Rig Veda 4.8.5: Mandala 4, Sukta 8, Mantra 5
Sukta 4.8
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Vira (heroism)
ते स्याम ये अग्नये ददाशुर्हव्यदातिभिः । य ईं पुष्यन्त इन्धते ॥
té syāma yé agnáye dadāśúr havya-dā́tibhiḥ | yá īṃ púṣyanta indhaté ||
हम भी उनमें हों जो अग्नि को समेट देते हैं। जो लोग उसे बढ़ाते हैं और जलाते हैं, वो असली लोग हैं।
Word by Word
- ते
- they (those)Pronounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- स्याम
- may we beVerbविधिलिङ् (आशीर्लिङ्/optative), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्Role (मुख्यक्रिया)Root अस् (धातु)
- ये
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्नये
- to AgniNounपुंलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- ददाशुः
- have given (offered)Verbलिट् (परस्मैपदम्), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्; वैदिक-रूपम् (ददाशुः = ‘they have given/they gave’)Role (मुख्यक्रिया—सम्बन्धवाक्ये)Root दा (धातु; ‘to give’)
- हव्यदातिभिः
- with gifts/acts of offering oblationsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया बहुवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot हव्यदाति (प्रातिपदिक; हव्य + दाति)
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ईम्
- him (indeed)Indeclinableअव्ययम्; सर्वनाम-प्रयोगे ‘him/this’ इत्यर्थे (एन्/इमम्-सम्बद्धम्)Role Karma (सर्वनामवत्—उद्देश्य/प्रत्ययार्थे)Root ईम् (निपात/अव्यय)
- पुष्यन्ति
- they prosper / they cause to thriveVerbलट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role (मुख्यक्रिया—सम्बन्धवाक्ये)Root पुष् (धातु; ‘to thrive, prosper, nourish’)
- इन्धते
- they kindle (it/him)Verbलट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्Role (मुख्यक्रिया—सम्बन्धवाक्ये)Root इन्ध् (धातु; ‘to kindle’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: ते स्याम ये अग्नये ददाशुः हव्यदातिभिः । यः ईम् पुष्यन्ति इन्धते ॥ 1) स्याम: √अस् का विधिलिङ् ‘स्याम’ (वैदिक-प्रयोगः ‘may we be’). 2) ददाशुः: √दा का लिट्-रूपम् (वैदिक), ‘they have given/offered’. 3) ईम्: वैदिक निपात/सर्वनामवत् अव्ययम् ‘him/this indeed’
- संहितायां ‘य ईं’ इति. 4) पुष्यन्ति इन्धते: द्वे क्रिये (सम्बन्धवाक्ये) — ‘they prosper’ तथा ‘they kindle’
The meaning
Outer meaning
May we be among those who give to Agni with offering-gifts, who nourish him and kindle him to increase.
Inner meaning
The prayer shifts from description to aspiration: may we belong to the company of those who truly ‘give’ to the inner Fire—offering not only substances but energies, thoughts, and acts (havyadāti). By fostering (puṣyantaḥ) and kindling (indhate) Agni, we increase the divine Will in us until it becomes a governing flame, capable of transforming the nature.
Universal truth
What we repeatedly feed grows; when we consistently offer our movements to the highest will, that will strengthens and becomes the leader of our life.
Themes
Aspiration to right sacrifice, Kindling the inner fire, Nourishing Agni, Community of seekers
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 4.1 (kindling Agni), RV 4.5 (offerings and increase—traditional proximity)
Family tradition
Emphasis on active participation in the inner sacrifice—feeding Agni through conscious offering.
Significance
The seer’s psychology: progress depends on sustained kindling; aspiration is a living fire requiring steady fuel.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Havyavāhana (carrier of offerings—implied), Purohita (placed in front—implied), Vardhamāna (increasing—implied by indhate)
- Related deities
- Soma (offering of delight), Indra (resulting illumination), Aditi (wideness that holds the growing fire)
Cosmic role
Receives offerings and converts them into divine exchange; increases the luminous force in the world.
Inner power
Transforming will that grows by consecration; power of tapas (ardor) when rightly fed.
