Rig Veda 5.25.8: Mandala 5, Sukta 25, Mantra 8
Sukta 5.25
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
तव द्युमन्तो अर्चयो ग्रावेवोच्यते बृहत् । उतो ते तन्यतुर्यथा स्वानो अर्त त्मना दिवः ॥
táva dyu-mánto arcáyo grā́vāiva ucyate bṛhát | utó te tanyatúr yáthā svā́nó arta tmanā́ diváḥ ||
तुम्हारी चमक वाली आग, बड़ी बात कहलाती है, जैसे कोई पत्थर आवाज़ करता है। तुम्हारी बिजली की ताकत भी गूँजती है, जैसे आसमान अपनी आवाज़ से पुकारता है।
Word by Word
- तव
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी (gen.), एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitival relation)Root युष्मद् (त्वद्-प्रातिपदिक) सर्वनाम
- द्युमन्तः
- the radiant onesAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot द्युमन्त् (द्युमत्) प्रातिपदिक < द्युत्/द्यु (प्रकाश) + मन्त्
- अर्चयः
- rays / flamesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (वेदे अर्चिः/अर्चयः), प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (apposition to द्युमन्तः)Root अर्चि-/अर्चय (अर्चि ‘किरण/ज्योति’ प्रातिपदिक; here plural noun)
- ग्रावा
- the pressing-stoneNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उपमान-कर्तृ in simile)Root ग्रावन् प्रातिपदिक
- इव
- likeIndeclinableउपमा-अव्ययRoot इव
- उच्यते
- is spoken / is calledVerbलट् (वर्तमान), कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot वच् (वद्) धातु
- बृहत्
- great / loftyAdjective (used predicatively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (predicate to an implied neuter ‘नाम/स्तवः’ etc.)Role कर्म/प्रत्ययार्थ (as predicate complement)Root बृहन्त् प्रातिपदिक
- उत
- and alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चय/अपि-अर्थRoot उत
- ते
- to you / for youPronounचतुर्थी (dat.), एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot युष्मद् (त्वद्-प्रातिपदिक) सर्वनाम
- तन्यतुः
- thunder / thunder-pealNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot तन्यतु- प्रातिपदिक < धातु तन्/तन्य् (गर्जने/ध्वनौ) ‘thunder’
- यथा
- as / just asIndeclinableउपमान/प्रकार-वाचकRoot यथा
- स्वानः
- sounding / roaringKṛdanta (participle used as noun/adjective)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot स्वान- प्रातिपदिक < धातु स्वन् (ध्वनौ) (kṛdanta: present participle/agent noun sense)
- अर्त
- moved / went / rushedVerbलुङ्/injunctive (वेदे), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot ऋ (अर्त्/ऋच्छ्) धातु; Vedic injunctive/aorist form
- त्मना
- by itself / with its own forceNoun (instrumental of reflexive stem)पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (instr.), एकवचनRole करण (means: ‘by itself/with its own force’)Root त्मन् प्रातिपदिक (reflexive/‘self, own person, by oneself’)
- दिवः
- of heaven / of the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (द्यौः), षष्ठी (gen.), एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot दिव्/द्यौस् प्रातिपदिक
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: तव | द्युमन्तः | अर्चयः | ग्रावा इव | उच्यते | बृहत् || उत | ते | तन्यतुः | यथा | स्वानः | अर्त | त्मना | दिवः || 1) ग्रावे॑वोच्यते = ग्रावा + इव + उच्यते (इव-आद्यस्वरः संधौ ‘एव’ इव दृश्यते)
- 2) उ॒तो ते॑ = उत + ते
- 3) त्मना दि॒वः = त्मना + दिवः (संधि-परिवर्तनं नास्ति)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Your brilliant flames are spoken of as the Vast, like the pressing-stone that utters. And your thunder too resounds like the sounding of heaven by its own nature.
Inner meaning
Agni’s dyumant arcayaḥ—luminous flame-hymns—are themselves bṛhat: expressions of wideness and higher truth-vibration. Like the grāvan (Soma pressing-stone) that ‘speaks’ by striking, the disciplined pressure of practice releases a voiced power: the mantra becomes audible-force. Agni’s tanyatu (thunder) is the might of awakening that reverberates through the inner sky (divaḥ): a self-born resonance (tmanā) that breaks inertia and announces the descent of higher light.
Universal truth
True transformation is not silent only; it has a vibration. Concentrated practice ‘presses’ the essence out, and the inner Fire’s resonance awakens the whole being like thunder in the sky.
Themes
sound and revelation, Agni as vast speech, thunder-heaven imagery, Soma-pressing analogy
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 5.25.1-10
Family tradition
The Ātreyas often link Agni with Soma symbolism: flame and pressing, sound and essence—showing how discipline yields luminous vibration and awakening force.
Significance
Atri here reveals the psycho-acoustic secret: mantra is flame; tapas is the press; awakening is thunder in the inner sky.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- dyumant (luminous), bṛhat (vast) implicit, tanyatu (thundering) implicit
- Related deities
- Soma (pressed essence), Parjanya (thunder motif, by analogy), Indra (sky-force and victory)
Cosmic role
Light and power that makes the sacrifice audible to the gods; awakens the heavens with his resonance.
