख्यः’ = ‘वि + अख्यः’ (उपसर्ग-समास/सन्धिः; वि + अ → व्य)
- 2) ‘पशून्न’ = ‘पशून् + न’ (न्-परसवर्ण/अनुस्वार-लोपः; पदान्त-न् परे नकारे)
- 3) ‘परिज्मा’ वेदिक-रूपं (परिज्मन्-प्रातिपदिकस्य प्रथमा-एकवचन)
- 4) ‘गातुं’ = गातुम् (पदान्ते अनुस्वार/ं-लेखनम्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
When Agni is born he surveys the worlds, like a herdsman guarding the herds; as Vaiśvānara he finds a path for the brahman (sacred utterance/aspiration) and the divine powers protect us with well-being.
Inner meaning
The awakening of the inner Fire (divine Will) opens the consciousness to a wide seeing across the planes (“worlds”). Agni moves everywhere in us as the vigilant guardian of the “cows” (rays of knowledge), preventing their loss to confusion and inertia. As Vaiśvānara—the universal fire in all beings—he discovers the inner passage (gātu) for the soul’s aspiring Word (brahman): a practicable route by which thought, will, and life-energy can ascend toward the Truth. The closing prayer to “you all” points to allied inner powers (viśve devāḥ) stabilizing the seeker in sustained swasti: harmony, rightness, and protected progress.
Universal truth
True progress begins when the will to the Divine awakens and becomes vigilant; then knowledge is safeguarded, and a clear path for aspiration is found. Inner well-being is not mere comfort but a protected alignment with the right movement of life.
Themes
Agni as inner guide, Finding the path (gātu), Guarding the cows (rays/knowledges), Universal fire (Vaiśvānara), Prayer for protection (svasti)
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha Maitrāvaruṇi
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.1, RV 7.2, RV 7.3, RV 7.12, RV 7.14
Family tradition
Seer-family of Maṇḍala 7; noted for hymns of inner rightness (ṛta), protection, and the guided journey of the sacrifice under Agni.
Significance
Vasiṣṭha’s vision often emphasizes the secure establishment of the inner sacrifice: Agni as priest and pathfinder who leads the human aspiration (brahman) through the worlds toward ṛta/satya.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (Vaiśvānara)
- Epithets
- Vaiśvānara, Gopā (guardian), Jāta (newly kindled/born)
- Related deities
- Viśve Devāḥ, Uṣas, Indra, Soma
Cosmic role
Universal fire that pervades beings, carries offerings, opens the paths, and mediates between human and divine worlds.
Inner power
Awakened will and discernment that guards knowledge, widens consciousness, and discovers the passage for mantra-born aspiration.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni-stoma and general Agni invocations; opening/strengthening of the sacred fire and path-prayer (gātu).
जा॒तो यद॑ग्ने॒ भुव॑ना॒ व्यख्य॑: प॒शून्न गो॒पा इर्य॒: परि॑ज्मा । वैश्वा॑नर॒ ब्रह्म॑णे विन्द गा॒तुं यू॒यं पा॑त स्व॒स्तिभि॒: सदा॑ नः ॥
जा॒तः । यत् । अ॒ग्ने॒ । भुव॑ना । वि । अख्यः॑ । प॒शून् । न । गो॒पाः । इर्यः॑ । परि॑ऽज्मा । वैश्वा॑नर । ब्रह्म॑णे । वि॒न्द॒ । गा॒तुम् । यू॒यम् । पा॒त॒ । स्व॒स्तिऽभिः॑ । सदा॑ । नः॒ ॥
jātaḥ | yat | agne | bhuvanā | vi | akhyaḥ | paśūn | na | gopāḥ | iryaḥ | pari-jmā | vaiśvānara | brahmaṇe | vinda | gātum | yūyam | pāta | svasti-bhiḥ | sadā | naḥ
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Forward-driving, expansive cadence suited to ‘surveying the worlds’ and ‘finding the path’.
Builds a sense of widening and assurance; the closing ‘svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ’ lands as a protective seal.