In ritual
Where it is used
Samidhāna (kindling) and offering sequences; general Agni worship
ते स्या॑म॒ ये अ॒ग्नये॑ ददा॒शुर्ह॒व्यदा॑तिभिः । य ईं॒ पुष्य॑न्त इन्ध॒ते ॥
ते । स्या॒म॒ । ये । अ॒ग्नये॑ । द॒दा॒शुः । ह॒व्यऽदा॑तिभिः । ये । ई॒म् । पुष्य॑न्तः । इ॒न्ध॒ते ॥
te | syāma | ye | agnaye | dadāśuḥ | havya-dātibhiḥ | ye | īm | puṣyantaḥ | indhate
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3×8 (probable)
Supplicatory yet energetic; the cadence supports repeated kindling.
Builds devotional momentum; encourages consistent practice and a ‘warming’ of the inner being.
- ते स्याम (te syāma)
- Literal: may we be those. Symbolic: aspiration to join the ‘right-doers’—a chosen inner fraternity
- ददाशुः (dadāśuḥ)
- Literal: have given, are givers. Symbolic: habitual self-offering; generosity of consciousness
- हव्यदातिभिः (havya-dātibhiḥ)
- Literal: with gifts of oblation. Symbolic: consecrated acts/energies offered into the inner fire
- पुष्यन्तः (puṣyantaḥ)
- Literal: nourishing, fostering. Symbolic: sustaining aspiration by right habits, remembrance, sincerity
- इन्धते (indhate)
- Literal: kindle, set aflame. Symbolic: intensify the will toward transformation
A concluding aspiration: to be among true sacrificers who feed and kindle Agni; suitable as a communal resolve in Agni hymns.
At lighting the sacred fire or beginning daily practice; also as a prayer for right participation.
Add fuel, offer ghee, recite to foster Agni’s increase.
Daily affirmation for sādhanā consistency: ‘May I be among those who feed the flame’—used before meditation, study, or service.
√puṣ ‘nourish’ indicates growth and increase of the inner flame through sustained practice. √indh ‘kindle’ is both physical ignition and psychological awakening. havya-dāti is not mere material donation but the giving of one’s energies into the transformative fire.
self-offering (havis as inner substance), growth by nourishment (puṣ), discipline of kindling (indh)
Right giving (havya) implies alignment with ṛta; only then does the fire increase without distortion.
Sincerity in offering is the truth-condition for growth of Agni.
Increase of Agni as inner evolution—growth of the divine principle in the mortal.
Karma-yoga precursor: consecration of works; integral offering as means of transformation.
Morning/evening (typical kindling times; not explicit)
Fuel/oblation = attention, sincerity, right effort; kindling = intensifying aspiration; increase = expanding consciousness-force.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The formation of the ‘true sacrificer’ community: those who give, nourish, and kindle Agni. Psychologically, it is the resolve to become one who continually feeds the inner will with offerings of energy and attention, so the divine fire grows into stable force and knowledge.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dā ‘give’ (PIE *deh₃-) and √puṣ ‘thrive/nourish’ reflect the IE reciprocity economy: giving to the sacred power results in increase. The verbal pair ‘give + kindle’ encodes the ancient logic of sacrifice as exchange and transformation.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi’s relationship becomes an ethical-practical vow: not only to praise Agni but to sustain him through havya-dāti and puṣṭi (nourishment). Agni’s side, implied, is to respond by growth—becoming a stronger mediator and giver of inner plenitude.
Consecration: offer thoughts, emotions, and actions into the heart-flame; cultivate the habit of ‘feeding’ aspiration.
Anāhata (heart-fire)
With each exhale, mentally ‘offer’ one movement; with each inhale, feel Agni brighten and expand.
Warm devotion with steady resolve; increasing inner heat without agitation.
Choose a small daily ‘havya’: a fixed time, a truthful self-offering, and a service-act; consistency is the fuel that makes Agni vardhamāna (ever-increasing).
Notated svaras not provided; keep a devotional but precise Vedic accent contour; avoid musical ornamentation that obscures consonants.
Emphasize the verbs of practice: dadāśuḥ / puṣyantaḥ / indhate; keep pāda pauses clean.
agnaye: ‘ag-na-ye’ with short a; not ‘agni-ye’., havyadātibhiḥ: articulate ‘vy’ and long ā in dāti; final ḥ audible but light., puṣyantaḥ: ṣ is retroflex; keep ‘ntaḥ’ with visarga breath.
Warm, offering-tone; slightly rising energy across the mantra.
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