Rig Veda 7.6.3: Mandala 7, Sukta 6, Mantra 3
Sukta 7.6
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Raudra (fury)
न्यक्रतून्ग्रथिनो मृध्रवाचः पणीँरश्रद्धाँ अवृधाँ अयज्ञान् । प्रप्र तान्दस्यूँरग्निर्विवाय पूर्वश्चकारापराँ अयज्यून् ॥
ny àkratūn grathíno mṛdhrávācaḥ paṇī́m̐r aśraddhā́m̐ avṛdhā́m̐ ayajñā́n | prá-prá tā́n dasyū́n agnír vivāya pū́rvaś cakārā́parāṁ áyajyūn ||
अग्नि उन लोगों को भगा देता है जो खुद से कुछ करने की हिम्मत नहीं रखते। वो लोग जैसे बाँधे हुए हैं, सीधी बात नहीं बोलते। ईमान नहीं, ग्रोथ नहीं, पूजा नहीं, ऐसे लोग अग्नि दूर कर देता है। वो दुश्मन लोगों को पीछे धकेल देता है। पहले वाले लोगों को आगे रखता है, जो बाद में आए और कुछ ऑफर नहीं किया, उनको पीछे कर देता है।
Word by Word
- नीचक्रतून्
- (those) of low/mean resolveAdjective (bahuvrīhi/tatpuruṣa-like compound used adjectivally)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot नीच-क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक) < क्रतु
- ग्रथिनः
- knotty, entangled, crookedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (appositional descriptor of the object-group)Root ग्रथि (प्रातिपदिक)
- मृध्रवाचः
- of hostile/perverse speechAdjective (compound)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (appositional descriptor)Root मृध्र-वाच् (प्रातिपदिक; वाच् ‘speech’)
- पणीन्
- the Paṇis (niggardly demons/hoarders)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot पणि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अश्रद्धान्
- faithlessAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole Karma (qualifier of पणीन्/दस्यून्)Root अ-श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
- अवृधान्
- unprospering, not thrivingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole Karma (qualifier)Root अ-वृध (प्रातिपदिक; from √वृध् ‘to grow/increase’)
- अयज्ञान्
- non-sacrificing, without worshipAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole Karma (qualifier)Root अ-यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक; यज्ञ)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableअव्ययRoot प्र (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- प्र
- forth (intensifying)Indeclinableअव्ययRoot प्र (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- तान्
- thosePronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- दस्यून्
- Dasyus (hostile non-ritualists)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole Karma (in apposition to तान्)Root दस्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्निः
- Agni (Fire-god)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- विवाय
- drove apart, scatteredVerbलिट् (परोक्ष), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot √वा (वाति/वेति ‘to blow’; with वि-)
- पूर्वः
- the former/earlier oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (predicate/apposition to अग्निः)Root पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- चकार
- made, didVerbलिट् (परोक्ष), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot √कृ (to do/make)
- अपराम्
- the later (one), the subsequent (state/portion)Adjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot अपरा (प्रातिपदिक)
- अयज्यून्
- the non-sacrificersNoun/Adjective (substantivized)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole Karma (object-group)Root अ-यज्यु (प्रातिपदिक; from √यज् ‘to sacrifice’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): नीचक्रतून् ग्रथिनः मृध्रवाचः पणीन् अश्रद्धान् अवृधान् अयज्ञान् । प्र प्र तान् दस्यून् अग्निः विवाय । पूर्वः चकार अपराम् अयज्यून् ॥ 1) तान्+दस्यून् → तान्दस्यून् (न् + द → न्द)
- 2) अग्निः+विवाय → अग्निर्विवाय (विसर्ग→र् before voiced consonant)
- 3) चकार+अपराम् → चकारापराम् (अ + अ → आ)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni drives away the Paṇis and Dasyus—faithless, tangled, crooked-speaking non-sacrificers—pushing them ever forward and setting the earlier powers in front while casting the later non-offerers behind.
Inner meaning
Agni as the awakened divine Will in the seeker separates the true movements of aspiration from the obstructing forces: will-less impulses (akratūn), knot-bound habitual formations (grathinaḥ), and distorted speech/thought (mṛdhravācaḥ). The Paṇis symbolize the hoarding, bargaining mentality that withholds inner offering; the Dasyus symbolize violent or chaotic divisions in the nature. Agni’s forward drive is the evolutionary push of tapas: he makes the prior (pūrva) soul-powers lead—clarity, sincerity, aspiration—and throws behind the later accretions (aparān) that refuse consecration (ayajyūn).
