Rig Veda 1.13.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 13, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.13
- Rishi
- Medhātithi Kāṇva
- Devata
- Tanūnapāt
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Shanta (peace)
मधुमन्तं तनूनपाद्यज्ञं देवेषु नः कवे । अद्या कृणुहि वीतये ॥
mádhumantaṃ tanūnapād yajñáṃ devéṣu naḥ kave | adyā́ kṛṇuhi vītáye ||
अग्नि, तुम्हारा एक नाम तनुनपत भी है। तुम हमारे यज्ञ को देवियों के पास मीठा बना दो। आज ही कर दो ताकि वो खुश आएँ और इसे एंजॉय करें।
Word by Word
- मधुमन्तम्
- honey-sweet, pleasantAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्म (यज्ञम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root मधुमन्त् (प्रातिपदिक; मधु + मन्त्)
- तनूनपात्
- Tanūnapāt (a divine epithet, often of Agni)Noun (proper/epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदान (देवेषु नः कवे—आह्वेय देवः)Root तनूनपात् (प्रातिपदिक; तन् + नपात् ‘पुत्र’)
- यज्ञम्
- sacrifice, ritualNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्म (कृणुहि इत्यस्य)Root यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक; √यज्)
- देवेषु
- among the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole अधिकरण (स्थित्यर्थे: ‘among the gods’)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- our / of usPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (कवे इत्यस्य: ‘our’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- कवे
- O sage/poet (seer)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (आह्वान)Root कवि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अद्य
- today, nowIndeclinableकालवाचक अव्ययRole अधिकरण (कालाधिकरण)Root अद्य (अव्यय)
- कृणुहि
- make, performVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्Role क्रियाRoot √कृ (करणे) — वैदिक रूप: कृणुहि
- वीतये
- for the enjoyment/feast (ritual reception)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदान (उद्देश्य: ‘for the feast/reception’)Root वीति (प्रातिपदिक; √वी/वय् ‘to pursue/enjoy’ → ‘enjoyment/feast, reception’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: मधुमन्तम् | तनूनपात् | यज्ञम् | देवेषु | नः | कवे | अद्य | कृणुहि | वीतये । 1) तनूनपाद् + यज्ञम् → तनूनपाद्यज्ञम् (द् + य → द्य)
- 2) देवेषु + नः → देवेषु नः (सन्धि नहीं; पदान्त-प्रगृह्य/विराम)
- 3) अद्या + कृणुहि → अद्य कृणुहि (पदविभाग; संहिता-पाठ में दीर्घ ‘आ’ पदसन्धि-प्रभाव/प्रगृह्य-प्रयोग से)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Tanūnapāt, make our sacrifice honey-rich among the gods, O seer; today fashion it for their enjoyment/coming (vīti).
Inner meaning
Tanūnapāt—Agni as the ‘child of the body’ or the embodied flame—represents the immanent divine warmth in the physical-vital being. The prayer is that this inner sacrifice become madhumantam: suffused with sweetness (Soma-like delight), not dry effort. When the embodied fire becomes a kavi (seer-power), it can shape the whole offering so the higher powers gladly arrive and participate (vīti), meaning the descent is welcomed because the nature has become sweet, harmonious, and fit.
Universal truth
Transformation is lasting when the embodied nature consents joyfully: spiritual practice must ripen into sweetness and glad receptivity, not remain a strained discipline.
Themes
Tanūnapāt, Honey-doctrine (madhu), Divine participation, Inner embodiment
The seer
- Rishi
- Medhātithi Kāṇva
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 1.13.1-3 (sequence of sacrificial powers)
Family tradition
Kāṇvas map subtle functions of Agni—here Tanūnapāt—showing how the embodied fire becomes a seer and sweetens the sacrifice.
Significance
This verse marks a key yogic pivot: from mere kindling and calling to making the whole nature ‘honey-rich’—an Aurobindonian sign of Ananda entering the sādhanā.
The deity
- Devata
- Tanūnapāt (form of Agni)
- Epithets
- Madhumant (honeyed), Kavi (seer)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Aśvins (healers of the embodied being)
Cosmic role
Immanent fire hidden in forms; the conserving-transforming warmth that prepares manifestation for the gods.
Inner power
Embodied psychic heat that ripens the nature into sweetness, consent, and receptive delight.
