Rig Veda 1.20.8: Mandala 1, Sukta 20, Mantra 8
Sukta 1.20
- Rishi
- Medhātithi Kāṇva
- Devata
- Primarily Indra
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
अधारयन्त वह्नयोऽभजन्त सुकृत्यया । भागं देवेषु यज्ञियम् ॥
adhā́rayanta vahnayó ’bhájanta su-kṛtyáyā | bhāgáṃ devéṣu yajñíyam ||
അപ്പോൾ അഗ്നിവാഹകരായ വഹ്നികൾ കർമത്തെ താങ്ങി നിലനിർത്തി; സുകൃത്യ—സത്കർമസിദ്ധിയാൽ—ദേവന്മാരിൽ തങ്ങളുടെ പങ്ക് നേടി: യജ്ഞയോഗ്യവും ദൈവജീവിതത്തിന് അനുയോജ്യവും ആയ ഭാഗം.
Word by Word
- अधारयन्
- they upheld / they supportedVerbलुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रिया (मुख्य क्रियापद)Root √धृ (धारणे)
- वह्नयः
- the bearers / fire-priests (vahnis)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot वह्नि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- अभजन्त
- they apportioned / they sharedVerbलुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रिया (समन्वित क्रियापद)Root √भज् (सेवायाम्/विभागे)
- सुकृत्यया
- by good performance / by good deed (ritual merit)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot सुकृत्या- (सु-कृत्या, प्रातिपदिक)
- भागम्
- a share, portionNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot भाग- (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवेषु
- among the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot देव- (प्रातिपदिक)
- यज्ञियम्
- worthy of sacrifice / sacrificialAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (भागम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण)Root यज्ञिय- (यज्ञ + य, प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अधारयन् | वह्नयः | अभजन्त | सुकृत्यया | भागम् | देवेषु | यज्ञियम् । संहितायाम्: वह्नयः + अभजन्त → वह्नयोऽभजन्त (विसर्गस्य ‘ओ’ आदेशः, अकारादौ अवग्रहः)। अन्यत्र विशेष-सन्धिः न।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Then the vahnayaḥ (carriers/priests) upheld (adhārayanta) the work, and by good performance (sukṛtyayā) they obtained a share among the gods—a sacrificially worthy portion (yajñiyam).
Inner meaning
The ‘carriers of the flame’ are the inner powers that bear Agni—aspiration, will, and the dynamic faculties that can carry the offering upward. When these energies sustain the Work (the yoga/sacrifice) without collapse, and when action is done in the right way (sukṛti: right-formed effort aligned to Ṛta), the being wins its ‘portion among the gods’—a stable participation in higher consciousness. The yajñiya bhāga is the part of life that becomes fit to be offered and therefore fit to receive the divine response.
Universal truth
Rightly ordered effort, sustained over time, makes the human life capable of participating in higher powers; the reward is not external but a share in the divine mode of being.
Themes
Yajña as inner work, Right action and attainment, Priestly/psychic carriers (vahnayaḥ)
The seer
Significance
The seer articulates a key Vedic yoga principle: the inner ‘priests’ (faculties) must sustain the work with right formation; then the human wins a stable divine participation (bhāga among devas).
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (implied through ‘vahnayaḥ’, flame-carriers) / Devas collectively
- Epithets
- Vahni (carrier/flame) (implied), Hotṛ (priest) (contextual)
- Related deities
- Indra (as winner of the share), Soma (as the pressed delight that supports the work)
Cosmic role
Agni as the mediator-power enabling the ascent of offering and descent of divine share; devas as the higher powers distributing the bhāga.
Inner power
Steady will and aspiration that maintains the yoga; the power that converts action into consecration (yajñiya).
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña / Agni-centered offering where officiants ‘uphold the rite’ and receive dakṣiṇā/bhāga (symbolically)
अधा॑रयन्त॒ वह्न॒योऽभ॑जन्त सुकृ॒त्यया॑ । भा॒गं दे॒वेषु॑ य॒ज्ञिय॑म् ॥
अधा॑रयन्त । वह्न॑यः । अभ॑जन्त । सु॒ऽकृ॒त्यया॑ । भा॒गम् । दे॒वेषु॑ । य॒ज्ञिय॑म् ॥
adhārayanta | vahnayaḥ | abhajanta | su-kṛtyayā | bhāgam | deveṣu | yajñiyam
24
3×8 (approx.)
Energetic and work-sustaining; verbs lead each pāda, giving a sense of ‘doing’ and ‘winning’.
Builds resolve and steadiness; supports the feeling of carrying a flame without wavering.