Universal truth
Progress in consciousness requires a discriminating inner fire that rejects disbelief, inertia, and distortion, and reorders the psyche so that the soul’s earlier truth-leadership governs while later, unconsecrated habits fall behind.
Themes
Obstacle-removal, Battle of Light vs Darkness, Inner sacrifice (yajña), Agni as leader/pioneer
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 7.1, Rig Veda 7.2, Rig Veda 7.3, Rig Veda 7.4, Rig Veda 7.5, Rig Veda 7.7
Family tradition
Maṇḍala 7 Vasiṣṭha lineage; hymns emphasize Agni as inner guide and harmonizer of the worlds (rodasī) and of the human community (viś).
Significance
Vasiṣṭha’s vision often stresses right order (ṛta) through Agni: purification, truthful speech, and the removal of inner adversaries so the soul’s law can lead the nature.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Vaiśvānara (contextual), purohita (inner priest), netā (leader), jātavedas (knower of births)
- Related deities
- Indra, Soma, Uṣas, Sūrya
Cosmic role
Mediator between Heaven and Earth; awakener of the sacrifice; power that carries offerings and establishes ṛta in the worlds.
Inner power
Discernment-fire that rejects false movements and compels forward evolution; the will that consecrates life-energies.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnihotra / Āhavanīya kindling and offering sequences; also used in invocations to remove hostile forces in soma-yajña contexts.
न्य॑क्र॒तून्ग्र॒थिनो॑ मृ॒ध्रवा॑चः प॒णीँर॑श्र॒द्धाँ अ॑वृ॒धाँ अ॑य॒ज्ञान् । प्रप्र॒ तान्दस्यूँ॑र॒ग्निर्वि॑वाय॒ पूर्व॑श्चका॒राप॑राँ॒ अय॑ज्यून् ॥
नि । अ॒क्र॒तून् । ग्र॒थिनः॑ । मृ॒ध्रऽवा॑चः । प॒णीन् । अ॒श्र॒द्धान् । अ॒वृ॒धान् । अ॒य॒ज्ञान् । प्रऽप्र॑ । तान् । दस्यू॑न् । अ॒ग्निः । वि॒वा॒य॒ । पूर्वः॑ । च॒का॒र॒ । अप॑रान् । अय॑ज्यून् ॥
ni | akratūn | grathinaḥ | mṛdhra-vācaḥ | paṇīn | aśraddhān | avṛdhān | ayajñān | pra-pra | tān | dasyūn | agniḥ | vivāya | pūrvaḥ | cakāra | aparān | ayajyūn
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables (with Vedic resolution/variations)
Driving, martial-forward cadence suited to expulsion and conquest of obstacles.
Builds force of will and clarity; evokes a ‘pushing onward’ inner momentum (pra-pra).
- अक्रतून् (akratūn)
- Literal: without kratu (will/resolve). Symbolic: impulses lacking conscious intention; mechanical desire-nature
- ग्रथिनः (grathinaḥ)
- Literal: knotty, bound in knots. Symbolic: entangling samskāras; fixed complexes and compulsions
- मृध्रवाचः (mṛdhravācaḥ)
- Literal: crooked/hostile speakers. Symbolic: distorted thought-speech; inner falsehood that misleads the being
- पणीन् (paṇīn)
- Literal: Paṇis (hoarders/traders). Symbolic: withholding consciousness that refuses offering; possessive ego
- अश्रद्धान् (aśraddhān)
- Literal: without faith. Symbolic: absence of soul-trust; disbelief in the inner path
- अवृधान् (avṛdhān)
- Literal: not increasing, not growing. Symbolic: stagnation; refusal of inner expansion
- अयज्ञान् / अयज्यून् (ayajñān/ayajyūn)
- Literal: without sacrifice / non-offerers. Symbolic: life not consecrated
- दस्यून् (dasyūn)
- Literal: Dasyus (enemies/raiders). Symbolic: dividing forces; chaotic vital movements obstructing light
- अग्निः (agniḥ)
- Literal: fire. Symbolic: divine Will, leader of the inner yajña
- पूर्व / अपर (pūrva/apara)
- Literal: former / later. Symbolic: original soul-powers vs. later ego-accretions
Agni-invocation in Soma and Haviryajña contexts (general āhavana praise; suitable for kindling/establishing Agni as purohita and for obstacle-removal in the adhvara)
At kindling/invocation of Agni and before principal offerings when obstacles or inimical influences are ritually ‘driven away’.
