Rig Veda 10.124.2: Mandala 10, Sukta 124, Mantra 2
Sukta 10.124
- Rishi
- Traditionally attributed in Anukramaṇī to a seer of RV 10.124
- Devata
- Agni and the movement from adeva to deva
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
अदेवाद्देवः प्रचता गुहा यन्प्रपश्यमानो अमृतत्वमेमि । शिवं यत्सन्तमशिवो जहामि स्वात्सख्यादरणीं नाभिमेमि ॥
adévād deváḥ prácatā guhā́ yán prápáśyamāno amṛtatvám emi | śiváṁ yát sántam áśivo jahā́mi svā́t sakhyā́d áraṇīṁ nā́bhim emi ||
അദേവത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ദേവനിലേക്കാണ് ഞാൻ പോകുന്നത്—പ്രചേതനശക്തിയാൽ ഉണർന്നവനായി, ഗുഹാ (രഹസ്യഗുഹ)യിൽ സഞ്ചരിച്ച്; മുന്നിൽ കണ്ടുകൊണ്ട് ഞാൻ അമൃതത്വം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു. ശിവമെന്നു തോന്നിയ അശിവത്തെ ഞാൻ വിട്ടൊഴിയുന്നു; പഴയ സഖ്യതയിൽ നിന്ന് ഞാൻ കടന്നുപോകുന്നു; ഞാൻ അരണിയിലേക്കും നാഭിയിലേക്കും പോകുന്നു—അഗ്നി ജനിക്കുന്ന ആ മൂലസ്രോതസ്സിലേക്കു.
Word by Word
- अदेवात्
- from the non-god / from the godless (one)Noun (ablative phrase)पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (अपादान); एकवचनRole अपादानRoot अ-देव (प्रातिपदिक) / देव
- देवः
- the godNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रचता
- has perceived / has understoodVerbलिट् (परस्मैपद); ३ पुरुष; एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot प्र + चत्/चद् (धातु; ‘to perceive/notice/understand’—Vedic)
- गुहा
- in hiding; in secretNoun (adverbial locative)स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचन (निपातवत्—‘in secret’)Role अधिकरणRoot गुहा (प्रातिपदिक)
- यन्
- goingVerbशतृ/शानच्-सम्भाव्य; here as finite: लट्/इम्पर्फ् Vedic usage; ३ पुरुष; एकवचन (यन् = यन्/यन् ‘going’)Role क्रियाRoot यम् (धातु)
- प्रपश्यमानः
- while looking forth; beholdingParticipleवर्तमान कृदन्त (शानच्); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot प्र + पश्य् (धातु)
- अमृतत्वम्
- immortalityNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अमृतत्व (प्रातिपदिक; अमृत + त्व)
- एमि
- I go; I attainVerbलट्; उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot इ (धातु; ‘to go’)
- शिवम्
- the auspicious (state/thing)Adjective (substantive)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम)
- सन्तम्
- being; existingParticipleवर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole विशेषण (कर्मणि)Root अस् (धातु) → सत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अशिवः
- (I,) un-auspicious; ill-omenedAdjective (substantive)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अ-शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
- जहामि
- I abandon; I leaveVerbलट्; उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot हा (धातु; ‘to leave/abandon’)
- स्वात्
- from one’s ownIndeclinable (ablatival adverb)अव्यय; अपादानार्थेRole अपादानRoot स्व (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक) + तसिल्
- सख्यात्
- from friendship; from companionshipNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी; एकवचनRole अपादानRoot सख्य (प्रातिपदिक; सखि + य)
- अरणीम्
- the fire-drill (araṇī)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अरणी (प्रातिपदिक)
- नाभिम्
- the nave; the hub (navel)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot नाभि (प्रातिपदिक)
- एमि
- I go; I reachVerbलट्; उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot इ (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (padapāṭha-style): अदे॑वाद् + दे॒वः
- यन् + प्र॒पश्य॑मानः (यन्-प्रपश्यमानः)
- यत् + सन्तम् (यत्सन्तम्)
- स्वात् + स॒ख्यात् (स्वात्सख्यात्). Other forms are already unsandhied in the given text
The meaning
Outer meaning
From the non-god to the God the speaker goes, moving in a hidden cave, foreseeing and attaining immortality; leaving the unblissful though it seemed auspicious, he departs old friendship and goes to the araṇī, the navel source.
