Atharva Veda 20.102.2: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 11, Sukta 102, Mantra 2
Sukta 102
वृषो॑ अ॒ग्निः समि॑ध्य॒तेऽश्वो॒ न दे॑व॒वाह॑नः । तं ह॒विष्म॑न्तः ईलते
vṛ́ṣo agníḥ samídhyate’śvó na devávāhanaḥ | táṃ havíṣmantaḥ īḷate ||
Bull-like is Agni kindled, like a horse, the Gods’ conveyance: him do the offerers, rich in oblation, hymn and invoke.
अग्नि ऐसा जल रहा है जैसे बैल तैयार हो। वो देवताओं का घोड़ा बन के आता है। जो लोग हवन करते हैं, वो अग्नि को बुलाते हैं और उसकी तारीफ करते हैं।
The meaning
What it says
Agni is kindled bull-like, like a horse that carries the gods; those rich in oblation hymn and invoke him.
The inner meaning
The ‘inner fire’ is both potency (bull) and conveyance (horse): when ignited, it carries intentions to fulfillment. The offerer’s steadiness (havis) and praise (īḷate) feed attention, transforming raw energy into a reliable vehicle.
The truth in it
Transformation requires a lit fire: offerings (effort, nourishment) and invocation (meaningful speech) awaken the force that mediates between human aspiration and higher order.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Śrauta/Liturgical (Agni-invocation; Yajñika)
Its aim
To kindle Agni as an effective conveyor of offerings and to secure the gods’ attendance at the rite.
Word by Word
Pada patha
वृषः । अ॒ग्निः । सम्ऽइ॑ध्य॒ते । अ॒श्वः । न । दे॒व॒ऽवाह॑नः । तम् । ह॒विष्म॑न्तः । ई॒ल॒ते ।
- वृषः
- the bull (strong one)the Bull; virile, mighty (epithet of Agni as potent, seed-like power in rite)Noun (used adjectivally)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot वृषन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्निः
- Agni; fireAgni, the ritual fire; the divine mouth that conveys offeringsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- समिध्यते
- is kindled; blazes upVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot सम्-इध् (धातु: इध् ‘दीप्तौ/प्रदीप्तौ’)
- अश्वः
- a horsea horse; swift carrier (image for rapid conveyance of oblation)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उपमान/उपमेय-सम्बन्धे उपमा)Root अश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like; asIndeclinableउपमा-निपात (तुल्यार्थे)Root न
- देववाहनः
- the gods’ carrier; god-bearing (steed)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उपमान-पद)Root देव-वाहन (प्रातिपदिक; समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-प्रायः ‘देवान् वहति’)
- तम्
- him; that onehim; that Agni (as the present ritual agent)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हविष्मन्तः
- those possessing oblation; oblation-bearerspossessing oblation; furnished with havis (ritualists whose offering empowers the charm)Adjective (substantive use)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot हविष्मन्त् (प्रातिपदिक; मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त ‘हविः अस्य अस्ति’)
- ईलते
- they praise; they invokethey praise/invoke; they entreat (liturgical calling that compels presence)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRoot ईळ्/ईल् (धातु: ईळ् ‘स्तुतौ/आह्वाने’)
Sandhi Notes
- वृषः अग्निः समिध्यते अश्वः न देववाहनः । तम् हविष्मन्तः ईलते ।
- 1) समिध्यतेऽश्वः = समिध्यते + अश्वः (अ + अ → ’/अवग्रह).
- 2) अन्यत्र विशेष-सन्धि-परिवर्तनं न
- ‘हविष्मन्तः ईलते’ इत्यत्र विसर्गः पदान्ते स्थितः, परं संहितायां परिवर्तनं न दर्शितम्।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Ṛgvedic provenance (Agni hymn material reused in AV 20; traditional attribution varies by RV source-hymn)
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (style; AV 20 often preserves RV meters)
- Rasa
- Adbhuta and Shanta
Sāyaṇa glosses vṛṣaḥ as ‘balavān/retasvān’—Agni’s generative might that makes the rite fruitful; devavāhanaḥ is explained as the fire that ‘brings the gods’ by carrying havis to them and drawing them to the barhis. havismantaḥ are the yajamāna and priests equipped with proper offerings; īḷate is stuti plus āhvāna, not mere praise but efficacious summons.
RV Agni hymn material reused in AVŚ 20.
Agni-kindling and invitation of deities via the fire as messenger.
Agni is the Atharvanic and śrauta pivot: the household and cosmic mediator; this verse is a compact ignition-theology.
Agni
Mouth of the gods; conveys offerings; purifies and transforms substances and intentions into divine-accessible form.
Supports digestion/metabolism (agni as inner fire); purifies and ‘burns’ impurities (āmā) in symbolic-ritual terms.
Guards the house/altar; wards off darkness and hostile forces through light and heat.
4×8 syllables (approx.), typical of many AV/RV anuṣṭubh verses; compact and mantra-like.
