Rig Veda 5.20.2: Mandala 5, Sukta 20, Mantra 2
Sukta 5.20
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gayatri
- Rasa
- Raudra (fury) and Vira (heroism)
ये अग्ने नेरयन्ति ते वृद्धा उग्रस्य शवसः । अप द्वेषो अप ह्वरोऽन्यव्रतस्य सश्चिरे ॥
yé agne né rayanti te vṛ́ddhā ugrásya śávasaḥ | ápa dvéṣo ápa hváro 'nyavratásya saścire ||
ಓ ಅಗ್ನೇ, ನಿನ್ನನ್ನು ಮುಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಒತ್ತಿ ನಡೆಸದವರು—ನಿನ್ನ ಉಗ್ರ ಶವಸ್ (ಪ್ರಚಂಡ ಶಕ್ತಿ)ದ ಬಲದಲ್ಲಿ ವೃದ್ಧರಾದರೂ—ದ್ವೇಷದಲ್ಲೂ ಹ್ವರ (ವಕ್ರತೆ/ಕುಟಿಲತೆ)ಯಲ್ಲೂ ಬಿದ್ದುಹೋದರು; ಅನ್ಯವ್ರತ (ಬೇರೊಂದು ನಿಯಮವನ್ನು ಅನುಸರಿಸುವ)ವನ ಮಾರ್ಗಕ್ಕೆ ಅವರು ಜಾರಿದರು.
Word by Word
- ये
- who (those who)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (sarvanāma-prātipadika ‘ya-’)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role (Sambodhana)Root अग्नि (prātipadika)
- नेरयन्ति
- they impel / set in motionVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role (Kriyā)Root नीरय्/नेरय् (causative of √ईर्/√इर् ‘to set in motion, impel’)
- ते
- you (thee)Pronounद्वितीया, एकवचनम् (enclitic)Role KarmaRoot तद् (sarvanāma-prātipadika)
- वृद्धाः
- grown/strong, mightyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role Kartā (apposition to ये)Root वृद्ध (prātipadika; PPP of √वृध् ‘to grow, increase’)
- उग्रस्य
- of the fierceAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः/नपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive)Root उग्र (prātipadika)
- शवसः
- of might/powerNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive)Root शवस् (prātipadika)
- अप
- away, offIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातःRole (Upasarga to implied verbal idea ‘remove/drive away’)Root अप (avyaya)
- द्वेषः
- hatred, hostilityNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (Vedic allows neut. nom.=acc.)Role Karma (thing to be removed)Root द्वेषस् (prātipadika)
- अप
- awayIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातःRole (Upasarga)Root अप (avyaya)
- ह्वरः
- crookedness, deceit/defectNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role Karma (thing to be removed)Root ह्वर (prātipadika)
- अन्यव्रतस्य
- of one of alien/other observance (hostile/outsider)Noun (compound)पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive)Root अन्य-व्रत (tatpuruṣa prātipadika)
- सश्चिरे
- they have followed/attached themselvesVerbलिट् (परोक्श/परफेक्ट), आत्मनेपदम्, तृतीयपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role (Kriyā)Root √सच् (to accompany, follow, attach oneself)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: (1) ‘ह्वरोऽन्यव्रतस्य’ = ‘ह्वरः अन्यव्रतस्य’ (visarga before vowel → ’). (2) ‘ये … ते’ enclitic ‘ते’ = ‘त्वाम्’ (2nd sg acc.) in Vedic usage.
- ‘अप द्वेषः अप ह्वरः’ are separate padas with repeated particle ‘अप’
The meaning
Outer meaning
Those who do not drive Agni forward, though he has grown in fierce strength, fall away into hatred and crookedness, into the way of one who follows another law.
Inner meaning
If the inner Fire is not actively increased (na īrayanti), the being—despite having latent capacity—slides into deviation: resentment (dveṣa) and distortion (hvara). ‘Anyavrata’ is the psychological state of living by a law other than the soul’s truth—habit, desire, or social imitation. The mantra is a warning: spiritual power must be consciously propelled; otherwise the unused force turns into inner conflict and wrong movement.
Universal truth
Neglected aspiration decays into negativity. When the guiding inner will is not nourished, life follows substitute laws and becomes crooked.
Themes
Admonition, Deviation and Crookedness, Hostility to Light, Right Impulsion
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.20.1, RV 5.20.3, RV 5.2
Family tradition
Atri’s didactic edge: hymns that not only praise but diagnose inner failure modes—how neglect of Agni leads to moral-psychological decline.
Significance
Atri here acts as inner physician: naming the fall into ‘anyavrata’ when aspiration is not maintained.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Ugra (fierce), Śavasvat (strong, implied)
- Related deities
- Varuṇa (law/ṛta), Indra (force to break resistances)
Cosmic role
Guardian of the right path; purifier who rejects crooked movements.
Inner power
The compelling force of aspiration that must be kept active; when ignored, the being loses its axis.