Inner power
Mantric radiance and shaking force that clears the inner atmosphere and establishes wideness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña ambiance imagery (pressing-stone) applied in Agni praise
तव॑ द्यु॒मन्तो॑ अ॒र्चयो॒ ग्रावे॑वोच्यते बृ॒हत् । उ॒तो ते॑ तन्य॒तुर्य॑था स्वा॒नो अ॑र्त॒ त्मना॑ दि॒वः ॥
तव॑ । द्यु॒ऽमन्तः॑ । अ॒र्चयः॑ । ग्रावा॑ऽइव । उ॒च्य॒ते॒ । बृ॒हत् । उ॒तो इति॑ । ते॒ । त॒न्य॒तुः । य॒था॒ । स्वा॒नः । अ॒र्त॒ । त्मना॑ । दि॒वः ॥
tava | dyu-mantaḥ | arcayaḥ | grāvāiva | ucyate | bṛhat | uto iti | te | tanyatuḥ | yathā | svānaḥ | arta | tmanā | divaḥ
44
4 × ~11
Resonant and percussive; imagery of uttering stone and thunder suits strong beats.
Produces a felt vibration in chest and head; can ‘shake loose’ dullness and open space above the mind.
- द्यु॒मन्तः (dyu-mantaḥ)
- Literal: luminous, radiant. Symbolic: illumined movements of consciousness
- अर्चयः (arcayaḥ)
- Literal: flames/chantings. Symbolic: mantric flames—vibrations of aspiration carrying light
- बृहद् (bṛhat)
- Literal: the Vast. Symbolic: wideness of consciousness; higher plane of truth
- ग्रावा (grāvā)
- Literal: pressing-stone. Symbolic: pressure of tapas/discipline that releases soma-essence (bliss/clarity) and makes mantra ‘speak’
- तन्यतुः (tanyatuḥ)
- Literal: thunder. Symbolic: force of awakening; shaking power that breaks obstruction
- स्वानः (svānaḥ)
- Literal: sounding, resounding. Symbolic: self-arisen resonance of truth in the inner heavens
- त्मना (tmanā)
- Literal: by its own self. Symbolic: spontaneous self-manifestation when aligned with the divine law
- दिवः (divaḥ)
- Literal: of heaven/sky. Symbolic: higher mind, luminous plane
Links Agni praise to Soma-pressing acoustics (grāvan) and thunder imagery; used to intensify the sense of power and vastness during chant/recitation and pressing.
During Agni invocations in contexts where Soma pressing and chanting are thematically present.
Recitation alongside offerings; evoking the sound of ritual instruments/pressing as sacred resonance.
Use to awaken a dull mind: chant with attention to vibration; feel sound as a purifying flame and ‘thunder’ that clears inner heaviness.
dyu-mant from dyú ‘sky, light’ + -mant ‘possessing’. arcí/arcáya related to √arc ‘to shine, praise’—flame and hymn converge. grā́van ‘pressing stone’ (Soma), personified as ‘speaking’ through rhythmic sound. tanyatú from √tan ‘to stretch’ with semantic development to ‘thunder’ (spreading reverberation). svāná from √svan ‘to sound’. tmanā instrumental of tman ‘self, vital self-nature’.
Bṛhat (the Vast) named through luminous speech, nāda/inner sound symbolism (svāna) as self-arising vibration, correspondence between ritual sound and cosmic resonance
Right vibration (mantra as flame) aligns the inner atmosphere to ṛta; spontaneous resonance arises ‘by itself’ when aligned.
Truth becomes audible-force: satya not only known but resounding in the being.
Sound as creator: uttered bṛhat; thunder as manifestation of power in the sky of consciousness.
Mantra-yoga / Vedic śabda-brahman intuition (proto-form).
Stone = concentrated pressure; thunder/sky = awakening in higher mind; flame = luminous speech-power.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘cosmic resonance’ mythologem: Agni’s flames/hymns are the Vast, and his power resounds like thunder from heaven. Ritual sound (grāvan) mirrors cosmic sound, implying that right utterance participates in universal vibration.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √swan ‘sound’ has broad IE reflexes for ringing/sounding; the poetic parallelism of light (dyu/bhā) and sound (swan/tany) reflects an inherited sacral aesthetic where revelation is both luminous and audible.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi recognizes Agni’s speech-flame as already ‘bṛhat’ and aligns human chant with that vastness. The devatā is experienced as self-sounding (tmanā), suggesting the hymn is a tuning of the human instrument to an already-present cosmic tone.
Sound-as-flame: feel each syllable as a luminous tongue of Agni widening the inner sky; allow a ‘thunder’ of awakening to clear dullness.
Viśuddha (vibration) and Ājñā (inner sky/clarity)
Bhrāmarī (gentle humming) after chanting to internalize resonance; then silent listening.
Vibratory wideness; alert, purified inner space.
Chant audibly for 3–7 rounds, then sit and listen for the after-sound. Let that resonance reveal where resistance remains; offer it into Agni.
Tri-svara; emphasize sonic imagery with clean udātta lifts; avoid over-singing—keep Vedic contour, not melodic improvisation.
Let consonant clusters articulate the ‘percussive’ feel (grāveva, tanyatuḥ). Maintain steady triṣṭubh pace.
(dyumanto): ‘dyu’ as ‘d-yu’, not ‘ju’, (arcayo): ‘r’ tapped; ‘c’ palatal, (grāveva): long ‘ā’; ‘v’ soft, (ucyate): ‘cy’ clear, (tanyatuḥ): palatal ‘ny’, (svāno): long ‘ā’
Resonant, vibrating, with clear articulation; allow natural chest resonance on ‘bṛhat’.
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