Rig Veda 6.5.4: Mandala 6, Sukta 5, Mantra 4
Sukta 6.5
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Raudra (fury) and Vira (heroism)
यो नः सनुत्यो अभिदासदग्ने यो अन्तरो मित्रमहो वनुष्यात् । तमजरेभिर्वृषभिस्तव स्वैस्तपा तपिष्ठ तपसा तपस्वान् ॥
yo naḥ sanutyo abhi-dāsad agne yo antaraḥ mitra-maho vanuṣyāt | tam ajarebhir vṛṣabhis tava svais tapā tapiṣṭha tapasā tapasvān ||
अग्नि, अगर कोई दूर से हमला करे, या कोई अंदर से दोस्ती तोड़ने की कोशिश करे, उसे अपनी ताकत से जला दो। तू सबसे ज़्यादा तेज़ है, अपनी तपस्या से उसे राख कर दो।
Word by Word
- यः
- who (he who)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध/विशेषण (अग्नेः) / कर्तृ-सम्बन्धीRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- of us / ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (अस्माकम्) / हित-सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सनुत्यः
- ancient, from of oldAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role विशेषण (यः) / कर्तृ-सम्बन्धीRoot सनुत्य (प्रातिपदिक; ‘सनु’/‘सनुति’ ‘प्राचीन/पुरातन/पूर्ववत्’ इत्यर्थे)
- अभिदासत्
- attacked / assailedVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपदम्, ३ पुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रिया (कर्तृ=यः)Root अभि-√दस् (दस्/दंस्) ‘आक्रमणे/उपसर्पणे’ (Vedic)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध/विशेषण (अग्नेः) / कर्तृ-सम्बन्धीRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अन्तरः
- inner, withinAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role विशेषण (यः) / कर्तृ-सम्बन्धीRoot अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
- मित्रम्
- friendship / a friendNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (वनुष्येत्) / लक्ष्यRoot मित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अहः
- daylight / dayNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (Vedic form)Role कर्म (वनुष्येत्) / लक्ष्यRoot अहन्/अहः (प्रातिपदिक)
- वनुष्येत्
- would seek / would winVerbविधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपदम्, ३ पुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रिया (कर्तृ=यः)Root √वन् (वन्) ‘इच्छायाम्/लाभे/प्राप्तौ’ (Vedic: ‘to seek, to win’)
- तम्
- himPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (तपा…तपस्वान्) / लक्ष्यRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अजरेभिः
- with unaging (ones)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role करण (वृषभिः सह) / साधनRoot अजर (प्रातिपदिक; a-jar ‘not aging’)
- वृषभिः
- with bulls (mighty ones)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role करण (तपसा-क्रियायाः साधन/सहचर)Root वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
- तव
- yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (त्वदीय)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वैः
- ownAdjective/Pronounपुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role करण/सहचर (वृषभिः विशेषणम्)Root स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- तपा
- burn!Verbलोट् (imperative), परस्मैपदम्, २ पुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role आज्ञा-क्रिया (कर्तृ=अग्निः)Root √तप् ‘सन्तापे/दीप्तौ’
- तपिष्ठ
- O most burning / most ardentAdjective (used vocatively) / Kṛdanta-likeपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधन (अग्नेः विशेषणम्)Root तपिष्ठ (तपस्-तमा/इष्ठ; superlative stem)
- तपसा
- with heat / with ardorNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role करण (तप-क्रियायाः साधनम्)Root तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- तपस्वान्
- possessing ardorAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (अग्निः) / विशेषणRoot तपस्विन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘possessing tapas’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सम्भाव्य): यो नः सनुत्यः अभिदासत् अग्ने | यो अन्तरः मित्रम् अहः वनुष्येत् | तम् अजरेभिः वृषभिः तव स्वैः तपा तपिष्ठ तपसा तपस्वान् || 1) अभिदासदग्ने = अभिदासत् + अग्ने (त् + अ → द्/द्-प्रकृति; संहितायां ‘द’ प्रादुर्भावः)
- 2) मित्रमहो = मित्रम् + अहः (म् + अ → म-अ; संहितालोप/अनुस्वार-सम्भाव)
- 3) वृषभिस्तव = वृषभिः + तव (विसर्ग-सन्धिः: ः + त → स् + त)
- 4) स्वैस्तपा = स्वैः + तपा (विसर्ग-सन्धिः: ः + त → स् + त)
The meaning
Outer meaning
A prayer to Agni to burn away anyone who attacks the sacrificers from afar or works from within to harm their ally (the Friend of the great).