Inner meaning
A decisive inner conversion: from the adeva (powers of ignorance—egoic, undivine movements) toward deva (the luminous divine consciousness). With awakened force (pracatā) the seeker travels in the guhā (secret cave of the heart/inner being), gaining prophetic sight (prapaśyamānaḥ) and reaching amṛtatva (deathless consciousness). He rejects the false ‘pleasant’ (śivaṃ yat santam—seeming benign) that is actually aśiva (unblissful, inconscient compromise), breaks old alliances (svāt sakhyāt), and turns to the araṇī/nābhi: the generating center where Agni is born—psychically, the inmost fire-source that can re-kindle the divine life.
Universal truth
Spiritual growth demands leaving comfortable false goods and old loyalties to ignorance, entering the inner cave, and re-igniting the central fire; immortality is a shift of consciousness, not a bodily event.
Themes
conversion/transformation, inner initiation, kindling of Agni within, renunciation of false good
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 10.124 (hymn unit)
Significance
A rishi-voice of renunciation and reorientation: the ‘turn’ from lower companionships to the concealed fire-source, characteristic of inner yajña psychology.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (implicit), and the movement toward Deva-hood
- Epithets
- guhāhita (implied: hidden in the cave), nābhi-ja (implied: born from the navel/source)
- Related deities
- Soma (amṛta/bliss supporting immortality), Uṣas (awakening), Indra (illumined mind that breaks coverings)
Cosmic role
The hidden fire that, once kindled, leads from mortal limitation to the deathless.
Inner power
Psychic flame that discriminates true good from false good and fuels divinization.
In ritual
Where it is used
Araṇi-kindling motifs appear in Agni rites; here primarily contemplative/initiatory in tone.
अदे॑वाद्दे॒वः प्र॒चता॒ गुहा॒ यन्प्र॒पश्य॑मानो अमृत॒त्वमे॑मि । शि॒वं यत्सन्त॒मशि॑वो॒ जहा॑मि॒ स्वात्स॒ख्यादर॑णीं॒ नाभि॑मेमि ॥
अदे॑वात् । दे॒वः । प्र॒ऽचता॑ । गुहा॑ । यन् । प्र॒ऽपश्य॑मानः । अ॒मृ॒त॒ऽत्वम् । ए॒मि॒ । शि॒वम् । यत् । सन्त॑म् । अशि॑वः । जहा॑मि । स्वात् । स॒ख्यात् । अर॑णीम् । नाभि॑म् । ए॒मि॒ ॥
adevāt | devaḥ | pra-catā | guhā | yan | pra-paśyamānaḥ | amṛta-tvam | emi | śi vam | yat | santam | aśivaḥ | jahāmi | svāt | sakhyāt | araṇīm | nābhim | emi
44
4 × ~11 syllables
A pilgrim-like stride with decisive turns (leaving/going).
Supports inner resolve and ‘cutting away’ of old habits; draws awareness inward to the heart-cave.
- अदेव (adeva)
- Literal: non-god. Symbolic: undivine movements—ego, ignorance, subconscient drives
- देव (deva)
- Literal: god, luminous power. Symbolic: divine consciousness and its illumined forces
- प्रचता (pracatā)
- Literal: with awakened impetus/drive. Symbolic: aroused tapas; conscious force for inner journey
- गुहा (guhā)
- Literal: cave, secret place. Symbolic: heart-cave; inner recess where the psychic fire is hidden
- प्रपश्यमान (prapaśyamāna)
- Literal: seeing forward. Symbolic: intuition/prophetic discernment guiding ascent
- अमृतत्व (amṛtatva)
- Literal: immortality. Symbolic: deathless consciousness; stable divine being
- शिव/अशिव (śiva/aśiva)
- Literal: auspicious / not-auspicious. Symbolic: true blissful good vs deceptive pleasantness masking bondage
- अरणि (araṇī)
- Literal: fire-stick. Symbolic: means of kindling inner Agni; disciplined practice
- नाभि (nābhi)
- Literal: navel, hub. Symbolic: central source-point; generative center of the fire in the being
Conceptually tied to Agni-kindling (araṇī) and initiation of the sacrificial fire; psychologically, initiation of inner tapas leading to amṛtatva.
