Rig Veda 3.12.2: Mandala 3, Sukta 12, Mantra 2
Sukta 3.12
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indrāgnī
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
इन्द्राग्नी जरितुः सचा यज्ञो जिगाति चेतनः । अया पातमिमं सुतम् ॥
indrā́gnī jaritúḥ sácā yajñó jigāti cétanaḥ | ayā́ pātam imáṃ sutám ||
इंद्र और अग्नि, यह गाना वाले रिशि के साथ आपके पास आ रहा है। यह यज्ञ जाग रहा है, नींद से उठा है। इस रास्ते से आओ और यह सोम रस पियो। हमारी तरफ से जो भी चढ़ावा है, उसमें आपका ध्यान आना चाहिए।
Word by Word
- इन्द्राग्नी
- O Indra and AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/सम्बोधन, द्विवचनRole सम्बोधन (आह्वान)Root इन्द्र + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) (द्वन्द्व-समास)
- जरितुः
- of the singer/praiserNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी-सम्बन्धः)Root जरितृ (प्रातिपदिक; √जर्/√गॄ ‘स्तु/गिर्’ से ‘स्तुतिकर्ता’)
- सचा
- together, along withIndeclinableअव्यय (अपरिवर्तनीय)Role सह (सहकारक/सहभाव)Root सच् (अव्यय; ‘सह/साकम्’)
- यज्ञः
- the sacrifice/riteNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
- जिगाति
- has gone/has come; reachesVerbलिट् (परफेक्ट), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √गम् (गच्छति) — लिट्/परिपूर्ण-भूत (रेडुप्लिकेटेड परफेक्ट-प्रयोग)
- चेतनः
- conscious, attentive, inspiredAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (यज्ञः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (यज्ञस्य विशेषणरूपेण)Root चेतन (प्रातिपदिक; √चित् ‘चेतयति/बोधयति’)
- अया
- by this (means)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (वेदिक: ‘अया’ = ‘अनया’)Role करणRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → अयम्/अया (वेदिक-रूप)
- पातम्
- drink (you two)!Verbलोट्, परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचनRole क्रिया (आज्ञा)Root √पा (पिबति) — लोट् (आज्ञार्थ)
- इमम्
- thisPronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सुतम्
- pressed (Soma), the pressed draughtNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सुत (कृदन्त; √सु ‘सवति/सुनोति’ → ‘pressed’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: इन्द्राग्नी | जरितुः | सचा | यज्ञः | जिगाति | चेतनः | अया | पातम् | इमम् | सुतम् । 1) इन्द्रा॑ग्नी = इन्द्र + अग्नी (द्वन्द्व-समास; द्विवचन-सम्बोधन/प्रथमा). 2) अ॒या = वेदिक-प्रयोगः ‘अया’ (अनया) तृतीया एकवचन.
- ‘सचा’ अव्ययम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra and Agni are invoked to come with the singer; the awakened yajña reaches them, and they are asked to drink the pressed Soma by this “path.”
Inner meaning
The Divine Mind (Indra) and Divine Will/Flame (Agni) are invited to descend into the practitioner’s conscious offering. The “awakened sacrifice” is the inner yajña that has become cetana—self-aware—so the higher Powers can partake of the refined delight (Soma) and strengthen the ascent.
Universal truth
When aspiration becomes conscious and coherent, higher illumination and will naturally respond; inner offering becomes a living channel through which bliss and strength circulate between human effort and divine support.
Themes
Conscious ritual/inner offering, Invocation to drink Soma, Union of powers, Path/means (ayā)
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Gāthina
- Other hymns
- RV 3.1, RV 3.2, RV 3.12, RV 3.62 (Gāyatrī)
Family tradition
Viśvāmitra lineage of mantric force—transition from royal power to seerhood; hymns often stress conquest of obstruction through illumination and will.
Significance
Viśvāmitra’s vision emphasizes the yoga of aspiration: calling the divine Powers into a conscious inner sacrifice that breaks limitations and establishes wider light.
The deity
- Devata
- Indrāgnī
- Epithets
- cetana-yajña-gamya (approached by the awakened sacrifice), soma-pā (drinkers of Soma), saha-kārinau (co-working powers)
- Related deities
- Soma, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas, Sūrya
Cosmic role
They jointly uphold the ascent: Agni kindles and leads the offering; Indra opens the luminous planes and brings victorious force.
Inner power
A unified action of will and illumination that makes the offering effective and turns experience into assimilable bliss.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and offering to Indrāgnī in a dual-invocation sequence
इन्द्रा॑ग्नी जरि॒तुः सचा॑ य॒ज्ञो जि॑गाति॒ चेत॑नः । अ॒या पा॑तमि॒मं सु॒तम् ॥
इन्द्रा॑ग्नी॒ इति॑ । ज॒रि॒तुः । सचा॑ । य॒ज्ञः । जि॒गा॒ति॒ । चेत॑नः । अ॒या । पा॒त॒म् । इ॒मम् । सु॒तम् ॥
indrāgnī iti | jarituḥ | sacā | yajñaḥ | jigāti | cetanaḥ | ayā | pātam | imam | sutam
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3 pādas of ~8 syllables each
Compact, forward-driving, mantra-like clarity; suited to invocation and quick inner turning.
