Rig Veda 1.75.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 75, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.75
- Rishi
- Gotama Rāhūgaṇa
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अथा ते अङ्गिरस्तमाग्ने वेधस्तम प्रियम् । वोचेम ब्रह्म सानसि ॥
áthā te aṅgiras-tamá agne vedhas-tama priyám | vocéma bráhma sānási ||
अग्निजी, तुम अंगिरस रिशियों में बड़े हो, और तुम्हारी बुद्धि से सब काम बनता है। हम तुम्हारे लिए वो बात बोलना चाहते हैं जो बहुत प्यारी है। यह बात ब्रह्मन की है, ताकि हमें सक्सेस मिले।
Word by Word
- अथा
- then, thereafterIndeclinableसमुच्चय/अनन्तरार्थक अव्ययRoot अथ
- ते
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी एकवचन (enclitic) / ‘thy’Role सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root त्वद् (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
- अङ्गिरस्तम
- O most Angiras-like (best of the Aṅgiras)Adjective (superlative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन (vocative sg.)Role सम्बोधनRoot अङ्गिरस् + तमप्
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि
- वेधस्तम
- O most wise / most skilfulAdjective (superlative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वेधस् (√विद्/√वेध् ‘to know/seek’) + तमप्
- प्रियम्
- the dear (thing), the beloved (praise)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot प्रिय
- वोचेम
- may we speak, let us utterVerbविधिलिङ् (optative), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole कर्तृ (speaker ‘we’)Root √वच् (वच्)
- ब्रह्म
- a sacred formulation, hymn/prayerNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot ब्रह्मन्
- सानसि
- in the winning (of wealth), in the gainingNoun (locative of action/occasion) / Adjectival nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (Vedic locative)Role अधिकरणRoot सानसि (from √सन् ‘to gain, win’; ‘winning, gaining’)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: अथा॑ → अथा
- ते (enclitic gen. sg.)
- अङ्गिरस्त॒माग्ने॑ → अङ्गिरस्तम + अग्ने (a + a → ā)
- वेधस्तम प्रि॒यम् kept separate
- वो॒चेम॒ → वोचेम
- ब्रह्म॑ सान॒सि → ब्रह्म + सानसि. Accent marks in the Saṃhitā text are noted but not required for morphological segmentation
The meaning
Outer meaning
The seer says: now we would speak for you, Agni—most Angiras, most skillful—what is dear: the brahman (sacred utterance), so that we may win attainment.
Inner meaning
The soul turns to the inner Fire (Agni), the Angiras-power that brings hidden light to the surface, and offers the true word (brahman) as a conscious formation of will and thought. The “dear” is the truth that Agni loves—clarity, sincerity, right orientation—by which the seeker wins siddhi (sānasi: gaining/attainment).
Universal truth
Spiritual progress depends on offering one’s best formed intention and truthful speech to the inner Divine Will; right utterance and right aspiration open the way to realization.
Themes
Mantric formulation, Attainment, Agni the artificer, Inner growth
The seer
- Rishi
- Gotama Rāhūgaṇa (Gautama tradition; attribution traditional)
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 1.74, RV 1.75, RV 1.76, RV 1.77
Family tradition
Gautamas are prominent Agni-seers; their hymns often emphasize right approach (manas), inspired speech (brahma), and the inner priesthood of Agni.
Significance
The rishi’s stance is that of a disciplined inner sacrificer: he perfects speech and intention so the Divine Will can lead the yoga of transformation.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Aṅgirastama, Vedhastama, Priya (as the one who loves truth), Hotṛ (implied: priest of the offering)
- Related deities
- Angirases, Bṛhaspati, Sarasvatī
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine; carrier of offerings; awakener of order (ṛta) in the worlds.
Inner power
The flame of aspiration and divine will that shapes thought into mantra and action into sacrifice, enabling attainment.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnihotra / introductory Agni-invocation in soma-related sequences (general Agni stuti)
अथा॑ ते अङ्गिरस्त॒माग्ने॑ वेधस्तम प्रि॒यम् । वो॒चेम॒ ब्रह्म॑ सान॒सि ॥
अथ॑ । ते॒ । अ॒ङ्गि॒रः॒ऽत॒म॒ । अ॒ग्ने॒ । वे॒धः॒ऽत॒म॒ । प्रि॒यम् । वो॒चेम॑ । ब्रह्म॑ । सा॒न॒सि ॥
atha | te | aṅgiraḥ-tama | agne | vedhaḥ-tama | priyam | vocema | brahma | sānasi
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3 pādas of ~8 syllables each (gāyatrī cadence; minor sandhi-dependent variation possible)
Compact, bright, forward-moving; suited to clear invocation and decisive offering.
