Rig Veda 1.65.10: Mandala 1, Sukta 65, Mantra 10
Sukta 1.65
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
सोमो न वेधा ऋतप्रजातः पशुर्न शिश्वा विभुर्दूरेभाः ॥
sómo ná vedhā́ ṛtá-prajātaḥ | paśúr ná śíśvā vibhúr dūrébhāḥ ||
अग्नि सोम जैसा है, जो सब जानता है और बनाता है। वो सच से पैदा हुआ है। वो छोटा जानवर जैसा है, पर बहुत दूर तक चमकता है। वो सचाई की ताकत है।
Word by Word
- सोमः
- Soma (the deity/pressed juice)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक) < √सु (सवने/प्रसवने) / सोम- (देव/रस)
- न
- like; as (comparative particle)Indeclinableनिषेध/उपमा-प्रयोगे निपातःRoot न (निपात)
- वेधाः
- the wise one; ordainer; seerNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उपमान-रूपेण) / विशेषण-सम्बन्धःRoot वेधस्/वेधा (प्रातिपदिक) < √विध्/√वेध् (वेधने/विधान-ज्ञानयोः)
- ऋतप्रजातः
- born of ṛta (cosmic order); rightly bornAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (सोमः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणम्Root ऋत- + प्रजात (कृदन्त) < √जन् (प्रादुर्भावे) + प्र-
- पशुः
- a beast; cattleNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उपमान-रूपेण)Root पशु (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like; asIndeclinableउपमा-प्रयोगे निपातःRoot न (निपात)
- शिश्वा
- young; vigorous (as a young animal)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (पशुः इति उपमानस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणम् (उपमानस्य)Root शिश्व (प्रातिपदिक) < √शिश्/√शिश्व् (वृद्धौ/प्रबलतायाम्; वैदिक-विशेषण)
- विभुः
- mighty; all-pervadingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (सोमः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणम्Root विभु (प्रातिपदिक) < वि- + √भू (भवने) / ‘all-pervading, mighty’
- दूरेभाः
- far-striding/long-reaching (lit. ‘having an elephant from afar’; an epithet of great power)Noun (compound) / Adjective (bahuvrīhi-like epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (वैदिकः रूपविशेषः; ‘दूरे-इभः’ इति समासः)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणम्Root दूर- + इभ (प्रातिपदिक) ‘elephant’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सोमः | न | वेधाः | ऋत-प्रजातः | पशुः | न | शिश्वा | विभुः | दूरेभाः । (१) ‘सोमो॒’ = ‘सोमः’ (विसर्ग-लोपः पदान्ते छन्दसि)
- (२) ‘ऋ॒तप्र॑जातः’ समास/कृदन्तः: ऋत + प्रजात (प्र-√जन्, क्त)
- (३) ‘दू॒रेभा॑:’ = ‘दूरेभाः’ (विसर्गः; पदान्ते)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni is compared to Soma: a knower/fashioner born of r̥ta; like a young creature he is wide in being and shines from far away.
Inner meaning
Agni carries a Soma-like character: not only force but also a luminous knowing delight. As vedhā (fashioner/knower), he shapes our inner life according to r̥ta (truth-order), being ṛta-prajāta—born from and expressing that order. Like a young creature (śiśvā paśuḥ), he is fresh, growing, and instinct with life, yet vibhū (all-pervading, vast) and dūrebhāḥ (shining from afar): the inner Fire’s influence reaches distant parts of the being—remote subconscient corners and far horizons of mind.
Universal truth
The transforming will is most effective when it is simultaneously truth-born intelligence and delight-bearing power—fresh, growing, vast, and far-reaching in influence.
Themes
truth-born fire, Agni-Soma complementarity, far-reaching illumination, expansive consciousness
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhārgava (traditional)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 1.66.1, Rig Veda 1.67.5 (Agni as wide/shining—general within the cycle)
Family tradition
A contemplative Agni-cycle that repeatedly links Agni with Soma, r̥ta, and awakening—integrating will, delight, and truth.
Significance
Gṛtsamada’s vision here balances tapas (Agni) with ānanda (Soma-like), presenting an integral path: truth-born will that is also delight-bearing.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Ṛtaprajāta (truth-born), Vedhā (fashioner), Vibhu (vast), Dūrebhā (far-shining)
- Related deities
- Soma, Indra, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Architect of r̥ta in manifestation; spreads light across worlds and distances.
Inner power
Truth-guided formative intelligence; expansive will that renews vitality and carries a Soma-like delight.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni-Soma thematic praise within soma-sacrifice contexts; also general Agni-stuti
सोमो॒ न वे॒धा ऋ॒तप्र॑जातः प॒शुर्न शिश्वा॑ वि॒भुर्दू॒रेभा॑: ॥
सोमः॑ । न । वे॒धाः । ऋ॒तऽप्र॑जातः । प॒शुः । न । शिश्वा॑ । वि॒ऽभुः । दू॒रेऽभाः॑ ॥
somaḥ | na | vedhāḥ | ṛta-prajātaḥ | paśuḥ | na | śiśvā | vi-bhuḥ | dūre--bhāḥ
44
4 × ~11
Balanced and expansive; comparisons (na…na…) create measured breadth.
