Rig Veda 1.97.6: Mandala 1, Sukta 97, Mantra 6
Sukta 1.97
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Short meter with refrain
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
त्वं हि विश्वतोमुख विश्वतः परिभूरसि । अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
tváṃ hí viśvato-mukha viśvátáḥ paribhū́r ási | ápa naḥ śóśucad aghám ||
ഹേ സർവ്വദിക്കുകളിലേക്കും മുഖമുള്ള അഗ്നേ, നീ എല്ലാടവും പരിഭൂ—സർവ്വം ചുറ്റിപ്പറ്റി അധിപതിയായവൻ; ഞങ്ങളോട് ചേർന്നു പിടിച്ചിരിക്കുന്ന അഘം (പാപം/അനിഷ്ടം) ദഹിപ്പിച്ച് അകറ്റണമേ.
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- youPronounपुंलिङ्ग/सामान्य; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपात (अव्यय)Root हि (निपात)
- विश्वतोमुख
- O all-faced (one), facing every wayAdjective (vocative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot विश्वतः + मुख (समास; बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-प्रायः: ‘all-faced’)
- विश्वतः
- on every side, from every directionIndeclinableअव्यय (दिशा/परिमाण-वाचक)Role अधिकरण (दिशा/परिसर) / उपपद-सम्बन्धRoot विश्वतः (अव्यय; ‘from/on every side’)
- परिभूः
- (he) is encompassing/surpassing all aroundVerb (finite) / adjectival verbal formवर्तमानकाल; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन (परि-भू → परिभूः)Role (क्रिया)Root परि-भू (धातु √भू ‘to be, become’ with उपसर्ग परि)
- असि
- you areVerb (finite)वर्तमानकाल; मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root √अस् (भू-धातु ‘to be’)
- अप
- away, offIndeclinableअव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्गार्थ (‘away’)Root अप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- नः
- from us / for usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी-रूप (एन्क्लिटिक); बहुवचन (‘of us/for us’)Role सम्प्रदान (हित-सम्बन्ध) / सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शोशुचत्
- may it burn away / may it be driven off (as burning)Verb (finite)वर्तमानकाल; तृतीयपुरुष; एकवचन (injunctive/indicative usage in Vedic)Role (क्रिया)Root √शुच् (शोचति/शुच् ‘to shine, burn; be pure’; intensive/reduplicated present stem शो-शुच्)
- अघम्
- evil, sin, harmNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अघ (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic): त्वम् | हि | विश्वतोमुख | विश्वतः | परिभूः | असि | अप | नः | शोशुचत् | अघम् । 1) ‘विश्वतोमुख’ समासरूप सम्बोधनपद
- ‘विश्वतः’ पृथक् अव्ययपद। 2) ‘परिभूः असि’—दो क्रियापद: परि-भू (परिभूः) + अस् (असि)
- अर्थतः ‘तुम् सर्वतः परिभूः असि’ = ‘you encompass/surpass on every side’. 3) ‘अप नः’ = ‘away from us’
- ‘नः’ एन्क्लिटिक सर्वनाम। 4) ‘शोशुचत्’ Vedic में √शुच् का पुनरुक्त/तीव्र (intensive) वर्तमान-रूप
- प्रार्थनार्थक/आशीर्लिङ्ग-सदृश प्रयोग ‘may it burn away’
The meaning
Outer meaning
You, O Agni, are all-faced, and you are the all-surrounding master; burn away from us the clinging evil.
Inner meaning
Agni is ‘viśvatomukha’—present to every side of our nature, able to look into every movement of mind, life, and body. As ‘paribhūḥ’ he overmasters what surrounds and presses upon us (inner and outer forces). The prayer asks this sovereign fire to consume the adhesive obscurity wherever it hides.
Universal truth
A transforming power must be all-seeing and all-mastering in us; partial awareness cannot fully purify or protect.
Themes
Divine sovereignty, All-sided protection, Inner guardianship
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 1.97.4, Rig Veda 1.97.5, Rig Veda 1.97.7, Rig Veda 1.97.8
Significance
The verse defines the needed divine quality for sādhanā: an all-sided, surrounding mastery that can confront attacks ‘from every side’.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- viśvatomukha (all-faced), viśvataḥ paribhūḥ (all-surrounding master), śośucat (blazing)
- Related deities
- Varuṇa (all-encompassing order), Indra (mastery over obstruction)
Cosmic role
Guardian of the quarters; purifier who establishes order in the spaces.
