Rig Veda 2.6.1: Mandala 2, Sukta 6, Mantra 1
Sukta 2.6
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
इमां मे अग्ने समिधमिमामुपसदं वनेः । इमा उ षु श्रुधी गिरः ॥
imā́ṃ me agne samídham imā́m upasádaṃ vaneḥ | imā́ u ṣú śrudhī́ gíraḥ ||
Wahai Agni, aku memohon bagiku penyalaan ini (samidh), dan kedekatan-bersemayam ini (upasad); dan sungguh, dengarkanlah dengan baik ucapan-ucapan (giraḥ) ini.
Word by Word
- इमाम्
- this (f.)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्म (वनेः इत्यस्य) / विशेष्य-निर्देशRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मे
- my / for mePronounषष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक) अथवा चतुर्थी एकवचन; अत्र ‘my/for me’ अर्थेRole सम्बन्ध (स्वामित्व/सम्बन्ध-निर्देश) अथवा सम्प्रदानRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- समिधम्
- kindling-stick, fuelNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्म (वनेः इत्यस्य) / यज्ञोपकरणRoot समिध् (प्रातिपदिक; √इध् ‘to kindle’ से)
- इमाम्
- this (f.)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्म (वनेः इत्यस्य) / विशेष्य-निर्देशRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- उपसदम्
- approach/attendance; a rite of worship (upasad)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्म (वनेः इत्यस्य) / यज्ञकर्मRoot उपसद् (प्रातिपदिक; उप-√सद् ‘to sit/approach’ से; यज्ञकर्म-विशेष)
- वनेः
- I seek / I would winVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (वने) — वैदिक रूप ‘वनेः’Role कर्तृ (अहं) अव्यक्त; क्रियाRoot √वन् (वन्) ‘to win, seek, desire’
- इमाः
- these (f. pl.)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्म (श्रुधी इत्यस्य) / विशेष्य-निर्देशRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- उ
- indeed, nowIndeclinableनिपात; बल/अनुनय/सम्बन्ध सूचकRoot उ (निपात)
- षु
- pray, justIndeclinableनिपात; आग्रह/त्वरित-प्रेरणा सूचकRoot षु (निपात; वैदिक)
- श्रुधी
- hear!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रिया; कर्ता = त्वम् (अग्नि)Root √श्रु ‘to hear’
- गिरः
- songs, hymns, wordsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्म (श्रुधी इत्यस्य) / श्रवण-विषयRoot गिर् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: इमाम् मे अग्ने समिधम् इमाम् उपसदम् वनेः । इमाः उ षु श्रुधी गिरः ॥ 1) मे अग्ने: एन्क्लिटिक ‘मे’ + सम्बोधन ‘अग्ने’ (सन्धि-परिवर्तन नहीं)। 2) समिधमिमाम् → समिधम् + इमाम् (अन्त्य ‘म्’ + आद्य स्वर; पदसंहिता में संयोग)। 3) इमामुपसदम् → इमाम् + उपसदम् (म् + उ-; संहिता-रूप)। 4) इमा उ → इमाः + उ (विसर्ग-लोप/संहिता में ‘इमा उ’)।
- ‘गिरः’ प्रथमा बहुवचन।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The worshipper offers kindling to Agni and makes a reverent approach, asking Agni to hear the spoken prayers.
Inner meaning
The seeker offers the fuel of aspiration (samidh) to awaken the divine Will (Agni) within and makes an inner approach (upasada)—a deliberate turning of the soul toward the psychic fire—requesting that the flame-consciousness truly receive and respond to the inspired utterance (giraḥ).
Universal truth
Spiritual progress begins by consciously feeding the inner fire with sincere intention and repeatedly approaching the Divine Presence through speech, thought, and attention until the higher power ‘hears’—i.e., becomes active in the being.
Themes
Agni-invocation, Consecration, Inner kindling, Prayer for receptivity
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada (Bhārgava)
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu (Bhārgava)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 2.1, Rig Veda 2.3, Rig Veda 2.4, Rig Veda 2.5, Rig Veda 2.7, Rig Veda 2.8, Rig Veda 2.9
Family tradition
Bhṛgu-line seers noted for Agni-knowledge, inner sacrifice, and the craft of inspired speech (gīr) as a means of kindling the divine flame.
Significance
Gṛtsamada’s Agni hymns repeatedly frame yoga as an inner yajña: aspiration kindles Agni, speech becomes offering, and the divine force is invoked to awaken, lead, and protect the growth of consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Jātavedas (knower of births), Hotṛ (priest), Purohita (placed in front), Sujāta (well-born)
- Related deities
- Indra, Soma, Uṣas, Bṛhaspati, Maruts
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine worlds; carrier of offerings; establisher of ṛta through luminous action.
Inner power
The will-to-progress and transforming flame that receives aspiration and turns it into effective inner change.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnihotra / morning-evening fire tending; general Agni invocation at the opening of offerings
इ॒मां मे॑ अग्ने स॒मिध॑मि॒मामु॑प॒सदं॑ वनेः । इ॒मा उ॒ षु श्रु॑धी॒ गिर॑: ॥
इ॒माम् । मे॒ । अ॒ग्ने॒ । स॒म्ऽइध॑म् । इ॒माम् । उ॒प॒ऽसद॑म् । व॒ने॒रिति॑ वनेः । इ॒माः । ऊँ॒ इति॑ । सु । श्रु॒धि॒ । गिरः॑ ॥
imām | me | agne | sam-idham | imām | upa-sadam | vaneritivaneḥ | imāḥ | oṃ iti | su | śrudhi | giraḥ
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3 pādas of 8 syllables (8-8-8)
Compact, swift, and luminous; suited to direct invocation and concentrated will.
