Rig Veda 8.75.3: Mandala 8, Sukta 75, Mantra 3
Sukta 8.75
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Likely Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
त्वं ह यद्यविष्ठ्य सहसः सूनवाहुत । ऋतावा यज्ञियो भुवः ॥
tváṃ ha yád yaviṣṭhya sáhasaḥ sūno āhuta | ṛtā́vā yajñíyo bhúvaḥ ||
Engkau—ketika dipanggil, wahai yang termuda, putra Sahas—menjadi penjaga ṛta, tatanan Kebenaran; engkau menjadi layak bagi yajña, daya yang meluruskan dan menerangi persembahan kami.
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- youPronounपुंलिङ्ग/सर्वलिङ्ग-प्रयोग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ह
- indeed, surelyIndeclinableनिपात; अव्ययRoot ह (निपात)
- यत्
- when/if; thatPronoun (relative) / Indeclinable useनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (अव्ययीभाव-प्राय प्रयोग: ‘when/if/that’)Root यद् (सम्बन्ध/यत्-प्रातिपदिक)
- यविष्ठ्य
- O youngest (Agni)Adjective (vocative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (vocative); एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot यविष्ठ्य (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक; यविष्ठ = ‘youngest/most youthful’)
- सहसः
- of might/strengthNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root सहस् (नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक)
- सूनव
- O sonNounपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (vocative); एकवचन (वेदिक रूप: सूनव् < सूनो)Role सम्बोधनRoot सूनु (पुंलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक)
- आहुत
- O invoked/oblation-receiving oneParticiple (past passive) used as epithetपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (vocative); एकवचन; क्त (PPP) अर्थ: ‘having been invoked/offered to’Role सम्बोधनRoot आ-हु (धातु √हु ‘to sacrifice/offer’; क्त-प्रत्यय)
- ऋतावा
- truth-ordered; possessing ṛtaAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (वेदिक रूप: ऋतावा < ऋतावान्)Role कर्तृ (सम्बन्धी विशेषण)Root ऋतावन् (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक; ‘possessing ṛta’)
- यज्ञियः
- worthy of sacrificeAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (सम्बन्धी विशेषण)Root यज्ञिय (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक; from यज्ञ ‘sacrifice’)
- भुवः
- you became/are (you are as)Verbअकर्मक; लुङ् (आगम-रहित वेदिक injunctive/aorist) 2nd person singular (त्वम्-सम्बन्ध); परस्मैपदRole क्रिया (अस्ति/भवति-भाव)Root √भू (धातु ‘to be’; लिट्/लुङ्-न; here: aorist/preterite injunctive form used as finite verb) অথবা भू (तिङन्त-रूप)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद: त्वम् | ह | यत् | यविष्ठ्य | सहसः | सूनव | आहुत | ऋतावा | यज्ञियः | भुवः । 1) ‘यद्य॑विष्ठ्य॒’ = ‘यत् + यविष्ठ्य’ (त् + य → द्य् संधि). 2) ‘सूनवाहुत’ = ‘सूनव् + आहुत’ (व् + आ → वा). 3) ‘ऋतावा’ is Vedic nominative sg. of ऋतावन्
- ‘सूनव’ is Vedic voc. sg. of सूनु
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni, the youngest, son of strength, when invoked becomes the keeper of ṛta and becomes worthy of sacrifice.
Inner meaning
Agni is ‘youngest’ because the divine Will is ever-new in its action and discovery. As ‘son of sahas’ (Force), it is born from tapas/energy of aspiration. When truly invoked (āhuta), this will becomes ṛtāvā—holder of the truth-order—organizing thoughts, impulses, and acts into a right, luminous movement. Thus Agni becomes yajñiya: the power in us fit to be offered to and to perform offering—both the sacrificer and the flame of transformation.
Universal truth
A sincerely invoked inner will turns raw energy into ordered, truth-aligned action and becomes the very instrument by which life is transformed.
Themes
Agni as ṛtā́vā, renewal (yaviṣṭha), truth-ordered sacrifice
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.75.1, Rig Veda 8.75.2, Rig Veda 8.75.4
Family tradition
Mandala 8 invocatory sequence; likely Kāṇva style but unconfirmed.
Significance
Defines the hallmark of Agni-yoga: invocation awakens the will into ṛta—right order—so the whole being can become a sacrifice and a means of transformation.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- yaviṣṭhya (youngest), sahasaḥ sūnu (son of force), ṛtāvā (keeper of ṛta), yajñiya (sacrificial/worthy)
- Related deities
- Varuṇa (ṛta/order), Mitra (harmony), Indra (illumination-force)
Cosmic role
First of the gods in the rite; establishes ṛta in the sacrificial action; purifier and transformer.
