Rig Veda 5.12.6: Mandala 5, Sukta 12, Mantra 6
Sukta 5.12
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
यस्ते अग्ने नमसा यज्ञमीट्ट ऋतं स पात्यरुषस्य वृष्णः । तस्य क्षयः पृथुरा साधुरेतु प्रसर्स्राणस्य नहुषस्य शेषः ॥
yás te agne námasā yajñám ī́ṭṭa ṛtáṃ sá pāty aruṣásya vṛ́ṣṇaḥ | tásya kṣáyaḥ pṛthúr ā́ sādhúr etu prá-sarsrāṇasya náhuṣasya śéṣaḥ ||
ഹേ അഗ്നേ, ആരെങ്കിലും നമസ്കാരത്തോടെ ഋതത്തിൽ സ്ഥാപിതമായ യജ്ഞത്തെ ജ്വലിപ്പിക്കുകയും സേവിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നുവോ—അവനെ അരുഷ (ചുവന്ന-തേജസ്സുള്ള), വൃഷൺ (പ്രചണ്ഡശക്തി) കാത്തുരക്ഷിക്കുന്നു. അവനു വിശാലവും സ്ഥിരവുമായ വാസസ്ഥലം (ക്ഷയ) വരട്ടെ; സദാ അമർത്തി മുന്നേറുന്ന മനുഷ്യ-അന്വേഷകനായ നഹുഷന്റെ ധാർമിക ശേഷം (യോഗ്യ അവശിഷ്ടം/ഫലം) ലഭിക്കട്ടെ.
Word by Word
- यः
- who (he who)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- to/for you; (here) of youPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक) अथवा चतुर्थी-एकवचनम्; अत्र ‘ते’ = तव (gen.)Role SampradānaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- नमसा
- with reverence, by homageNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- यज्ञम्
- the sacrificeNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
- ईट्टे
- worships, invokesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root इड्/ईड् (धातु; स्तुति-याचनार्थ)
- ऋतम्
- the cosmic order / truthNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पाति
- protectsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root पा (धातु; रक्षणे)
- अरुषस्य
- of the ruddy one (Agni)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृष्णः
- of the bull (the mighty one)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot वृषन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- तस्य
- of himPronounपुंलिङ्गः/नपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- क्षयः
- dwelling, abode; prosperityNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot क्षय (प्रातिपदिक) / √क्षि (धातु; निवास-क्षयार्थ) से भाव
- पृथुः
- broad, wideAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (क्षयः इति विशेषणम्)Role KartāRoot पृथु (प्रातिपदिक)
- सा
- that (she/it)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अधुरेतु
- well-going / of good course (epithet)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (क्षयः इति विशेषणम्)Role KartāRoot अधुरेतु (दुर्लभ-वैदिक; प्रातिपदिक/विशेषण-समास)
- प्रसर्स्राणस्य
- of the far-spreading / widely-flowing oneParticipleपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot प्र-सृ (धातु; सर्पणे/गत्यर्थ) से कृत; ‘प्रसर्स्राण’ (PPP/कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- नहुषस्य
- of NahushaProper Nounपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot नहुष (प्रातिपदिक; नाम)
- शेषः
- remainder, residue; what is leftNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot शेष (प्रातिपदिक) / √शिष् (धातु; अवशेषे) से भाव
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: यः ते अग्ने नमसा यज्ञम् ईट्टे ऋतम् सः पाति अरुषस्य वृष्णः । तस्य क्षयः पृथुः सा अधुरेतु प्रसर्स्राणस्य नहुषस्य शेषः ॥ मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) यस्ते → यः + ते (विसर्ग-लोपः, तकारे परे) । (2) यज्ञमीट्टे → यज्ञम् + ईट्टे (म् + स्वरः; अनुस्वार/मकार-समास) । (3) स पा॑त्यरु॒षस्य → सः + पाति + अरुषस्य (विसर्ग-लोपः; इ + अ → य्: पात्यरुषस्य इति संहिता-पाठः) । (4) पृथुरा → पृथुः + सा (विसर्ग-लोपः; संहिता-रूपे ‘पृथुरा’) । (5) साधुरेतु → सा + अधुरेतु (आ + अ संहिता; पाठे ‘सा॒धुरे॑तु’) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Whoever with reverence serves the sacrifice founded on Ṛta is guarded by the ruddy bull (Agni’s ardent power). For him may there come a wide dwelling; may the remainder of Nahusha, ever-pressing, arrive as support.