Creates a concentrated ‘spark’ in the mind—helpful for quick ignition of aspiration and precise mantric intent.
- अङ्गिरस्तम (aṅgirastama)
- Literal: most Angiras-like. Symbolic: the strongest bringer of hidden light; the power that discovers the luminous herds (rays) within obscurity
- वेधस्तम (vedhastama)
- Literal: most wise/most skillful disposer. Symbolic: the supreme inner craftsman who arranges thoughts, impulses, and actions into a sacrificial order
- प्रियम् (priyam)
- Literal: dear, beloved. Symbolic: the truth and right movement pleasing to the divine flame; the psychic sincerity Agni accepts
- ब्रह्म (brahma)
- Literal: sacred formulation/utterance. Symbolic: mantric truth-word; inspired thought that creates a bridge to higher consciousness
- सानसि (sānasi)
- Literal: for winning/attaining. Symbolic: inner accomplishment—access to light, strength, and a settled realization
Mantra as brahman offered to Agni for ‘winning’ (sana): used where the efficacy of right formulation and right will is foregrounded.
At the opening of offerings where Agni is established as priest and carrier of oblations.
Recitation while kindling/confirming the fire and offering ghee; inviting Agni to accept the brahman.
Use as a pre-meditation ‘alignment’ mantra: offer truthful intention and speech before practice, study, or important action.
vedhas: from √vidh ‘to work, arrange, worship; to fashion’ (distinct from √vid ‘know’), hence ‘ordainer/artificer’. brahman: from √bṛh ‘to expand’—that which expands the being (word of power). √san ‘gain, win’ reflects a common Vedic goal-term for attainment (not merely material).
Brahman as word-power, San (attainment) as spiritual gain, Agni as shaper of inner works
Agni as vedhas arranges the sacrifice according to ṛta; the brahman becomes an instrument of ṛta.
‘Priyam’ points to truth that is beloved to the divine—speech aligned with satya becomes effective.
Speech (brahman) as a formative power: right word participates in manifestation and inner becoming.
Proto-Vedāntic/Vedic psychological symbolism (Aurobindo-Kashyap line: mantra as consciousness-force).
dawn/evening (typical fire-rites; psychologically: moments of transition)
Fire = awakened will; offering = self-giving; spoken brahman = luminous thought-force ascending toward higher light.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is ‘offering brahman to Agni the vedhas’: the Fire is the divine craftsman who shapes the sacrifice and the soul’s formation. Innerly, right speech (brahman) is given to the shaping Will so the seeker may ‘win’ realization (sānasi).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vac (PIE *wekʷ-) and √bṛh (growth/expansion, PIE *bʰerǵʰ-) show inherited roots adapted to a specialized sacral semantics: speech as power and expansion as spiritual increase.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s role is to craft and offer the brahman; Agni’s role is to receive and shape it into effective attainment. The reciprocity is ‘word given’ → ‘realization won’ through Agni’s forming wisdom.
Offer the ‘true word’ within: align intention, speech, and will to the inner flame; cultivate sincerity (priyam) and right formation (vedhas).
viśuddha (speech/purity) and maṇipūra (fire/will)
Gentle nāḍī-śodhana for 3–6 rounds, then chant on a steady exhale; feel the sound rising like flame.
Collected, luminous concentration (dhāraṇā moving toward dhyāna).
Before chanting, pause and inwardly state your highest truthful intention; let the mantra be a precise offering, not a request from restlessness.
Use Vedic accenting as per śākhā tradition: preserve udātta peaks on accented syllables; avoid flattening svarita into plain high tone.
Keep ‘ā’ in āgne clear; let the cadence fall gently at pāda ends; do not over-stress enclitics (te).
aṅ-gi-ras-ta-ma: keep ‘ṅg’ nasal + hard ‘g’, vedhas-tama: dental ‘d’, aspirate ‘dh’ lightly if present in recensional variant, vocema: ‘ce’ = ‘che’ (palatal), keep short ‘o’, brahma: ‘h’ soft, not harsh; ‘br’ conjunct clean
Bright, steady, offering-like; avoid theatrical force—aim for clear flame of sound.
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