Inner power
Psychic fire that converts energy into truth-aligned movement; awakens tapas and right discernment in action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni praise within opening/establishing sequences of yajña (general)
त्वं ह॒ यद्य॑विष्ठ्य॒ सह॑सः सूनवाहुत । ऋ॒तावा॑ य॒ज्ञियो॒ भुव॑: ॥
त्वम् । ह॒ । यत् । य॒वि॒ष्ठ्य॒ । सह॑सः । सू॒नो॒ इति॑ । आ॒ऽहु॒त॒ । ऋ॒तऽवा॑ । य॒ज्ञियः॑ । भुवः॑ ॥
tvam | ha | yat | yaviṣṭhya | sahasaḥ | sūno iti | āhuta | ṛta-vā | yajñiyaḥ | bhuvaḥ
32
4 × ~8
Balanced and didactic; suited to stating a spiritual law.
Stabilizes the mind; encourages a feeling of rightness and ordered energy.
- यविष्ठ्य (yaviṣṭhya)
- Literal: youngest. Symbolic: ever-renewing divine action; fresh flame of progress
- सहसः सूनो (sahasaḥ sūno)
- Literal: son of strength/force. Symbolic: will born from tapas; energy of aspiration generating divine capacity
- आहुत (āhuta)
- Literal: invoked; offered. Symbolic: called by conscious aspiration; also ‘fed’ by offering
- ऋतावा (ṛtāvā)
- Literal: possessing/guarding ṛta. Symbolic: holder of right order; power that makes movements true and harmonious
- यज्ञियः (yajñiyaḥ)
- Literal: worthy of sacrifice. Symbolic: fit instrument of consecration; power that can carry transformation
Affirmation of Agni’s right function as ṛtā́vā in the rite—ensuring correct order and effective offering.
After inviting Agni, affirming his function as ṛta-holder and yajñiya.
Recitation to establish right order and purity of the rite.
Use when seeking discipline: chant before study/practice to convert restlessness into ordered effort.
yaviṣṭha 'youngest' (superlative of yuvan) emphasizes perpetual renewal of Agni. sahas 'force' (energetic might) → Agni as sahasaḥ sūnu 'son of force'. ṛtā́vā from ṛtá (cosmic order, truth in action) + possessive suffix. yajñiya from yajña (√yaj 'worship/sacrifice', PIE *h₁yeh₂g- debated; Indo-Iranian central).
Ṛta (cosmic order), becoming (bhū) as manifestation, force (sahas) as divine energy
Explicit: Agni becomes ṛtāvā—embodiment of right order in action.
Ṛta as the operative form of satya in movement; truth made dynamic.
Agni as organizing principle that shapes chaos into cosmos within the individual.
Integral Vedic psychology: transformation through will aligned to ṛta.
Newly kindled flame = fresh aspiration; force = tapas; right order = harmonious functioning of faculties.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the ever-young son of force who, once invoked, embodies ṛta. Mythically, the newborn fire becomes cosmic law-bearer; psychologically, awakened will aligns the being with truth-order and makes the inner sacrifice effective.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhū 'become' is IE (cf. English be). The epithet structure (genitive + kinship term: sahasaḥ sūnu) is an archaic Indo-European poetic device for defining divine function by origin.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Invocation is the trigger: when the human calls (āhuta), Agni 'becomes' ṛtā́vā and yajñiya—i.e., he takes up his role within the sacrificer. The relationship is functional: correct calling yields correct cosmic ordering within the person.
Kindle the ‘young flame’: feel a fresh will arising each session; offer inertia into it; then sense a spontaneous right order settling in thought and breath.
Maṇipūra (will/transformative fire) supported by Anāhata (psychic sincerity)
Kapalabhati-light (very mild, 30 strokes) only if suitable; otherwise steady diaphragmatic breathing to kindle inner heat without agitation.
Ordered energy—tapas under calm control.
Invoke (āhuta) with a single sentence of intention; then watch for the ‘ṛta-feeling’: actions become simpler, cleaner, more inevitable. Maintain that by offering each deviation back into the flame.
Maintain even accentuation; apply Vedic svara from a marked recension when available.
Slight emphasis on ‘yaviṣṭhya’ and ‘ṛtāvā’ as the semantic pivots.
: yaviṣ-ṭhya (ṣṭhy cluster) articulate carefully, : sahasaḥ—soft ‘h’, clear short a’s, : vocalic ṛ at start—tongue curled slightly, brief and clear, : yaj-ñi-yo—palatal ñ, not ‘yag-ni-yo’
Steady, centered, with a subtle warmth.
9
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