Rig Veda 10.4.2: Mandala 10, Sukta 4, Mantra 2
Sukta 10.4
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
यं त्वा जनासो अभि संचरन्ति गाव उष्णमिव व्रजं यविष्ठ । दूतो देवानामसि मर्त्यानामन्तर्महाँश्चरसि रोचनेन ॥
yám tvā jánāso abhí saṁ-cáranti gā́va uṣṇám iva vrajáṁ yaviṣṭha | dū́to devā́nām asi mártyānām antár mahā́m̐ś cárasi rocanéna ||
अग्नि, तू सबसे छोटा है लेकिन लोग तेरे पास आते हैं जैसे गायें गरम स्टेबल में आती हैं। तू देवताओं का मैसेंजर है और इंसानों के लिए भी काम करता है। तू अंदर से बड़ा है और रोशनी के साथ चले जाता है।
Word by Word
- यम्
- whomPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वा
- youPronounद्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- जनासः
- people, menNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot जन (प्रातिपदिक)
- अभि
- towards, uponIndeclinable (preverb/preposition)Role उपसर्ग/दिशाRoot अभि
- संचरन्ति
- they move/come together, they approachVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot चर्
- गावः
- cowsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- उष्णम्
- warm (warmth)Adjective (used adverbially/comparatively with इव)नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role विशेषण/उपमानRoot उष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- like, asIndeclinableRole उपमानRoot इव
- व्रजम्
- enclosure, pen; (also) settlementNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म/गन्तव्यRoot व्रज (प्रातिपदिक)
- यविष्ठ
- O youngest/most youthful (Agni)Adjective (vocative epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot यविष्ठ (युवा/यवस्-तुल्यतम-प्रातिपदिक; superlative)
- दूतः
- messengerNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ/विशेष्यRoot दूत (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवानाम्
- of the godsNounपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- असि
- you areVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot अस्
- मर्त्यानाम्
- of mortalsNounपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- अन्तः
- within, in betweenIndeclinable (adverb/preposition)Role अधिकारण (स्थान/अन्तर)Root अन्तः
- महान्
- greatAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- चरसि
- you move, you roamVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot चर्
- रोचनेन
- by/with (your) shining light; with radianceNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role करणRoot रोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Resolved Vedic sandhi/pada-joins: (1) यं + त्वा → यं त्वा (no fusion)
- (2) जनासः + अभि → जनासोऽभि (o + a → oऽ; written here as जनासः अभि)
- (3) सं + चरन्ति → संचरन्ति (anusvāra before c)
- (4) उष्णम् + इव → उष्णमिव (m + i → m i, written as one)
- (5) देवानाम् + असि → देवानामसि (m + a → ma)
- (6) अन्तः + महान् → अन्तर्महान् (visarga before m → r)
- (7) महान् + चरसि → महांश्चरसि (n + c → ñś/ṃś cluster; orthographically महांश्-)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni is the ‘youngest’ around whom people gather like cows to a warm stall. He is the messenger of the gods for mortals; vast within, he moves in the luminous realm.
Inner meaning
The peoples (inner faculties and parts of the being) gather around the awakened Fire as rays of knowledge (gāvaḥ) converge toward warmth—the psychic comfort and clarity of the inner altar. Agni is the dūta: the translating power that carries divine impulsions into human nature and lifts human aspiration toward the gods. ‘Antar mahān’ indicates a vast inner being: Agni moves through rocanā—luminous consciousness—bringing light into the worlds of our experience.
Universal truth
A central awakened will becomes the meeting-place for scattered parts; it mediates between higher inspiration and daily life by moving in a luminous consciousness that can be shared inwardly.
Themes
Agni-messenger, gathering-around-fire, inner-warmth, luminous-realms
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 10.4
Significance
The seer-voice emphasizes gathering and mediation—key movements in yoga: collect the being around the psychic fire and allow it to carry messages between higher light and human nature.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Yaviṣṭha (youngest), Dūta of the gods, Antar-mahān (vast within)
- Related deities
- Soma, Indra, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Divine envoy and psychopomp; mover in luminous realms; awakener of collective aspiration.
