Rig Veda 4.5.14: Mandala 4, Sukta 5, Mantra 14
Sukta 4.5
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Raudra (fury) and Shanta (peace)
अनिरेण वचसा फल्ग्वेन प्रतीत्येन कृधुनातृपासः । अधा ते अग्ने किमिहा वदन्त्यनायुधास आसता सचन्ताम् ॥
aniréṇa vácasā phálgvená pratī́tyena kṛdhúnā atṛpā́saḥ | ádhā te agne kím ihā́ vadanty anāyudhā́sa āsátā sacantām ||
जिनके पास बात में जान नहीं, जो समझते नहीं, वो खाली घूमते हैं। अग्नि, उनसे क्या कहते हैं? जो हथियार नहीं रखते, वो बैठ के अपनी कमज़ोरी पकड़े रहते हैं।
Word by Word
- अनिरेण
- with a non-manly/weak (speech)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम् (वचसा इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role करणRoot अ-निर (प्रातिपदिक ‘निर’ + नञ्) / अनिर (adj.)
- वचसा
- with speech/wordNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्Role करणRoot वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- फल्ग्वेन
- with feeble/insignificantAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम् (प्रतीत्येन इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role करणRoot फल्गु (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रतीत्येन
- with (mere) approach/assentAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्Role करणRoot प्रतीत्य (कृदन्त; प्रति-इ √इ ‘to go/approach’ → प्रतीत्य ‘approach/coming-to’)
- कृधुना
- with hostility/maliceNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्Role करणRoot कृधु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘injury, malice, hostility’)
- तृपासः
- the deceiversNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तृपस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘deceiver/cheater’, RV usage)
- अध
- then/thereuponIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root अध (अव्यय)
- ते
- of you/yourPronounषष्ठी एकवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्धRoot त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- किम्
- whatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्म (वदन्ति इत्यस्य)Root किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इह
- hereIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role अधिकरणRoot इह (अव्यय)
- वदन्ति
- they speak/sayVerbलट् (वर्तमाने) परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः बहुवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot √वद् (भ्वादि) ‘to speak’
- अनायुधासः
- weaponlessAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (आसताः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृRoot अ-आयुध (प्रातिपदिक ‘आयुध’ + नञ्)
- आसताः
- sitting/being seatedVerb (participle)कृत्: क्त (भूतकर्मणि/भूतकाले), पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot √आस् (अदादि) ‘to sit’
- सचन्ताम्
- let them associate/attach (themselves)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे) आत्मनेपदम्, तृतीयपुरुषः बहुवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot √सच् (भ्वादि/तुदादि; ‘to accompany, adhere, join’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अनिरेण वचसा फल्ग्वेन प्रतीत्येन कृधुना तृपासः । अध ते अग्ने किम् इह वदन्ति अनायुधासः आसताः सचन्ताम् ॥ Sandhi: (1) किमिहा → किम् + इह (अव्यय-सन्धि; ‘किम्’ अन्त्य ‘म्’ परे स्वर ‘इ’)
- (2) वदन्त्यनायुधासः → वदन्ति + अनायुधासः (इकारान्ति परे अ-; य्-आगमः/संहितायां संयोगः)
- (3) आसता → आसताः (पादान्ते विसर्ग-लोप/पदपाठ-भेद; संहितायां दीर्घस्वर-प्रभाव)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Those who are unsatisfied wander with speech lacking strength, with trivial words and mistaken understanding. What can they say to Agni? Let the weaponless sit down and cling to their own helplessness.
Inner meaning
A critique of sterile mentality: speech without inner fire (anireṇa vacasā) and ‘paltry’ thinking (phalgvena pratītyena) cannot approach Agni, the power of effective truth. The ‘unsatisfied’ are those not inwardly fulfilled by the taste of truth; they roam in restlessness. ‘Weaponless’ means without the spiritual instruments—aspiration, tapas, discrimination, sincerity. Such parts of nature must be quieted (‘sit down’) rather than allowed to dominate the sacrifice.
Universal truth
Without inner substance, words become noise and understanding becomes distortion. Real progress requires spiritual ‘weapons’—sincerity, discipline, and a living will for truth; otherwise one must practice silence and humility.
Themes
Critique of false speech, Need for inner weapons (faculties), Discipline of understanding, Separation of seeker and obstructer
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 4.5.12, Rig Veda 4.5.13
Family tradition
Emphasizes authenticity of mantra: word must be powered by inner Agni; critiques mere formalism and disputation.
Significance
A key psychological teaching: the Vedic word is effective only when it carries inner heat (tapas) and truth-substance; otherwise silence is better.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Agni, Jātavedas (hymn context)
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (true word), Indra (force that conquers resistance), Varuṇa (truth-law)
Cosmic role
Tester and purifier of speech and intention; accepts only what is sincere and potent.
Inner power
Tapas-fire that burns falsehood, refines thought, and gives mantric efficacy.
In ritual
Where it is used
Used as a cautionary verse in Agni worship—ensure correct intention and potency of mantra/offerings.
