Rig Veda 4.6.5: Mandala 4, Sukta 6, Mantra 5
Sukta 4.6
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Raudra (fury)
परि त्मना मितद्रुरेति होताग्निर्मन्द्रो मधुवचा ऋतावा । द्रवन्त्यस्य वाजिनो न शोका भयन्ते विश्वा भुवना यदभ्राट् ॥
pári tmanā́ mitá-druḥ eti hotā́gnír mandró mádhu-vacā ṛtá-vā́ | drávanty asya vājíno ná śókā bháyante víśvā bhúvanā yád abhrā́ṭ ||
अग्नि अपनी मर्ज़ी से चारों तरफ घूमता है। वो पुजारी है, खुशी देने वाला है, उसकी बातें मीठी हैं, वो सच का पालन करता है। जब वो जलता है तो दुख भाग जाते हैं, जैसे डरावे घोड़े भाग जाते हैं। सारी दुनिया उससे डरने लगती है।
Word by Word
- परि
- around, all aroundIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot परि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- त्मना
- by himself; with his own selfNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot त्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- मितद्रुः
- having measured/limited ‘courses/woods’ (epithet); the measurerAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot मित-द्रु (प्रातिपदिक; बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-समास)
- एति
- goes, movesVerbलट्; प्रथमा पुरुष; एकवचनRole KartāRoot इ (धातु)
- होता
- the Hotṛ-priest; invokerNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot होतृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्निः
- Agni (fire-god)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- मन्द्रः
- gladdening, pleasant, exhilaratingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot मन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- मधुवचाः
- sweet-tongued; of honeyed speechAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot मधु-वचस् (प्रातिपदिक; बहुव्रीहि)
- ऋतावा
- possessing ṛta; truthful/ritually rightAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot ऋतावन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- द्रवन्ति
- run, speedVerbलट्; प्रथमा पुरुष; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot द्रु (धातु)
- अस्य
- of him, hisPronounषष्ठी एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वाजिनः
- the prize-winners; swift ones (steeds)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot वाजिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-निपातRole AdhikaraṇaRoot न (अव्यय)
- शोकाः
- flames, blazing fires (lit. burnings)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot शोक (प्रातिपदिक)
- भयन्ते
- fear, are afraidVerbलट्; आत्मनेपद; प्रथमा पुरुष; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot भी (धातु)
- विश्वा
- allAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- भुवनानि
- beings; worlds; creaturesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot भुवन (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- when; since; that whichPronoun/Conjunctionनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (सम्बन्धसूचक)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अभ्राट्
- shone forth, blazedVerbलुङ् (अorist); प्रथमा पुरुष; एकवचनRole KartāRoot भ्राज् (धातु) + आङ्/अभि (उपसर्गभाव)
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठ: होता॒ग्निर्म॒न्द्रो → होता + अग्निः + मन्द्रः (विसर्ग-लोप/सन्धि).
- ‘यदभ्रा॑ट्’ = यत् + अभ्राट् (त् + अ → द् (जश्त्व) संधि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni the priest moves around by his own measured law; he is rapturous, honey-speaking, truth-bearing. Sorrows flee from him like beaten steeds; all worlds fear when he blazes.
Inner meaning
Agni moves pari tmanā—encompassing the being by the law of his own divine nature (svadharma), not by egoic preference. He is mitadrúḥ: measured in his movement—disciplined force. His word is madhuvacā: the speech of inner sweetness and truth, the mantra-voice that carries delight and persuasion rather than violence. As ṛtāvā, he bears ṛta: right order and truth-force. When this inner fire blazes (abhrāṭ), shokāḥ—griefs, depressions, obscurities—flee like vājinaḥ (steeds) driven away; and all the ‘worlds’ (planes and parts of our nature) are made to tremble in salutary awe, because falsehood cannot remain before the blazing truth-fire.
Universal truth
A disciplined, truth-bearing will has a natural authority: it dissolves grief and compels every part of life to align. When truth blazes, resistance retreats.
