Rig Veda 8.43.22: Mandala 8, Sukta 43, Mantra 22
Sukta 8.43
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
तमीळिष्व य आहुतोऽग्निर्विभ्राजते घृतैः । इमं नः शृणवद्धवम् ॥
tám īḷiṣva yá ā́huto ’gnír vi-bhrā́jate ghṛtáiḥ | imáṃ naḥ śṛṇavád dhávam ||
अग्नि भगवान की पूजा करो। जब लोग उन्हे बुलाते हैं, वो घी जैसी चमक से चमक उठते हैं। वो हमारी यह पुकार सुन लें और हमारे काम में रोशनी ला दें।
Word by Word
- तम्
- him/that (Agni)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ईळिष्व
- praise/invoke!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (आख्यात-क्रिया)Root ईळ् (धातु; स्तुति/प्रार्थना)
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot यद् (सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम)
- आहूतः
- invoked/calledParticiple (past passive)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root आ-ह्वा (धातु) → आहूत (कृदन्त, क्त)
- अग्निः
- Agni (fire-god)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- विभ्राजते
- shines forthVerbलट् (वर्तमान); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRole (आख्यात-क्रिया)Root वि-भ्राज् (धातु; दीप्तौ)
- घृतैः
- with ghee/clarified butterNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-बहुवचनRole करणRoot घृत (प्रातिपदिक)
- इमम्
- thisPronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- of us/ourPronounषष्ठी-बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप: नः) अथवा चतुर्थी-बहुवचन; अत्र प्रायः षष्ठीRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- शृणवत्
- let him hearVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (वेदिक रूप)Role (आख्यात-क्रिया)Root श्रु (धातु; श्रवणे)
- हवम्
- invocation/callNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot हव (प्रातिपदिक; ‘आह्वान/हवन’)
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठ: तमीळिष्व य आहुतोऽग्निर्विभ्राजते घृतैः । इमं नः शृणवद्धवम् ॥ Sandhi resolution: (1) तम् + ईळिष्व → तमीळिष्व (अ + ई = ई, संधि-दीर्घ) (2) आहूतः + अग्निः → आहूतोऽग्निः (अः + अ → ओऽ; विसर्ग-सन्धि) (3) अग्निः + विभ्राजते → अग्निर्विभ्राजते (इः + व् → इर्व्; रुत्व/रेफादेश) (4) शृणवत् + हवम् → शृणवद्धवम् (त् + ह → द्ध; जश्त्व + द्वित्व)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Adore (praise/invoke) Agni who, when called, shines out with ghee; may he hear our call.
Inner meaning
Turn the consciousness toward Agni, the divine Will and priest within. When sincerely invoked, he flares with ghṛta—clarified, luminous mind-substance—so the inner sacrifice becomes radiant. The mantra is a request that the inner Fire hear the soul’s aspiration and translate it into awakened, effective work (karma) and progress.
Universal truth
When the will is aligned with a clear, purified intelligence, aspiration becomes power: the inner flame answers the call by illuminating and organizing life-energy toward truth.
Themes
Adoration, Oblation, Divine response, Illumination
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.43 (Agni hymn, associated with Kāṇva tradition broadly)
Family tradition
Likely Kāṇva (Book 8 is predominantly Kāṇva; exact rishi for these verses uncertain)
Significance
The ‘unknown’ rishi still functions as a universal seer-stance: the mantra is framed as direct inner practice—invocation, illumination, and response—rather than biography; it models the psychology of effective aspiration.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- āhuta (invoked), vibhrājant (widely shining)
- Related deities
- Indra (illumined mind-force), Soma (bliss-essence), Uṣas (dawn-illumination), Bṛhaspati (word/vision that breaks the cave)
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine, carrier of offerings; establishes ṛta in the sacrifice and in the worlds.
Inner power
Flame of conscious Will that purifies, organizes, and illumines mind-life-body; awakens right action by the light of discernment.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnyādhāna/Agnihotra-style invocatory praise (general Agni stuti)
तमी॑ळिष्व॒ य आहु॑तो॒ऽग्निर्वि॒भ्राज॑ते घृ॒तैः । इ॒मं न॑: शृणव॒द्धव॑म् ॥
तम् । ई॒ळि॒ष्व॒ । यः । आऽहु॑तः । अ॒ग्निः । वि॒ऽभ्राज॑ते । घृ॒तैः । इ॒मम् । नः॒ । शृ॒ण॒व॒त् । हव॑म् ॥
tam | īḷiṣva | yaḥ | āhutaḥ | agniḥ | vi-bhrājate | ghṛtaiḥ | imam | naḥ | śṛṇavat | havam
24
3 pādas × 8 syllables (probable)
Compact, imperative, forward-driving; suited to invocation and quick kindling of attention.
