Rig Veda Sukta 68
Mandala 1Sukta 6810 Mantras

Sukta 68

Sukta 1.68

Rishi

Parāśara (traditional for this Agni hymn cluster)

Devata

Agni

Chandas

Triṣṭubh (likely; confirm)

この讃歌は、常に目覚めて天へと立ち上がる火アグニを讃える。彼は動くものと動かぬものの道を整え、夜々を「開きひろげて」光・知・正しい行いのための場を作る。さらに、覚知ある知者にして家の主であるアグニに、供犠する者と彼に教えを求める者のために、豊穣(rāyas)の扉を広く開くよう願い求める。

Recitation with translationRig Veda 1.68

Mantras

Mantra 1

श्रीणन्नुप स्थाद्दिवं भुरण्युः स्थातुश्चरथमक्तून्व्यूर्णोत् ॥

みずからをひろげつつ、この熱き者は天へと立ち上がった。定まれるもののために動く道筋をひらき、また諸々の夜を広く開き放った。

Mantra 2

परि यदेषामेको विश्वेषां भुवद्देवो देवानां महित्वा ॥

これらのうちの一者が、すべての神々の上にあって、神なる力として包み囲む者となるとき——その偉大さによって、彼は神々のはたらきを取り巻き、内に収める。

Mantra 3

आदित्ते विश्वे क्रतुं जुषन्त शुष्काद्यद्देव जीवो जनिष्ठाः ॥

そのときまことに、すべては汝の意志と洞察(クラトゥ)を受け入れる。神よ、汝は乾ききったもの(不活のもの)から、生ける者として生まれ、荒れたところに生命を呼び覚ました。

Mantra 4

भजन्त विश्वे देवत्वं नाम ऋतं सपन्तो अमृतमेवैः ॥

万神は神性と聖なる名とを共に分かち、ṛta(真理・宇宙秩序)に従って歩む。その歩みゆえに、不死(amṛta)へと到る。

Mantra 5

ऋतस्य प्रेषा ऋतस्य धीतिर्विश्वायुर्विश्वे अपांसि चक्रुः ॥

衝動(促し)はṛtaより、思惟もまたṛtaより。遍く生を貫くいのち(viśvāyus)は、あらゆる力とともに、諸々の業を形づくった。

Mantra 6

यस्तुभ्यं दाशाद्यो वा ते शिक्षात्तस्मै चिकित्वान्रयिं दयस्व ॥

汝に供物を捧げる者、あるいは汝より学ばんと求める者に——覚知ある知者(cikitvān)よ、その者にrayi、内なる富の充溢を施したまえ。

Mantra 7

होता निषत्तो मनोरपत्ये स चिन्न्वासां पती रयीणाम् ॥

ホートリ(Hotṛ)はマヌ(Manu)の裔のうちに坐し、まことにその富の主となる――人の系譜に宿る内なる充溢を統べる者。

Mantra 8

इच्छन्त रेतो मिथस्तनूषु सं जानत स्वैर्दक्षैरमूराः ॥

彼らは自らの身(tanu)における創生の種子(retas)を求め、己が正しい洞察(dakṣa)によって互いに了解し合う――迷妄なき者として、真の形成に同意して結ぶ。

Mantra 9

पितुर्न पुत्राः क्रतुं जुषन्त श्रोषन्ये अस्य शासं तुरासः ॥

父の意志を子らが喜び受けるように、彼らはその意向(kratu)を嘉し、行い迅き者たちは彼の教令(śās)を聴き、導きの言葉に従う。

Mantra 10

वि राय और्णोद्दुरः पुरुक्षुः पिपेश नाकं स्तृभिर्दमूनाः ॥

彼は豊穣の門を大きく開き、多くに住まう力は堅き支えによって意識の天(nāka)を搾りひろげる――内なる住処の主(damūnāḥ)。

Inside Sukta 68

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Agni is portrayed as rising and spreading upward, orienting toward heaven and unfolding the courses of existence—even through the nights.