Inner meaning
The one who kindles and serves the inner sacrifice with humility (namasā) and truth-foundation (ṛtam) is protected by Agni as the red bull—impetuous will-force and courageous ardor. The fruit is a ‘wide dwelling’ (pṛthur kṣayaḥ): an inner wideness and stable station of consciousness. ‘Nahusha’ symbolizes the human seeker under pressure of evolution—ever striving, moving forward; the ‘śeṣa’ (remainder/reserve) suggests the conserved strength, the rightful residue of tapas and experience that becomes a stable support rather than scattered expenditure. In Aurobindonian terms: right sacrifice yields wideness and an enduring basis in the being.
Universal truth
Sincere, truth-based practice protects and empowers. Its result is not only moments of intensity but a stable wideness of life and a conserved strength that supports continued progress.
Themes
Agni as inner will, Ṛta-aligned sacrifice, protection of the seeker, establishment of a wide consciousness
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.11, RV 5.13, RV 5.40
Family tradition
The Atri seers frequently emphasize inner fire, aspiration, and the gaining of wide luminous states; their tone is practical and yogic—how right sacrifice yields protection and wideness.
Significance
Ātreya insight stresses that Ṛta-based offering brings both ardor (bull-force) and wideness (pṛthu), turning human pressure into stable support.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- aruṣa (ruddy), vṛṣan (bull), protector of ṛta-sacrifice
- Related deities
- Indra (victorious force), Viṣṇu (wideness/steps), Varuṇa (Ṛta)
Cosmic role
Guardian of the sacrifice; channels tapas into ordered growth; grants a stable ‘home’ in the higher consciousness.
Inner power
Protective ardor; force that both drives and stabilizes; capacity to widen the being.
In ritual
Where it is used
General Agni-yajña praise promising fruit to the sacrificer; could accompany offerings seeking protection and stable prosperity
यस्ते॑ अग्ने॒ नम॑सा य॒ज्ञमीट्ट॑ ऋ॒तं स पा॑त्यरु॒षस्य॒ वृष्ण॑: । तस्य॒ क्षय॑: पृ॒थुरा सा॒धुरे॑तु प्र॒सर्स्रा॑णस्य॒ नहु॑षस्य॒ शेष॑: ॥
यः । ते॒ । अ॒ग्ने॒ । नम॑सा । य॒ज्ञम् । ईट्टे॑ । ऋ॒तम् । सः । पा॒ति॒ । अ॒रु॒षस्य॑ । वृष्णः॑ । तस्य॑ । क्षयः॑ । पृ॒थुः । आ । सा॒धुः । ए॒तु॒ । प्र॒ऽसर्स्रा॑णस्य । नहु॑षस्य । शेषः॑ ॥
yaḥ | te | agne | namasā | yajñam | īṭe | ṛtam | saḥ | pāti | aruṣasya | vṛṣṇaḥ | tasya | kṣayaḥ | pṛthuḥ | ā | sādhuḥ | etu | pra-sarsrāṇasya | nahuṣasya | śeṣaḥ
44
4 × ~11
Strong, affirmative, benefactive cadence—promise of protection and establishment.
Builds confidence and grounded strength; evokes a sense of being ‘held’ by a larger power.
- नमसा (namasā)
- Literal: with reverence. Symbolic: humility of the ego; psychic consent
- यज्ञम् (yajñam)
- Literal: sacrifice. Symbolic: inner offering of actions, thoughts, energies to the divine
- ऋतम् (ṛtam)
- Literal: Ṛta, truth-order. Symbolic: foundation of right movement; sincerity and alignment
- अरुषस्य वृष्णः (aruṣasya vṛṣṇaḥ)
- Literal: the ruddy bull. Symbolic: Agni’s vehement will-force; courageous tapas
- क्षयः पृथुः (kṣayaḥ pṛthuḥ)
- Literal: wide dwelling. Symbolic: wideness and stable poise of consciousness
- प्रसर्स्राणस्य (prasarsrāṇasya)
- Literal: ever-pressing, spreading forward. Symbolic: the evolutionary push of the human seeker
- नहुषस्य (nahuṣasya)
- Literal: of Nahusha. Symbolic: humanity under striving; the mortal’s ascent-drive
- शेषः (śeṣaḥ)
- Literal: remainder, residue. Symbolic: conserved strength/essence that becomes support
Agni-stotra / Agni invocation within Soma and non-Soma offerings; general use as kindling/praise for the Hotṛ-function (havyavāhana) in śrauta settings (e.g., Agniṣṭoma preliminaries).
