Rig Veda 10.2.7: Mandala 10, Sukta 2, Mantra 7
Sukta 10.2
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
यं त्वा द्यावापृथिवी यं त्वापस्त्वष्टा यं त्वा सुजनिमा जजान । पन्थामनु प्रविद्वान्पितृयाणं द्युमदग्ने समिधानो वि भाहि ॥
yám tvā dyā́vā-pṛthivī́ yám tvā́pas tváṣṭā yám tvā su-jánimā jajā́na | pánthām ánu pra-vidvā́n pitṛ-yā́ṇaṁ dyu-mád agne sam-idhā́no vi bhā́hi ||
ഹേ അഗ്നേ, നിന്നെ ദ്യാവാ–പൃഥിവീ പ്രസവിച്ചു; നിന്നെ ആപഃയും ത്വഷ്ടൃയും രൂപപ്പെടുത്തി; നിന്നെ സുജനിമാ—ശുഭജന്മശക്തി—ജനിപ്പിച്ചു. പിതൃയാണമാർഗ്ഗം അറിയുന്നവനേ, സമിധയാൽ പ്രജ്വലിതനായി, ഞങ്ങളിലകത്ത് ദ്യുമത് തേജസ്സോടെ പ്രകാശിക്കണമേ.
Word by Word
- यम्
- whomPronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (यम्… जजान = ‘whom … begot’)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → य
- त्वा
- youPronounद्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- द्यावापृथिवी
- Heaven-and-EarthNoun (compound)स्त्रीलिङ्ग (द्वन्द्व-समाहार/युगल-देवता); प्रथमा; द्विवचन/एकवचन-समासप्रयोग (वैदिक)Role कर्तृ (जजान का)Root द्याव् + पृथिवी (समास: द्वन्द्व)
- यम्
- whomPronounपुं/नपुं; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यद् → य
- त्वा
- youPronounद्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot युष्मद्
- आपः
- the WatersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वष्टा
- Tvaṣṭṛ (the divine artisan)Noun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot त्वष्टृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- यम्
- whomPronounपुं/नपुं; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यद् → य
- त्वा
- youPronounद्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot युष्मद्
- सुजनिमा
- good begetting/auspicious generationNoun (abstract)नपुंसकलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग (वैदिक प्रयोग); प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot सु- + जनिमन्/जनिमा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘good birth/creation’)
- जजान
- begot, generatedVerbलिट् (परस्मैपद); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √जन् (जनँ प्रादुर्भावे)
- पन्थाम्
- the pathNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (अनु + प्रविद्वान् = ‘having found/known the path’)Root पथिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनु
- along, followingIndeclinableअव्ययRole (क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्गार्थ)Root अनु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- प्रविद्वान्
- knowing well, having found outParticipleविद्वस्-प्रातिपदिक; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (वि भाहि हेतु-विशेषण: ‘knowing…’)Root प्र- + √विद् (विदँ ज्ञाने) → विद्वस् (कृदन्त)
- पितृयाणम्
- the path of the Fathers (ancestral way)Noun (compound)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (पन्थाम् का विशेषण/समनाधिकरण)Root पितृ + यान (समास: तत्पुरुष ‘fathers’ path’)
- द्युमत्
- bright, radiantAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (अग्ने को विशेषण)Role (सम्बोधन-विशेषण)Root द्यु- (प्रातिपदिक) + मतुप् प्रत्यय
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- समिधानः
- being kindled, kindling (himself)Participleवर्तमान कृदन्त (शानच्), आत्मनेपद; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अग्नि का विशेषण: ‘being kindled’)Root सम्- + √इध् (इधँ दीप्तौ) → समिध्/समिधान (कृदन्त)
- वि
- forth, widelyIndeclinableअव्ययRole (क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्गार्थ)Root वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- भाहि
- shine forthVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √भा (भा दीप्तौ)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (वैदिक संधि-विग्रह): यं त्वा द्यावापृथिवी | यं त्वा आपः त्वष्टा | यं त्वा सुजनिमा जजान || पन्थाम् अनु प्रविद्वान् पितृयाणम् | द्युमत् अग्ने समिधानः वि भाहि || 1) द्यावा + पृथिवी → द्यावापृथिवी (द्वन्द्व-समास). 2) त्वा + अपः → त्वापः (स्वर-संधि: आ + अ → आ). 3) द्युमत् + अग्ने: पदपाठ में पृथक्
- संहिता में व्यञ्जन-संधि से द्युमदग्ने (त् → द्, घोष-साम्य). 4) प्रविद्वान्: प्र-उपसर्ग + विद्वान् (√विद् का कृदन्त), न् परे प्… पर स्थिर. 5) समिधानः: सम्-उपसर्ग + √इध् (दीप्तौ) का शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni whom Heaven and Earth brought forth, whom the Waters and Tvaṣṭṛ fashioned, whom the power of a happy birth generated—knowing the path along the way of the Fathers—blaze forth, kindled, O luminous Agni, within us.
