Rig Veda 3.10.4: Mandala 3, Sukta 10, Mantra 4
Sukta 3.10
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
स केतुरध्वराणामग्निर्देवेभिरा गमत् । अञ्जानः सप्त होतृभिर्हविष्मते ॥
sa ketúr adhvarā́ṇām agnír devébhiḥ ā́ gàmat | añjānás saptá hotṛ́bhir haviṣ́mate ||
अग्नि हमें सही रास्ता दिखाता है। वो भगवान लोगों के साथ आए। सात पुजारी उसके साथ हैं, जो इंसान हवन कर रहा है उसके पास।
Word by Word
- सः
- he (that one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- केतुः
- banner; sign; radiant markNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (अग्नेः विशेषणम्) / विधेय-नामRoot केतु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अध्वराणाम्
- of the sacrifices (rituals)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root अध्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्निः
- Agni (fire-god)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवेभिः
- with the godsNounपुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role सह/साकं (सहकारकः) / करण (साधन-भावे)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards; hitherIndeclinableउपसर्गः (गम्-धातोः सह)Root आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- अगमत्
- came; went (hither)Verbलुङ् (अङ्ग-आगमयुक्तः), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot गम् (धातु)
- अञ्जानः
- anointing; making bright; manifestingParticipleपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (कर्तरि)Role कर्तृ (अग्नेः विशेषणम्)Root अञ्ज् (धातु) → अञ्जान (वर्तमान-कृदन्त, शतृ)
- सप्त
- sevenNumeralअव्यय-प्रयोगः (बहुवचनार्थे)Role (होतृभिः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root सप्तन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
- होतृभिः
- with the (seven) Hotṛ-priestsNounपुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role करण / सहकारकःRoot होतृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- हविष्मते
- to the one possessing oblation; to the offererAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role सम्प्रदानRoot हविष्मत् (प्रातिपदिक; हविस् + मतुप्)
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठः: स केतुरध्वराणामग्निर्देवेभिरा गमत् । अञ्जानः सप्त होतृभिर्हविष्मते ॥ पद-विच्छेदः: सः | केतुः | अध्वराणाम् | अग्निः | देवेभिः | आ | अगमत् | अञ्जानः | सप्त | होतृभिः | हविष्मते | मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) स + केतुः → स केतुः (विसर्ग-लोपः पदान्ते) । (2) केतुः + अध्वराणाम् → केतुरध्वराणाम् (विसर्गस्य रुत्व/उकार-प्रभावेण ‘र्’ आदेशः) । (3) अध्वराणाम् + अग्निः → अध्वराणामग्निः (म् + अ → म्, संहिता-संयोगः) । (4) अग्निः + देवेभिः → अग्निर्देवेभिः (विसर्ग → र्) । (5) देवेभिः + आ → देवेभिरा (विसर्ग → र्) । (6) होतृभिः + हविष्मते → होतृभिर्हविष्मते (विसर्ग → र्) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
May Agni, the sign/standard of the rites, come here with the gods. Knowing (the ways), anointed, may he come with the seven Hotṛs to the one who offers the oblation.
Inner meaning
Agni is ketu—the luminous indicator and leader of the inner adhvara (the journey/working of consecration). When the inner fire is awake, it arrives ‘with the gods’: higher faculties descend together. ‘Añjānaḥ’ suggests the fire made fit and bright by inner unction (clarity, devotion). The ‘seven hotṛs’ are seven priestly energies—multiple operative powers of the being (speech, mind, life-breath, discernment, etc.) coordinated to carry the offering. The seeker (haviṣmat) is one who has a true oblation: purified intention and substance of practice.
Universal truth
When the guiding flame is established, life’s work becomes a conscious journey. Higher powers do not come piecemeal; they arrive as a coordinated descent when the offering is ready and the inner instruments are harmonized.
Themes
Agni as guide, sacrifice as inner work, invocation of divine powers, sevenfold functioning
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Viśvāmitra (Gāthina line)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.10.1, RV 3.10.2, RV 3.10.3
Family tradition
Vision of the sacrifice as a guided journey; emphasis on coordinated divine powers and multi-instrumented inner action.
Significance
The seer frames Agni as the ‘ketu’—a practical inner guidance-light—suggesting a yogic orientation: the path is navigated by a living flame, not by outer rule alone.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Ketu of the adhvaras, Hotṛ (implied), Leader with the gods
- Related deities
- Maruts (force-companions), Indra (illumined leadership), Sarasvatī (inspired speech)
Cosmic role
Standard of the sacrifice; summons and accompanies the gods; brings fulfillment to offerings.
Inner power
Guiding discernment and consecrated force that coordinates multiple inner instruments (the ‘seven hotṛs’) for effective transformation.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni āvāhana (invocation) within śrauta offerings; calling Agni together with the devas; also suitable as a general opening to a sūkta recitation
स के॒तुर॑ध्व॒राणा॑म॒ग्निर्दे॒वेभि॒रा ग॑मत् । अ॒ञ्जा॒नः स॒प्त होतृ॑भिर्ह॒विष्म॑ते ॥
सः । के॒तुः । अ॒ध्व॒राणा॑म् । अ॒ग्निः । दे॒वेभिः॑ । आ । ग॒म॒त् । अ॒ञ्जा॒नः । स॒प्त । होतृ॑ऽभिः । ह॒विष्म॑ते ॥
saḥ | ketuḥ | adhvarāṇām | agniḥ | devebhiḥ | ā | gamat | añjānaḥ | sapta | hotṛ-bhiḥ | haviṣmate
44
4×11 (typical for many RV 3.10 verses)
Forward-moving and journey-like; suitable to an invocation of arrival (ā gamat).
