Sukta 17
Sukta 3.17
Viśvāmitra Gāthina
Tr̥ṣṭubh (likely; common for RV 3.17—verify in metrical index)
This short Agni hymn from Viśvāmitra praises the fire-god as the first to be kindled according to r̥ta (ritual-cosmic order), the purifier whose flame leads the sacrifice and brings the gods. It highlights Agni’s anointing through the cycle of nights and days, his kinship with the dawns, and asks him—wise and law-abiding—to secure divine help, well-being, and a smooth course for the adhvara (sacrificial rite).
In this hymn
Addressed to
Mantras
Mantra 1
समिध्यमानः प्रथमानु धर्मा समक्तुभिरज्यते विश्ववारः । शोचिष्केशो घृतनिर्णिक्पावकः सुयज्ञो अग्निर्यजथाय देवान् ॥
अग्नि को जलाया जाता है और वो सबसे पहले आता है। यह पुराना नियम है जो फॉलो किया जाता है। दिन और रात के साथ वो तैयार होता है। वो सब अच्छी चीज़ें लाता है। उसके बाल आग जैसी चमकते हैं। वो साफ रोशनी जैसा चमकता है। वो गंदा पानी साफ करता है। अग्नि यज्ञ को पूरा करता है और भगवानों की पूजा के लिए आगे बढ़ता है।
Mantra 2
यथायजो होत्रमग्ने पृथिव्या यथा दिवो जातवेदश्चिकित्वान् । एवानेन हविषा यक्षि देवान्मनुष्वद्यज्ञं प्र तिरेममद्य ॥
अग्नि, पहले तुम धरती पर पंडित का काम करते थे। फिर आसमान से भी तुमने यह काम किया, जातवेदस। तुम्हे सब पता था कैसे करना है। अब भी इस हवन के साथ भगवानों की पूजा करो। यह इंसानों का तरीका है। आज इस यज्ञ को आगे बढ़ा दो।
Mantra 3
त्रीण्यायूंषि तव जातवेदस्तिस्र आजानीरुषसस्ते अग्ने । ताभिर्देवानामवो यक्षि विद्वानथा भव यजमानाय शं योः ॥
जातवेदस, तुम्हारे पास तीन ताकत हैं। अग्नि, तुम्हारे पास तीन सुबह हैं जो तुम्हारे पास पैदा हुई हैं। इन तीनों के साथ भगवानों की मदद के लिए पूजा करो। तुम्हे पता है कैसे करना है। फिर यज्ञ करने वाले के लिए शांति और खुशी लाओ।
Mantra 4
अग्निं सुदीतिं सुदृशं गृणन्तो नमस्यामस्त्वेड्यं जातवेदः । त्वां दूतमरतिं हव्यवाहं देवा अकृण्वन्नमृतस्य नाभिम् ॥
हम अग्नि की तारीफ करते हैं। वो अच्छी तरह जलता है और देखने में अच्छा लगता है। जातवेदस, हम तुम्हारे सामने झुकते हैं। तुम्हे ढूंढना अच्छा लगता है। भगवानों ने तुम्हे अपना मैसेंजर बनाया। तुम कभी थकते नहीं हो। तुम हवन का सामान ले जाते हो। तुम अमृत के बीज हो जो कभी खत्म नहीं होता।
Mantra 5
यस्त्वद्धोता पूर्वो अग्ने यजीयान्द्विता च सत्ता स्वधया च शम्भुः । तस्यानु धर्म प्र यजा चिकित्वोऽथ नो धा अध्वरं देववीतौ ॥
अग्नि, वो पंडित तुम्हारा पहला पंडित था। वो दूसरों से बड़ा था। वो दूसरा भी था और अपने आप में खड़ा था। वो खुशी देता था। उसके नियम को फॉलो करो और समझ के पूजा करो। फिर हमारे लिए भगवानों के रास्ते को सही कर दो।
Inside Sukta 17
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Agni is kindled as the first principle of the rite, moving according to eternal law and being anointed through nights and days.
- Development
His luminous, ghee-bright, purifying nature is unfolded; he is presented as the effective sacrificer who brings the gods and their gifts.
- Climax
Agni’s deeper powers are invoked—his ‘three life-powers’ and kinship with the three dawns—so he may win divine aid and wideness for the yajamāna.
- Where it settles
The hymn closes by urging Agni to follow the ancestral/ideal hotar’s dharma and set the adhvara on a steady path amid the gods’ favorable reception (devavīti).
The deity: Agni
- Cosmic functionHe mediates between human and divine realms: receiving offerings, conveying them to the devas, and maintaining r̥ta through correctly ordered sacrifice; he also embodies the transformative power of fire in the cosmos.
- Inner significanceAgni represents awakened will, clarity, and the inner heat (tapas) that digests experience and turns intention into effective offering—making the mind fit to ‘invite the gods’ (higher powers) into consciousness.
The seer
- Viśvāmitra GāthinaGāthina (Viśvāmitra gotra; traditionally connected with the Kuśika line) · A foremost Rigvedic seer associated with Mandala 3, celebrated for powerful Agni and Indra hymns and for articulating r̥ta (cosmic/ritual order) in sacrificial theology.
Famous verses
śociṣkeśo ghṛtanirṇik pāvakaḥ
त्रीण्यायूंषि तव जातवेदस्तिस्र आजानीरुषसस्ते अग्ने । ताभिर्देवानामवो यक्षि विद्वानथा भव यजमानाय शं योः ॥adhvaraṃ devavītau
Attributes of the deity
- Hotar (priest) and dūta (messenger) of the gods
- Pāvaka (purifier) and ghṛta-bright (ghṛtanirṇij)
- First kindled/foremost in the rite (prathama)
- Knower (jātavedas) who remembers and carries offerings
- Sustainer of r̥ta/dharma in sacrifice
- Bestower of boons and well-being for the yajamāna
Also by this seer
- Primary seer of much of Rigveda Mandala 3 (numerous sūktas across RV 3, including prominent Agni and Indra hymns)
- Traditionally linked in later Vedic-Itihāsa memory to the Viśvāmitra lineage of priests and transmitters of mantra-knowledge
The rite, step by step
- Prepare the altar and fuel; establish a clean, ordered ritual space.
- Kindle Agni (samidh), acknowledging him as ‘first’ in the rite and aligning the act with dharma/r̥ta.
- Anoint/strengthen the fire with ghee as the hymn praises his ghṛta-bright purification.
- Invoke Agni as hotar to call the gods and carry the offerings.
- Conclude with a request for divine help (avo), peace (śam), and a well-guided course of the sacrifice (adhvara) in devavīti (the gods’ welcoming).
Offerings
- Ghṛta (clarified butter)
- Samidh (fuel sticks)
- Optional: simple oblations appropriate to Agni (e.g., ghee with grains), consistent with household/śrauta context
Frequently Asked Questions
It presents Agni as the first and essential power of sacrifice—purifying, correctly ordered by r̥ta, and able to bring the gods to the offering—while asking him to grant help, peace, and a successful rite.
It uses a symbolic triad to show Agni’s deep vitality and his close alliance with dawn (renewal and right beginning), then prays that this power will secure divine support and well-being for the sacrificer.
It is well suited for the opening of a fire rite: kindling Agni, offering ghee, and invoking him as hotar to invite the deities, while requesting a smooth, protected course of the sacrifice.
Ask anything about Sukta 17 of the Rig Veda
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.
