Rig Veda 5.9.4: Mandala 5, Sukta 9, Mantra 4
Sukta 5.9
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Likely Anuṣṭubh/Gāyatrī-family short meter
- Rasa
- Bhayankara and Raudra (fury)
उत स्म दुर्गृभीयसे पुत्रो न ह्वार्याणाम् । पुरू यो दग्धासि वनाग्ने पशुर्न यवसे ॥
uta sma duḥ-gṛbhīyase putro na hvāryāṇām | purū yo dagdhāsi vanāgne paśur na yavase ||
ແລະແທ້ຈິງ, ເຈົ້າຍາກທີ່ຈະຈັບຄອບຄອງ, ດຸ່ນດັງບຸດຊາຍທ່າມກາງຜູ້ທີ່ຫຼົງທາງ; ເຈົ້າເຜົາປ່າໄມ້ຫຼາຍແຫ່ງ, ອັຄນີເອີຍ, ດຸ່ນດັງສັດທີ່ປ່ອຍອອກໄປຫາຫຼວງຫາທົ່ງ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ, ພະລັງທີ່ຕ້ອງຄວບຄຸມສາມາດກາຍເປັນພະລັງທີ່ກືກລືນເມື່ອບໍ່ຖືກຄອບຄອງຢ່າງຖືກຕ້ອງ.
Word by Word
- उत
- and, alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चय/उपपद-अव्ययRoot उत
- स्म
- indeed, justIndeclinableनिपात (स्मरण/निश्चय/पुनरुक्ति-भाव)Root स्म
- दुर्गृभीयसे
- you are hard to seize/holdVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), आत्मनेपद, मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; (दुर्-उपसर्गयुक्त) ‘दुर्गृभीयसे’ = ‘दुर्गृभीयसे/दुर्गृह्यसे’Root दुर्-ग्रह् (गृह्णाति) → गृभीयते
- पुत्रः
- a sonNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (उपमान-रूपेण) / विषय-निर्देशRoot पुत्र
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-निपातRoot न
- ह्वार्याणाम्
- of the wayward/errant (ones)Noun/Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (वेदे चल), षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी) — ‘of the …’Root ह्वार्य (प्रातिपदिक; ‘ह्वार’/‘ह्वर्’ से व्युत्पन्न ‘वक्र/कुटिल/दुर्वर्त’ अर्थ)
- पुरू
- much, manyAdjective(अव्ययवत् प्रयोग) बहु/अनेक अर्थे; प्रायः नपुंसक/पुं. एकवचन रूपेण ‘much, many’Role विशेषणRoot पुरु
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (सापेक्ष-सम्बन्ध) / सम्बन्धकRoot यद् (यः/या/यत्)
- दग्धासि
- you are burnt / you are (as) burnedVerb (periphrastic with participle)‘असि’ लट्, परस्मैपद, मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; ‘दग्ध’ = भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुं. प्रथमा एकवचन (अग्नेः संबोधन-प्रसङ्गे)Root दह् (दहति) → दग्ध (कृदन्त) + अस् (असि)
- वन
- wood, forestNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, (समासपूर्वपद) ‘वन-’ = ‘in the wood/forest’Role Adhikaraṇa (स्थाने) (समासार्थ)Root वन
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि
- पशुः
- a beast, cattleNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (उपमान-रूपेण) / विषय-निर्देशRoot पशु
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-निपातRoot न
- यवसे
- for grass/fodderNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole Sampradāna (उद्देश्य/प्रयोजन) / ‘for fodder/grass’Root यवस
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विच्छेद): उत | स्म | दुर्गृभीयसे | पुत्रः | न | ह्वार्याणाम् | पुरू | यः | दग्धासि | वन-अग्ने | पशुः | न | यवसे । 1) वनाग्ने = वन + अग्ने (स्वर-सन्धि/समासवत् संयोग; ‘वन’ पूर्वपद, ‘अग्ने’ सम्बोधन)
- 2) दग्धासि = दग्धः/दग्ध + असि (अकार-सन्धि: दग्ध + असि → दग्धासि)
- 3) ह्वार्याणाम्: वेदिक-प्रातिपदिक ‘ह्वार्य’ (दुर्वर्त/वक्र) का षष्ठी बहुवचन
- 4) पुरू: वेदिक रूप, ‘पुरु’ (बहु) का अव्ययवत्/विशेषण-प्रयोग
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni is hard to seize, like a son among the wayward; he burns many forests, like a beast released to pasture.
Inner meaning
The awakened will is powerful and subtle: difficult to ‘grasp’ for an undisciplined nature. If the inner fire is not rightly held by knowledge and harmony, it becomes a consuming force—burning through the ‘forests’ of mental-vital formations (habits, desires, proliferating thoughts). The verse warns that spiritual energy without governance can turn into unrest, impatience, or destructive zeal.
Universal truth
Power must be mastered by consciousness. The same force that liberates can devour when handled by a divided or wayward nature.
Themes
Agni’s ambivalence, need for mastery, danger of ungoverned energy
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha (probable for RV 5.9)
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 5.2 (Agni as knower of paths), RV 5.4 (Agni’s protection), RV 5.8 (Agni’s growth)
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha’s line often balances power with harmony (Mitra-Varuṇa ethos): force must serve ṛta, not impulse.