Sharpens attention, gathers dispersed energy, and creates a clean ‘channel’ feeling—appropriate to ‘cetana’ (awakening).
- इन्द्रा॑ग्नी (indrāgnī)
- Literal: Indra and Agni (dual deity). Symbolic: Illuminating Mind + initiating Will acting as one integrated spiritual force
- जरितुः (jarituḥ)
- Literal: of/with the singer, praiser. Symbolic: The aspiring soul-personality that gives voice to the inner call
- य॒ज्ञः (yajñaḥ)
- Literal: sacrifice, offering. Symbolic: Inner discipline of self-giving; the psycho-spiritual work of transformation
- चेत॑नः (cetanaḥ)
- Literal: conscious, awakened. Symbolic: A yajña made luminous by awareness; intentional sādhanā rather than mechanical rite
- अ॒या (ayā)
- Literal: by this way/path. Symbolic: A formed inner channel (nāḍī-like passage): right method, right orientation of consciousness
- सु॒तम् (sutam)
- Literal: pressed Soma. Symbolic: Distilled delight/ānanda extracted from experience and offered upward
- पा॒तम् (pātam)
- Literal: drink!. Symbolic: Receive, assimilate, and empower the offering within the being
Soma offering invitation emphasizing ‘cetana’ (conscious performance) and companionship of jaritṛ and yajña; fits soma libation contexts.
During Soma-yajña stotras/śastras where Indra-Agni are invited to partake
Offering of Soma with invitatory praise; calling the deities to ‘come’ and ‘drink’
Use as a short pre-meditation invocation: ‘May will and illumination enter my conscious practice and receive my offering.’
(jaritṛ) from √jar/√gṛ? ‘to sing/praise’: the praiser. (sacā) adverb ‘together with’ (cf. √sac ‘accompany’). (yajña) from √yaj ‘worship, sacrifice’ (PIE *h₁yeh₂ǵ-). from √gam with reduplication (intensive/iterative): ‘moves/comes’. (cetana) from √cit ‘perceive, be conscious’ (PIE *ḱeyt- ‘notice’).
Conscious sacrifice (cetanaḥ yajñaḥ), Human-divine collaboration (jarituḥ sacā), Approach/descent dynamic (jigāti)
‘Ayā’ suggests the right path/channel of ṛta by which the offering reaches the gods and returns as power.
Conscious sacrifice aligns the being with truth-action rather than habitual action.
Transformation of raw experience into ‘pressed Soma’—a microcosmic creation of delight from life.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: ascent and descent through conscious offering.
Dawn-to-morning (typical Soma movement from awakening to active offering)
Fire = will; Soma = bliss; path = disciplined method/inner channel; dawn-sense = awakening of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘conscious yajña’ traveling to the gods: the rite itself is personified as a living movement that approaches Indra-Agni, reflecting the mythic idea that right-offering compels divine presence; inwardly, awakened aspiration becomes a vehicle of contact.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- yajñá from √yaj reflects an old IE cultic root (*h₁yeh₂ǵ-). cetana from √cit reflects PIE cognition roots. The reduplicated jigāti (from √gam) shows inherited Indo-Aryan intensification morphology used for vivid ritual motion.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi highlights that the gods respond not to mere form but to conscious offering: the jaritṛ’s praise and the cetana yajña together create the ‘way’ (ayā) by which Indra-Agni can enter and partake.
Unify inner will (Agni) and clarity/illumination (Indra) and offer the day’s energies as Soma (refined delight).
Maṇipūra (Agni/will) with Ājñā (Indra/illumination)
Gentle nāḍī-śodhana 6–6 or 4–4 for 7 rounds; on exhale ‘offer’ the Soma-feeling upward.
Waking-to-collected (from scattered to cetana).
Begin with a brief inner flame in the navel, then lift attention to the brow; feel a single current (‘ayā’) connecting them; end by resting in a subtle sweetness (Soma).
Mixed udatta/anudatta/svarita as per śākala tradition; notable udatta on,, (markings indicate accented syllables).
Keep udatta syllables slightly raised and clear; avoid lengthening unaccented syllables; maintain pāda breaks after ‘cetanaḥ’.
indrāgnī: merge smoothly (no hard break), jarituḥ: light ‘r’, short ‘i’, cetanaḥ: ‘ce’ as ‘chay’ without aspiration; final visarga soft, sutam: ‘su’ pure, ‘ta’ dental
Clear, focused, slightly bright; let the final ‘sutam’ settle softly.
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