In ritual
Where it is used
Admonitory verse within Agni hymn sequence; supports right performance by warning against neglect.
ये अ॑ग्ने॒ नेरय॑न्ति ते वृ॒द्धा उ॒ग्रस्य॒ शव॑सः । अप॒ द्वेषो॒ अप॒ ह्वरो॒ऽन्यव्र॑तस्य सश्चिरे ॥
ये । अ॒ग्ने॒ । न । ई॒रय॑न्ति । ते । वृ॒द्धाः । उ॒ग्रस्य॑ । शव॑सः । अप॑ । द्वेषः॑ । अप॑ । ह्वरः॑ । अ॒न्यऽव्र॑तस्य । स॒श्चि॒रे॒ ॥
ye | agne | na | īrayanti | te | vṛddhāḥ | ugrasya | śavasaḥ | apa | dveṣaḥ | apa | hvaraḥ | anya-vratasya | saścire
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3 pādas of 8 syllables (approx.)
Brief and admonitory; sharp semantic turns (‘apa… apa…’).
Creates ethical clarity and urgency; good as a corrective reminder in practice.
- ईरयन्ति (īrayanti)
- Literal: they set in motion, drive forward. Symbolic: consciously kindle and propel aspiration
- उग्रस्य शवसः (ugrasya śavasaḥ)
- Literal: of fierce strength. Symbolic: intense transformative power available in the soul-force
- द्वेष (dveṣa)
- Literal: hatred, aversion. Symbolic: reactive consciousness; refusal of growth
- ह्वर (hvara)
- Literal: crookedness, deviation. Symbolic: distortion of will; twisting of truth
- अन्यव्रत (anyavrata)
- Literal: one with another vow/law. Symbolic: living by alien standards—ego, desire, inertia instead of ṛta
Admonitory verse: emphasizes right kindling/impulsion of Agni; used to mark the danger of neglecting the fire and, inwardly, neglecting aspiration.
When discipline wanes; at the start of practice to renew resolve.
Recommitment: rekindle fire; mentally renounce dveṣa/hvara as impediments.
Use as a ‘reset’ mantra when resentment or self-deception arises; pair with a small act of discipline immediately after recitation.
īrayanti < √īr ‘stir, set in motion’; śavas ‘might’ (energy); dveṣa ‘hate’ from √dviṣ ‘hate’; hvara ‘crooked’ (deviation); vrata ‘vow/law’ (rule of action), anya-vrata ‘following alien rule’—psychologically, movements not aligned with rita. saścire < √sac ‘cling, accompany’. Inner sense: refusal to impel Agni (the upward will) results in adherence to hostile and crooked tendencies—an ethical-psychological law of misalignment.
Vrata (law of action), Rita vs. anya-vrata (right order vs. alien order), Ethics of alignment
Not driving Agni forward equals falling out of ṛta into crookedness.
Truth requires maintenance; otherwise false laws take over.
Sustaining the evolutionary flame; decline when the sustaining force is withdrawn.
Ethical-yogic psychology in Vedic form: discipline sustains consciousness-growth.
Fire neglected → smoke and soot (symbolically: negativity and distortion); driven fire → clear flame (upright will).
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the consequence of not kindling/impelling Agni: the lapse into ‘another law’ marked by hostility and crookedness. Innerly, it is the moral-psychological myth of apostasy from the fire of aspiration leading to deviation (hvara) and antagonism (dveṣa) against the path of light.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dviṣ ‘hate’ is Indo-Iranian with IE parallels in adversarial semantics; √sac ‘follow/attach’ has Indo-Iranian continuity. vrata ‘vow/law’ is characteristically Indo-Iranian (cf. Avestan urvāta/vrata-type notions), reflecting shared ethical-cosmic order vocabulary.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi positions Agni as the criterion of right movement: to impel Agni is to stay within divine law; to neglect him is to adhere to hostile deviations. The Devatā is thus both power and judge—an inner standard by which human tendencies are sorted into rita or anya-vrata.
Detect and renounce ‘anyavrata’: where you follow habit over truth; kindle Agni by a deliberate act of aspiration.
Maṇipūra (will)
3 strong but controlled exhalations (not forceful to strain) followed by calm breathing; then recite once with steadiness.
Purifying intensity; moral clarity.
After recitation, name one concrete ‘crookedness’ (avoidance, resentment, self-justification) and offer it into the inner fire; then do one right action immediately.
Vedic accents as marked; emphasize the ‘apa… apa…’ with clear pitch falls after udātta.
Keep the admonition crisp; slight pause after ‘apa dveṣo’ and ‘apa hvaro’ to let the renunciation land.
īrayanti: long ī; roll r lightly, ugrasya: keep g+r conjunct clean, hvaro: hv cluster—light h then v, not ‘f’, anyavratasya: keep retroflex ṛ; avoid swallowing syllables
Firm, upright, corrective; not harsh—controlled strength.
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