Significance
A sober reminder within the Agni cycle: tapas must be yoked to right knowledge and self-control.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- duḥgṛbhya (hard to hold), vanāgni (forest-fire, ‘O Agni in the woods’)
- Related deities
- Mitra (harmony), Varuṇa (law), Indra (illumination that guides force)
Cosmic role
Transformer: he can clear obstructions but also consume indiscriminately when uncontained.
Inner power
Concentrated energy of will; when mixed with rajasic unrest it becomes destructive heat rather than luminous aspiration.
In ritual
Where it is used
Domestic and śrauta fire-management contexts (keeping Agni contained; guarding against spread)
उ॒त स्म॑ दुर्गृभीयसे पु॒त्रो न ह्वा॒र्याणा॑म् । पु॒रू यो दग्धासि॒ वनाग्ने॑ प॒शुर्न यव॑से ॥
उ॒त । स्म॒ । दुः॒ऽगृ॒भी॒य॒से॒ । पु॒त्रः । न । ह्वा॒र्याणा॑म् । पु॒रु । यः । दग्धा॑ । असि॑ । वना॑ । अग्ने॑ । प॒शुः । न । यव॑से ॥
uta | sma | duḥ-gṛbhīyase | putraḥ | na | hvāryāṇām | puru | yaḥ | dagdhā | asi | vanā | agne | paśuḥ | na | yavase
32
4 × ~8
quick cautionary strokes
Creates alertness and restraint; good for checking excess and re-centering.
- दुःगृभीयसे (duḥ-gṛbhīyase)
- Literal: hard to seize/hold. Symbolic: spiritual force is not controlled by ego-grip; it requires surrender, skill, and purity
- पुत्रः (putraḥ)
- Literal: son. Symbolic: a power born in us, yet with its own law; not a mere instrument of whim
- ह्वार्याणाम् (hvāryāṇām)
- Literal: of the wayward/unstable. Symbolic: the restless parts of nature that cannot keep a straight course
- वना (vanā)
- Literal: forests. Symbolic: dense growth of samskāras—entangling mental-vital patterns
- पशुः (paśuḥ)
- Literal: beast. Symbolic: raw life-force when unyoked from inner governance
- यवसे (yavase)
- Literal: for pasture/grass. Symbolic: fields of experience where vital energy roams and feeds—sense-life and action
Admonitory praise within Agni hymn: emphasizes careful containment of fire; ritually relevant to fire-management and correct offering.
When tending fire; also as admonitory remembrance before intense tapas or ritual heat
Maintaining boundaries (paridhi), feeding measured fuel, preventing ‘forest-fire’ spread
Before breathwork/strong practices: invoke disciplined containment; avoid forcing experiences.
duḥ-gṛbhīyase: duḥ (difficult) + passive/gerundive from √grah/√gṛbh (to seize, grasp), PIE *gʰrebʰ- (grasp; cf. English grab as a later Germanic parallel though not direct). dagdhā from √dah (burn), PIE *dʰegʷʰ- (burn; cf. English day? not; better: Lithuanian degti ‘burn’).
discipline of power (controlled Agni vs devouring Agni), measure and containment (grasping/holding)
Agni must be held within ṛta; otherwise tapas becomes asuric excess.
Truth-force is subtle; ego cannot ‘seize’ it by violence.
Fire as both civilizer (altar) and wild force (forest)
Integral yoga psychology: purification of vital, governance of force by light and harmony.
dry season suggestion (forest burning)
Uncontained fire = unregulated desire/anger/over-effort; pasture-beast = roaming prāṇa seeking objects; right containment = conscious discipline.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ambivalent fire: Agni is both sacred helper and hard-to-control devourer, burning forests like a roaming beast. Inner sense: the same will-force and tapas that illumines can, if unmastered, consume the vital nature and scatter energies.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dah ‘burn’ corresponds to PIE *dʰegʷʰ- (cf. Baltic deg- ‘burn’). The ‘hard to grasp’ formation with duḥ + √grah/√gṛbh shows inherited preverb + root morphology typical of IE verbal systems.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi does not flatter; he acknowledges Agni’s dangerous side, implying a covenant: the human must hold and guide the fire through right rite and discipline; then Agni remains beneficent rather than destructive.
Contain and purify inner heat; convert restlessness into steady aspiration.
maṇipūra (fire center)
nāḍī-śodhana 6–12 rounds, then soft ujjāyī to ‘hold’ the flame
vigilant, disciplined, non-impulsive
If energy surges, do not ‘grab’ experiences. Return to rhythm, breath, and sincerity. Offer the heat upward; keep boundaries (ethical restraints, measured practice, grounding work).
RV svara as per śākhā; emphasize the cautionary cadence on duḥgṛbhīyase and dagdhāsi.
Slightly lengthen and clarify consonant clusters: duḥ-gṛ-, hvā-ryā-, vanāgne.
duḥgṛbhīyase: visarga before gṛ (light aspiration), long ī, hvāryāṇām: hv cluster—soft h + v; retroflex ṇ, vanāgne: long ā; agne with hard g
contained, firm, warning without fear-mongering
7
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
