Rig Veda 5.2.1: Mandala 5, Sukta 2, Mantra 1
Sukta 5.2
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
कुमारं माता युवतिः समुब्धं गुहा बिभर्ति न ददाति पित्रे । अनीकमस्य न मिनज्जनासः पुरः पश्यन्ति निहितमरतौ ॥
kumārám mātā́ yuvatíḥ sámubdhaṃ guhā́ bibharti ná dadāti pittré | anī́kam asya ná mínaj janā́saḥ puráḥ paśyanti níhitaṃ aratáu ||
若き母は、その少年を秘めてよく包み、洞窟の奥に抱き持つ。父には渡さぬ。彼の面貌は損なわれない。しかれども人々は、彼が前に据えられ、働く手のうちに置かれているのを見る――隠れた火は、内に秘しつつ、行為において明らかとなる。
Word by Word
- कुमारम्
- the boy/young childNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot कुमार (प्रातिपदिक)
- माता
- the motherNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- युवतिः
- a young womanNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (माता-विशेषण/समनाधिकरण)Root युवति (प्रातिपदिक)
- समुब्धम्
- well-soaked / well-nourished (Vedic epithet)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (कुमारम्-विशेषण)Role कर्म (विशेषण)Root सम्-उब्ध (कृदन्त; √उब्ध/उन्ध् ‘to wet/soak’, Vedic)
- गुहा
- in a hiding-place; in the caveNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole अधिकारण (स्थानवाचक; ‘in concealment/cave’)Root गुहा (प्रातिपदिक)
- बिभर्ति
- bears; carries; supportsVerbलट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √भृ (भरति)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधRoot न
- ददाति
- givesVerbलट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √दा (ददाति)
- पित्रे
- to the fatherNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनीकम्
- face; front; appearanceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्म/विषय (न-सम्बन्धः)Root अनीक (प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्य
- of him/thisPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधRoot न
- मिनत्
- diminishes; harmsVerbलट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Vedic injunctive-like usage possible)Role क्रियाRoot √मि/मीन् (मिनाति ‘to diminish, injure’)
- जनासः
- people; menNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot जन (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुरः
- in front; beforeIndeclinableअव्यय (दिशा/स्थान)Role अधिकारण (दृष्टेः क्षेत्र)Root पुरस् (अव्ययीभाव/निपात; ‘in front’)
- पश्यन्ति
- seeVerbलट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √पश् (पश्यति)
- निहितम्
- placed; deposited; hiddenAdjective/Participleनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (अनीकम्/वस्तु-विशेषण)Role कर्म (विशेषण)Root नि-√धा (कृदन्त: निहित)
- अरातौ
- in hostility; in the enemy’s (state)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकारणRoot अराति (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic): कुमारं | माता | युवतिः | समुब्धम् | गुहा | बिभर्ति | न | ददाति | पित्रे || अनीकम् | अस्य | न | मिनत् | जनासः | पुरः | पश्यन्ति | निहितम् | अरातौ || 1) ‘समुब्धं गुहा’ → ‘समुब्धं॒ गुहा॑’ (सन्धि नहीं; केवल संहिता-पाठ में उच्चारण/स्वर)
- 2) ‘निहितम् अरातौ’ → ‘निहितमरातौ’ (म् + अ → म)
- 3) ‘मिनत् जनासः’ संहिता में ‘मिनज्जनासः’ (त् + ज → ज्ज; व्यञ्जन-सन्धि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
A young Mother bears the Boy hidden in a secret cave and does not give him to the Father. His face is undiminished; people see him placed in front, set in the working hands.
Inner meaning
Agni, the divine Will, is born in the ‘young Mother’—the evolving Nature (prakṛti) within us—yet remains hidden in the cave of the heart/subconscient (guhā). He is not ‘given to the Father’ (the transcendent source) in the sense that the manifestation is still held within Nature’s processes and not yet returned as a conscious offering to the Supreme. Though concealed, his ‘face’ (anīka: front/vision) is not diminished: the will-to-progress is intact. Ordinary people see him only ‘in front’—as outward action in the hands—missing his secret origin and inner guidance.
Universal truth
The divine impulse is both hidden and active: it works in our deeds even when its inner source is unseen; yoga is to uncover the concealed fire and consciously offer it back to the highest.
Themes
Birth of Agni, Hidden fire in the cave, Epiphany through action
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.1 (Agni hymns in Book 5 context), RV 5.3, RV 5.11
Family tradition
Ātreya hymns often explore Agni’s hidden birth and the mystery of inner fire concealed in beings and brought out by aspiration.
Significance
Atri’s vision highlights the paradox of the Divine in manifestation: secret in the depths yet evident in works—inviting an inward turn from mere action to conscious flame.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Kumāra (youthful), Nihita (hidden, implied), Puro (in front/leader, implied)
- Related deities
- Uṣas (awakening, implicit), Savitṛ (impulsion, implicit), Prajāpati/Father principle (implicit)
Cosmic role
Hidden seed of consciousness in matter; awakener of aspiration; leader when brought forward.
