Rig Veda 10.187.2: Mandala 10, Sukta 187, Mantra 2
Sukta 10.187
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
यः परस्याः परावतस्तिरो धन्वातिरोचते । स नः पर्षदति द्विषः ॥
yáḥ párasyāḥ parāvátaḥ tiró dhánvā́ti-rocate | sá naḥ párṣad áti dvíṣaḥ ||
वो अग्नि जो दूर से चमक रहे हैं, जहाँ कोई नहीं पहुँच सकता, वो हमें दुश्मनों से पार ले जाएँ। वो हमें उजाले में रखें।
Word by Word
- यः
- who (he who)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- परस्याः
- of the far/remote (one)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot पर (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- परावतः
- from afar, from a distant regionNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, पञ्चमी, एकवचनम् (Vedic: -तः)Role ApādānaRoot परावत् (नपुंसकलिङ्ग/अव्ययीभाव-प्रातिपदिक; ‘far distance’)
- तिरः
- across, beyond, overIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot तिरस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
- धन्वा
- with/through the bow (as means)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot धन्वन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘bow/arc; also ‘desert/steppe’ in some contexts) रूपम्: धन्वा (instrumental sg.)
- तिरः
- across, beyondIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot तिरस्
- उच्यते
- is spoken of / is calledVerbलट् (वर्तमान), कर्मणि-प्रयोगः, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role (Kriyā) मुख्यक्रियाRoot वच् (धातु) → उच्यते (passive)
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- for us / to usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचनम् (enclitic)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- पर्षत्
- may he carry (us) across; may he saveVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role (Kriyā) आज्ञा/प्रार्थनाRoot पॄ/पॢ (धातु; ‘to bring across, save, carry over’) → पर्षत्
- अति
- over, beyondIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- द्विषः
- the haters, enemiesNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम् (Vedic ending -अः)Role KarmaRoot द्विष् (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक ‘hater, enemy’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: यः | परस्याः | परावतः | तिरः | धन्वा | तिरः | उच्यते || सः | नः | पर्षत् | अति | द्विषः || 1) ‘परस्याः परावतः’ = षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध (‘of the far one’) + पञ्चमी (‘from afar’). 2) ‘तिरो धन्वा’ इत्यत्र तिरस्-शब्दः पदान्ते ‘तिरः’ रूपेण
- ‘धन्वा’ तृतीया एकवचनम्. 3) ‘पर्षदति’ पाठभेद/संहिता-रूपः: पदपाठानुसारं ‘पर्षत् अति’ (लोट् + अव्यय)
The meaning
Outer meaning
He who shines beyond the farther distance, beyond the wilderness/expanse—may he carry us beyond the haters.
Inner meaning
Agni is not only the hearth-flame but a transcendent Light that exceeds the farthest reaches of the ordinary mind (parāvat). ‘Tiraḥ dhanva’ suggests beyond the dry, barren stretch—symbol of aridity of consciousness, the desert of mechanical life and limiting mentality. This Agni ‘over-shines’ (atirocate): a supramental-like brilliance exceeding mental seeing. The prayer asks to be carried past hostile formations into that wide luminous beyond.
Universal truth
There is a light greater than our current horizon. When we orient to that beyond-light, the forces that oppose growth lose their hold and we cross the desert of limitation.
Themes
transcendent-agni, overcoming-inner-dryness, victory-over-enmity, ascent-to-light
The seer
Significance
A concise formula of transcendence: it defines Agni by his ‘beyondness’ (atirocate) and makes that transcendence the means of protection—typical of psychological readings where the deity is a state of consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (transcendent light)
- Epithets
- Ati-rocis (over-shining), Vaiśvānara-like universal fire (implied)
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Savitṛ, Uṣas, Indra
Cosmic role
Solar/fire principle that surpasses horizons; revealer of paths across the ‘waste’ between mortal and immortal.
Inner power
Power of illumination that leads consciousness beyond dryness, doubt, and limitation into wideness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Protective Agni recitation (general)
यः पर॑स्याः परा॒वत॑स्ति॒रो धन्वा॑ति॒रोच॑ते । स न॑: पर्ष॒दति॒ द्विष॑: ॥
यः । पर॑स्याः । प॒रा॒ऽवतः॑ । ति॒रः । धन्व॑ । अ॒ति॒ऽरोच॑ते । सः । नः॒ । प॒र्ष॒त् । अति॑ । द्विषः॑ ॥
yaḥ | parasyāḥ | parāvataḥ | tiraḥ | dhanva | ati-rocate | saḥ | naḥ | paṣart | ati | dviṣaḥ
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2 pādas of ~16 syllables; refrain closure identical to other verses
Expansive opening (parasyāḥ parāvataḥ…) followed by decisive refrain.
