Rig Veda 1.36.10: Mandala 1, Sukta 36, Mantra 10
Sukta 1.36
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
यं त्वा देवासो मनवे दधुरिह यजिष्ठं हव्यवाहन । यं कण्वो मेध्यातिथिर्धनस्पृतं यं वृषा यमुपस्तुतः ॥
yám tvā́ devā́so mánave dadhúr ihá yájiṣṭhaṃ havyavāhana | yáṃ kaṇvó medhyā́tithir dhanaspŕ̥taṃ yáṃ vŕ̥ṣā yám upastutáḥ ||
अग्नि, तू वो आग है जो भगवान लोगों ने मनु के लिए यहाँ बिठाई। यह आग यज्ञ में सबसे ताकतवर है। रिशि कण्व ने इस्से धन जीतने के लिए आगे लगाया। मज़बूत लोग इसकी तारीफ करते हैं। यह आग हमारे काम में हमें सही रास्ता दिखाये।
Word by Word
- यम्
- whomPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वा
- youPronounद्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- देवासः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- मनवे
- for ManuNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role सम्प्रदानRoot मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
- दधुः
- they have placed / establishedVerbलिट् (परस्मैपदम्), प्रथम-पुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Root धा (धातु)
- इह
- hereIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role अधिकरणRoot इह (अव्यय)
- यजिष्ठम्
- most worshipful / best at sacrificeAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (विशेषणम्)Root यजिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; यज्-धातोः श्रेष्ठार्थक-तमप्)
- हव्यवाहन
- O oblation-carrier (Agni)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन-एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot हव्य-वाहन (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
- यम्
- whomPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- कण्वः
- KaṇvaProper Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot कण्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- मेध्यातिथिः
- MedhyātithiProper Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot मेध्यातिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
- धनस्पृतम्
- winning/attaining wealthAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (विशेषणम्)Root धन- स्पृत (समास-प्रातिपदिक; स्पृत < √स्पृ/स्पृश् ‘to touch/attain’)
- यम्
- whomPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वृषा
- the Bull (the strong one)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot वृषन्/वृष (प्रातिपदिक)
- यम्
- whomPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- उपस्तुतः
- praised / laudedParticipleपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root उप-√स्तु (धातु) → उपस्तुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (Vedic sandhi resolved): यम् | त्वा | देवासः | मनवे | दधुः | इह | यजिष्ठम् | हव्यवाहन | यम् | कण्वः | मेध्यातिथिः | धनस्पृतम् | यम् | वृषा | यम् | उपस्तुतः । मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) दधुरिह = दधुः + इह (विसर्ग-लोपः, उकारान्तस्य संयोगः) । (2) मेध्यातिथिर्धनस्पृतम् = मेध्यातिथिः + धनस्पृतम् (विसर्गस्य रुत्व/लोपः, ध-आदौ परे संहिता-रूपम्) । स्वर-चिह्नाः (उदात्त/स्वरित) पाठे दृश्यन्ते (त्वा॑, दे॒वासो॒, मन॑वे, द॒धुरि॒ह, यजि॑ष्ठम्, कण्वो॒, मेध्या॑तिथिः, वृषा॒, यमु॑पस्तु॒तः), परन्तु पद-रूपे विश्लेषणं विभक्त्यादि-आधारेण कृतम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The gods established Agni here for Manu as the most effective in sacrifice, the carrier of offerings. Kaṇva Medhyātithi sets him forth as the winner of riches; the strong one praises him.
Inner meaning
Agni is the awakened divine Will placed in the human being (Manu = the mental-human) as the foremost power of inner yajña. The seer “sets Agni in front” by conscious aspiration, making will the leader of life. When the will is praised and upheld, it becomes the force that wins the ‘riches of being’—clarity, power, wideness, and right enjoyment—by carrying our offerings (intentions, works, emotions) upward to the higher consciousness.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress begins when an illumined will is enthroned as leader of works; sustained affirmation by the soul and mind makes this will a victorious power that converts life into a conscious offering and draws down higher riches.