Inner power
Secret will that sustains effort and growth; capacity to become conscious guide rather than unconscious drive.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni’s kindling/birth hymns in soma and iṣṭi settings (symbolic ‘birth’ of fire)
कु॒मा॒रं मा॒ता यु॑व॒तिः समु॑ब्धं॒ गुहा॑ बिभर्ति॒ न द॑दाति पि॒त्रे । अनी॑कमस्य॒ न मि॒नज्जना॑सः पु॒रः प॑श्यन्ति॒ निहि॑तमर॒तौ ॥
कु॒मा॒रम् । मा॒ता । यु॒व॒तिः । सम्ऽउ॑ब्धम् । गुहा॑ । बि॒भ॒र्ति॒ । न । द॒दा॒ति॒ । पि॒त्रे । अनी॑कम् । अ॒स्य॒ । न । मि॒नत् । जना॑सः । पु॒रः । प॒श्य॒न्ति॒ । निऽहि॑तम् । अ॒र॒तौ ॥
kumāram | mātā | yuvatiḥ | sam-ubdham | guhā | bibharti | na | dadāti | pitre | anīkam | asya | na | minat | janāsaḥ | puraḥ | paśyanti | ni-hitam | aratau
44
4 × ~11 syllables
Narrative-mystic triṣṭubh; measured revelation with a hidden-to-manifest movement.
Draws attention inward; evokes the sense of a secret presence behind action.
- kumāra
- Literal: boy, youth. Symbolic: newborn divine will; fresh evolutionary flame
- mātā yuvatīḥ
- Literal: young mother. Symbolic: Nature as evolving power; the formative prakṛti in the seeker
- guhā
- Literal: cave, hidden place. Symbolic: heart-cave/subconscient depth where the flame is concealed
- na dadāti pitre
- Literal: does not give to the father. Symbolic: the manifestation not yet consciously surrendered to the transcendent origin; nature holds the secret
- anīka
- Literal: face/front. Symbolic: the visible sign of the fire—clarity, direction, leading edge of consciousness
- aratau
- Literal: in the working hands. Symbolic: in practical action and skill; karmic expression of the inner fire
Mystic Agni-hymn often connected with kindling/hidden fire doctrine; suitable for rites emphasizing the discovery/installation of Agni (ādhāna) and the innerization of the sacrificial fire.
At fire-kindling (agnimathana/ādhāna) themes; also contemplative recitation on Agni’s hiddenness.
Kindling fire, placing it on altar; acknowledging Agni as born from hidden sources.
Meditate on the ‘hidden fire’ before action: pause, feel the source of will in the heart, then act from that conscious center.
guhā́ ‘cave’ from √guh ‘to hide’: locus of concealed consciousness. kumārá- ‘boy’ (youthful) signals perpetual rebirth of Agni. aratáu ‘in the hands’ from ara/ṛ ‘fit, join, work’ (also ‘spoke/skill’): indicates operative embodiment—Agni hidden within yet functioning through human agency.
Hidden divine in the heart-cave (guhā), Manifestation through works (aratau), Dual status of the divine: secret and evident
Agni emerges according to ṛta: from concealment to leadership when the time is ripe.
The flame’s ‘face’ is not diminished—truth remains intact even when hidden.
Secret birth of fire in the cave mirrors the cosmic emergence of consciousness from matter.
Aurobindonian evolutionary symbolism: involution (hidden) → evolution (manifest in works) → conscious return (offering to the Father).
Cave = subconscious/heart-depth; mother = nature-force; child = nascent spiritual will; hands = outer life where the inner force shows itself.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘hidden child in the cave’—Agni concealed in the womb of the Mother (Nature) and not handed to the Father (heavenly source) as a ready possession. Psychologically, the divine will is latent in the depths; it must be discovered and kindled, then it stands ‘in front’ as the leader of works.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- guh- ‘hide’ has parallels in IE concealment semantics (cf. Germanic *ge-hug/*hug? though not direct; more securely, the motif is pan-IE). More solidly, janāsaḥ from √jan ‘beget’ continues PIE *ǵenh₁- ‘beget’ (Greek gígnomai, Latin gignō), framing ‘people’ as the born mortals who only partially perceive the hidden divine.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi is an unveiler: he points to Agni’s paradox—concealed in guhā yet visible in aratau (effective works). The relationship is pedagogical and initiatory: the hymn teaches the seeker how the god is to be found inwardly and verified outwardly by transformed action.
Discover the ‘hidden boy’—the pure will behind motivations; shift from ego-driven doing to flame-led doing.
Anāhata (heart-cave) with Maṇipūra support
Slow inhalation to heart, brief stillness, exhale into the hands (awareness flowing into action).
Inward, attentive, quietly energized.
Before work, ask: ‘From what cave does this impulse arise?’ Wait until a clear, warm flame-feeling appears; then let the hands move as its instrument.
Rigvedic accenting; keep a contemplative lift on guhā and nihitam; maintain firmness on bibharti/puraḥ paśyanti.
Do not blur conjuncts: samubdham (sam-ubdham), nihitam (ni-hit-am). Keep retroflex ṭ in minaj (minat) context where applicable by recension.
kumāram: long ā, yuvatīḥ: clear dental t, long īḥ, guhā: aspirate h lightly, aratau: roll r lightly; keep au diphthong
Hushed, inward, with a clear steady line—like revealing a secret.
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