Generates spacious confidence and a sense of far-reaching clarity.
- सोमः न (somo na)
- Literal: like Soma. Symbolic: Agni as bearer of delight/immortal essence; blissful consciousness supporting transformation
- वेधाः (vedhāḥ)
- Literal: fashioner, disposer, knower. Symbolic: intelligent will that organizes and builds the inner life
- ऋतप्रजातः (ṛta-prajātaḥ)
- Literal: born of r̥ta. Symbolic: arising from truth-order; action rooted in inner law, not impulse
- पशुः (paśuḥ)
- Literal: creature. Symbolic: living energy/prāṇa in its pure, unperverted vitality
- शिश्वा (śiśvā)
- Literal: young, infantile. Symbolic: ever-renewed freshness of spiritual force
- विभुः (vibhuḥ)
- Literal: vast, all-pervading. Symbolic: expansive consciousness-force not limited to one part of nature
- दूरेभाः (dūrebhāḥ)
- Literal: shining from far distances. Symbolic: illumination reaching remote layers; guidance visible even from afar
Agni praised as r̥ta-born ordainer; suitable in Soma contexts where Agni and Soma cooperate (Agni as priestly power, Soma as delight/illumination).
When emphasizing r̥ta and the formative intelligence of Agni, especially in soma settings
Offerings with intention for truth-guided formation; linking heat and nectar (effort and delight)
Use when seeking disciplined growth without dryness: invoke truth-born will that is also joyful and renewing.
(vedhā) from √/√ semantic complex: ‘to know/arrange/ordain’ (Vedic vedhā = wise disposer). (ṛta) from √ (ṛ) ‘to fit, move rightly’ → cosmic order/truth in movement. (prajāta) from √ (jan) ‘be born’ with pra- ‘forth’. (vibhu) from vi- + √ (bhū) ‘be widely/become expansive’. (dūrebhā) ‘far-shining’ (dūra ‘far’ + bhā ‘light’ from √ (bhā) ‘shine’).
R̥ta-prajāta (truth-born manifestation), all-pervading consciousness-force (vibhu), delight (Soma) allied with will (Agni)
Explicit: Agni is ṛta-prajāta—his action is legitimate, lawful, and harmonizing.
Truth manifests as formative knowledge (vedhā) that builds stable being.
Cosmic artisanry: truth-order gives birth to the fire that shapes life into wideness.
Integral Vedic psychology (Aurobindo): Agni-Soma synthesis as will-delight unity
Soma = bliss/nectar of consciousness; young creature = fresh prāṇic life; far-shining = illumination reaching distant inner layers.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as ‘ṛta-born ordainer’ with Soma-like wisdom: the mythic statement is that the fire is not random but born of r̥ta, carrying far-seeing light. Inwardly, authentic aspiration (Agni) arises from truth-order and therefore expands widely and illumines from afar—guiding the being even before direct realization.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √ ‘shine’ (bhā) and √ ‘be/become’ (bhū) are core IE roots (PIE *bʰeh₂- ‘shine’, *bʰuH- ‘become’). The compound dūre-bhāḥ ‘far-shining’ is a typical archaic poetic formation: spatial distance + radiance → metaphor for far-reaching cognition.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi invokes confidence in Agni’s guidance by grounding him in r̥ta: when the seeker kindles this power, it is not merely emotional heat but a truth-born intelligence (vedhā) that expands (vibhu) and leads by its far light (dūrebhāḥ).
Feel a truth-born flame in the navel/heart that is simultaneously warm effort and subtle sweetness (Soma-like).
maṇipūra (formation) with sahasrāra/ājñā support (far-shining wideness)
inhale: receive ‘soma’ cool clarity at the crown; exhale: let agni shape it into steady will in the core
Wide, luminous, quietly joyful discipline.
When effort becomes harsh, recall somo na; when delight becomes passive, recall vedhā ṛta-prajātaḥ—delight must be truth-ordered and formative.
Recite with saṃhitā accents; keep ṛta-prajātaḥ articulated clearly as a key semantic crest (confirm in svara edition).
Maintain clarity on retroflex ṛ and ṣ/ś; avoid rushing compounds (ṛtaprajātaḥ, dūrebhāḥ).
somo: long o, vedhā: dh aspirated; long ā, ṛta: vocalic ṛ distinct, śiśvā: both ś sounds clear; long ā, vibhuḥ: bh aspirated; final ḥ light, dūrebhāḥ: long ū and ā; separate bhāḥ cleanly
open-throated, spacious resonance
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