Āhuti with ghee; protective recitation to clear the rite-space.
Use as a mantra for clearing doubt, compulsions, and self-sabotaging speech; recite before meditation or important decisions to ‘cast behind’ unconsecrated habits.
Key terms: kratu (√kṛ ‘to do/make’ → effective power of intelligent will); grathina (√grath ‘to knot, bind’ → entanglement in fixed patterns); mṛdhra-vāc (mṛdhra ‘hostile/crooked’ + vāc ‘speech’); śraddhā (śrat ‘truth/heart-settled’ + dhā √dhā ‘to place’ → placing oneself in the truth); yajña/ayajña (√yaj ‘to worship, offer, sacrifice’ → act of self-offering); vivāya (vi- + √vā ‘to blow/drive’ or √vī ‘to pursue/separate’ in Vedic usage → dispersal/chasing). Paṇi is a Vedic type of hoarder/withholder; dasyu denotes divisive hostile powers rather than an ethnic reading in the inner sense.
Ṛta (right order established by Agni driving out disorder), Śraddhā (inner assent as prerequisite for growth), Yajña as inner offering/transformation
Agni enforces ṛta by expelling falsehood and restoring right leadership of the soul-powers.
Crooked speech (mṛdhravāc) is rejected; truth-speaking becomes the condition for progress.
Evolutionary advance from obscurity to ordered consciousness; separation of truth-forces from coverers.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral Vedic psychology (Aurobindo): ascent through purification and consecration of nature.
Fire = will and discernment; driving-away = prāṇic and mental purification that separates light from obstruction.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The expulsion of the Paṇi/Dasyu obstructors by Agni: a recurrent mythic pattern where the divine Fire/Will clears the path for the sacrifice and for the recovery/establishment of light and right order. In the inner reading, these are forces of withholding, disbelief, and non-offering that prevent the ascent of consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- kratu aligns with an Indo-European emphasis on effective power/agency derived from √kṛ ‘do/make’ (PIE *kwer-/*ker- type ‘make/do’ in broad comparanda); vāc ‘speech’ is cognate with PIE *wekʷ- ‘to speak’ (cf. Latin vox, English voice via Germanic). yaj (sacrifice/offer) continues the archaic Indo-Iranian sacrificial lexicon (Vedic yaj-, Avestan yaz-).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer relies on Agni as the executive divine power who makes the inner journey possible: Agni is invoked not merely as ritual fire but as the conscious force that discriminates (puts ‘the former first’) and rejects the unfit (‘casts the later behind’). The reciprocity is implicit: when the sacrificer aligns with śraddhā and yajña, Agni actively removes hostile formations.
Invoke Agni in the navel/heart as the will to truth; offer up doubt, crooked speech, and compulsive habits into the inner fire.
maṇipūra (will/tapas) with support from anāhata (sincerity/offering)
Short round of kapalabhāti-light or strong exhale emphasis, then steady nāḍī-śodhana; recite on the exhale to ‘drive away’.
Tamas-to-rajas purification leading toward sattvic clarity and aspiration.
Before japa, name inwardly the ‘Paṇi’ tendency (withholding) and ‘Dasyu’ tendency (inner conflict); on each pra-pra feel the forward push; end with a quiet offering of the whole nature.
Triṣṭubh with Vedic pitch accents: maintain udātta peaks on key verbs (vivāya, cakāra) and particles (prá-prá) per śākhā tradition; observe anudātta bases and svarita falls on following syllables.
Give clear lift on ‘prá-prá’; keep ‘agnír’ crisp; do not over-lengthen consonant clusters in grathino/mṛdhravācaḥ.
ny akratūn: keep ‘ny’ as nasalized glide into ‘a-’, grathinaḥ: aspirate lightly; ‘th’ is dental aspirate, mṛdhravācaḥ: vocalic ṛ in mṛ-; avoid ‘ri’, paṇīm̐r: nasalization before r; keep retroflex ṇ, aśraddhām̐: śr cluster clear; nasalization at end, ayajyūn: ‘jy’ conjunct clean, long ū
Firm, bright, slightly forceful; end each pāda with controlled release.
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