Inner meaning
Agni as the inner Flame of will and discernment is invoked to detect and consume hostile movements—both outer pressures (life-forces, adverse suggestions) and inner sabotage (doubt, self-betrayal, egoistic compromise) that undermine the soul’s alliance with the higher powers (mitra-mahas). The ‘bulls’ are Agni’s own inexhaustible forces of luminous energy that scorch resistance through tapas (concentrated spiritual heat).
Universal truth
Spiritual progress requires a vigilant inner fire that can recognize resistance in both external circumstances and internal psychology, and transform it by steady, concentrated aspiration (tapas).
Themes
protection, inner-enemy, purification-by-tapas, warding-hostility
The seer
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja tradition (ascription for RV 6.5; exact rishi for this verse not individually specified)
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 6.5.1, Rig Veda 6.5.2, Rig Veda 6.6.1, Rig Veda 6.7.1
Family tradition
Mandala 6 is predominantly Bharadvāja; hymns often emphasize Agni as inner guide and protector in the journey through obscurity to light.
Significance
The Bharadvāja seer-line frequently presents Agni as the psychological flame that leads the human being through conflict, separating truth from falsehood and guarding the inner sacrifice from hostile forces.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- तपिष्ठ (tapiṣṭha) most burning, तपस्वान् (tapasvān) full of tapas, सहसः सूनु (sahasaḥ sūnu) son of force (context of the hymn)
- Related deities
- Mitra, Indra, Soma
Cosmic role
Priest of the sacrifice and divine messenger; purifier who separates light from darkness and carries the offering to the gods.
Inner power
The awakened will (icchā-śakti) and discerning flame that burns impurity, exposes inner falsehood, and strengthens the alliance with higher truth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni-stotra / offering within Soma and other śrauta contexts; also general protective invocation to Agni
यो न॒: सनु॑त्यो अभि॒दास॑दग्ने॒ यो अन्त॑रो मित्रमहो वनु॒ष्यात् । तम॒जरे॑भि॒र्वृष॑भि॒स्तव॒ स्वैस्तपा॑ तपिष्ठ॒ तप॑सा॒ तप॑स्वान् ॥
यः । नः॒ । सनु॑त्यः । अ॒भि॒ऽदास॑त् । अ॒ग्ने॒ । यः । अन्त॑रः । मि॒त्र॒ऽम॒हः॒ । व॒नु॒ष्यात् । तम् । अ॒जरे॑भिः । वृष॑ऽभिः । तव॑ । स्वैः । तप॑ । त॒पि॒ष्ठ॒ । तप॑सा । तप॑स्वान् ॥
yaḥ | naḥ | sanutyaḥ | abhi-dāsat | agne | yaḥ | antaraḥ | mitra-mahaḥ | vanuṣyāt | tam | ajarebhiḥ | vṛṣa-bhiḥ | tava | svaiḥ | tapa | tapiṣṭha | tapasā | tapasvān
Triṣṭubh (probable for RV 6.5; many verses in this hymn are triṣṭubh)
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Forceful, hammering cadence suitable for protection and expulsion.
Builds inner heat and resolve; supports a ‘cutting’ clarity that rejects intrusion and steadies aspiration.