Creates a focused ‘spark-to-flame’ movement in the listener—brief phrases that intensify concentration and invite a felt response from the inner Fire.
- īḷiṣva (ईळिष्व)
- Literal: praise, adore, invoke. Symbolic: active aspiration and consent of the soul to the divine working
- āhutaḥ (आहुतः)
- Literal: invoked, called, offered to. Symbolic: the inner call/oblation of attention and surrender that awakens the divine Force
- Agni (अग्निः)
- Literal: fire. Symbolic: divine Will, the inner priest and leader of transformation
- vibhrājate (विभ्राजते)
- Literal: shines forth, blazes widely. Symbolic: expansion of illumination through the nature; the will becomes luminous and directive
- ghṛtaiḥ (घृतैः)
- Literal: with ghee/clarified butter. Symbolic: clarified light of understanding; luminous essence that feeds the flame (Aurobindo: ‘clarified intelligence’)
- havam (हवम्)
- Literal: call, invocation. Symbolic: the soul’s cry/aspiration that summons higher action
- śṛṇavat (शृणवत्)
- Literal: may he hear. Symbolic: divine responsiveness—inner guidance becoming audible as intuition and effective force
Oblation with ghṛta into Agni; prayer for hearing and response. Inwardly: offer clarified consciousness to the inner fire so it shines out and becomes attentive to the soul’s call.
At kindling and offering moments; also as general opening invocation in fire-centered rites
Verbal praise while offering ghṛta; requesting Agni’s attention and assistance
Use as a short invocation before meditation or before beginning purposeful work, to align will with clarity and ask for inner guidance.
vi-bhrājate from √bhrāj ‘shine, glitter’ (cf. ‘bright’ as semantic neighbor in IE languages though exact cognates are complex). ghṛtá from √ghṛ ‘sprinkle/anoint’ → clarified butter; symbolically ‘clarified essence’ that makes the flame blaze—purified mind-substance. śṛṇavat from √śru (PIE *ḱleu̯- ‘hear’) underscores the oral/aural axis of Vedic religion: the god is one who hears and responds.
Clarification (ghṛta) as purified mind/essence, Divine hearing (śravaṇa) as responsive consciousness, Light-manifestation (vi-bhrāj)
Agni’s shining ‘with ghṛta’ signifies ṛta made luminous—right action guided by clear intelligence.
Hearing the call implies responsiveness of Truth-consciousness to sincere aspiration.
Kindling of the inner fire as microcosmic recapitulation of cosmic manifestation—light emerging from obscurity.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral-psychological reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap): sacrifice as inner yoga.
Fire = will-force; ghee = clarified mind/light; shining = expansion of consciousness; hearing the call = intuition/inner consent of the Divine.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni shines when fed with ghṛta and ‘hears’ the call: the mythic action is the ignition-to-illumination sequence plus divine audition. Inwardly, clarified consciousness offered to the psychic fire produces a distinct radiance and an answering guidance.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śru ‘hear’ aligns with PIE *ḱleu̯- (cf. Greek klýō ‘hear’, Old English hlӯstan ‘listen’ via Germanic developments). The centrality of ‘hearing’ reflects an inherited sacral-oral poetics where invocation expects audition and response.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi offers (āhuta, ghṛta) and adores (īḷiṣva); the devata responds by shining forth (vi-bhrāj) and by hearing (śṛṇavat) the human call. The exchange is conscious: purified offering → luminous manifestation → responsive guidance.
Invoke the inner Fire at the heart of action: ‘May the will become luminous and rightly directed.’
Anāhata (heart-fire) / Maṇipūra (will and transformation)
Gentle equal breathing (sama-vṛtti) while mentally offering ‘ghṛta’ as clear attention into the inner flame
Collected, attentive, receptive to guidance (listening inward)
Begin with a brief inward bow; repeat the mantra slowly 9–27 times; visualize a steady flame fed by golden clarity; then pause in silence to ‘hear’ the response as intuition for right next action.
Use standard Ṛgvedic accentuation: udatta on accented syllables as marked; svarita following udatta where applicable; anudatta elsewhere (exact svara requires śākhā-specific notation beyond provided text).
Keep the imperative ‘īḷiṣva’ crisp; sustain the brightness on ‘vibhrājate’; land softly on ‘śṛṇavat’.
īḷiṣva: retroflex ḷ, not dental l, āhuto: long ā; light h, ghṛtaiḥ: ghṛ with syllabic ṛ; final ḥ audible but soft, śṛṇavat: śr cluster; ṛ is vocalic
Clear, steady, slightly bright timbre as if ‘feeding’ a flame with breath
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