Rig Veda 10.16.13: Mandala 10, Sukta 16, Mantra 13
Sukta 10.16
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Agni with restorative nature-forces implied
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh/Jagatī mixture possible
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Shanta (peace)
यं त्वमग्ने समदहस्तमु निर्वापया पुनः । कियाम्ब्वत्र रोहतु पाकदूर्वा व्यल्कशा ॥
yaṃ tvam agne sa॒m-adahaḥ tam oṃ iti niḥ vāpaya punaḥ | kiyāmbu atra rohatu pāka-dūrvā vi-alkaśā ||
अग्नि, जिसको तुमने पूरा जला दिया, उसको वापस लाओ। उसको नया बनादो। यहाँ पानी उठे। ऐसी घास उग जाए जो कभी सूखे नहीं। आदमी ठीक हो जाए।
Word by Word
- यम्
- whom / whichPronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वम्
- youPronounउत्तम-पुरुष (2nd person); प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- सम्
- together, completelyIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्ग (क्रियायोगे)Root सम् (उपसर्ग)
- अदहः
- you burnedVerbलुङ् (अorist); परस्मैपद; मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot दह् (धातु)
- तम्
- him/thatPronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- निः
- out, awayIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्ग (क्रियायोगे)Root निस्/निः (उपसर्ग)
- वापय
- waft/blow (it) outVerbलोट् (imperative); परस्मैपद; मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot वा (धातु; ‘to blow/waft’) → causative stem वापय-
- पुनः
- again, backIndeclinableअव्ययRoot पुनः (अव्यय)
- कियाम्
- how much? / how great?Interrogative (quantifier)स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन (ऋग्वैदिक रूप) अथवा अव्ययीभाववत् परिमाणवाचकRole कर्तृRoot कियन्त्/कियत् (प्रश्न-प्रातिपदिक; ‘how much?’)
- अम्बु
- waterNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अम्बु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अत्र
- hereIndeclinableअव्यय (देशवाचक)Role अधिकरणRoot अत्र (अव्यय)
- रोहतु
- let it grow / may it sproutVerbलोट् (imperative); परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot रुह् (धातु)
- पाकदूर्वा
- the ‘pāka-dūrvā’ grass (a kind of sacred grass)Noun (compound)स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot पाक-दूर्वा (समास; दूर्वा ‘grass’ + पाक ‘ripening/cooking’)
- व्यल्कशा
- spreading/branching; tufted (as grass)Adjective (compound)स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन (पाकदूर्वायाः विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृRoot वि-अल्कशा (समास/उपसर्गयुक्त विशेषण; अल्कशा ‘hairy/tufted’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: यम् | त्वम् | अग्ने | सम् | अदहः | तम् | निः | वापय | पुनः || कियाम् | अम्बु | अत्र | रोहतु | पाकदूर्वा | व्यल्कशा । मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) समदहः = सम् + अदहः (उपसर्ग-सन्धि; म् + अ → म् अ)
- (2) निर्वापय = निः + वापय (विसर्ग-सन्धि; निः + व- → निर्व-)
- (3) कियाम्ब्वत्र = कियाम् + अम्बु + अत्र (म् + अ → म् अ; अम्बु + अत्र में उ + अ → व्-अ (वृद्धि/यणादेश-प्रकारेण) → अम्ब्वत्र)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Whom you have burned completely, O Agni, release him again; lay him down anew. Let the waters rise here; let the healing grasses grow, unwithering.
Inner meaning
Agni’s complete burning is not annihilation but purification: the old formation is dissolved so the essence can be ‘released again’ into a subtler continuity. The call for waters and healing grasses invokes restoring, cooling, and reconstituting forces—inner peace, wideness, and regenerative prāṇa—so the being regains wholeness after the intense passage of transformation.
Universal truth
True purification is followed by restoration. After intense inner fire (crisis, catharsis, tapas), consciousness needs the descending waters of peace and the regrowth of life-forces to integrate the gain.
Themes
post-cremation restoration, cooling and healing, rebirth motif
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha (traditional; variable in RV 10)
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha
- Other hymns
- RV 7.49 (Waters as healing), RV 7.56 (restoring harmonies), RV 10.16.12 (aspiration kindles Agni)
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha’s spiritual temperament often balances force (Agni/tapas) with harmony (āpaḥ/peace), fitting this verse’s ‘purify then restore’ movement.
Significance
The seer articulates a complete yogic cycle: intense purification must be followed by cooling integration and renewed life.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (as purifier and releaser) with Āpaḥ/Oṣadhīḥ as restorative powers
- Epithets
- pāvaka (purifier), śuci (bright/pure), vaiśvānara (universal fire)
- Related deities
- Āpaḥ (Waters), Oṣadhīḥ (healing plants), Soma (reconstitution through delight)
Cosmic role
Transforms forms through heat; then enables re-formation in harmony with life and cosmic order.
Inner power
The force that burns away falsehood and inertia, then liberates the essence for a truer embodiment.