In ritual
Where it is used
Invocation of Tanūnapāt in sacrificial sequences (as a specific function of Agni)
मधु॑मन्तं तनूनपाद्य॒ज्ञं दे॒वेषु॑ नः कवे । अ॒द्या कृ॑णुहि वी॒तये॑ ॥
मधु॑ऽमन्तम् । त॒नू॒ऽन॒पा॒त् । य॒ज्ञम् । दे॒वेषु॑ । नः॒ । क॒वे॒ । अ॒द्य । कृ॒णु॒हि॒ । वी॒तये॑ ॥
madhu-mantam | tanū-napāt | yajñam | deveṣu | naḥ | kave | adya | kṛṇuhi | vītaye
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3×8
Softly flowing; ‘madhumantaṃ’ gives a mellow opening contrasted with the decisive ‘adyā’.
Encourages sweetness and ease; reduces strain and invites glad receptivity.
- मधुमन्तम् (madhumantam)
- Literal: honeyed, sweet. Symbolic: delight (ānanda) that makes practice natural and sustainable
- तनूनपात् (tanūnapāt)
- Literal: offspring of the body. Symbolic: immanent divine fire in the embodied nature; psychic warmth within the physical
- यज्ञम् (yajñam)
- Literal: sacrifice. Symbolic: consecrated life-process; offering of energies to the higher consciousness
- देवेषु (deveṣu)
- Literal: among the gods. Symbolic: in the field of higher faculties; made acceptable to divine consciousness
- कवे (kave)
- Literal: O seer/poet. Symbolic: Agni as inspired discernment within the body
- अद्य (adya)
- Literal: today, now. Symbolic: immediacy of realization; the yoga is for the present moment
- वीतये (vītaye)
- Literal: for enjoyment/coming/feasting. Symbolic: glad descent and participation of divine powers; receptive interchange
Invocation of Tanūnapāt in the opening litany: asks the subtle Agni to make the yajña 'madhu'—pleasant and acceptable—so the gods partake.
During preparatory/introductory invocations that establish the sacrifice’s acceptability and pleasantness to the gods.
Recited to ‘prepare’ the yajña—make offerings pleasing and the session harmonious.
For practitioners who feel dryness or fatigue: chant to invite sweetness and embodied consent in practice (especially before japa/meditation).
madhu 'honey/sweetness' (PIE *médʰu, cf. English 'mead'); kṛṇuhi from √kṛ 'to make' (PIE *kwer-/*ker- 'to do/make' debated). tanū 'body' + napāt 'offspring' (cf. Avestan napāt 'grandson/descendant'; PIE *nepōt- 'nephew/descendant', Latin nepōs). vīti from √vī/√vīy 'to go/approach' in ritual sense 'coming to partake'—a technical term for divine attendance/enjoyment.
Ānanda (madhu as sweetness of realization), Embodiment of divine fire (tanū as vessel), Rita (proper formation of yajña)
A sweetened sacrifice moves in right rhythm—effort aligned with natural law rather than compulsion.
Truth becomes livable when embodied nature participates with gladness.
The divine hidden in matter (tanū) emerges as conscious fire, preparing matter for higher descent.
Integral yoga theme: descent of Ananda into the physical; immanent Divine in the body.
morning (honeyed freshness) or any ‘beginning’ moment
spring (suggested by sweetness/flower-honey, though not explicit)
Honey = delight; ember-in-body = immanent psychic fire; vīti = welcoming descent.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The subtle Fire 'born of the body' is asked to sweeten and perfect the sacrifice so the gods can partake—mythically, the divine presence is generated within embodiment and then offered upward as delight.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu is a clear PIE inheritance (*médʰu). napāt corresponds to PIE *nepōt- (Latin nepōs). The compound tanū-napāt preserves an archaic kinship metaphor for emanation/descendance used across IE traditions.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi entrusts the shaping (kṛṇuhi) of the sacrifice to the devatā-as-function: Tanūnapāt is the inner craftsman of the rite, converting effort into sweetness (madhu) that invites divine communion (vīti).
Invite embodied sweetness and consent; let practice be suffused with quiet delight.
svadhisthana (sweet flow) and anahata (warmth of consent)
soft, unforced breathing; on inhale feel a warm ember in the lower belly; on exhale let a ‘honeyed’ calm spread through the body.
receptive, tender, quietly joyful.
Chant 18 times slowly; then scan the body and offer each tension into the inner ember; end by calling one divine quality to ‘come and enjoy’—i.e., to settle naturally into the body.
Gāyatrī accents; keep ‘madhumantaṃ’ smooth and rounded; ‘adyā’ slightly marked as the ‘now’ point.
Let the first pāda be mellow; give a clear call on ‘tanūnapāt’; land firmly on ‘vītaye’.
madhumantam: dh (aspirated), tanūnapāt: long ū and long ā; retroflex ṇ, yajñam: ‘jñ’ cluster (yaj-nyam, not ‘yagyam’), kave: clear e, vītaye: long ī; dental t
warm, rounded, soothing.
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