- अग्नि (agni)
- Literal: fire. Symbolic: divine Will, inner leader of the sacrifice, power of transformation
- जातः (jātaḥ)
- Literal: born. Symbolic: awakening of the flame of aspiration in the being
- भुवना (bhuvanā)
- Literal: worlds. Symbolic: planes/levels of consciousness (physical–vital–mental and beyond)
- वि अख्यः (vi akhyaḥ)
- Literal: he beheld, spread his gaze. Symbolic: widened awareness; illumination that surveys inner states
- पशून् (paśūn)
- Literal: cattle, creatures. Symbolic: energies and possessions of consciousness to be guarded and ordered
- गोपा (gopā)
- Literal: cowherd/guardian. Symbolic: the vigilant will that protects light and right movement
- गाः (gāḥ)
- Literal: cows. Symbolic: rays of light/knowledge recovered and held
- वैश्वानर (vaiśvānara)
- Literal: belonging to all men. Symbolic: universal fire; the one Will active in all beings
- ब्रह्मणे (brahmaṇe)
- Literal: for brahman (prayer/word). Symbolic: for the soul’s formative mantra-force and aspiration
- गातुम् (gātum)
- Literal: path, passage. Symbolic: inner route of ascent/integration; workable way through resistance
- स्वस्तिभिः (svastibhiḥ)
- Literal: with well-beings. Symbolic: states of harmony, rightness, protection, auspicious stability
Agni-stotra / Agni-invocation within daily Agnihotra and broader Soma-sacrifice openings; also suitable for protective (svasti) recitations at the start/close of offerings
At kindling and during invocatory portions where Agni is asked to open the way and protect the rite.
Kindling/feeding fire; recitation to invoke Agni as pathfinder and guardian of the rite’s ‘cows’ (lights/offerings).
Use as a ‘path-opening’ mantra before meditation or major life transitions; recite to invoke clarity, protection, and steady auspiciousness.
akhyā (a-khyā): from √khyā ‘to see, make known, distinguish’; with vi- gives ‘to discern widely, survey distinctly’. gopā: go ‘cow/ray/light’ + pā ‘protector’ (√pā ‘to guard’), hence ‘guardian of the rays/illumined herds’. vinda: imperative from √vid ‘to find, know, obtain’ (PIE *weyd- ‘to see/know’). gātu: from √gā/√gam semantic field ‘to go’; ‘path, passage’. svasti: su- ‘good’ + asti ‘being’ → ‘good-being’, auspicious harmony. vaiśvānara: viśva ‘all’ + nara ‘man/being’ → the fire universal in all creatures, inner and outer.
Ṛta (right order as the ‘path’ gātu discovered by Agni), Brahman (mantric word-power as formative consciousness), Protection through harmony (svasti as right-being)
Agni’s ‘gātu’ is the ṛta-path: the ordered passage through the worlds aligned to truth.
Seeing across bhuvanā implies truth-vision; guarding the ‘cows’ preserves satya-knowledge from distortion.
Agni’s birth initiates manifestation of conscious order; the Word (brahman) finds its effective path in creation.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: ascent through planes guided by Agni as will and consciousness.
Fire = will; herdsman = vigilant governance; cows = rays of knowledge; path = inner passage of evolution through states of being.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- ‘Agni as gopā (guardian of the cows)’: the classic mythic image of recovering/guarding the ‘cows’ is read inwardly as the protection and ordering of illuminations (go = rays/knowledges) once Agni is born in the seeker. The second mythic action is ‘finding the gātu (path/passage)’—Agni reveals the right passage through the worlds/planes, aligning the aspirant with Ṛta.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- vinda (√vid) continues PIE *weyd- ‘to see/know’ (cf. Latin vidēre, English wit). svasti (su- + asti) parallels Indo-European compositional morphology ‘good + being’ (cf. Greek eu-). The semantic link between ‘seeing/knowing’ and ‘finding/attaining’ in √vid supports the verse’s inner sense: knowledge is simultaneously vision and acquisition of the path.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer approaches Agni not merely as an external ritual fire but as the awakened divine Will that can ‘survey the worlds’ within the human vessel. The reciprocity is explicit: the rishi’s brahman (mantric formation) seeks a gātu (effective passage), while Agni grants guidance and the host of powers (‘you’) grants ongoing protection through svasti—right harmony as the fruit of right alignment with Ṛta.
Invoke the inner Fire to widen awareness and reveal the next clear step (gātu) for one’s aspiration.
Manipura (will/fire) with ascent toward Ajna (wide seeing).
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana for 6–8 rounds, then recite once per exhale on a steady breath.
Widening (vishāla) with protected steadiness; clarity in transitions.
After recitation, silently feel a flame in the navel rising to the brow; ask inwardly: ‘Show the path for my brahman (aspiration).’ Rest in a sense of guarded swasti.
Notated accents vary by śākhā; follow padapāṭha: treat marked udātta on accented syllables (e.g., agné, vaiśvānara), with surrounding anudātta and svarita transitions as per Vedic recitation rules.
Keep the main lift on ‘agné’ and ‘vaiśvānara’; let ‘svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ’ be even and sealing, not rushed.
Maintain retroflex in ‘brahmaṇe’ (ṇ) and ‘gātuṃ’ long ā and ū, ‘vaiśvānara’ = vai-śvā-na-ra (clear śa), ‘svastibhiḥ’ keep visarga light before s
Steady, luminous, protective; broaden tone on ‘bhuvanā’.
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