In ritual
Where it is used
Antyeṣṭi: post-cremation pacification and restorative formulas; also rites seeking ‘cooling’ after the fire act
यं त्वम॑ग्ने स॒मद॑ह॒स्तमु॒ निर्वा॑पया॒ पुन॑: । कि॒याम्ब्वत्र॑ रोहतु पाकदू॒र्वा व्य॑ल्कशा ॥
यम् । त्वम् । अ॒ग्ने॒ । स॒म्ऽअद॑हः । तम् । ऊँ॒ इति॑ । निः । वा॒प॒य॒ । पुन॒रिति॑ । कि॒याम्बु॑ । अत्र॑ । रो॒ह॒तु॒ । पा॒क॒ऽदू॒र्वा । विऽअ॑ल्कशा ॥
yam | tvam | agne | sam-adahaḥ | tam | oṃ iti | niḥ | vāpaya | punariti | kiyāmbu | atra | rohatu | pāka-dūrvā | vi-alkaśā
Triṣṭubh tendency (RV 10 often irregular); could be mixed/loose triṣṭubh
44
Likely 4 pādas of ~11 syllables with some resolution/irregularity
First half forceful (burn/release), second half softens (waters/grass)
A felt ‘cooling’ after intensity; the cadence supports catharsis followed by soothing integration.
- sam-adahaḥ
- Literal: burned wholly, consumed completely. Symbolic: total purification; complete offering of the old ego-formation
- nir vāpayā punaḥ
- Literal: cause to be extinguished/released again; lay down again. Symbolic: release of the purified essence into a new poise; reconstitution on a higher basis
- āmbu / āpaḥ (implied)
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: peace, wideness, healing descent of consciousness
- rohatu
- Literal: let it grow/arise. Symbolic: regeneration of higher life-energy and supportive movements
- pākadūrvā
- Literal: ripening/healing dūrvā grass. Symbolic: restorative vitality; subtle ‘medicine’ of nature-forces in the being
- vyalkaśā
- Literal: unwithering, not drying/decaying. Symbolic: enduring renewal; life-force that does not collapse back into exhaustion
Funerary: prayer that after burning/purification there is release and restoration; also a rite of appeasement/cooling with waters and grasses
After the burning/cremation act, during prayers for peace and reconstitution (contextual to śākhā and prayoga)
Mantric appeasement; invoking waters/plants as cooling and healing agencies
After grief-work or intense meditation: a ‘cool-down’ mantra to restore nervous system and heart—pair with water offering or sipping, and grounding in nature.
sam-adahaḥ: √dah ‘burn’ with sam- (completely). niḥ-vāpaya: causative from √vap ‘to strew/sow, scatter, lay down’ with nis- (out, away) + punar ‘again’: suggests ‘re-setting’ after dissolution. ambu ‘water’ (life principle). dūrvā is a ritual grass; pāka ‘ripening’ from √pac ‘cook, ripen’—inner ripening. alkaśā is rare; taken as ‘unwasting/uninjured’ (negation via vi- as ‘apart from’ harm/decay).
purification and renewal, cycle of dissolution and re-formation, tapas balanced by āpas (waters)
Ṛta is maintained when destruction serves renewal; burning is a phase in right re-ordering.
The ‘released again’ suggests continuity of essence beyond form—truth of being persists through change.
Dissolution and re-creation: fire reduces, waters and plants rebuild.
Integral-Vedic psychology: cyclic conversion of energies (fire) and integration (waters/earth-life).
Fire = cathartic purification; Waters = peace and descent; Grass = prāṇic renewal and embodied stability.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Purification by fire followed by restoration through waters and vegetation: a ritual-cosmic cycle where Agni dissolves the worn form and the life-principles (āpas, oṣadhis) reconstitute continuity.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dah ‘burn’ is Indo-Iranian-specific in prominence, but the semantic opposition ‘burning vs. waters’ is cross-IE. √pac ‘ripen/cook’ has IE parallels (Latin coquere via different root, but the cultural metaphor of ripening is widespread). The causative vāpaya from √vap resonates with sowing/strewing imagery common in IE ritual language.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi addresses Agni not only as destroyer but as restorer-by-right: after complete burning, Agni is asked to ‘set free’ and allow regenerative forces to operate. The divine-human pact includes mercy and reconstitution, not mere consumption.
After intense inner work, invoke release from the ‘burn’ and invite peace and regeneration.
svadhisthana (waters/soothing) and anahata (healing integration)
Extended exhale breathing (inhale 4, exhale 8) while visualizing cool water descending through the spine into the heart and belly.
Cooling, spacious, restorative; integration after tapas.
Use when you feel ‘overheated’ by effort or emotion. Mentally offer the strain into Agni, then consciously call the waters: allow calm to spread; end with a grounding walk or contact with plants/earth.
Standard RV accentuation; keep the contrast between the ‘burn’ phrases and the ‘water/grass’ phrases by gentler pitch movement in the latter.
Articulate sam-adahaḥ clearly (do not swallow the m); pause after agne; soften on āmbu/rohatu segment.
samadahas: pronounce as sam-adahaḥ with clear ‘a’ in adahaḥ, nir vāpayā: clear retroflex-free dental n; long ā in vā-, punaḥ: final visarga lightly aspirated, dūrvā: long ū and ā; v is soft labio-dental
Begin firm, end soothing and cooling; let the last pāda feel like a benediction.
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