  2. Development

    The hymn develops Agni’s roles: organizer of cosmic movement, priestly mediator, and conscious knower who can be approached both by offering and by learning.

  3. Climax

    The prayer peaks in the request that Agni grant rayi—plenitude and strength—to the sacrificer and the earnest seeker, affirming him as cikitvān (the awake intelligence).

  4. Where it settles

    It closes by celebrating Agni as the one who opens the doors of abundance and establishes the "heaven" (nāka) with firm supports, dwelling within as the master of the house.

The deity: Agni

  • In the VedaAgni is the kindled Fire, the Hotṛ who carries offerings, the knower (cikitvān) who mediates between men and gods, and the house-lord (damūnāḥ) who establishes order and opens the ways.
  • Cosmic functionHe links earth and heaven as messenger and priest, sustains sacrifice, and supports ṛta by illuminating, purifying, and setting the courses of beings—moving and unmoving—through time and night.
  • Inner significanceAgni signifies the awakened will and discerning flame of consciousness that learns, teaches, and leads the seeker; when kindled, it opens the "doors" of inner abundance (rāyas), clarity, and right aspiration.

The seer

  • Gṛtsamada (traditional); Parāśara is sometimes cited in adjacent Agni clustersBhārgava (Gṛtsamada is classed among the Bhṛgu/Bhārgava seers in later tradition) · A prominent early Ṛgvedic seer associated with Mandala 2 and with hymns that establish Agni as Hotṛ (priest) and inner guide; revered for shaping the idiom of Agni praise and ritual efficacy.

Famous verses

श्रीणन्नुप स्थाद्दिवं भुरण्युः स्थातुश्चरथमक्तून्व्यूर्णोत् ॥
Verse 1.68.1A vivid cosmological image of Agni’s ascent and his power to unfold paths, ordering both the moving and the fixed and widening the nights—key to the hymn’s theme of opening and illumination.Read verse 1.68.1 →
cikitvān rayiṃ dayasva
Verse 1.68.6Central petition: Agni rewards not only the one who offers, but also the one who seeks to learn—highlighting Agni as cikitvān (conscious knower/teacher) and giver of rayi.Read verse 1.68.6 →
vi rāya aurṇod duraḥ
Verse 1.68.10Culminating image: Agni opens the doors of plenitude and establishes the inner heaven with firm supports, naming him damūnāḥ (house-lord), a signature Agni epithet.Read verse 1.68.10 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Hotṛ (sacrificial priest)
  • Messenger between worlds
  • Illuminator and opener of paths
  • Knower/teacher (cikitvān)
  • Household lord (damūnāḥ)
  • Giver of rayi (plenitude)

Also by this seer

  • Rig Veda Mandala 2 (numerous hymns traditionally attributed to Gṛtsamada)
  • Agni and Indra hymns emphasizing the Hotṛ function and the winning of rayi (wealth/inner plenitude)

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare the altar/hearth and seat the fire (āhavanīya or gārhapatya as appropriate).
  • Kindle Agni with fuel while reciting the opening praise that depicts his rising and ordering power (e.g., 1.68.1).
  • Invite Agni as Hotṛ and knower to take the offering and establish ṛta in the rite.
  • Make oblations with a request for rayi and instruction—favor to the giver and to the sincere learner (cf. 1.68.6).
  • Conclude with praise of Agni as opener of the doors of plenitude and as the firm support of the inner heaven (cf. 1.68.10).

Offerings

  • Ghṛta (clarified butter)
  • Samidh (fuel sticks)
  • Grain/oblations appropriate to the household rite
  • Soma-associated offerings when used in soma contexts

Frequently Asked Questions

It presents Agni as the awakened fire and guiding intelligence who maintains cosmic order and opens the way to prosperity (rayi) for those who worship and those who sincerely learn.

These are poetic symbols for Agni’s power to expand space for light and understanding: he "opens" the darkness (night) and also the "doors" of abundance and well-being.

Triṣṭubh is the most likely meter for RV 1.68, but confirming it strictly requires checking each verse’s syllable count and cadence across all 10 mantras.

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