Inner power
Integral awareness and sovereign will; the psychic being’s fire that sees and governs the whole nature.
In ritual
Where it is used
Protective invocation to Agni as guardian of all directions; suitable in homa and in personal protection rites
त्वं हि वि॑श्वतोमुख वि॒श्वत॑: परि॒भूरसि॑ । अप॑ न॒: शोशु॑चद॒घम् ॥
त्वम् । हि । वि॒श्व॒तः॒ऽमु॒ख॒ । वि॒श्वतः॑ । प॒रि॒ऽभूः । असि॑ । अप॑ । नः॒ । शोशु॑चत् । अ॒घम् ॥
tvam | hi | viśvataḥ-mukha | viśvataḥ | pari-bhūḥ | asi | apa | naḥ | śośucat | agham
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2 padas; refrain at end
Declarative first pada (‘tvam hi… asi’) gives assurance; refrain performs the act of purification.
Builds trust in an all-sided inner protection; stabilizes attention in the whole body-field.
- विश्वतोमुख (viśvatomukha)
- Literal: faced in all directions. Symbolic: all-sided awareness; capacity to meet every movement and circumstance
- परिभूः (pari-bhūḥ)
- Literal: one who is around and over, surpassing. Symbolic: sovereign mastery that exceeds surrounding pressures
- अप (apa)
- Literal: away, off. Symbolic: detachment; removal of accreted obscurity
- अघम् (agham)
- Literal: evil/harm. Symbolic: covering, wrong vibration, sticky habit-energy
Protective invocation emphasizing Agni’s omnidirectional vigilance—used for warding off hostility and inner disturbance.
Before travel, before sleep, or when feeling surrounded by pressures/conflict
Circumambulate a lamp/fire mentally (or physically) while chanting; imagine a ring of fire around you
Use as a ‘psychic perimeter’ mantra: establish calm mastery instead of reactivity.
viśvataḥ 'from all sides' + mukha 'face' constructs omnidirectional awareness. pari-√bhū: √bhū (PIE *bʰuH- 'become, be') with pari 'around'—to be superior by encompassing. The verse is ontological: Agni's being is defined as total mastery.
Omnidirectional consciousness, Mastery by encompassing (paribhū), Removal of agha
All-sided order replaces scattered, vulnerable consciousness.
Seeing all sides prevents self-deception; truth becomes comprehensive.
Establishing a protected space (kṣetra) for the work of transformation.
Integral/psychological Vedism: Agni as inner ruler organizing the being.
Directions = multiple parts of the psyche; all-faced fire = awareness that reaches everywhere; surrounding mastery = inner sovereignty.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the all-faced guardian—an omnivigilant power that encircles and masters the field, preventing intrusion of hostile forces (inner or outer).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhū 'be/become' (PIE *bʰuH-) underlies paribhū, showing an IE tendency to express sovereignty through 'being-around/being-over' rather than a separate verb 'to rule'.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi invokes Agni’s essential nature as omnidirectional awareness; the refrain requests that this nature act therapeutically—burning away what clings (agha) to the human instrument.
All-sided awareness: bring attention to front/back/left/right/above/below; invoke Agni as the witness and master.
anahata (psychic center for calm mastery)
Box-breath 4-4-4-4 while holding ‘viśvatomukha’ awareness; release on refrain.
Centered, panoramic, sovereign.
When disturbed, pause and widen awareness to the whole field; repeat the refrain to ‘burn off’ the sticky reaction.
Rigvedic tones; keep ‘tvám hí’ clear; ‘viśvatomukha’ often carries a rhythmic prominence by length and compound weight.
Do not rush the compound ‘viśvatomukha’; keep each segment distinct (viśva-to-mu-kha).
viśvatomukha: palatal ś; ‘mukha’ with clear kh, paribhūḥ: long ū; final ḥ light, apa naḥ: keep naḥ with audible ḥ
Even, enveloping, protective; refrain slightly more forceful.
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