Mantra 8
Agni as Jātavedas—ritual guide and luminous power who secures faultless sacrifice and protection in the sadas
इन्धे राजा समर्यो नमोभिर्यस्य प्रतीकमाहुतं घृतेन नरो हव्येभिरीडते सबाध आग्निरग्रमुषसामशोचि
indhe rājā samaryo namobhiryasya pratīkamāhutaṃ ghṛtena naro havyebhirīḍate sabādha āgniragramuṣasāmaśoci
indhe rājā samaryaḥ namobhiḥ | yasya pratīkam āhutaṃ ghṛtena1 | naro havyebhir īḍate | sa-bādha āgniḥ agram uṣasām2 aśoci3 ||
The king, the companion, is kindled with reverences; whose visible form is fed with oblation of ghee: him men worship with offerings; that Agni, irresistible, hath shone forth foremost of the dawns.
indhe | rājā | samaryaḥ | namobhiḥ | yasya | pratīkam | āhutam | ghṛtena | naraḥ | havyebhiḥ | īḍate | sa-bādhaḥ | āgniḥ | agram | uṣasām | aśoci
Uṣas-agra Agni-sāman (prātaḥ-savana usage)
hā; o
{ "prastava": "hā (or hā…o) to ‘ignite’ the tonal space", "udgitha": "indhe rājā samaryo namobhir yasya pratīkam āhutaṃ ghṛtena (expanded; ignition and ghee-feeding emphasized)", "pratihara": "naro havyebhir īḍate (response; human worship focus)", "upadrava": "sa-bādha āgnir agram uṣasām (after-song; unobstructed dawn-lead)", "nidhana": "aśoci (final shining; collectively sealed)", "structure_notes": "Natural liturgical arc: ignition → nourishment → worship → dawn-leading shine; nidhana ‘aśoci’ is ideal for a long luminous close.", "singer_assignments": "Prastotṛ: prastāva; Udgātṛ: udgītha/upadrava; Pratihartṛ: pratihāra; all: nidhana." }
{ "gloss_summary": "‘pratīka’ is the manifest visible flame sustained by ghee oblation; ‘uṣasām agram’ is tied to prātaḥ-savana—Agni shines foremost in morning ritual actions; the king/companion is kindled by reverences.", "ritual_interpretation": "Supports morning kindling and offering; establishes Agni’s precedence in the day’s Soma liturgy.", "theological_insight": "Agni is both sovereign (rājā) and intimate ally (samaryaḥ): devotion kindles a power that leads beginnings and resists obstruction.", "etymology_highlights": "pratīka as ‘that which is seen in front’ (prati + īkṣ/īk); sabādha as ‘not to be checked’ (bādha/√bādh with prefix sa- in sense of ‘with force’)." }