Rig Veda 5.21.3: Mandala 5, Sukta 21, Mantra 3
Sukta 5.21
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Anushtubh/Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
त्वां विश्वे सजोषसो देवासो दूतमक्रत । सपर्यन्तस्त्वा कवे यज्ञेषु देवमीळते ॥
tvā́ṁ víśve sájoṣaso devā́so dūtám akrata | saparyántaḥ tvā kave yajñéṣu devám īḷate ||
Semua dewa, seia sekata, menjadikan engkau utusan mereka. Dengan melayani engkau, wahai Agni sang Kavi (Resi), dalam yajña mereka memuja engkau sebagai Yang Ilahi—sebab engkau membawa daya-daya dan sabda mereka di antara dunia-dunia.
Word by Word
- त्वाम्
- you (as object)Pronounद्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वे
- all (the gods)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- सजोषसः
- of one accord, unanimousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot सजोषस् (प्रातिपदिक; sa- + joṣas ‘together/with one accord’)
- देवासः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- दूतम्
- messengerNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot दूत (प्रातिपदिक)
- अक्रत
- they made, appointedVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRoot कृ (धातु)
- सपर्यन्तः
- worshipping, honoringVerb (participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot सपर्य्/सपर्या (धातु; ‘to honor, worship’)
- त्वा
- youPronounद्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (वैदिक एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- कवे
- O sage/poet (Agni)Noun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot कवि (प्रातिपदिक)
- यज्ञेषु
- in the sacrificesNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवम्
- the godNoun (apposition)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- ईळते
- they praise, they invokeVerbलट् (present), आत्मनेपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRoot ईळ्/ईड् (धातु; ‘to praise, invoke’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic pada): त्वाम् | विश्वे | सजोषसः | देवासः | दूतम् | अक्रत । सपर्यन्तः | त्वा | कवे | यज्ञेषु | देवम् | ईळते ॥ Sandhi/phonology notes: (1) त्वां = त्वाम् (anusvāra for final -m before consonant/pause). (2) देवमीळते = देवम् + ईळते (m + initial vowel: external sandhi with avagraha-less writing; underlying hiatus resolved in saṃhitā). (3) Accent marks (॑ etc.) are saṃhitā accents
- pada-forms given without accent reconstruction
The meaning
Outer meaning
All the gods together made Agni their messenger; serving him, they adore him as divine in the sacrifices.
Inner meaning
The higher powers (devas) recognize in Agni the indispensable mediator: the will-flame that carries forces and formations between planes. When we ‘serve’ (sapary) the seer-fire (kavi), our inner sacrifice becomes a meeting-place where divine faculties coordinate. Agni is adored ‘as the Divine’ because the conscious will is the practical face of the Divine in action—turning light into effective change.
Universal truth
Spiritual realization must be operational: the bridge between insight and transformation is the awakened will that can transmit between levels of consciousness.
Themes
Agni as dūta, Divine concord, Agni as kavi (seer-intelligence)
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.7, RV 5.8, RV 5.9
Family tradition
Atri’s vision often stresses the coordinated action of the gods through Agni as the central priest-power.
Significance
The rishi presents a key Aurobindonian insight: the gods are not remote; they act through an inner mediator—Agni—when the sacrifice is conscious.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- dūta, kavi, deva (as adored)
- Related deities
- Viśve Devāḥ, Indra, Mitra-Varuṇa
Cosmic role
Interworld messenger; organizer of sacrificial action; awakener and carrier of divine powers.
Inner power
Capacity to connect levels of being; discerning will that ‘knows’ what to offer and how to ascend.
In ritual
Where it is used
General Agni invocation in soma/yajña settings; praise of Agni’s dūta function
त्वां विश्वे॑ स॒जोष॑सो दे॒वासो॑ दू॒तम॑क्रत । स॒प॒र्यन्त॑स्त्वा कवे य॒ज्ञेषु॑ दे॒वमी॑ळते ॥
त्वाम् । विश्वे॑ । स॒जोष॑सः । दे॒वासः॑ । दू॒तम् । अ॒क्र॒त॒ । स॒प॒र्यन्तः॑ । त्वा॒ । क॒वे॒ । य॒ज्ञेषु॑ । दे॒वम् । ई॒ळ॒ते॒ ॥
tvām | viśve | sajoṣasaḥ | devāsaḥ | dūtam | akrata | saparyantaḥ | tvā | kave | yajñeṣu | devam | īḷate
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4 pādas × ~8 syllables
Balanced, declarative; suitable for a cosmic appointment statement.
