Rig Veda 6.49.9: Mandala 6, Sukta 49, Mantra 9
Sukta 6.49
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Devata
- Agni as Hotṛ invoking Tvāṣṭṛ
- Chandas
- Tr̥ṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
प्रथमभाजं यशसं वयोधां सुपाणिं देवं सुगभस्तिमृभ्वम् । होता यक्षद्यजतं पस्त्यानामग्निस्त्वष्टारं सुहवं विभावा ॥
prathamabhā́jaṃ yaśásaṃ vayodhā́ṃ supā́ṇiṃ deváṃ sugábhastim ṛ́bhvam | hótā yakṣad yájatam pastyā́nām agnístváṣṭāraṃ suhávaṃ vibhā́vā ||
अग्नि चमकता है और हवन करता है। वो त्वष्ट्रि के लिए पूजा करता है। त्वष्ट्रि सबसे पहले आता है, उसकी बड़ाई है, वो ज़िन्दगी देता है। उसके हाथ अच्छे हैं और वो सबकी सुनता है। घर में बुलाने पर वो आता है।
Word by Word
- प्रथमभाजम्
- the first sharer/first portioned oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot प्रथम- + भाज (प्रातिपदिक: भाज ‘भाग/भाजन’)
- यशसम्
- glorious, famedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यशस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वयोधाम्
- abode/support of life (vital power)Noun (compound epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot वयस् + धामन् (समास: वयो-धामन्)
- सुपाणिम्
- having good handsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सु- + पाणि (समास)
- देवम्
- the godNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुगभस्तिम्
- with good grasp/with fair raysAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सु- + गभस्ति (प्रातिपदिक: गभस्ति ‘हस्त/किरण’)
- ऋभ्वम्
- R̥bhú (the skillful one)Noun (proper/epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot ऋभु (प्रातिपदिक)
- होता
- the Hotṛ-priestNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot होतृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- यक्षत्
- should worship / worships (invokes)Verbलुङ्-रूप (यक्षत्), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot यज् (धातु) → यक्षत् (विधिलिङ्/आज्ञार्थे injunctive-like aorist usage in Vedic)
- यजतम्
- worthy of sacrificeAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यजत (प्रातिपदिक; ‘पूज्य/यजनीय’)
- पस्त्यानाम्
- of the dwellings/homesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root पस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक: ‘गृह/निवास’)
- अग्निः
- AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वष्टारम्
- Tvaṣṭṛ (the divine artisan)Noun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot त्वष्टृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुहवम्
- easy to invokeAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सु- + हव (प्रातिपदिक: हव ‘आह्वान’)
- विभावा
- the radiant one / widely shiningNoun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अग्नेः विशेषणम्)Root वि- + भावा (प्रातिपदिक: ‘दीप्ति/प्रभा’; epithet)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: प्रथमभाजं यशसं वयोधां सुपाणिं देवं सुगभस्तिम् ऋभ्वम् । होता यक्षत् यजतं पस्त्यानाम् अग्निः त्वष्टारं सुहवं विभावा ॥ 1) सुगभस्तिमृभ्वम् → सुगभस्तिम् + ऋभ्वम् (म् + ऋ → मृ)
- 2) अग्निस्त्वष्टारम् → अग्निः + त्वष्टारम् (विसर्ग-लोपः/सन्धिः: ः + त् → स्/स्त्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni as Hotṛ is asked to offer sacrifice to Tvāṣṭṛ, described as first sharer, glorious, establisher of life-powers, god with good hands and fair grasp, perfectly invocable for the dwelling-places.
Inner meaning
Agni is the inner will and priest-power that performs the offering of our energies. Tvāṣṭṛ is the divine fashioner who forms the right body, instruments, and life-powers (vayo-dhā) for the soul’s work. When Agni invokes Tvāṣṭṛ, it is the will calling the formative intelligence to reshape our ‘dwelling-places’ (pastyā)—the layers of embodied existence—so they can hold higher force. ‘Prathamabhāja’ suggests the first distributor: the power that apportions energies rightly; ‘supāṇi/sugabhasti’ indicates skilful handling—true formation is a conscious craft of the Divine.
