Mantra 5
Agni as the invited sacrificial guest who manifests among men with the gods and removes obstacles to the rite
प्रेष्ठं वो अतिथिं स्तुषे मित्रमिव प्रियम् अग्ने रथं न वेद्यम्
preṣṭhaṃ vo atithiṃ stuṣe mitramiva priyam agne rathaṃ na vedyam
Je loue Agni, votre hôte le plus cher, aimé comme un ami; qu’on recherche tel un char, digne d’être approché au lieu du sacrifice.
preṣṭham | vaḥ | atithim | stuṣe | mitram-iva | priyam | agne | ratham | na | vedyam
Agneya-sāman (generic); specific tune not determinable from the provided excerpt alone
{ "prastava": "(If sung as sāman) short stobha prelude establishing a welcoming tone.", "udgitha": "Carries ‘preṣṭhaṃ… atithiṃ… mitramiva priyam’.", "pratihara": "Cadential response around ‘agne’.", "upadrava": "Reiteration leading to ‘rathaṃ na vedyam’.", "nidhana": "Final settling on vedyam with communal closure.", "structure_notes": "Exact five-part segmentation depends on the specific sāman assignment; not determinable from excerpt alone.", "singer_assignments": "Prastotṛ / Udgātṛ / Pratihartṛ in standard roles; all in nidhana if sāmanized." }
{ "gloss_summary": "Sāyaṇa takes atithi as the invited deity received through praises; vaḥ refers to yajamāna and officiants; Agni is ‘mitra-iva priyaḥ’ as a beneficent ally in the rite; ‘vedyam’ indicates he is to be sought/approached at the sacrifice.", "ritual_interpretation": "Agni is welcomed as the foremost guest at the yajña, approached like a chariot one comes to for conveyance—he conveys offerings to the gods.", "theological_insight": "Devotion is relational: Agni is not merely a function but a beloved ally whose presence is cultivated by praise.", "etymology_highlights": "atithi: ‘one who comes without a fixed day’ (guest); vedyam: from √vid ‘to know/seek’—that which is to be approached/known." }