Creates mental coherence and a sense of ‘agreement’ (sajoṣas) among inner parts.
- viśve devāsaḥ
- Literal: all the gods. Symbolic: totality of higher faculties—illumination, harmony, power, joy
- sajoṣasaḥ
- Literal: of one accord. Symbolic: integrated action of divine powers (no inner division)
- dūtam
- Literal: messenger. Symbolic: mediating function between human and divine; translator of aspiration into force
- akrata
- Literal: they made/appointed. Symbolic: a cosmic law: will is appointed as mediator
- saparyantaḥ
- Literal: serving, honoring. Symbolic: attentive practice, reverence, disciplined offering
- kave
- Literal: seer/poet. Symbolic: Agni as luminous discernment within the flame
- yajñeṣu
- Literal: in sacrifices. Symbolic: in all works of self-offering and transformation
- īḻate
- Literal: they praise/adore. Symbolic: affirmation and opening to the divine presence in the will
Agni as dūta is central to all yajña; verse suits invitatory and mediation moments in soma rites and iṣṭis.
When establishing Agni as Hotṛ/messenger before offerings; also in recitation praising intermediation.
Invocation and praise; preparing the ‘channel’ for offerings to reach the devas.
As a contemplation on inner integration: invite all higher qualities to act ‘in one accord’ through the central will.
dūta ‘messenger’ from √dū ‘to send/dispatch’ (Vedic usage). sajōṣas ‘together in pleasure/accord’ from sa- ‘together’ + joṣ ‘enjoy, be pleased’ (√juṣ). kavi ‘seer’ possibly linked to √kū/√kav ‘to see/think/poetize’ (Vedic semantic field: inspired intelligence). īḷate from √īḷ ‘to praise, implore’ (middle).
Mediation between planes, Unity of the gods (sajoṣas)
Agni as dūta maintains ṛta by correctly transmitting between planes.
Truth becomes effective when carried by Agni into action.
Worlds are connected through a mediating fire-principle; ascent and descent depend on it.
Integral Vedic psychology: planes of consciousness linked by will and aspiration.
Rising flame = ascent of aspiration; smoke-path = subtle channel; ‘meeting of gods’ = convergence of higher faculties.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni appointed as the divine messenger by the assembled gods: the institutional myth of yajña where Agni carries offerings upward and brings divine powers downward—an archetype of interworld communication.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The mediator/messenger function is a common IE mythic role (divine envoy). The root √juṣ in sajōṣas reflects an inherited semantic of ‘pleasure/consent’ (cf. Indo-Iranian juš-). The poetic-seer term kavi has Indo-Iranian parallels (Avestan kavi as a sacral-poetic/royal figure).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The verse frames Agni’s authority as conferred by the gods themselves, legitimizing the rishi’s invocation. By serving Agni (saparyantaḥ), the sacrificer aligns with the divine concord, enabling effective mediation in yajña.
Feel the inner flame as a ‘messenger’: offer thought upward, receive intuition downward through the same channel.
Viśuddha (communication/bridge)
Alternate nostril breathing (mild) to harmonize inner ‘gods’; then rest awareness in a central flame.
Integrated, receptive, quietly inspired.
When conflicted, repeat the mantra and imagine all inner powers agreeing; let one clear will carry the decision upward to the highest light you can sense.
Chant with Vedic accents per recension; emphasize udatta peaks on key words (viśve, dūtam, kave) as marked in source.
Keep pāda endings clean; slight pause after ‘akrata’; let ‘kave’ be bright and lifted.
sajoṣasaḥ: joṣ with retroflex ṣ; keep vowels distinct, dūtam: long ū, saparyantaḥ: cluster sp; final ḥ light, īḻate: retroflex ḻ; do not turn into plain l
Clear, resonant, slightly uplifted.
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