Themes
Agni-as-Hotṛ, Truth-consciousness (ṛta-vā), Light vs. grief/darkness, inner purification
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 4.1, RV 4.2, RV 4.6
Family tradition
Vāmadeva emphasizes Agni as ṛtāvā—truth-bearing—and as the sweet speaker of inspired mantra, whose disciplined action dissolves sorrow and compels alignment across the worlds of the being.
Significance
The seer presents a mature yogic Agni: self-governed, measured, truth-embodied—capable of driving out grief and enforcing inner harmony.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Hotṛ, Mandra, Madhuvacāḥ, Ṛtāvā, Mitadrúḥ
- Related deities
- Indra (driving out darkness), Soma (madhu—delight), Bṛhaspati (inspired speech)
Cosmic role
Guardian of ṛta; purifier; the blazing authority that dispels darkness and disorder across worlds.
Inner power
Disciplined will with truth-speech: it sweetens, illumines, and compels the nature to abandon grief and falsehood.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni praise during the rite as the truth-bearing priest; could accompany circumambulation/maintenance of the fire and recitation affirming ṛta.
परि॒ त्मना॑ मि॒तद्रु॑रेति॒ होता॒ग्निर्म॒न्द्रो मधु॑वचा ऋ॒तावा॑ । द्रव॑न्त्यस्य वा॒जिनो॒ न शोका॒ भय॑न्ते॒ विश्वा॒ भुव॑ना॒ यदभ्रा॑ट् ॥
परि॑ । त्मना॑ । मि॒तऽद्रुः॑ । ए॒ति॒ । होता॑ । अ॒ग्निः । म॒न्द्रः । मधु॑ऽवचाः । ऋ॒तऽवा॑ । द्रव॑न्ति । अ॒स्य॒ । वा॒जिनः॑ । न । शोकाः॑ । भय॑न्ते । विश्वा॑ । भुव॑ना । यत् । अभ्रा॑ट् ॥
pari | tmanā | mita-druḥ | eti | hotā | agniḥ | mandraḥ | madhu-vacāḥ | ṛta-vā | dravanti | asya | vājinaḥ | na | śokāḥ | bhayante | viśvā | bhuvanā | yat | abhrāṭ
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4 × ~11
Authoritative and sweeping; strong closure on the blazing revelation (yad abhrāṭ).
Builds inner command and catharsis; effective for breaking depressive inertia and restoring upright force.
- परि त्मना (pari tmanā)
- Literal: around/by his self. Symbolic: self-law of the soul-force; all-encompassing governance
- मितद्रु (mitadrúḥ)
- Literal: measured in running/movement. Symbolic: disciplined energy; proportion and control
- मधुवचाः (madhuvacāḥ)
- Literal: honey-speaking. Symbolic: speech of delight and truth; mantra that sweetly persuades the nature
- ऋतावा (ṛtāvā)
- Literal: possessed of ṛta. Symbolic: truth-bearing force; right order embodied
- शोकाः (śokāḥ)
- Literal: griefs, sorrows. Symbolic: depressive obscurations; vibrations that lower consciousness
- वाजिनः (vājinaḥ)
- Literal: swift steeds. Symbolic: energies/impulses; when perverted they become runaway forces
- अभ्राट् (abhrāṭ)
- Literal: shone forth, blazed. Symbolic: the decisive emergence of truth-light in consciousness
- विश्वा भुवना (viśvā bhuvanā)
- Literal: all worlds. Symbolic: all planes/parts of the being—physical, vital, mental—compelled to align
Agni-stotra/Agni-praise in Soma sacrifice contexts; also applicable as kindling/invocation verse (samidh/āhavanīya focus) to establish ṛta in the rite
Mid-opening of Agni hymns to establish Agni’s authority and purifying power before further offerings.
Praise of Agni’s ṛta and speech; psychological ‘driving away’ of obstacles and griefs.
Use during periods of mental heaviness: recite to invoke disciplined will and truth-speech; pair with journaling/affirmation that is ‘madhu’ (kind, truthful).
