Rig Veda 3.31.3: Mandala 3, Sukta 31, Mantra 3
Sukta 3.31
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अग्निर्जज्ञे जुह्वा रेजमानो महस्पुत्राँ अरुषस्य प्रयक्षे । महान्गर्भो मह्या जातमेषां मही प्रवृद्धर्यश्वस्य यज्ञैः ॥
agnír jajñe juhvā́ rejámāno mahás putrā́n aruṣásya prá-yakṣe | mahā́n gárbho mahyā́ jātám eṣāṃ mahī́ prá-vṛddh haryaśvásya yajñáiḥ ||
अग्नि पैदा हुआ, जुहले पर चमक रहा है। यह बड़ी यज्ञ के लिए है, लाल वाले के बेटे। एक बड़ी गर्भ है, उनके लिए पैदा हुआ। बड़ा ग्रोथ होता है उनकी यज्ञ से, भूरे घोड़े वाली शक्ति की।
Word by Word
- अग्निः
- Agni (the fire-god)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अग्नि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- जज्ञे
- was born / has been bornVerbलिट् (परोक्शभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole (क्रिया)Root √जन् (जनि)
- जुह्वा
- with the ladle (sacrificial spoon)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot जुहू- (प्रातिपदिक)
- रेजमानः
- shining, blazingParticiple (Adjective)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अग्नि-विशेषण)Root √रेज्
- महः
- of the great one / of greatnessNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root महत्/महस्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुत्रान्
- sonsNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot पुत्र- (प्रातिपदिक)
- अरुषस्य
- of the ruddy one (Arusha)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root अरुष- (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रयक्षे
- has worshipped / has sacrificedVerbलिट् (परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole (क्रिया)Root √यज्
- महान्
- greatAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot महत्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- गर्भः
- embryo, womb-childNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अग्नि-सम्बन्धी)Root गर्भ- (प्रातिपदिक)
- मह्या
- of the great (earth/queen)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root मही- (प्रातिपदिक)
- जातम्
- bornPast participleक्त (भूतकर्मणि), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole (अग्नि-विशेषण/विधेय)Root √जन्
- एषाम्
- of thesePronounषष्ठी, बहुवचन (त्रिलिङ्ग)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मही
- greatAdjective/Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषण/विधेयRoot मही- (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रवृद्धा
- grown strong, increasedPast participle (Adjective)क्त (भूतकर्मणि), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषण (मही-विशेषण)Root √वृध्
- र्यश्वस्य
- of Ryashva (a patron/descendant)Noun (proper/epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root र्यश्व- (प्रातिपदिक)
- यज्ञैः
- by/with sacrificesNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole करणRoot यज्ञ- (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: अग्निर्जज्ञे → अग्निः + जज्ञे (visarga before voiced j). जुह्वा३ रेजमानो → जुह्वा + रेजमानः (pada-final -o in saṃhitā corresponds to visarga -ः in pada). महस्पुत्राँ → महः + पुत्रान् (visarga + p; Vedic length/intonation in पुत्राँ reflects saṃhitā prosody). अरुषस्य प्रयक्षे: no external sandhi. महान्गर्भो → महान् + गर्भः (final -न् before g; saṃhitā -o = -ः). मह्या जातमेṣām: no external sandhi
- जातम् + एषाम् (m + e kept separate in pada). म॒ही प्र॒वृद्धर्य॑श्वस्य → मही + प्रवृद्धा + र्यश्वस्य (word-initial r- after vowel; treated as separate pada र्यश्वस्य)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni is born blazing upon the offering-ladle for a great oblation, connected with the “sons” of the ruddy one; a mighty womb/embryo is born for them, and the tawny-horsed power grows great by sacrifices.