Universal truth
Transformation is not only illumination but right formation: the inner fire must offer our substance to the divine fashioner so life-powers are established in a harmonious, capable embodiment.
Themes
Divine artisan and formation, Agni as transforming will, Right shaping of the inner dwelling
The seer
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya (assumed)
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja
- Other hymns
- RV 6.16 (Agni), RV 6.47, RV 1.20 (Tvāṣṭṛ themes, general)
Family tradition
Bharadvāja lines often coordinate Agni (will) with other gods for integral perfection—knowledge, force, and right formation.
Significance
The seer emphasizes that spiritual advance must be embodied: the fashioner-power must remake the ‘pastyā’ so higher consciousness can dwell.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (as Hotṛ) invoking Tvāṣṭṛ
- Epithets
- vibhāvā (widely shining), suhava (easy to invoke), prathamabhāja (Tvāṣṭṛ: first sharer), vayodhā (Tvāṣṭṛ: establisher of life-powers)
- Related deities
- Viśvakarman (universal maker), Indra (force using the instruments), Soma (bliss-substance to be embodied)
Cosmic role
Agni mediates offerings between human and divine; Tvāṣṭṛ shapes forms, bodies, and capacities in creation.
Inner power
Agni: aspiration-will that consecrates; Tvāṣṭṛ: formative intelligence that rebuilds instruments for the divine life.
In ritual
Where it is used
Offerings where Agni as Hotṛ invokes crafting/forming powers for prosperity, offspring, and right embodiment; Tvāṣṭṛ appears in creation/formation contexts.
प्र॒थ॒म॒भाजं॑ य॒शसं॑ वयो॒धां सु॑पा॒णिं दे॒वं सु॒गभ॑स्ति॒मृभ्व॑म् । होता॑ यक्षद्यज॒तं प॒स्त्या॑नाम॒ग्निस्त्वष्टा॑रं सु॒हवं॑ वि॒भावा॑ ॥
प्र॒थ॒म॒ऽभाज॑म् । य॒शस॑म् । व॒यः॒ऽधाम् । सु॒ऽपा॒णिम् । दे॒वम् । सु॒ऽगभ॑स्तिम् । ऋभ्व॑म् । होता॑ । य॒क्ष॒त् । य॒ज॒तम् । प॒स्त्या॑नाम् । अ॒ग्निः । त्वष्टा॑रम् । सु॒ऽहव॑म् । वि॒भाऽवा॑ ॥
prathama-bhājam | yaśasam | vayaḥ-dhām | su-pāṇim | devam | su-gabhastim | ṛbhvam | hotā | yakṣat | yajatam | pastyānām | agniḥ | tvaṣṭāram | su-havam | vibhāvā
44
4 × ~11
Ritual-solemn and architectonic; phrases stack like crafted forms.
Strengthens will and invokes a ‘shaping’ sensation—helpful for disciplined transformation and rebuilding habits.
- अग्निः होता (agniḥ hotā)
- Literal: Agni the Hotṛ priest. Symbolic: divine will performing the inner sacrifice; organizer of offering
- यक्षत् (yakṣat)
- Literal: may he worship/sacrifice. Symbolic: may the will consecrate energies to higher formation
- त्वष्टारम् (tvaṣṭāram)
- Literal: Tvāṣṭṛ, the shaper. Symbolic: formative consciousness; maker of instruments/body for the divine life
- प्रथमभाजम् (prathamabhājam)
- Literal: first sharer/distributor. Symbolic: right apportioner of forces; original allocator of capacities
- यशसम् (yaśasam)
- Literal: glorious. Symbolic: radiant perfection that draws assent of the being
- वयोधाम् (vayodhām)
- Literal: establisher of life-powers. Symbolic: one who founds and stabilizes prāṇa/vital energies in right form
- सुपाणिम् (supāṇim)
- Literal: good-handed. Symbolic: skilful, beneficent formative action
- सुगभस्तिम् (sugabhastim)
- Literal: fair-grasped. Symbolic: right hold on substance; precise shaping power
- ऋभ्वम् (ṛbhvam)
- Literal: skillful, ingenious. Symbolic: perfect craft of consciousness in formation
- पस्त्यानाम् (pastyānām)
- Literal: of the dwelling-places. Symbolic: planes/habitations of the being—body, life, mind—needing refashioning
Tvāṣṭṛ-related offerings within Soma rites; also general invocation where right formation of body/life is sought through the fire-priest.