Themes
Agni-establishment, inner sacrifice (yajña as psychological discipline), lineage-memory (Kaṇva/Manu as archetypes), invocation and praise
The seer
- Rishi
- Kaṇva (Kaṇva lineage), with Medhyātithi Kaṇva prominently invoked
- Lineage
- Kaṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 1.36 (Medhyātithi Kaṇva), RV 1.13 (Kaṇva hymns to Agni), RV 1.14 (Kaṇva hymns to Agni)
Family tradition
Kaṇvas are strongly Agni-centered seers, emphasizing the kindling of the inner fire and the right ordering of sacrifice (yajña) as a psychological discipline.
Significance
The Kaṇva vision presents Agni as the first necessity of sadhana: a will made luminous and obedient to Ṛta, capable of leading the ascent and opening the way to the gods.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Havyavāhana (oblation-bearer), Yajiṣṭha (most effective in sacrifice), Ketumat (sign-bearing, luminous) implicit in the hymn’s movement
- Related deities
- Savitṛ (as uplifting power, compared later), Indra (illumined mind responding to Agni’s kindling), Soma (bliss that crowns the sacrifice)
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine realms; establishes the sacrificial bridge, carries offerings, and brings back the powers of light and order.
Inner power
Aspiring flame in the heart and mind that purifies motives, organizes energies, and turns all action into conscious offering aligned with Ṛta.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnyādhāna/Agnihotra-oriented Agni praise; general havis-offering invocations
यं त्वा॑ दे॒वासो॒ मन॑वे द॒धुरि॒ह यजि॑ष्ठं हव्यवाहन । यं कण्वो॒ मेध्या॑तिथिर्धन॒स्पृतं॒ यं वृषा॒ यमु॑पस्तु॒तः ॥
यम् । त्वा॒ । दे॒वासः॑ । मन॑वे । द॒धुः । इ॒ह । यजि॑ष्ठम् । ह॒व्य॒ऽवा॒ह॒न॒ । यम् । कण्वः॑ । मेध्य॑ऽअतिथिः । ध॒न॒ऽस्पृत॑म् । यम् । वृषा॑ । यम् । उ॒प॒ऽस्तु॒तः ॥
yam | tvā | devāsaḥ | manave | dadhuḥ | iha | yajiṣṭham | havya-vāhana | yam | kaṇvaḥ | medhya-atithiḥ | dhana-spṛtam | yam | vṛṣā | yam | upa-stutaḥ
48
4 pādas × 12 syllables (Jagatī movement)
Expansive, forward-driving cadence suited to proclamation and establishing a leader-power.
Builds a sense of ascent and confident invocation; supports steady inner ignition and resolve.
- अग्नि (agni)
- Literal: fire. Symbolic: divine Will and conscious force of transformation leading the inner sacrifice
- हव्यवाहन (havyavāhana)
- Literal: carrier of the oblation. Symbolic: power that lifts our aspiration, thoughts, and works to the gods (higher powers) and brings their response
- मनु (manu)
- Literal: Manu, progenitor; man. Symbolic: the mental-human being, the organizer of life by thought and law
- यजिष्ठ (yajiṣṭha)
- Literal: most sacrificing / most effective in sacrifice. Symbolic: the will most capable of right offering and right action
- धनस्पृत (dhanaspṛt)
- Literal: winner of riches. Symbolic: bringer of inner wealth—light, force, joy, and fulfilled being
- वृषा (vṛṣā)
- Literal: bull, strong one. Symbolic: the puissant energizing force (often the heroic power in the seeker) that supports the flame
- उपस्तुत (upastuta)
- Literal: praised, hymned. Symbolic: strengthened by conscious affirmation/mantric recognition
Agni-invocation in daily Agnihotra / general prayāja context; suitable for kindling and establishing the sacred fire as carrier of offerings in soma and non-soma rites
At the establishing and kindling of sacred fire; also as an opening praise when beginning offerings.
