Rig Veda 3.6.11: Mandala 3, Sukta 6, Mantra 11
Sukta 3.6
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
इळामग्ने पुरुदंसं सनिं गोः शश्वत्तमं हवमानाय साध । स्यान्नः सूनुस्तनयो विजावाग्ने सा ते सुमतिर्भूत्वस्मे ॥
iḷā́m agne purudáṃsaṃ saníṃ góḥ śaśvattamáṃ havamānā́ya sādha | syā́n naḥ sūnús tánayo vijā́vā́gne sā́ te sumatír bhūtv asmē ||
ഹേ അഗ്നേ, വിളിച്ചപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നവനുവേണ്ടി ഇളയെ സിദ്ധമാക്കുക—പുരുദംസം (ബഹുവിധ ശക്തിസമൃദ്ധം), ഗോമാതാവിന്റെ ദീർഘകാല ലാഭം, പ്രകാശത്തിന്റെ സ്ഥിരസിദ്ധി. ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് ഒരു പുത്രൻ—വളരുന്ന സന്തതി—ജീവിതസമരത്തിൽ വിജയം നേടുന്നവൻ—ഉണ്ടാകട്ടെ. ഹേ അഗ്നേ, അതേ നിന്റെ സുമതി (ശുഭകൃപ) ഞങ്ങളിൽ നിലനില്ക്കട്ടെ.
Word by Word
- इळाम्
- Iḷā (the goddess of nourishment/oblation)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot इळा (प्रातिपदिक) / इडा
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुरुदंसम्
- of many wondrous deedsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (अग्निम्/त्वाम् इति अव्यक्तं विशेषयति)Role कर्मRoot पुरुदंस (प्रातिपदिक; पुरु- + दंस)
- सनिम्
- gain, winningNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सनि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘प्राप्ति/लाभ’)
- गोः
- of the cow; of cattleNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- शश्वत्तमम्
- most enduring, ever-lastingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (सनिम् इति विशेषयति)Role कर्मRoot शश्वत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + तमप्
- हवमानाय
- to the one who is invoking (you)Participle (Adjective)पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot √ह्वे (ह्वा) ‘आह्वाने’ → हवमान (वर्तमानकृदन्त)
- साध
- grant; accomplishVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √साध् ‘सिद्धौ/साधने’
- स्यात्
- may he beVerbविधिलिङ्, तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √अस् ‘भुवि’
- नः
- of us; ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- सूनुः
- sonNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot सूनु (प्रातिपदिक)
- तनयः
- offspringNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (सूनुः इति समनाधिकरण)Role कर्तृRoot तनय (प्रातिपदिक)
- विजावा
- strong/impetuous; vigorousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (सूनुः/तनयः इति विशेषयति)Role कर्तृRoot विजाव (प्रातिपदिक; वि- + जाव ‘वेग/बल’)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- सा
- that; she/it (that one)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम)
- ते
- of you; yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- सुमतिः
- good will; gracious favorNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot सुमति (प्रातिपदिक; सु- + मति)
- भूतु
- let it beVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √भू ‘भवने’
- अस्मे
- among us; for usPronounसप्तमी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धिविच्छेद): इळाम् | अग्ने | पुरुदंसम् | सनिम् | गोः | शश्वत्तमम् | हवमानाय | साध | स्यात् | नः | सूनुः | तनयः | विजावा | अग्ने | सा | ते | सुमतिः | भूतु | अस्मे । मुख्य सन्धयः: (1) इळामग्ने = इळाम् + अग्ने (म् + अ → म् अ, संहितायां ‘मग्ने’). (2) अग्ने॒ सा = अग्ने + सा (ए + स → ए॒ स, संहितापाठ). (3) भू॑त्व॒स्मे = भूतु + अस्मे (उ + अ → व, ‘भूत्वस्मे’). स्वर: उदात्त/स्वरित चिह्न संहितापाठानुसार
- पदच्छेदे मूलस्वर-चिह्न सामान्यतः न दर्श्यते।
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Agni, accomplish for the caller the Iḷā rich in many powers—an enduring gain of the Cow, a lasting attainment. May we have a son, a growing offspring, victorious. O Agni, let that be your good grace in us.