Inner meaning
Agni is born from the meeting of opposites: Heaven (mind/spirit) and Earth (body-life), and is shaped by the Waters (flowing life-energy, subconscious depths) and Tvaṣṭṛ (the formative artisan power that gives right shape). ‘Sujanimā’ is the force of right birth—psychic readiness and fortunate opening. Agni knows the ‘pitṛyāṇa’—the ancestral path: the established inner route discovered by the forefathers (earlier realizers) in consciousness. The prayer is for Agni to blaze within (samidhānaḥ) as luminous discernment and will, following the proven path, not random experiment.
Universal truth
True inner awakening arises when higher and lower nature collaborate, life-energy is purified and shaped, and one follows a tested path of consciousness. The inner flame then becomes a sure guide and illumination from within.
Themes
Agni-birth, cosmic parentage, illumination, path-of-the-fathers, inner-sacrifice
The seer
Significance
The verse explicitly anchors inner practice in a ‘pitṛyāṇa’—a continuity of realization. Even without a named rishi, it affirms the authority of the ancestral seer-path as a living inner route.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Dyumat (luminous), Samidhāna (kindled), Path-jña (knower of the path, implied)
- Related deities
- Dyāvā-Pṛthivī, Āpaḥ, Tvaṣṭṛ, Pitaraḥ (Fathers/forefathers)
Cosmic role
Born of Heaven-Earth and shaped by Waters and Tvaṣṭṛ; illuminator and guide along the ancestral way; mediator between worlds.
Inner power
Guiding flame that integrates mind and body, purifies life-waters, and reveals a sure path of ascent and offering.
In ritual
Where it is used
Kindling (samidh) and establishment of Agni; invocation of Agni’s lineage/ancestral continuity
यं त्वा॒ द्यावा॑पृथि॒वी यं त्वाप॒स्त्वष्टा॒ यं त्वा॑ सु॒जनि॑मा ज॒जान॑ । पन्था॒मनु॑ प्रवि॒द्वान्पि॑तृ॒याणं॑ द्यु॒मद॑ग्ने समिधा॒नो वि भा॑हि ॥
यम् । त्वा॒ । द्यावा॑पृथि॒वी इति॑ । यम् । त्वा॒ । आपः॑ । त्वष्टा॑ । यम् । त्वा॒ । सु॒ऽजमि॑मा । ज॒जान॑ । पन्था॑म् । अनु॑ । प्र॒ऽवि॒द्वान् । पि॒तृ॒ऽयान॑म् । द्यु॒ऽमत् । अ॒ग्ने॒ । स॒म्ऽइ॒धा॒नः । वि । भा॒हि॒ ॥
yam | tvā | dyāvāpṛthivī iti | yam | tvā | āpaḥ | tvaṣṭā | yam | tvā | su-jamimā | jajāna | panthām | anu | pra-vidvān | pitṛ-yānam | dyu-mat | agne | sam-idhānaḥ | vi | bhāhi
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4 × ~11 syllables
Processional and path-marking; a steady stride suited to ‘panthā’ imagery.
Elicits inward guidance; stabilizes the sense of a known way; kindles a calm, luminous intensity.
- dyāvāpṛthivī
- Literal: Heaven and Earth. Symbolic: mind/spirit and embodied nature; higher and lower poles whose union births the flame
- āpaḥ
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: life-energy, emotional flow, subconscious depths that can conceal or nourish
- Tvaṣṭā
- Literal: the shaper/artisan deity. Symbolic: formative intelligence that gives right structure to experience and practice
- sujanimā
- Literal: good birth, happy generation. Symbolic: psychic opening; fortunate readiness and right emergence of the fire
- panthām
- Literal: path. Symbolic: method and inner route of ascent
- pitṛyāṇam
- Literal: way of the Fathers. Symbolic: the established lineage-path of realization; inner tradition of the seers
- samidhānaḥ
- Literal: being kindled. Symbolic: actively intensified by aspiration and offering
- dyumat
- Literal: luminous. Symbolic: full of light—illumined will and discernment
- vi bhāhi
- Literal: shine forth, blaze out. Symbolic: manifest inner illumination that dispels obscurity
General Agni-kindling and invocation context; suitable to Agnyādheya / daily Agnihotra-style inner and outer lighting of the fire (as a verse emphasizing Agni’s multiple births and his function as illuminator and knower of the ancestral path).
