Sukta 13
Sukta 4.13
Vāmadeva Gautama
Agni with Dawn/Sun and invocation to the Aśvins
Triṣṭubh (probable)
This short hymn links the kindling of Agni at dawn with the cosmic emergence of light: Uṣas opens the way, Sūrya rises, and the Aśvins are invited to the well-prepared household rite. It moves from vivid dawn imagery to a contemplative wonder about the unseen support of heaven—ṛta as the hidden law by which the worlds do not fall. The purpose is both ritual (to inaugurate the morning offering) and philosophical (to awaken insight into the order sustaining the cosmos).
Mantras
Mantra 1
प्रत्यग्निरुषसामग्रमख्यद्विभातीनां सुमना रत्नधेयम् । यातमश्विना सुकृतो दुरोणमुत्सूर्यो ज्योतिषा देव एति ॥
अग्नि सुबह के पहले रोशनी की तरफ देख रहा है। वो खुश मन से खज़ाना ले कर आया है। अश्विन भाई, अच्छे घर पर आओ। सूरज भगवान अपनी रोशनी लेकर ऊपर आ रहा है।
Mantra 2
ऊर्ध्वं भानुं सविता देवो अश्रेद्द्रप्सं दविध्वद्गविषो न सत्वा । अनु व्रतं वरुणो यन्ति मित्रो यत्सूर्यं दिव्यारोहयन्ति ॥
सविता भगवान रोशनी की किरण ऊपर उठा रहे हैं। वो चमकते बूँद को हिलते हुए देख रहे हैं। जैसे कोई रोशनी ढूँढता है। वरुण और मित्र नियम के हिसाब से चलते हैं। जब वो सूरज को आसमान में चढ़ा देते हैं।
Mantra 3
यं सीमकृण्वन्तमसे विपृचे ध्रुवक्षेमा अनवस्यन्तो अर्थम् । तं सूर्यं हरितः सप्त यह्वीः स्पशं विश्वस्य जगतो वहन्ति ॥
सूरज को अँधेरे से लड़ने के लिए बनाया गया है। वो अपना टारगेट पकड़ के चलता है। सात हरित उस सूरज को उठा कर ले जाते हैं। वो पूरी दुनिया का काम देखता है।
Mantra 4
वहिष्ठेभिर्विहरन्यासि तन्तुमवव्ययन्नसितं देव वस्म । दविध्वतो रश्मयः सूर्यस्य चर्मेवावाधुस्तमो अप्स्वन्तः ॥
तुम टाँगे धक्के मार के आगे बढ़ रहे हो। नीचे की तरफ धागा बुनते हो। चमकते शक्ति, तुमने काला ढक्कन उतार दिया। सूरज की किरणें मारती हैं और अँधेरे को पानी में धकेल देती हैं। जैसे कोई चमड़ा उतारता है।
Mantra 5
अनायतो अनिबद्धः कथायं न्यङ्ङुत्तानोऽव पद्यते न । कया याति स्वधया को ददर्श दिवः स्कम्भः समृतः पाति नाकम् ॥
कोई इस्को लीड नहीं कर रहा, कोई बाँध के नहीं रखा। फिर भी यह नीचे क्यों नहीं गिरता, जबकि सर के बल खड़ा है? अपने आप कैसे चलता है, किसने देखा है? आसमान का यह खंभा, सच में पक्का है, ऊपर की दुनिया को संभाले हुए।
Inside Sukta 13
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Agni ‘looks forth’ at the forefront of the Dawns; the rite begins in the breaking of light and the promise of treasure.
- Development
The hymn expands from household invocation (Aśvins to the home) to the cosmic scene of Sūrya rising and being borne by the seven Harits, the witness of all movement.
- Climax
A philosophical turning: wonder at how the cosmos is held—unled and unbound, yet not falling—by what svadhā and by the heaven’s pillar rooted in ṛta.
- Where it settles
The vision settles into reverence for the sustaining order behind dawn and sun, reaffirming that the rite aligns human action with the cosmic law that upholds the luminous vault.
The deity: Agni
- In the VedaAgni is the first of the gods in the rite: the flame that ‘looks forth’ at the head of the Dawns, bearer of treasure (ratnadhā) and messenger who brings the gods to the home. In this sukta he is entwined with the dawn’s radiance and the sun’s ascent, while the Aśvins are called as swift helpers arriving at the well-built dwelling.
- Cosmic functionIgnites and mediates sacrifice, carries offerings to the gods, and mirrors the daily rekindling of cosmic light—dawn opening the path and the sun establishing visibility and order.
- Inner significanceThe awakening of consciousness at daybreak: the inner fire of attention and aspiration that turns toward light, establishes clarity against darkness, and aligns the person with self-law (svadhā) and ṛta.
The seer
- Vāmadeva GautamaGautama gotra (Vāmadeva as a seer of the Gautamas) · A principal Ṛgvedic seer of Mandala 4, celebrated for hymns that unite luminous dawn symbolism with deep reflections on ṛta (cosmic order) and the inner awakening of speech and insight.
Famous verses
praty agnir uṣasām agram akhyat
spaśaṃ viśvasya jagato
divaḥ skambhaḥ
Attributes of the deity
- Hotṛ and divine messenger (dūta)
- Bearer of wealth/boons (ratnadhā)
- Kindled at dawn; linked to Uṣas and Sūrya
- Protector of the household rite (gṛhapati aspect)
- Revealer/discerner against darkness (through the light motif)
Also by this seer
- Major authorship within Rig Veda Mandala 4 (many hymns attributed to Vāmadeva).
- Hymns to Agni and Indra noted for psychological and cosmic readings in later Vedic exegesis.
- Associated in tradition with visionary utterance (brahman) and the articulation of hidden order (ṛta) through mantra.
The rite, step by step
- Prepare the altar/home fire space (well-built ‘duroṇa’ motif).
- Kindle Agni at dawn, aligning the rite with Uṣas’ first light.
- Recite the sukta to invite Agni as bearer of treasure and to call the Aśvins to the household.
- Offer oblations as Sūrya rises, reaffirming ṛta (order) and seeking safe passage through darkness into clarity.
- Conclude with contemplative recitation/intent on the cosmic support (skambha/ṛta) that upholds the worlds.
Offerings
- Ghee (ājya) into the fire
- Kindling sticks (samidh)
- Optional soma-related praise in the broader morning sequence (contextual to prātaḥ rites)
Frequently Asked Questions
It connects the morning kindling of Agni with the daily victory of light: dawn opens, the sun rises, and the rite invites divine help. It also reflects on the unseen order (ṛta) that holds the cosmos steady.
The Aśvins are swift helpers associated with dawn and safe arrival. Calling them to the “well-built home” fits the morning ritual context—seeking protection, health, and smooth beginnings as the day starts.
It is a poetic way of speaking about the supporting principle that keeps the sky and world from collapsing. The verse suggests this support is grounded in ṛta—truth and cosmic order—operating by its own law (svadhā).
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