Inner meaning
Iḷā is the inspired flow of revelation and right discernment that nourishes the sacrifice; Agni is asked to establish this in the seeker. The ‘Cow’ (goḥ) is not cattle but the rays of knowledge—an enduring gain of illumination. ‘Son/offspring’ signifies the birth of a new inner formation: a growing, victorious consciousness (tanayaḥ vijāvā) able to win in the battle of life against obscurity and inertia. Agni’s ‘sumati’ is the right-minded guidance and benevolent orientation of the will toward truth.
Universal truth
True prosperity is the steady gain of knowledge and the birth of a stronger, more luminous self; inner grace expresses as right understanding, right will, and victorious growth.
Themes
boons: illumination, plenitude, victorious offspring, iḷā as inspired nourishment, Agni as accomplisher (sādha)
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Gāthina
- Other hymns
- RV 3.6.1-10 (Agni as leader of sacrifice and bringer of powers)
Family tradition
The Viśvāmitra line often prays for light (go) and victorious growth; the ‘offspring’ motif frequently indicates continuity of the inner fire and the future being.
Significance
Concludes the movement with concrete siddhi: inspired discernment (iḷā), enduring light-gain (go), and the birth of a victorious inner successor (tanaya).
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Sādha (accomplisher), Sumati-dātā (giver of right-minded grace), Purohita, Jātavedas
- Related deities
- Sarasvatī/Ilā (inspired speech), Indra (victory), Aśvins (healing/help)
Cosmic role
Bestows illumination and growth; establishes lasting gains of light and right intelligence for the sacrificer.
Inner power
Psychic fire that converts aspiration into stable knowledge and a new victorious formation of being.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni praise and boon-seeking (rayi, iḷā, progeny) within domestic and śrauta contexts
इळा॑मग्ने पुरु॒दंसं॑ स॒निं गोः श॑श्वत्त॒मं हव॑मानाय साध । स्यान्न॑: सू॒नुस्तन॑यो वि॒जावाग्ने॒ सा ते॑ सुम॒तिर्भू॑त्व॒स्मे ॥
इळा॑म् । अ॒ग्ने॒ । पु॒रु॒ऽदंस॑म् । स॒निम् । गोः । श॒श्व॒त्ऽत॒मम् । हव॑मानाय । सा॒ध॒ । स्यात् । नः॒ । सू॒नुः । तन॑यः । वि॒जाऽवा॑ । अ॒ग्ने॒ । सा । ते॒ । सु॒ऽम॒तिः । भू॒तु॒ । अ॒स्मे इति॑ ॥
iḷām | agne | puru-daṃsam | sanim | goḥ | śaśvat-tamam | havamānāya | sādha | syāt | naḥ | sūnuḥ | tanayaḥ | vijāvā | agne | sā | te | su-matiḥ | bhūtu | asme iti
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4 × ~11 syllables
Supplicatory yet firm; prayer-cadence with clear petitions
Settles aspiration into tangible aims: discernment, enduring light, victorious growth; leaves a tone of trust in grace.
- iḷā (ilā)
- Literal: refreshment; speech/oblation; Ida. Symbolic: inspired revelation-flow; right discernment that feeds the inner sacrifice
- purudaṃsa
- Literal: of many powers/works. Symbolic: multi-capacity wisdom that can act in many life situations
- sani
- Literal: gain, acquisition. Symbolic: stable attainment in consciousness, not passing experience
- goḥ
- Literal: cow. Symbolic: rays of light/knowledge; luminous herds recovered from darkness
- śaśvattama
- Literal: most lasting, perpetual. Symbolic: enduring realization rather than temporary uplift
- sūnu / tanaya
- Literal: son, offspring. Symbolic: new birth of consciousness; psychic growth and future capacity
- vijāvā
- Literal: winning, victorious. Symbolic: triumph in inner battle (against ignorance, desire, inertia)
- sumati
- Literal: good mind, gracious favor. Symbolic: right-minded guidance; benevolent clarity in thought and will
Boon-request verse in Agni hymn: asking for iḷā (inspired nourishment), enduring ‘cow’ (light/knowledge), and progeny/victory—standard iṣṭi-fruits internalized.