Builds focused intensity; supports a clean ‘offering’ of attention with each pada like three measured oblations.
- अग्नि (agni)
- Literal: fire. Symbolic: divine Will; the inner priest and leader of the sacrifice
- समिध् (samidh)
- Literal: kindling/fuel-stick. Symbolic: fuel of aspiration, attention, and self-offering that makes the inner fire blaze
- उपसद् (upasad/upasadaṃ)
- Literal: sitting near; near-approach. Symbolic: inner approach, concentration, intimate turning toward the indwelling Divine
- गिरः (giraḥ)
- Literal: utterances, songs, words. Symbolic: mantric speech, inspired thought-forms, articulations of aspiration
- श्रुधि (śrudhi)
- Literal: hear. Symbolic: divine reception that implies response, guidance, and activation
Agni-invocation at the opening of offering; applicable to daily Agnihotra/Prātaḥ-savana style invocatory usage (general śrauta/homa context)
At commencement of a rite when the fire is kindled and the sacrificer ‘approaches’ the altar; also adaptable to daily japa before meditation.
Offering kindling/ghṛta while reciting; establishing inner and outer sacred space.
Use as a short pre-meditation invocation: ‘I offer my aspiration; I draw near; may the inner Fire hear and respond.’
Key roots: √idh ‘to kindle’ → sam-idh ‘to kindle fully/together’, suggesting a coordinated intensification of inner fire. √sad ‘to sit’ with upa- → upa-sad ‘to sit near/approach’, implying an inward nearness to the divine Presence. √van ‘to desire, win, obtain’ (vaneḥ 1sg pres. subj./injunctive nuance in Vedic usage) indicates acquisition through aspiration rather than possession. √śru ‘to hear’ (śrudhi imperative) is not mere audition but divine receptivity and sanction. gir- ‘song/utterance’ as formed speech carrying inspired force.
Tapas (inner heat/enkindling), Rita (right ordering implied by su ‘well/rightly’), Mantra (giraḥ as formative speech)
Agni is invoked to align the seeker’s action and speech with ṛta—true movement rather than impulsive desire.
The request ‘hear well’ implies truth-bearing speech (satya-vāc) that can be received by the higher consciousness.
Kindling the fire mirrors the cosmic awakening of light within obscurity—order emerging through conscious heat (tapas).
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindo’s psychological reading): inner sacrifice as evolution of consciousness.
dawn or ritual beginning
unspecified
Ignition of the psychic flame through concentrated approach; speech becomes a channel for descending guidance.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The foundational mythologem is the enkindling and establishment of Agni as the divine mediator within the human sphere: the seeker offers ‘samidh’ (fuel) and performs ‘upasad’ (near-approach), prompting Agni’s attentive hearing. Mythically this is the (re)installation of the sacrificial fire; inwardly it is the ignition of will and aspiration so the divine power can act.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śru ‘hear’ aligns with PIE *ḱleu- ‘to hear, be famed’ (cf. Greek κλύω, Latin cluēre), carrying the sense of ‘hearing that grants recognition/renown’—here divine recognition of the hymn. √sad ‘sit’ reflects PIE *sed- (Latin sedēre, English sit via Germanic *sitjaną related), with upa-sad preserving the concrete ‘sit near’ → ritual/psychological ‘attend, approach’ shift typical of Indo-European sacral diction.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- It is reciprocal consecration: the rishi ‘gives’ the kindling and the formed word (giraḥ), while requesting Agni’s ‘hearing’—i.e., active acceptance and response. The exchange is not transactional but developmental: the human offers disciplined aspiration (samidh/upasad), and Agni answers by becoming present and operative as the inner guide and purifier.
Offer attention and longing into the heart-fire; feel an inner ‘approach’ to a living Presence.
Anāhata (heart)
Gentle nāsikā-breathing; on exhale mentally ‘offer’ (samidh), on inhale ‘approach’ (upasad).
Collected, receptive, inwardly warmed (psychic poise).
Chant once slowly, then sit 3–5 minutes sensing a small flame in the heart; let thoughts become ‘giraḥ’—simple, truthful, and upward.
Vedic svara as per Śākala tradition: udatta on key invocatory syllables (agne, śrudhī), with anudatta background and occasional svarita on falling accents; consult a pada-svara text for exact marking.
Keep ‘ágne’ clear with bright initial vowel; lightly emphasize the verb ‘śrudhī’ (hear!) as the pivot of the mantra.
imām (long ī, nasal ṃ), agne (hard g, short e), samidham (sa-mid-ham; aspirate dh), upasadaṃ (u-pa-sa-daṃ; dental d), śrudhī (śru-dhī; retroflex not used—dental dh; long ī), giraḥ (gi-raḥ; visarga audible)
Warm, steady, offering-like; avoid harshness—aim for clarity and intimacy.
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