- वह्नयः (vahnayaḥ)
- Literal: carriers; those who bear/fire-bearers (often priests). Symbolic: inner energies that carry Agni: will-for-action, aspiration, dynamic faculties that transport the offering
- अधारयन्त (adhārayanta)
- Literal: they upheld, supported. Symbolic: sustained the sadhana/work; held the flame steady against inertia
- सुकृत्यया (sukṛtyayā)
- Literal: by good doing/right accomplishment. Symbolic: action aligned with Ṛta—right method, sincerity, skill in inner offering
- भाजन्त/अभजन्त (abhajanta)
- Literal: they obtained/partook/received a share. Symbolic: attained participation—conscious share in divine qualities
- भागम् (bhāgam)
- Literal: portion, share. Symbolic: a definitive allotment of higher consciousness/power integrated into life
- देवेषु (deveṣu)
- Literal: among the gods. Symbolic: in the higher planes/powers of illumination and harmony
- यज्ञियम् (yajñiyam)
- Literal: fit for sacrifice, sacrificial. Symbolic: that part of nature made consecrated—capable of exchange with the Divine
General yajña framework: describes successful performance—supporting the rite and attaining ‘bhāga’ among the gods—typical of Soma/yajña validation verses.
During sequences praising successful performance and the attainment of divine favor/share
Maintaining the fire, reciting, offering; affirming that right performance yields divine participation
Chant before disciplined work (study, practice, service) as a consecration: ‘let my energies carry the flame and make my action yajñiya’.
adhārayanta: 3pl imperfect/preterite of √dhṛ ‘to hold, support’ (PIE *dʰer- ‘hold’). vahní-: ‘carrier’, especially fire/oblation-bearer; from √vah ‘to carry’ (PIE *weǵʰ- ‘to convey’; cf. Eng. ‘weigh’ is different, but Gk. ὄχος ‘carriage’ is related via transport semantics). su-kṛtyā: from su- ‘well’ + kṛtyā (action/accomplishment) from √kṛ ‘to do’ (PIE *kwer-/*ker- in ‘create’ semantic field). bhāga-: portion/share from √bhaj ‘to share, distribute’ (PIE *bʰag- ‘apportion’; cf. Slavic bogŭ ‘god’ via ‘dispenser of fortune’).
Rita as right action (su-kṛtyā as alignment with right working), Participation in the divine (bhāga among deveṣu)
Sukṛti is action in harmony with Ṛta; the resulting bhāga is the lawful fruit of right alignment.
‘Yajñiya’ implies truth-formed substance of life—what can stand in the presence of the gods.
Human faculties become divine-capable by sustained right action; evolution by consecrated work.
Karma-yoga archetype within Vedic symbolism (Aurobindo: works as sacrifice leading to divine participation).
Fire = will/aspiration; carriers = energies and faculties; share among gods = participation in higher consciousness states.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythic pattern of ‘bearing the offering’ and thereby winning a divine portion: the vahnayaḥ (outer priests/inner flame-bearers) sustain the sacrificial work and are admitted to a share among the gods. It encodes initiation-by-work: right performance opens participation in divine status.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- bhāga- and √bhaj reflect PIE *bʰag- ‘apportion’, a widespread Indo-European theme linking ‘god’ with ‘dispenser of portions’ (notably in Slavic). √dhṛ continues PIE *dʰer- ‘hold’. The compound su-kṛtyā illustrates productive compounding typical of early Indo-European poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi frames a law of exchange governed by Rita: through su-kṛtyā (right accomplishment), the human agents become eligible for bhāga among the gods. The devāḥ are not bribed; they are entered—participated in—by conformity to the right working.
Stabilize the inner flame (Agni) and convert action into offering; contemplate what part of life is ‘yajñiya’ today.
Rhythmic breathing 4-4-6 (inhale-hold-exhale) while feeling a steady flame at the navel/heart; on exhale offer the day’s actions upward.
Steady, energized, work-oriented devotion (karma as yoga).
Before action: chant once, then mentally dedicate the act; during action: recall ‘adhārayanta’—keep the flame steady; after action: sit briefly and sense the ‘bhāga’—a quiet increase of clarity/peace.
Rigvedic pitch accents (udātta/anudātta/svarita) apply; exact svara not provided in input.
Emphasize verb openings: ‘adhārayanta’ with a clear rise-fall; keep ‘yajñiyam’ crisp (ñy conjunct).
(adhārayanta): dh is aspirated; ‘-yant’ clean, (vahnayaḥ): ‘vh’ as v + h, not ‘b’, (abhajanta): bh aspirated; j soft, (sukṛtyayā): ṛ as vocalic r; ty conjunct, (deveṣu): ṣ retroflex, not dental s, (yajñiyam): ‘yaj-ñi-yam’ with palatal ñ
Firm and steady, like maintaining a flame; not overly soft.
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