अ॒नि॒रेण॒ वच॑सा फ॒ल्ग्वे॑न प्र॒तीत्ये॑न कृ॒धुना॑तृ॒पास॑: । अधा॒ ते अ॑ग्ने॒ किमि॒हा व॑दन्त्यनायु॒धास॒ आस॑ता सचन्ताम् ॥
अ॒नि॒रेण॑ । वच॑सा । फ॒ल्ग्वे॑न । प्र॒तीत्ये॑न । कृ॒धुना॑ । अ॒तृ॒पासः॑ । अध॑ । ते । अ॒ग्ने॒ । किम् । इ॒ह । व॒द॒न्ति॒ । अ॒ना॒यु॒धासः॑ । आस॑ता । स॒च॒न्ता॒म् ॥
anireṇa | vacasā | phalgvena | pratītyena | kṛdhunā | atṛpāsaḥ | adha | te | agne | k im | iha | vadanti | anāyudhāsaḥ | āsatā | sacantām
44
4×11 (approx.)
Sharper, admonitory; strong consonant clusters support a cutting clarity.
Creates purification and self-honesty; discourages mental wandering and promotes disciplined speech.
- अनिरेण वचसा (anireṇa vacasā)
- Literal: with sapless speech. Symbolic: speech not supported by inner experience or will
- फल्ग्वेन (phalgvena)
- Literal: paltry, trivial. Symbolic: small mind that cannot hold the vast truth
- प्रतीत्येन (pratītyena)
- Literal: by (mis)understanding, notion. Symbolic: conceptual belief mistaken for realization
- कृधुना (kṛdhunā)
- Literal: crooked/angry/confused (contextual). Symbolic: distorted movement of nature—restless, reactive mind
- अतृपासः (atṛpāsaḥ)
- Literal: unsatisfied. Symbolic: parts of being not nourished by truth/bliss
- अनायुधासः (anāyudhāsaḥ)
- Literal: weaponless. Symbolic: without tapas, discrimination, aspiration—no effective means of conquest
- आसता (āsatā)
- Literal: let them sit. Symbolic: discipline of silence and stillness for lower nature
- सचन्ताम् (sacantām)
- Literal: let them cling/attach. Symbolic: left to their own level until they consent to be transformed
Polemic against ineffective speech in sacrificial setting; inner use—distinguishing true mantra (word with fire) from barren talk and distorted cognition that cannot approach Agni.
Before recitation, teaching, or debate; also during kindling to ‘purify speech’.
Pause, recollect, offer a silent moment; then proceed with mantra only when mind is aligned.
A mantra for ‘digital/mental detox’: before speaking or posting, recollect inner truth; if not, choose silence.
aniréṇa ‘without nira/force’ (interpretable as ‘without sap/energy’; nira- related to strength/juice in some Vedic usages); phálgu ‘insignificant, barren’; pratī́ti from prati-√i ‘go toward’ → ‘conception/understanding’, here misdirected; kṛdhú ‘crooked, hostile’ (cf. kṛd ‘harm’ in later usage); atṛpā́saḥ from a- + √tṛp ‘be satisfied’ (restless); an-āyudha ‘without weapon’ (āyudha = instrument/weapon, inner powers).
truth-force of speech (vāc aligned to R̥ta), tṛpti vs. atṛpti (plenitude vs. dissatisfaction), inner instruments (āyudha as faculties)
Right speech is speech in Ṛta—effective because it is true and aligned.
Truth is a power, not merely correctness; it requires inner substance.
Transformation by fire: lower nature is quieted and purified before higher creation can proceed.
Yoga of speech (vāk) leading toward Upaniṣadic emphasis on truth and austerity (tapas) (thematic).
Weapon = spiritual capacity (tapas/discrimination); weaponlessness = inertia/helplessness; sitting = stilling the restless mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The contrast between the true fire-bearing word and the barren word of the ‘weaponless’. Mythically, it is the exclusion of obstructing forces from the sacrificial ascent—those without inner arms cannot reach the flame.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vac (speech) and √tṛp (satisfaction) belong to inherited IE semantic fields: speech as power and satisfaction as fullness. The negative prefix a-/an- is likewise a common IE morphological strategy, reinforcing the polarity of equipped vs. unequipped seekers.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi aligns with Agni as the judge of authenticity: only speech with inner heat and right understanding can approach him. The verse implies a pact—Agni supports the disciplined aspirant, while the undisciplined are left to their lower adhesion.
Observe speech-impulse; offer it into inner fire; practice truthful silence when speech lacks inner sanction.
vishuddha
exhale-lengthening (e.g., 4 in / 8 out) to cool reactivity; then 3 silent breaths before speaking
Purifying clarity—reduction of mental noise.
Before mantra or conversation, ask: ‘Is this word powered by sincerity and experience?’ If not, ‘āsata’—sit, breathe, and return to the flame in the heart.
Keep consonant-heavy phrases crisp; preserve udātta on key critique terms (phálgv-, atṛpāsaḥ) per recitational tradition; avoid sing-song smoothing.
Deliver pādas 1–2 with firm, clipped clarity; pādas 3–4 with decisive closure.
anireṇa: clear retroflex ṇ, phalgvena: pronounce ph as aspirated (not f), pratītyena: long ī; distinct ty cluster, atṛpāsaḥ: vocalic ṛ; long ā, anāyudhāsaḥ: long ā; dh aspirated
firm, purifying, not harsh
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