Inner meaning
The flame of the inner Will (Agni) awakens on the “juhū” (the conscious instrument of offering—speech/mind turned upward). It kindles a vast movement of self-giving (mahas, the Great) that brings forth “sons” (multiple powers/energies) of the red-golden Force (aruṣa: dawn-fire, luminous vital). A great “garbha” (seed/embryo) of the divine birth forms in the being; through repeated inner sacrifices (disciplined offerings of desire, thought, and action), the tawny-horsed dynamic power (hari-aśva: swift illumined force, often Indraic) increases and stabilizes.
Universal truth
Spiritual growth begins when the will to the Divine is kindled in the instruments of life; sustained self-offering incubates a higher birth within, and the illumined life-force grows strong enough to carry consciousness beyond obscurity.
Themes
Agni birth, sacrificial growth, cosmic generation, alliance of powers
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Kauśika (traditional)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.1, RV 3.2, RV 3.26, RV 3.30, RV 3.33
Family tradition
Viśvāmitra corpus (Maṇḍala 3): hymns of forceful aspiration, conquest of darkness, discovery of the Light (go) and the path of Ṛta.
Significance
Viśvāmitra’s vision frequently stages the inner yajña as a battle and breakthrough: Agni is kindled to open the sealed rock, release the hidden Light, and establish the wide Truth (bṛhat/mahas).
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (with Indraic dynamism implied by haryaśva)
- Epithets
- rejamāna (blazing), mahas-putra (child of the Vast / bringing vastness), aruṣa-related (ruddy, golden)
- Related deities
- Indra, Uṣas, Soma, Bṛhaspati/Angiras
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine worlds; carrier of offerings; awakener of the Dawn of consciousness; establisher of Ṛta through right action.
Inner power
Will that aspires, purifies, and organizes the being; transforms desire into force for illumination; builds the ‘garbha’ of the divine birth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni-kindling and offering sequences (Agnihotra/Prātaḥ-Savana contexts in broader usage)
अ॒ग्निर्ज॑ज्ञे जु॒ह्वा॒३॒॑ रेज॑मानो म॒हस्पु॒त्राँ अ॑रु॒षस्य॑ प्र॒यक्षे॑ । म॒हान्गर्भो॒ मह्या जा॒तमे॑षां म॒ही प्र॒वृद्धर्य॑श्वस्य य॒ज्ञैः ॥
अ॒ग्निः । ज॒ज्ञे॒ । जु॒ह्वा॑ । रेज॑मानः । म॒हः । पु॒त्रान् । अ॒रु॒षस्य॑ । प्र॒ऽयक्षे॑ । म॒हान् । गर्भः॑ । महि॑ । आ । जा॒तम् । ए॒षा॒म् । म॒ही । प्र॒ऽवृत् । हरि॑ऽअश्वस्य । य॒ज्ञैः ॥
agniḥ | jajñe | juhvā | rejamānaḥ | mahaḥ | putrān | aruṣasya | pra-yakṣe | mahān | garbhaḥ | mahi | ā | jātam | eṣām | mahī | pra-vṛt | hari-aśvasya | yajñaiḥ
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Forward-driving, expansive cadence; suited to declaration and breakthrough.
Builds inner heat and wideness; supports a steady ascent of will and concentration.
- अग्निः (agniḥ)
- Literal: fire. Symbolic: divine will; inner priest and leader of the yoga/sacrifice
- जुह्वा (juhvā)
- Literal: offering ladle. Symbolic: the instrument of conscious offering—speech/mind that pours upward
- रेजमानः (rejamānaḥ)
- Literal: shining, blazing. Symbolic: vibration of awakened force; luminous intensity of aspiration
- महः (mahaḥ/mahas)
- Literal: the great; vastness. Symbolic: higher plane of wideness (bṛhat); large consciousness
- पुत्रान् (putrān)
- Literal: sons. Symbolic: born powers—energies, faculties, effective movements of the soul
- अरुषस्य (aruṣasya)
- Literal: of the ruddy one. Symbolic: red-gold luminous force (dawn-fire); dynamic prakṛti becoming illumined
- गर्भः (garbhaḥ)
- Literal: womb/embryo. Symbolic: seed of the divine birth; inner formation of higher consciousness
- हर्यश्वस्य (haryaśvasya)
- Literal: of the tawny-horsed. Symbolic: swift illumined life-force (often Indra’s dynamic energy)
- यज्ञैः (yajñaiḥ)
- Literal: by sacrifices. Symbolic: disciplined self-offering; inner consecration of works
Kindling/strengthening of Agni in the yajña; supports the conception of Agni as born in the offering and growing through sacrifice.