- सनुत्यः (sanutyaḥ)
- Literal: from afar, distant. Symbolic: outer/indirect attacks: environmental pressure, collective suggestions, remote formations of fear or inertia
- अभिदासत् (abhidāsat)
- Literal: would assail, attack. Symbolic: hostile impulsions that seek to break the inner work
- अन्तरः (antaraḥ)
- Literal: within, internal. Symbolic: inner enemy: doubt, depression, desire, egoic cunning
- मित्रमहो (mitra-mahaḥ)
- Literal: Friend of the great. Symbolic: the inner alliance with the higher Truth-Powers; the soul’s pact with harmony and luminous order (Mitra principle)
- अजरेभिः (ajarebhiḥ)
- Literal: unaging, unfailing. Symbolic: inexhaustible spiritual energies not worn by struggle
- वृषभिः (vṛṣabhis)
- Literal: bulls. Symbolic: strong, virile forces of Agni—dynamic powers of will and illumination
- तप / तपसा / तपस्वान् (tapa / tapasā / tapasvān)
- Literal: heat; by heat; full of heat. Symbolic: concentrated ardor of aspiration that purifies and transforms resistance
Protective/apotropaic usage: verses for warding hostile forces (external and internal) during rites; aligns with moments requiring rakṣas-repulsion and strengthening of the sacrificial enclosure.
At kindling and protective moments of the rite; before or during offerings when obstacles are felt
Kindling (samidh), oblation (āhuti), protective recitation for warding adversities
Use as a protective meditation-mantra: invoke inner fire to burn anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and self-sabotaging habits before sādhanā or important work.
tapas from √tap ‘to heat, burn’ is both physical fire and inner austerity/ardor that transforms. vabha ‘bull’ conveys forceful potency; in psychological reading, these are robust energies of the divine will that trample and burn hostile formations. antaraḥ points to inner enemies—habit-energy, falsehood, and division—more dangerous than outer opposition.
Tapas (transformative ardor), inner vs outer hostility (psychological battle), Mitra as harmony (friend-power)
Agni maintains r̥ta by burning falsehood and restoring right movement in the being.
Truth is preserved by exposing and consuming inner duplicity (antaraḥ).
Tapas as transformative power: the fire that forges higher being out of resistance.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: inner sacrifice as evolution of consciousness.
Fire/heat = aspiration and purification; ‘bulls’ = strong currents of will-force that charge through obstruction.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The burning away of adversaries: Agni as the divine purifier who destroys hostile beings/forces, explicitly including the internal adversary. This is the mythic action of fire as protector of ṛta, maintaining the sacred space and the soul’s integrity.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √tap ‘heat’ has Indo-Iranian prominence (Avestan tap-) and reflects a broader PIE semantic complex around heat/ardor as power. mitra corresponds to Indo-Iranian *mitra- (contract/friendship), showing shared mythic-ethical vocabulary.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi entrusts Agni with inner discipline: not merely protection from external harm, but a requested inner combustion of sabotage. The devotee asks Agni to act as spiritual conscience and force, ensuring fidelity to the Friend (Mitra) and to the great harmony.
Invoke Agni in the heart and navel as the flame of will; offer intrusive impulses into it.
Manipura (tapas/will) with support from Anahata (inner sincerity)
Short kumbhaka after inhale while concentrating on a steady inner flame; exhale imagining resistance dissolving into light.
Dynamic purification leading to steady, clear aspiration.
Name the ‘from afar’ attack (outer influence) and the ‘within’ underminer (inner habit). Offer both into the fire; end with a quiet resolve to act from truth, not reaction.
Use standard Rigvedic accenting: identify udātta on marked syllables in the pada; maintain gentle svarita fall after udātta; keep anudātta low and steady (exact śākha-specific svara requires source notation).
Lean on the imperative ‘tapa’ with a firm stress; keep ‘tapasā tapasvān’ as a rising intensity phrase without rushing.
(agne): clear ‘gn’ conjunct, not ‘agane’, (vṛṣabhis): vocalic ṛ as a short ‘ri’ quality, not ‘ru’, (tapiṣṭha): ṣṭh cluster with retroflex ṣ, (ajarebhiḥ): soft ‘bh’ aspirate, not ‘b’
Focused, bright, slightly forceful; avoid shouting—aim for concentrated heat.
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