During praise after kindling; when affirming the efficacy of Ṛta-aligned rite
Eulogy of the right sacrificer; prayer for dwelling and support
After daily meditation/offerings, chant to seal the practice: ask for wideness and stable support in life and body.
Key terms: (1) īṭṭe < √īḍ ‘praise, invoke, seek’; middle voice suggests inward participation in the act of offering. (2) ṛtám from √ar/ṛ ‘to fit, set in order’ → the right arrangement/law; psychologically, the truth-order governing inner movements. (3) aruṣá ‘ruddy, flaming’ (Agni’s color/force) marks the dynamic heat of aspiration. (4) vṛ́ṣan ‘bull’ from √vṛṣ ‘to rain, be virile/strong’ → impelling, fertilizing force; in Agni, the energetic will that makes the sacrifice effective. (5) kṣáya ‘dwelling’ from √kṣi ‘to dwell, settle’ → stable seat of consciousness. (6) pra-sarsrāṇa from pra-√sṛ ‘to flow forth, stream forward’ indicates continuous forward drive. (7) śéṣa from √śiṣ/√śeṣ ‘to remain’ → remainder/support; in inner sense, the lasting gain after the offering—consolidated power/poise.
Ṛta (cosmic and psychological order), protection through right action, expansion (pṛthu) and stable seat (kṣaya)
Explicit: the sacrifice is ṛtam; protection follows from alignment with Ṛta.
Truth becomes a stable ‘dwelling’ in the being, not merely a concept.
Right sacrifice builds a habitation for the divine in the human—an inner home of wideness.
Integral yoga psychology: tapas guided by Ṛta yields stable wideness (a precondition for higher consciousness).
Bull = dynamic strength of will; dwelling/space = inner wideness; fire = transformative tapas that protects.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythic action is the guarding and establishment of the sacrificer by Agni-as-Bull (vṛṣan): when the human aligns the yajña with Ṛta, the fiery power protects and founds a ‘wide dwelling’ (pṛthu kṣaya). This is a recurring Vedic mythologem: right offering → divine protection → secure settlement in a larger plane of being (a conquest not of land but of consciousness).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- ṛtá- aligns with Indo-Iranian *ṛta- (Avestan aša) from PIE *h₂er- ‘to fit, join, set in order’—the semantic core ‘right order’ persists. kṣáya- ‘dwelling’ relates to √kṣi ‘dwell’ (cf. later kṣetra, kṣiti), reflecting an old Indo-European notion of ‘settling/inhabiting’ as establishing order. vṛṣan (bull/impelling) from √vṛṣ ‘rain/strength’ matches the PIE poetic association of ‘bull’ with potency and fertilizing force.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The relationship is transactional but inward: the rishi frames a law of reciprocity—reverent service (namasā īṭṭe) of the Ṛta-yajña draws down Agni’s guardianship and results in an established, widened state (pṛthu kṣaya). Dakṣiṇā here is not merely fee but the offered ego-will; Agni returns ‘protection’ and ‘settlement’ as inner gain, the enduring śeṣa (remainder) after the act of offering.
Offer the day’s actions into Agni with namas; affirm truth-foundation; receive protection and wideness.
muladhara (stability)
slow_meditative 5–5 breathing; feel ‘widening’ on inhale, ‘offering’ on exhale
grounded strength, stable receptivity
End practice with a brief resolve: ‘Let my work be founded on Ṛta.’ Then feel a wide space around the heart and head, as if the being has a larger home.
Follow Rigvedic accents; keep ‘ṛtam’ and ‘aruṣasya vṛṣṇaḥ’ sonorous and steady.
Mark the shift after the first hemistich (protection) into the benefaction prayer (dwelling/support) with a slightly softer cadence.
īṭṭa: geminated ṭṭ—hold the stop cleanly., aruṣasya: retroflex ṣ; do not simplify to ‘s’., pṛthur: vocalic ṛ; keep ‘th’ aspirated.
warm, steady, protective
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