At the lighting/strengthening of the sacred fire and during offerings that invoke Agni as carrier of oblation.
Pouring ghee/oblations with mantric ignition of the fire.
Use as a mantra of beginning: kindle intention before meditation/work; offer restlessness into a steady inner flame.
juhū ‘ladle’ also ‘tongue’ of Agni: ritual object becomes symbol of offering-speech. aruṣa ‘ruddy’ links fire and dawn/sun; from √ruṣ/√aruṣ ‘redden’. pra-vṛt ‘forward turning/growth’ from pra- + √vṛt ‘turn, unfold’ (PIE *wert-). haryaśva ‘tawny-horsed’ typically Indra; indicates the dynamic luminous force whose growth is fostered by yajña—inner sacrifice as disciplined offering of energies.
birth of divine will (Agni jajñe), garbha as seed of manifestation, yajña as inner growth-mechanism
Agni as the force that aligns action and aspiration with Ṛta through consecration (yajña).
Truth becomes effective when the inner will is luminous and steady (rejamāna).
Incubation of a ‘garbha’—a higher formation born through sacrifice and widening.
Proto-Vedāntic and Yogic symbolism (Aurobindonian psychological exegesis; Angiras cycle of revelation).
Dawn/early kindling (suggested by aruṣa imagery)
Ignition of aspiration at the threshold of awakening; release of dynamic energy to carry consciousness upward.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The birth of Agni in the offering: Agni arises on the juhū (offering-tongue), blazing as the embodied will of sacrifice. The ‘mighty womb’ (mahān garbhaḥ) is the inner matrix where divine powers are generated; sacrifice (yajña) is the means of their increase (pravṛt).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √jan (PIE *ǵenh₁-) structures the cosmogonic birth motif; √vṛt (PIE *wert-) frames growth as ‘turning/unfolding’. The persistent IE poetic grammar of ‘birth’ and ‘increase’ is preserved, while Vedic semantics place it inside the ritual-psychological process.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi describes a law of manifestation: Agni is born and grows by yajña. The human role is to sustain the offering (outer and inner), thereby enabling the divine will to blaze and generate its ‘sons’—derivative powers/realizations in consciousness.
Kindle the inner will: feel a steady flame in the heart/solar plexus that receives and offers thoughts and impulses upward.
Manipura (will/fire) with support from Anahata (offering, widening)
Gentle ujjayi or slow nasal breathing; on exhale, inwardly ‘offer’ agitation into the flame.
Collected, warm, and expansive; readiness for sustained practice.
Begin sessions by invoking Agni as the guide of works: ‘Let my energies become your sons—powers of the Light.’ Repeat with a sense of widening (mahas) and formation (garbha).
Triṣṭubh recitation with Vedic udatta/anudatta/svarita as per śākhā tradition; maintain clear udātta lift on key verbs (jajñe) and luminous terms (jyotis-like words in adjacent verses).
Keep the natural pada breaks: agnír | jajñe | juhvā | rejamāno || … ; avoid dragging sandhi across caesura.
: pronounce ‘gnir-jajñe’ with clear palatal ‘jñ’, : ‘juhvā’ with long ā, : ‘re-ja-mā-no’ with long mā, : ‘hary-aśvasya’ (distinct y+a)
Warm, steady, kindling; slightly intensify on ‘rejamānaḥ’ and ‘mahān’.
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