When seeking blessing for insight, prosperity, and continuity (progeny) alongside Agni worship
Offering ghee/oblations with prayer for boons; concluding benediction
Recite for clarity in decision-making (iḷā), steady learning (go), and ‘inner progeny’—habits and capacities that grow and win over setbacks.
iḷā connected with nourishment/invocation; in Vedic, goddess/power of offering and inspired speech. puru ‘many’ + daṃsas (from √daṃs ‘to be wondrous/skillful, to accomplish’) → manifold effective capacities. sani from √san ‘to gain, win’ (PIE *sen- ‘to obtain’ debated). go ‘cow’ also ‘ray/light’ in Vedic poetics; root √gā ‘to go’ underlies ‘that which moves’ → rays that move/spread. sūnu/tanaya: generativity; √tan ‘to stretch, extend’ → growth. jaya in vijāva relates to √ji ‘to conquer’.
rayi as fullness (spiritual wealth), progeny as new birth of consciousness, divine grace (su-mati)
Sumati (right-mindedness) is the psychological face of ṛta—right order in thought and will.
Śaśvattama gain of go = stable truth-light, not flickering inspiration.
Birth motif: the sacrifice generates a new being (tanaya) from the fire of aspiration.
Vedic psychology moving toward Upaniṣadic ‘inner birth’ and knowledge as true wealth.
Cow = rays of knowledge; child = new consciousness formation; fire = transformative will; growth = maturation of realizations into character.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘winning of the cows’ transposed into boon-language: the ‘cow’ as enduring light/knowledge to be attained (saniṃ goḥ). Inner sense: Agni accomplishes the recovery and stabilization of illumination and the birth of a victorious ‘son’—a new conscious formation that can conquer obscurity.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhū (bhūtu) reflects PIE *bʰuH- ‘become’ (English be). √tan (tanaya) reflects PIE *(s)tenh₂ ‘stretch’ (English tend/tension in extended semantic field). The verse encodes growth as ‘becoming’ and ‘extension’, matching Indo-European metaphors of life and lineage.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi petitions Agni for concrete inner fruits: iḷā (inspired nourishment), stable illumination (go), and a victorious offspring (new power of being). The reciprocity is explicit: because the rishi ‘calls’ (havamāna), Agni ‘accomplishes’ (sādha) and establishes his su-mati within the aspirant.
Invoke iḷā: inspired discernment; pray for lasting light and the birth of a stronger inner self.
viśuddha (inspired speech/insight) with anāhata (psychic growth)
Bhrāmarī (gentle humming) to cultivate iḷā-like inward resonance, followed by silent listening
Receptive clarity with steady will
After chanting, sit 3–5 minutes in ‘listening mind’; ask for one clear next step (sumati). Journal the ‘ray’ received; commit to one action that helps the ‘tanaya’ (new habit/virtue) grow.
Tri-svara; keep petitions clearly articulated; soften tone on ‘sumatir bhūtv asme’ as a benediction.
Slight emphasis on iḷām, goḥ, śaśvattamam, vijāvā, sumatiḥ; pause cleanly at |.
iḷām: retroflex ḷ if trained; otherwise a careful ‘l’ with Vedic articulation, purudaṃsam: keep anusvāra (ṃ) nasalized, śaśvattamam: double ‘tt’ held briefly, vijāvāgne: maintain sandhi; do not separate too much
Warm, prayerful, heart-centered resonance
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