At lighting the sacred fire; also in rites honoring ancestors (conceptual proximity via pitṛyāṇa)
Feeding the fire with samidh while invoking Agni to blaze within and guide the rite
As a mantra for ‘kindling’ before meditation; also when seeking guidance—invoke the inner flame to reveal the next step on a proven path.
Key terms: (1) (agni): from √/ debated; Vedic sense centers on the ‘fire’ as force of will and illumination. (2) (tvaṣṭā): agent noun from √/ ‘to fashion, form’; indicates shaping power that gives definite form to the flame. (3) (panthā́): ‘path’, an old Indo-Iranian word (Av. pantā̊); denotes a fixed track/order. (4) - (pra-vidvā́n): from √ ‘to know, find’; with - implies ‘knowing by forward discovery’, not merely learned knowledge. (5) - (pitṛ-yā́na): tatpuruṣa compound ‘going/way of the fathers’; √ ‘to go’. (6) - (sam-idhā́naḥ): from √ ‘to kindle’; sam- ‘together, fully’ → concentrated ignition; psychologically the gathered aspiration that makes the inner fire blaze.
Ṛta (ordered path/panthā as cosmic order), ancestral transmission (pitṛyāna as lineage of seer-knowledge), illumination (dyumat; vi bhāhi as manifestation of light)
The ‘path’ known by Agni implies ṛta as a discoverable route of right becoming.
Agni’s luminosity (dyumat) is satya in action—truth that lights the way.
Fire born from cosmic parents and shaped by formative powers—evolution of consciousness in matter.
Symbolic cosmology of Vedic yoga: ascent along a path discovered by seers (pitṛyāṇa as inner tradition)
Heaven=clarity of mind; Earth=body-ground; Waters=life currents/subconscious; Fire=integrating will-light; Path=ordered ascent.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘many births of Agni’ mythologem: Agni is generated by Heaven–Earth, by the Waters, and by Tvaṣṭṛ (the fashioner). This is not merely cosmogony but a layered account of how the divine Fire/Will is born in multiple planes—cosmic (dyāvāpṛthivī), vital/energetic (āpaḥ), and formative/intelligential (tvaṣṭā)—so that it can blaze as conscious illumination.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Panthā́ ‘path’ aligns with Indo-Iranian *panthā- (Avestan pantā̊), pointing to an inherited poetic-religious image of a ‘tracked way’ as order. The verbal base √ ‘know/find’ (pra-vidvān) continues PIE *weyd- ‘to see/know’ (cf. Latin videō, English wit), reinforcing that knowing is a kind of seeing/discovery—central to the hymn’s command ‘shine forth’ (vi bhāhi) as cognitive illumination.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The speaker approaches Agni as an inner guide who already ‘knows’ the pitṛyāna (the established luminous route of the forefathers/seers). The reciprocity is: the human kindles (sam-idhānaḥ) the divine Fire through aspiration and offering; Agni reciprocates by widening into radiance (vi bhāhi), leading consciousness along Ṛta’s path and reconnecting the practitioner to the ancestral current of realized knowledge.
Kindle the inner fire at the meeting point of mind and body; feel life-waters quieted and shaped; ask for the next step on the ‘ancestral’ inner path.
Heart (psychic fire) supported by Manipura (will-fire)
Gentle ujjayi or soft throat-breath; on inhale ‘samidhānaḥ’ (kindling), on exhale ‘vi bhāhi’ (shine forth).
Guided inward luminosity; continuity with a deeper tradition; steady aspiration.
Before sitting, align posture (earth) and clarity (heaven). Offer restless emotion (waters) into the fire. Invoke shaping intelligence (Tvaṣṭṛ) to give form to practice. Then wait for the ‘path-sense’—a simple, right next movement.
Rigvedic three-tone; exact svara requires a svara-marked RV text for 10.2.7.
Maintain clear segmentation of the three births (dyāvāpṛthivī / āpaḥ-tvaṣṭā / sujanimā). Pause slightly before panthām anu. Brighten on dyumat agne.
dyāvāpṛthivī: long ā; conjunct pṛth; vocalic ṛ, tvaṣṭā: retroflex ṣṭ; long ā, sujanimā: soft ‘j’; long ī at end, pitṛyāṇam: vocalic ṛ; long ā in yā, samidhāno: nasalization on ‘m’ before ‘i’; long ā, vi bhāhi: aspirate bh clearly; long ā
Luminous, inward, steady; let resonance build on ‘vi bhāhi’.
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