Key terms: (1) eti < √i 'go' (present 3sg), marking Agni’s dynamic, pervasive action. (2) hotā (Hotṛ) from √hu 'to call, invoke'—Agni as the inner invoking will that summons the gods/powers. (3) ṛtá-vā: ṛta (from √ar/ṛ 'to fit, set in order' in Vedic semantic field) + possessive -vā, 'one who holds/embodies the right order'. (4) śoká-: from √śuc 'to burn/shine'—sorrow as a burning turmoil that also obscures; Agni’s blaze makes such 'burnings' flee. (5) abhrāṭ < √bhraj 'shine, blaze' (aorist), emphasizing sudden manifestation of luminous force. (6) vājin-: from vāja, a polyvalent term ('strength, plenitude, prize, nourishment'); here best read as inner energies/impulses that become swift under Agni’s governance.
Ṛta (cosmic order/right rhythm), inner yajña (sacrifice as inner discipline), transformation of grief into force
Explicit: Agni as ṛtāvā; his measured movement (mitadrúḥ) is ṛta in action.
Blazing forth (abhrāṭ) as revelation of truth that reorganizes all worlds.
Purification as a cosmic function: truth-fire maintains the worlds by driving out disorder.
Aurobindonian: Agni as soul-force governing nature by inner law, transforming lower vibrations (śoka) into aligned energy.
Fire = truth-will; honey = delight in speech/thought; steeds = energies/impulses; worlds = layers of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni’s epiphany as the ṛta-bearing priest whose blaze drives away affliction: the recurring mythic pattern where the manifestation of divine Fire/Light causes the hostile powers (here 'śokāḥ'—burning griefs) to flee, and the whole ordered cosmos responds. It is not a battle narrative but an epiphany-motif: when Agni shines forth, disorder cannot stand.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Several core verbs/nouns preserve archaic Indo-European lexicon: eti < √i corresponds to PIE *h₁ey- 'to go' (cf. Lat. ire). bhayante < √bhī aligns with PIE *bʰeyh₂- 'fear' (cf. Eng. fear is Germanic, but Indo-European parallels exist in Slavic/Gk semantic fields). bhūvanā from √bhū reflects PIE *bʰuH- 'be, become' (cf. Eng. be). abhrāṭ < √bhraj relates to PIE *bʰreg- 'shine, burn' (cf. Slavic *bregъ 'bright'/related developments). These roots support the verse’s archaic formulaic diction: motion, being, fear, and shining.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer presents Agni not merely as an external ritual fire but as an autonomous inner power ('tmanā') that establishes ṛta. The reciprocity is implicit: the human offers speech/recognition (praise of 'madhu-vacāḥ'), while Agni reciprocates by reorganizing the inner worlds—making griefs flee and compelling the planes of becoming toward order. The 'dakṣiṇā' equivalent is the transformed consciousness: the sacrifice yields a purified, fearless field of being under ṛta.
Establish self-law (tmanā): feel a calm inner authority; then kindle a ‘honeyed truth’ in speech and thought; finally blaze as clarity that drives out grief.
Maṇipūra (command) and Viśuddha (truth-speech)
Exhale-lengthening (inhale 4, exhale 8) while mentally repeating madhuvacāḥ; then a few fuller breaths to ‘blaze’ (abhrāṭ) in the solar plexus.
Truth-strong, cathartically clear, disciplined.
If grief arises, do not wrestle it—stand in the fire. Recite, then sit silently for 2 minutes imagining grief as a horse bolting away from a steady flame at the center.
Let the chant feel ‘measured’ (mitadrúḥ): even tempo, consistent pitch steps. Preserve udatta/anudatta/svarita contours without stressy emphasis on ‘fear’ imagery.
Give clean caesura after each pāda; slightly lengthen at ‘ṛtāvā’ and ‘abhrāṭ’ to mark truth and blaze.
mitadrur: keep ‘dr’ cluster; do not insert vowel (mi-ta-drur)., madhuvacā: pronounce dh clearly; long ā at end., ṛtāvā: vocalic ṛ; long ā., śokāḥ: ś not s; long āḥ., abhrāṭ: articulate bh + r; retroflex ṭ at end.
Firm, bright, slightly forceful but not harsh; end with a clean, resonant closure.
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