Symbolically apt at Agnyādheya (establishing fire) themes; also for personal initiation into practice.
Kindling/establishing Agni; inwardly, rekindling aspiration at the source.
Use when breaking addictions/habitual patterns: chant as a vow to leave ‘false good’ and return to the central fire.
adéva ‘non-god’ (a- + deva) is not atheistic but indicates lower, unillumined forces. guhā ‘cave’ is the hidden heart-space (cf. ‘guhā-hitam’ motif). amṛtatva ‘immortality’ is deathless consciousness. araṇī is the fire-producing wood; from √ṛ/√ar? traditional derivation relates to producing by rubbing—hence inner tapas by friction of will and aspiration. nā́bhi ‘navel’ as central knot/source (also ‘hub’), the inner place of generation.
transition from lower to higher nature (adeva → deva), guhā (heart-cave) as locus of realization, amṛtatva (immortality) as goal, tapas-like friction symbolism (araṇī)
Implied: moving from undivine disorder to divine order through inner fire.
Prapaśyāna = truth-seeing that precedes realization.
Rebirth of Agni from the source-center; emergence of divine being from concealment.
Yoga of inner conversion; proto-Upaniṣadic ‘heart-cave’ spirituality.
Entering the inner cave and friction-kindling the will until the psychic flame appears and leads beyond mortality-consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The initiation myth of ‘kindling the divine fire from the secret source’: the speaker leaves the adeva condition, enters the cave with awakened perception, and goes to the araṇī/nābhi where Agni is generated—thus moving toward amṛtatva.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- deva reflects PIE *deiwós ‘celestial/bright’ (cf. Latin deus). nā́bhi ‘navel/hub’ reflects PIE *h₃nobh- (cf. Latin umbo via different root; Greek omphalós is different, but the ‘navel as center’ motif is pan-IE). The deva/adeva contrast encodes brightness vs. non-brightness—an inherited semantic opposition.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi enacts a vow of inner realignment: abandoning the ‘false auspicious’ of old companionship, he turns to the devatā by kindling Agni at the central source. The devatā reciprocates as immortality-bearing light, granted through inner vision (prápáśya) in the cave.
‘From the undivine in me to the Divine I go; in the heart-cave I kindle the fire-source and move into deathless consciousness.’
Anāhata (guhā/heart-cave) and Maṇipūra (fire-source)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) for 7 cycles; on hold, feel ‘guhā’; on exhale, release ‘aśiva’ habits.
Inward turning (pratyāhāra) → intuitive seeing → stable inner flame.
Identify one ‘śiva-seeming’ attachment that is actually aśiva; during chanting, consciously step out of it (svāt sakhyāt) and place attention at the navel/heart axis, imagining the araṇi friction as steady aspiration.
Rigvedic accents: keep udātta prominence on ‘deváḥ’ and key motion verbs (émi, jahāmi). Exact svara requires śākhā notation.
Make a clear semantic turn at each pāda: (1) movement, (2) attainment, (3) leaving, (4) going to source.
: ‘a-de-vād’ (long ā in vād), : ‘pra-ca-tā’, : ‘gu-hā’ (long ā), : sandhi—keep ‘amṛtatvam emi’ clean, : retroflex ṇ (a-ra-ṇīm), : ‘nā-bhim’ aspirate not needed
Low-centered, resolute; let the tone deepen on ‘guhā’ and brighten on ‘amṛtatvam’.
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.