During agniṣṭoma/soma sequences and specialized invocations to Tvāṣṭṛ; also in consecrations of dwelling/settlement (pastyā).
Hotṛ recitation with offering into fire, calling Tvāṣṭṛ to establish life-powers.
Use when rebuilding life-structure—health routines, disciplined practice, recovery—asking the divine shaper to refashion the instruments of action.
Tvāṣṭṛ from √tvaṣ/√tvakṣ ‘to fashion, hew, form’. gabhasti carries ‘hand’ and ‘ray’, bridging artisan action and luminous energy. Hotṛ from √hu ‘to call/invoke’—the invoking will. The verse frames an inner yajña: will (Agni) offers to formative intelligence (Tvāṣṭṛ) so that life-powers and habitations are well-shaped.
Inner yajña (sacrificial transformation), Formation of embodiment (Tvāṣṭṛ), Vital powers (vayas)
Right apportioning (bhāja) and right formation (Tvāṣṭṛ) are Ṛta applied to embodiment.
Glory (yaśas) as truth-manifest radiance in form.
The world is crafted; spiritual work repeats creation consciously—Agni offers, Tvāṣṭṛ shapes.
Integral Vedic yoga: transformation of instruments, not escape; aligns with Aurobindo’s ‘divine life’ emphasis.
Fire = will/tapas; artisan = formative intelligence; dwelling = stable inner habitation capable of holding higher consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The sacred act where Agni as Hotṛ brings the offering to Tvāṣṭṛ, the divine fashioner. Mythically it is priest-to-artisan deity; psychologically it is the will-to-transform offering into the formative power that shapes life and embodiment into a fit vessel for ṛta.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- hotā (from √hu) aligns with PIE *ǵʰews-/*ǵʰuH- ‘to pour/invoke’ (Indo-Iranian develops the ritual ‘invoke’ sense). The artisan semantics of Tvāṣṭṛ reflect inherited craft vocabulary; ‘pati’ is absent here, but the distribution idea in bhā́j- (‘share’) is an old Indo-European social-ritual concept.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi delegates the action to Agni: the human aspiration becomes priestly will (Hotṛ) which then approaches Tvāṣṭṛ for right shaping. Reciprocity: praise and offering upward; in return, the gods perfect the ‘pastyā’—the settled structures of the being.
Offer one habitual pattern into Agni (inner fire) and invite Tvāṣṭṛ to reshape the corresponding instrument—body posture, breath habit, speech pattern—into a truer form.
Maṇipūra (Agni/will) supporting Mūlādhāra (formation/stability)
Kapalabhāti (gentle) or steady diaphragmatic breathing to kindle will; follow with quiet breath to ‘set’ the new formation.
Constructive tapas—energetic, organized, capable.
Chant, then do one small ‘crafted’ action immediately (cleaning, arranging, disciplined step) to embody the shaping force; keep it precise and beautiful (ṛbhvam).
Not fully derivable; maintain a firm udātta lift on agníḥ, hotā́, tváṣṭāram; keep triṣṭubh pacing with clear caesura.
Articulate compounds: prathamabhājam, vayodhām, sugabhastim; strong pause after ṛbhvam |.
tvāṣṭāram: retroflex ṣṭ cluster; hold ṭ clearly, ṛbhvam: vocalic ṛ + bhv conjunct—do not insert extra vowel, vibhāvā: long ā; avoid ‘vibhava’, pastyānām: palatal ‘sty’ cluster—keep light, not ‘sati’
Steady, priestly, fire-lit resonance.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
