Rig Veda 1.113.9: Mandala 1, Sukta 113, Mantra 9
Sukta 1.113
उषो यदग्निं समिधे चकर्थ वि यदावश्चक्षसा सूर्यस्य । यन्मानुषान्यक्ष्यमाणाँ अजीगस्तद्देवेषु चकृषे भद्रमप्नः ॥
uṣo yád agníṁ samídhe cákartha ví yád ā́vaś cákṣasā sū́ryasya | yán mā́nuṣān yakṣyámāṇān ájīgas tád devéṣu cakṛṣe bhadrám ápnaḥ ||
ຮຸ່ງອາລຸນ, ເມື່ອເຈົ້າໄດ້ຈຸດໄຟໃຫ້ລຸກ, ເມື່ອເຈົ້າໄດ້ເປີດການເຫັນຂອງດວງຕາເວັນ, ເມື່ອເຈົ້າໄດ້ກະຕຸ້ນມະນຸດຜູ້ກຳກົວບູຊາ, ຈຶ່ງເຮັດໃຫ້ເກີດພາລະກິດທີ່ດີງາມໃນທ່າມພະເຈົ້າ, ເປັນການສຳເລັດທີ່ເປັນສິນຍາດ.
Connects dawn with kindling of the ritual fire and commencement of yajña; inner reading: Dawn initiates aspiration (Agni) and illumined vision (Sūrya) so that the offering-act becomes effective among the divine powers.
yajña as self-offering, Agni as will/aspiration, Sūrya as illumined sight, effective work (apnas) in the divine order
Uṣas sets the correct sequence of manifestation: first awakening, then seeing, then right works—ṛta in practice.
Opening the Sun’s cakṣas indicates truth as luminous perception rather than concept.
Re-manifestation of the cosmos each morning: fire and sun are re-established in the field of experience.
Integral-yogic hermeneutic: deities as powers of consciousness coordinating realization.
dawn
First light awakens aspiration (fire), then knowledge (sun-eye), then consecrated activity (offering).
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Dawn as initiator of the sacrificial day: she kindles Agni, opens the Sun’s seeing, and stirs humans toward yajña. Inner myth: illumination awakens will (Agni) and knowledge (Sūrya), enabling the human offering to become an effective ‘good work’ within the system of divine powers.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √kṛ ‘do/make’ (cakartha, cakṛṣe) is a core IE action verb (PIE *kwer-/*ker- debated; but Skt. kṛ has broad Indo-Iranian continuity). √yaj (worship) is Indo-Iranian (cf. Avestan yaz-), highlighting a shared ritual lexicon. The semantic pairing of ‘see’ (cakṣas) and ‘sun’ mirrors inherited IE ‘light=knowledge’ poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi depicts a coordinated economy: Uṣas prepares the inner and outer conditions (fire kindled, vision opened, humans stirred), and thereby the sacrifice becomes ‘bhadram apnaḥ’ among the gods. The human role is readiness for yajña; the Devatā’s role is to awaken the faculties that make the offering efficacious.
Coordinate will and seeing: feel a flame in the heart (Agni) and a clear light in the brow (Sūrya’s eye).
anāhata (Agni as will/aspiration) and ājñā (seeing)
3-part breath: inhale ‘kindle’, hold ‘open seeing’, exhale ‘offer’ (6 cycles, gentle)
Sattvic activation—awake, luminous, ready for consecrated action
After chanting, do one small act as an offering (e.g., a deliberate truthful sentence, a disciplined step). Let ‘bhadram apnaḥ’ mean measurable inner alignment, not mere mood.
Vedic accents with repeated ‘yad’ clauses—keep each ‘yad’ entry crisp; svarita on sandhi transitions.
Mark the four ‘yad…’ movements as four waves; do not rush the caesura after key verbs (cakartha, āvaḥ, ajīgas, cakṛṣe).
uṣo: long o (vocative), samidhe: clear aspirate dh, cakṣasā: retroflex ṣ; short a at end, yakṣyamāṇān: kṣ cluster; nasalization on āṇ
Invocatory and bright; slightly stronger emphasis on verbs of action
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