Inner power
Power of conscious communication: converts inspiration into workable force; gathers the rays of knowledge into a unified flame.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni praise during kindling and as dūta/hotṛ in soma and fire rites
यं त्वा॒ जना॑सो अ॒भि सं॒चर॑न्ति॒ गाव॑ उ॒ष्णमि॑व व्र॒जं य॑विष्ठ । दू॒तो दे॒वाना॑मसि॒ मर्त्या॑नाम॒न्तर्म॒हाँश्च॑रसि रोच॒नेन॑ ॥
यम् । त्वा॒ । जना॑सः । अ॒भि । स॒म्ऽचर॑न्ति । गावः॑ । उ॒ष्णम्ऽइ॑व । व्र॒जम् । य॒वि॒ष्ठ॒ । दू॒तः । दे॒वाना॑म् । अ॒सि॒ । मर्त्या॑नाम् । अ॒न्तः । म॒हान् । च॒र॒सि॒ । रो॒च॒नेन॑ ॥
yam | tvā | janāsaḥ | abhi | sam-caranti | gāvaḥ | uṣṇam-iva | vrajam | yaviṣṭha | dūtaḥ | devānām | asi | martyānām | antaḥ | mahān | carasi | rocanena
44
4 x ~11
Gathering-and-expanding movement; the second half opens into spaciousness (antar mahān).
Helps collect attention and then widen it into luminous awareness.
- यविष्ठ (yaviṣṭha)
- Literal: youngest. Symbolic: ever-new flame of aspiration; freshly born will
- गावः (gāvaḥ)
- Literal: cows. Symbolic: rays of light/knowledges seeking their source
- उष्णम् (uṣṇam)
- Literal: warmth. Symbolic: psychic warmth, comfort, living intensity of consciousness
- व्रज (vraja)
- Literal: stall/enclosure. Symbolic: inner holding-space where energies gather and are ordered
- दूतः (dūtaḥ)
- Literal: messenger. Symbolic: mediator translating divine to human and human to divine
- रोचन (rocana)
- Literal: luminous realm. Symbolic: planes of light; clarified awareness
Standard Agni characterization as dūta (messenger) between gods and mortals; used in invocations establishing Agni’s mediatory function in the sacrifice.
When establishing Agni as priest and messenger; before offerings that require ‘carrying’ to the gods.
Stuti and āvāhana; recognition of Agni’s mediating office.
Useful for community chanting: aligns group attention around a shared inner warmth; also for personal practice when mind is scattered.
dūta ‘messenger’ from √/?; standard Vedic role of Agni as mediator carrying offerings upward and bringing boons downward. rocana from √ ‘shine, be bright’: denotes luminous planes/worlds; psychologically, the clarified field of consciousness. go ‘cow’ from PIE *gʷōus: in RV symbolism, ‘cows’ often function as rays/knowledges; here they gather to warmth (uṣṇa) → tapas-like inner heat around Agni’s hearth (vraja).
mediation between planes (deva–martya), tapas (uṣṇa as inner heat), illumined worlds (rocana)
Agni as dūta ensures right exchange between worlds according to Ṛta.
Rocanā as truth-light; Agni moves in it and brings it inward.
Enclosure and warmth as conditions for manifestation of light/knowledge.
Yoga of inner sacrifice: collection (saṃcara) → illumination (rocana).
Warm stall = protected psychic center; cows = rays of knowledge returning to source; luminous realm = clarified mind/supramental hint.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as dūta, the mediator: humans gather around him as cows to warmth; he moves within the luminous realm and connects mortal and divine. Mythically, this is the bridge-function that makes ascent and descent of powers possible.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- gā́vaḥ ‘cows’ continues PIE *gʷōus (Greek bous, Latin bōs). The shared IE pastoral lexicon becomes Vedic spiritual poetics: ‘cows’ are resemanticized as rays/knowledges that converge toward the inner warmth (uṣṇa) of awakened fire.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi approaches Agni as the indispensable intermediary: by gathering around him (collecting attention and aspiration), mortals gain access to the rocana (luminous planes). Agni reciprocates by ‘walking within’ those lights and bringing their influences into the human sphere.
Gather the ‘cows’ (rays of thought) into the warm heart-center; feel Agni as messenger connecting to higher light.
anahata
coherent breathing ~5–6 breaths/min while concentrating warmth at the sternum
Collected, warm, and inwardly vast; receptive to higher communication.
On each inhale, gather scattered energies to the ‘stall’; on each exhale, offer upward. After chanting, sit and listen for a ‘message’—a quiet directive of will.
Maintain clear accent on yaviṣṭha and dūto; let ‘rocaneṇa’ open with a slightly lengthened vowel where appropriate to convey luminosity.
Pause lightly at the caesura after yaviṣṭha; keep ‘antar mahām̐ś’ weighty and inward.
saṃcaranti: nasal ‘ṃ’ before ‘c’, uṣṇam: retroflex ṣṇ cluster clean, vrajam: soft ‘j’ (not ‘zh’), rocaneṇa: ‘c’ as ‘ch’ sound in Vedic recitation tradition varies; keep consistent with your śākhā
Warm, inward, then expansive on the final pāda
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