Creates a felt sense of ‘beyond’; the mind stretches outward, then anchors in the protective cadence of the refrain.
- परावत् (parāvat)
- Literal: far distance, yonder region. Symbolic: beyond-horizon consciousness; supramental wideness
- तिरः (tiraḥ)
- Literal: beyond, across, behind. Symbolic: transcendence of limits; crossing of boundary-lines
- धन्व (dhanva)
- Literal: desert, dry waste. Symbolic: arid mind/vital; lifeless routine; absence of rasa (inner sap)
- अति-रोचते (ati-rocate)
- Literal: shines beyond/over-shines. Symbolic: exceeding illumination; light that surpasses mental radiance
- द्विषः (dviṣaḥ)
- Literal: haters. Symbolic: resistances that thrive in ignorance and aridity
Invocation for overcoming obstacles and inner dryness; supports the ascent from limited mind to wider illumination during sacrifice/meditation.
When facing ‘dryness’—loss of inspiration, fatigue, spiritual desolation; also before travel/threshold moments.
Invocation of transcendent Agni as guide across obstacles.
Use as a mantra for burnout: recall the ‘beyond-light’ and let it rehydrate the inner being.
√ruc ‘to shine’ (ati-rocate) encodes transcendence of ordinary light. parāvat ‘farthest distance’ is a standard Vedic spatial metaphor for the beyond. dhanvan ‘waste/desert’ becomes a potent symbol for inner dryness. The refrain repeats the crossing beyond dviṣaḥ, binding cosmological transcendence to practical victory.
transcendence beyond limits (parāvat), crossing of hostile forces, wideness vs. aridity in consciousness
The ‘beyond-shining’ indicates R̥ta’s larger order surpassing mental constructions.
Satya is the far region (parāvat) whose light over-shines appearances.
Progress is a journey from arid limitation to luminous plenitude guided by inner fire.
Yoga of ascent (adhyātmika Agni) compatible with Aurobindonian ‘higher light’ reading.
midday (suggested by over-shining radiance)
summer (suggested by dhanva dryness)
Desert = consciousness without delight; over-shining sun-fire = higher illumination restoring direction and meaning.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The far-shining fire beyond the distant beyond: Agni is positioned as a transcendent light whose radiance exceeds the desert of limitation. Psychologically, the verse maps an ascent beyond arid consciousness and beyond hostile resistances into a wider illumination.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √ruc ‘shine’ relates to Indo-European light vocabulary (cf. Lat. lux via different root, but IE poetic emphasis on shining epithets is shared). The spatial superlatives (parāvat, tiras, ati-) show an archaic intensifying style—stacked preverbs to express transcendence.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi recognizes Agni’s supra-ordinary station (‘beyond the far’) and therefore trusts his capacity to ‘ferry’ the human beyond opposition. The hymn’s refrain makes the pact clear: align with the higher Agni, and he becomes the passage through resistance.
Contemplate the ‘beyond’ (parāvat) as a real luminous region of consciousness above the mind.
ajna
Inhale imagining light beyond the brow; exhale repeating the refrain to ‘cross beyond’ inner opposition.
Widened, aspiring, upward-oriented; a sense of guidance from above.
When inspiration feels dry, chant 12 times; then sit and visualize a radiant horizon beyond the mind’s desert, allowing thought to quiet under that light.
Notated svara unavailable; let ‘ati-rocate’ carry a gentle rise, then settle firmly on ‘ati dviṣaḥ’.
Emphasize: parasyā́ḥ parāvátaḥ | tíraḥ dhánva | áti-róc̣ate || … páṛṣad áti dvī́ṣaḥ.
parāvataḥ: long ā and cerebral ṭh not present—final ḥ light, tiraḥ: short i; final ḥ whispered, atirocate: split as ati-rocate; ‘c’ as ‘ch’ in many traditions (ro-cha-te), dhanva: dh aspirated; nv conjunct clear
Bright, upward-aiming; refrain steady and protective.
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