Rig Veda 3.10.3: Mandala 3, Sukta 10, Mantra 3
Sukta 3.10
- Rishi
- Gāthina Viśvāmitra
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī or Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism)
स घा यस्ते ददाशति समिधा जातवेदसे । सो अग्ने धत्ते सुवीर्यं स पुष्यति ॥
sá ghā yás te dádāśati samídhā jātávedase | só agne dhatte suvī́ryaṃ sá puṣyati ||
സത്യമായും—സമിധകളോടെ ജാതവേദസ്സായ നിനക്കു അർപ്പിക്കുന്നവൻ—ഹേ അഗ്നേ, സുവീര്യത്തിന്റെ പൂർണ്ണത ധരിക്കുന്നു; അവൻ പുഷ്ടനായി വർദ്ധിക്കുന്നു.
Word by Word
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → स
- घ
- indeed, surelyIndeclinableनिपातः (अव्ययम्)Root घ (निपात) / हि-अर्थे
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot यद् (सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम) → य
- ते
- to you / yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनम् (सम्बन्धे)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम) → त्वद्/ते
- ददाशति
- gives, offersVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot √दाश् (दाशति) ‘दे/पूज्/दान’
- समिधा
- with kindling-stick / with fuelNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role करणRoot समिध् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘समिध्/इन्धन’
- जातवेदसे
- to Jātavedas (Agni)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role सम्प्रदानRoot जातवेदस् (प्रातिपदिक; अग्नि-विशेषण)
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → स
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- धत्ते
- places, bestows, obtainsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot √धा (धत्ते) ‘धारणे/स्थापने’
- सुवीर्यम्
- good heroism / excellent manly powerNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot सु- + वीर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → स
- पुष्यति
- thrives, prospersVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot √पुष् (पुष्यति) ‘वर्धने/पोषणे’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सः घ यः ते ददाशति समिधा जातवेदसे । सः अग्ने धत्ते सुवीर्यम् सः पुष्यति ॥ 1) स घा → सः + घ (विसर्ग-लोपः निपातपूर्वे)
- 2) यस्ते → यः + ते (विसर्गः → स्, ततः संयोगः)
- 3) सोऽग्ने → सः + अग्ने (विसर्गः → ओ, अवग्रहः)
- 4) सुवीर्यं स → सुवीर्यम् + स (म् + स → ंस्; संहितायां ‘ं’ लेख्यते)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Whoever gives to you with kindling-sticks, to Jātavedas, he—O Agni—possesses heroic force and he prospers.
Inner meaning
The one who offers samidh (fuel) is the practitioner who feeds the inner flame with steady disciplines—attention, sincerity, self-giving. Jātavedas is Agni as ‘knower of all births’: the fire that understands the origins of movements in us and can transform them. Such feeding yields suvīrya—true heroic energy: courage, perseverance, effective force for inner conquest; and puṣyati—growth in being, not merely external gain.
Universal truth
What you consistently feed grows. When the will-to-truth is nourished with disciplined offerings, it becomes courageous power and leads to integral flourishing.
Themes
offering fuel to Agni, gain of vīrya, nourishment and growth
The seer
- Rishi
- Gāthina Viśvāmitra
- Lineage
- Viśvāmitra (Gāthina line)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.10.1, RV 3.10.2, RV 3.10.4
Family tradition
Practical yogic emphasis: the offering (dāna) to Agni is inner self-giving that returns as strength (vīrya) and growth (puṣṭi).
Significance
This verse states a law of sādhanā: sustained feeding of the inner fire produces the heroic capacity needed to overcome resistance.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (Jātavedas)
- Epithets
- Jātavedas
- Related deities
- Indra (heroic illumination), Maruts (dynamic energies), Soma (delight that supports endurance)
Cosmic role
Fire that knows all manifestations; awakens and carries offerings; purifier and transformer.
Inner power
Psychic-mental fire discerning origins of impulses and converting them into upward energy; giver of vīrya.