Creates momentum and invocation-power; felt as a ‘calling in’ of higher forces.
- केतुः (ketuḥ)
- Literal: banner, sign, light-mark. Symbolic: inner discernment/leading light that indicates the true direction
- अध्वराणाम् (adhvarāṇām)
- Literal: of the rites (adhvara). Symbolic: of the inner journey-work (yoga as process)
- देवेभिः (devebhiḥ)
- Literal: with the gods. Symbolic: with the higher powers of consciousness
- अञ्जानः (añjānaḥ)
- Literal: anointing/being anointed. Symbolic: made luminous by clarified mind and devotion; consecrated force
- सप्त होतृभिः (sapta hotṛbhiḥ)
- Literal: with seven priests. Symbolic: seven operative energies/instruments coordinated for the offering
- हविष्मते (haviṣmate)
- Literal: to the offerer with oblation. Symbolic: to the practitioner whose offering is sincere, prepared, and substantial
Agni-invocation in general iṣṭi; applicable wherever Hotṛ-led kindling and calling of devatās is central (e.g., new fire kindling, daily agnihotra context broadly construed)
At the moment of inviting Agni and associated deities; before offering havis
Āvāhana (inviting), anointing, offering; aligning priests/instruments
Use as a ‘descent invocation’ before meditation: invite the guiding flame with allied higher faculties; ask for harmonization of the inner instruments.
Key terms: ketú- ‘sign, beacon’ (semantic field: perception/marking; psychologically: the indicating light that leads). adhvará- traditionally ‘sacrifice’ (often explained as a-dhvara ‘uninjured/unbroken’; here: uninterrupted inner offering). gamat: optative/aorist of √gam ‘to go/come’. añjāná- from √ñā ‘to know, recognize’ (with prefix suggesting ‘to mark/acknowledge clearly’). hotṛ- from √hu ‘to call/invoke’ (the invoking function). haviṣ- ‘oblation’ from √hu/related offering complex; psychologically: substance of surrender/energy offered.
Ṛta (right-ordered action in sacrifice), Satyam-Ritam-Bṛhat (truth-order-vastness implicit in ‘ketu’ as guiding light), sevenfold powers (sapta)
Agni as ketu indicates the right direction of ṛta in action—truth-order as guidance, not abstraction.
‘Knowing’ (añjānaḥ) implies effective truth-knowledge guiding the movement.
Sevenfold instrumentation of the sacrifice mirrors a sevenfold cosmic order (rays, measures, worlds) coordinated by Agni.
Integral-psychological: seven hotṛs as inner functional powers; descent of devas as higher consciousness entering the human field.
Ketu = inner ‘compass’ of light; seven = completeness of functional powers; arrival = descent of higher consciousness into the prepared system.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the ‘ketu’ (beacon/standard) who leads the sacrifice and arrives together with the devās: the recurring mythic action of the Fire as messenger-guide who brings the divine host into the human rite (outer) and into the human consciousness (inner).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √gam ‘go/come’ aligns with PIE *gʷem- ‘to go, come’ (cf. Greek baínō shows different root; but Sanskrit gam- matches the Indo-Iranian continuation). hotṛ from √hu ‘invoke’ corresponds to an Indo-Iranian ritual lexicon (Avestan zaoθra- ‘offering’ is adjacent in ritual semantics, though not a direct cognate of hotṛ). ketu- ‘sign’ has wider IE ‘mark/show’ semantic parallels, though exact PIE reconstruction is debated.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Reciprocity is framed as arrival and cooperation: the seer-offerer (haviṣmat) prepares the offering-substance (surrender/energy), and Agni responds by coming ‘with the gods’ and with ‘seven hotṛs’—i.e., he amplifies the human act into a many-powered divine operation that can complete the rite and its inner transformation.
Invoke the ‘guiding sign’ within: ask for clear direction and coordinated functioning of speech, mind, breath, and will.
Ājñā (guidance/discernment) supported by Anāhata (consecration)
Inhale mentally ‘ā gamat’ (invite), exhale ‘haviṣmate’ (offer). 9 cycles.
Receptive descent with alert guidance; sense of being accompanied by higher forces.
Begin with a brief consecration (añjana): offer a moment of gratitude/clarity; then call Agni as ketu; feel the ‘seven’ instruments align—speech quiets, mind clears, breath steadies, will brightens.
Follow Vedic accent marks (e.g., अध्व॒राणा॑म्, दे॒वेभि॒रा); keep svarita as a controlled glide, not a musical flourish.
Let ‘ā gamat’ be slightly projected (invocation cue); keep ‘sapta hotṛbhiḥ’ crisp and evenly paced.
(ketuḥ): short e; final ḥ audible., (añjānaḥ): palatal ñ + j; avoid ‘anjana’ with dental n., (haviṣmate): retroflex ṣ; keep ‘viṣ’ distinct.
Invocatory, forward-moving, luminous; end with a settled offering-tone.
9
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