AV recitation may smooth some RV sandhi; anuṣṭubh remains stable and suitable for domestic use.
Even, steady ignition rhythm; easy to repeat while lighting fire.
Synchronizes with physical kindling; stabilizes attention and breath.
Prepare the domestic fire-place; lay down kindling (samidh) and arrange offering materials (havis).
While kindling/blowing up the fire, recite the mantra to ‘make Agni bull-like’ (i.e., strong and efficacious).
Offer a small āhuti of ghee (or the prescribed havis) as the invocation is completed.
Continue with subsequent Agni-invocations to seat Agni as hotṛ-like presence for the sequence.
Kauśika: general agnyupasthāna/agnikarman usage (AV 20 is largely Ṛgvedic; employed as yājyā/anuyājyā-type invocations in domestic performance).
Atharvan/Brahman supervises correctness and apotropaic safety; the adhvaryu-like performer kindles and offers; the reciter voices the mantra at ignition.
Recite while lighting the household lamp or a small fire (aupāsana); offer a few drops of ghee as havis substitute.
Dawn or dusk; especially dusk for protection of the home.
Householder can perform; priest optional for larger śrauta-style setting.
General gṛhya agnihotra/aupāsana milieu (specific sūtra not cited from excerpt).
Lamp-lighting with a short ghee offering and mindful recitation.
Agni (fire); havis (oblation: ghee/grain); samidh (kindling-fuel, implied)
Agni explicitly; kindling implied (samidh).
Fire is the transforming mouth; havis is invested nourishment; together they create a protected channel of exchange between home and cosmos.
General debility/coldness/low digestive fire (symbolic); not a disease-specific AV bhaiṣajya charm in context, but usable as agni-strengthening support.
Invokes agni-tejas to ‘kindle’ inner metabolism and clarity; ritual fire mirrors bodily agni.
Jatharāgni support; tejas/ojas balance through disciplined feeding (havis as nourishment).
Ritualized breath + warmth cueing for stress regulation; supporting routines that improve appetite/sleep hygiene via evening lamp/fire practice.
Agni as ritual agent
To kindle Agni effectively as divine carrier, ensuring gods’ attendance and successful oblation; secondarily to establish household protection through fire.
Ignition charm: word + act (lighting) + substance (fuel/oblation) form a single operative complex.
Ritual obstruction, inauspiciousness, household vulnerability (darkness, fear)
Ritual success, auspicious presence, domestic stability
- वृषः (vṛṣaḥ)
- fertile power; unstoppable energy; virility of transformation
- अग्निः (agniḥ)
- metabolic/ritual fire; transformative intelligence
- समिध्यते (samidhyate)
- activation through disciplined feeding; awakening of capacity
- अश्वः (aśvaḥ)
- vehicle, speed, conveyance of offerings/prayers
- देववाहनः (devavāhanaḥ)
- bridge principle: what connects finite to divine
- हविष्मन्तः (haviṣmantaḥ)
- those who invest; who nourish the process
- ईलते (īlate)
- speech as ignition and guidance of energy
Kindling inner agni: steady transformative attention.
Manipura (digestive fire/tejas) (interpretive)
Even inhalation while lighting; exhale on īlate with soft voiced resonance.
Imagine a steady flame in the navel region, bright but contained, carrying intentions upward as smoke-light.
Warm, clear, attentive.
Recite 8 or 16 times at dusk with a lamp; keep gaze steady on flame for 1–3 minutes afterward.
Anuṣṭubh recitation with steady beat; if accent-trained, maintain RV/AV udātta placements (not fully markable here).
Give weight to vṛṣo agniḥ and devavāhanaḥ; let īlate fall as a soft invocation.
Warm, resonant, like speaking toward a flame.
Highly compatible with domestic aupāsana/lamp practice; mantra works best synchronized with the physical act of kindling.
16 times
Starting daily rituals; restoring discipline; creating a protected, focused home atmosphere.
At lamp-lighting, before cooking, before prayer/meditation.
Sense of warmth and clarity; improved routine adherence; protective ambience.
Fire safety; if using ghee/camphor, ensure ventilation.
No explicit herb appears; the operative ‘substance’ is Agni plus havis and samidh. The mantra sacralizes combustion as a technology of transfer: fuel becomes the medium by which speech and offering are converted into divine conveyance (devavāhana).
Agency is distributed: ‘havismantaḥ’ implies those with resources and ritual entitlement. The verse presumes a household/sacrificial economy able to furnish havis and maintain fire—markers of status and orthopraxy.
The diction is strongly Ṛgvedic (īḷate, devavāhana, vṛṣa- epithet). AV 20 is a late anthology of RV material; archaism is preserved rather than innovated here.
Gopatha repeatedly frames Agni as ‘mouth of the gods’ and the indispensable carrier of offerings; efficacy lies in correct kindling, correct oblation, and correct speech. This mantra functions as a performative ignition-formula ensuring Agni’s capacity to convey and to summon.
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