In ritual
Where it is used
Kindling and feeding Agni during offerings; general praise connected with fuel-offering
स घा॒ यस्ते॒ ददा॑शति स॒मिधा॑ जा॒तवे॑दसे । सो अ॑ग्ने धत्ते सु॒वीर्यं॒ स पु॑ष्यति ॥
सः । घ॒ । यः । ते॒ । ददा॑शति । स॒मिधा॑ । जा॒तऽवे॑दसे । सः । अ॒ग्ने॒ । ध॒त्ते॒ । सु॒ऽवीर्य॑म् । सः । पु॒ष्य॒ति॒ ॥
saḥ | gha | yaḥ | te | dadāśati | samidhā | jāta-vedase | saḥ | agne | dhatte | su-vīryam | saḥ | puṣyati
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3×8
Didactic and energetic; a compact ‘law’ statement.
Builds resolve; supports habit-formation and steady effort.
- समिधा (samidhā)
- Literal: with kindling/fuel. Symbolic: disciplines and offerings that sustain aspiration (attention, truthfulness, effort)
- जातवेदसे (jātavedase)
- Literal: to Jātavedas, knower of births. Symbolic: inner fire that knows the roots of nature and can re-birth the consciousness
- सुवीर्यम् (suvīryam)
- Literal: good heroic force. Symbolic: spiritual courage and effective energy for transformation
- पुष्यति (puṣyati)
- Literal: he thrives, increases. Symbolic: growth in consciousness, wideness, stability, and joy
Dana/oblation principle: feeding Agni with samidh as prerequisite for strength and growth; applicable in daily agnihotra and broader iṣṭi contexts
When adding samidh/fuel; at the start of practice as a reminder of the principle of nourishment
Offering kindling; reciting to affirm the fruit of right offering
Use before disciplined work (study, meditation, service) to convert effort into ‘suvīrya’ rather than strain.
dadāśati from √dā ‘give’ expresses repeated/intentional giving—sustained offering. samidhā is both physical fuel and inner ‘additions’ of effort that keep the flame steady. Jātavedas (jāta + veda) is Agni as knowledge inherent in all births/becomings. su-vīrya is not only martial prowess but fullness of effective force (vīrya from vīra ‘hero’, tied to potency).
reciprocity of offering and increase, vīrya as spiritual force, Jātavedas as knowledge of becoming
Right offering aligns effort with ṛta; then energy becomes ‘su’-vīrya (well-ordered power).
Jātavedas implies truth-knowledge of origins; seeing the birth of movements is satya in action.
Re-birth through fire: what is offered is re-formed into higher force.
Integral yoga psychology: tapas (sustained will) yields vīrya and growth of being.
Fuel = practices and offerings; fire = transformative will; burning = conversion of lower energies into higher strength.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The law of exchange: feeding Agni yields vīrya and growth. Mythically, the sacrificer strengthens the divine messenger; psychologically, sustained discipline (samidh) offered to the inner fire yields heroic force (suvīrya) and flourishing (puṣ).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dā ‘give’ reflects PIE *deh₃- ‘give’ (Greek dídōmi, Latin dō). √puṣ ‘thrive’ is Indo-Iranian (cf. Avestan pūs- ‘prosper’), indicating shared cultural semantics of nourishment/prosperity.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- A clear reciprocity: the human gives sustained kindling to Jātavedas; Agni responds by establishing in the giver a stable store of force and an increasing fullness of being. The rishi encodes this as a practical inner law for progress.
Offer a chosen habit-pattern into the flame; feel the return as clean energy (vīrya).
Maṇipūra (will/energy) supported by Anāhata (sincere offering).
Kapalabhāti light (if suitable) 30–60 strokes, then quiet breathing while repeating the mantra.
Dynamic steadiness; energized clarity.
Choose one ‘samidh’ daily (truthful speech, focused study, service). Offer it consistently; measure progress by increased courage and calm strength, not by excitement.
Maintain Vedic pitch on marked syllables (e.g., ददा॑शति, जा॒तवे॑दसे).
Give a slight emphasis to ‘suvīryam’ and a settling cadence on ‘sa puṣyati’.
जātavedase: keep ‘veda’ as ve-da, not ‘vayda’., सुवीर्यम्: long ī; हलन्त m audible., समिधा: dental dʰ, not retroflex ḍh.
Bright and forceful but controlled; avoid shouting—aim for ‘heroic clarity’.
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