Invoking Agni as the foremost priest and carrier; setting the fire ‘in front’ as leader of the rite.
Begin meditation or work with a short ‘inner offering’: name the intention, kindle will, and dedicate action to truth and growth.
Key terms: (1) : perfect/preterite of √dhā ‘to place, establish’; indicates deliberate installation of Agni as a stable principle in man. (2) : superlative formation from yaj- (√yaj ‘to worship, sacrifice’); not merely ritual skill but maximal efficacy of offering—capacity to align action with ṛta. (3) : tatpuruṣa compound havya ‘oblation to be offered’ + vāhana ‘carrier’ (√vah ‘to carry’); psychologically, the power that conveys aspiration and transforms it into luminous force. (4) : compound dhana ‘wealth, possession’ + spṛt (from √spṛ/√spardh/√spṛh semantic field of striving/winning/desiring); interpreted as ‘winner of plenitude’, i.e., Agni as the force that secures inner abundance (rāyas) through right action.
Ṛta (right order implicit in ‘yajiṣṭha’ efficacy), medhā (intelligence/illumined receptivity, via Medhyātithi), rayi/dhana as fullness of being
Agni is the executor of Ṛta in human life, making works conform to the divine order.
The ‘riches of being’ are satya-forms—true light, true force, true joy—released when the will is purified.
The gods ‘establish’ Agni in Manu: the descent of divine force into human nature enabling evolution.
Proto-Vedāntic and integral-yogic reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap): gods as powers of consciousness; yajña as inner discipline.
Fire = will and aspiration; smoke = upward movement of consciousness; fuel = life-energies offered for transformation.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the ‘installation of Agni by the Gods for Manu’: the divine powers establish the Flame in the human (Manu) as the indispensable mediator. Mythically, Agni is the appointed messenger; psychologically, the awakened will and aspiration is founded in the mortal to connect earth-consciousness with the luminous powers.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vah in vāhana ‘carrier’ aligns with PIE *weǵh- ‘to convey/transport’ (cf. English ‘weigh’ in older sense of carrying, and Slavic *vezti ‘to carry’). √dhā ‘to place’ reflects PIE *dʰeh₁- ‘to put, set’ (cf. Greek títhēmi, Latin faciō via related developments, English ‘do’ in distant relation). The verse’s relative-correlative framing (yaṃ… yaṃ… yaṃ…) is an inherited Indo-European poetic device for anaphoric elevation and rhythmic emphasis.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi situates himself in a tradition of reciprocal founding: the Gods establish Agni for Manu, and the seers (Kaṇva, Medhyātithi) ‘set’ and ‘praise’ that same power. The exchange is not transactional but formative: human aspiration offers (havya) and praise (upa-stuti), while Agni returns dhana/rayi—interpreted as inner plenitude, effective force for the work, and a stable channel to the gods.
Enthrone the divine Will as ‘purohita’ of your day; offer thoughts and actions into the inner flame.
anahata (heart)
gentle ujjayi or slow nasal breathing; on inhale ‘kindle’, on exhale ‘offer’.
Collected, aspiring, courageous (will-led concentration).
Before action, pause: (1) invoke Agni (will for truth), (2) offer the work, (3) ask for right impulsion, (4) proceed with steady ardor, not haste.
Vedic svaras as in Śākala tradition: udatta on marked syllables, anudatta as baseline, svarita on following glide; follow the pada text accents for ‘tvā́’, ‘devā́so’, ‘yajíṣṭham’, etc.
Keep the udatta crisp and slightly elevated; let svarita fall naturally without over-singing; maintain continuity across compounds like havyavāhana.
havyavāhana: split ha-vya-vā-ha-na (clear ‘vy’ cluster), kaṇvo: retroflex ṇ (tongue curled), medhyātithi: ‘dhya’ as a single cluster; short i in -tithi, vṛṣā: vocalic ṛ (as ‘ri’ with minimal vowel)
Steady, bright, forward-placing tone; end each pāda with gentle release, not abrupt stop.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
