Rig Veda 5.13.6: Mandala 5, Sukta 13, Mantra 6
Sukta 5.13
अग्ने नेमिरराँ इव देवाँस्त्वं परिभूरसि । आ राधश्चित्रमृञ्जसे ॥
ágne némir arā́m̐ iva devā́ṃs tváṃ pari-bhū́r asi | ā́ rā́dhaś citrám ṛñjase ||
ഹേ അഗ്നേ, നാഭി അരകളെ ചുറ്റിപ്പിടിക്കുന്നതുപോലെ നീ ദേവന്മാരെ പരിഭൂ—ചുറ്റുമുള്ള അധിപതി—ആവരണം ചെയ്യുന്നു. നീ ഞങ്ങളിലേക്കു ചിത്ര രാധസ്—ബഹുവർണ്ണ സമൃദ്ധി, പൂർത്തീകരണത്തിന്റെ വിവിധ ശക്തികൾ—ആകർഷിച്ചു സമീപിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.
Verse emphasizing Agni as the integrator of the pantheon in the rite; suitable in sequences invoking multiple deities through Agni as channel.
integration of divine powers, central will organizing faculties, manifold fulfillment (citra rādhas)
Hub-spoke order images ṛta: many functions held in one law and center.
True bounty is ordered and luminous (citra), not chaotic accumulation.
Cosmos as a wheel: center (Agni) organizes multiplicity; fulfillment descends as differentiated harmony.
Vedic integralism: unity-in-multiplicity; devas as powers coordinated by the psychic fire.
Wheel = psycho-spiritual system; hub = central will/psychic being; spokes = faculties; ‘many-colored bounty’ = diverse siddhis/supports arriving harmoniously.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the hub of the gods: the mythologem of a central fire-power that gathers, contains, and coordinates the divine functions, making their ‘many-colored’ fulfillments available to the human seeker.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The wheel metaphor is pan-Indo-European in poetic diction (cosmos/rite as a wheel). √bhū ‘be’ is a fundamental IE root (*bʰuH-). The image of a central axis organizing multiplicity reflects inherited structural metaphors used for cosmic order.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi acknowledges Agni as the one who can ‘encompass the gods’—thus the human does not approach scattered powers separately but through the central awakened will; Agni reciprocates by arranging and bringing near the manifold rādhas (fulfillments).
Centering practice: feel a luminous flame at the heart as the hub; let thoughts, senses, energies become spokes aligned to it; invite a balanced abundance to descend.
anahata
coherent breathing (5–6 breaths/min). On inhale: gather to center; on exhale: expand evenly through ‘spokes’.
integrated wholeness; coordinated faculties; quiet joy
When overwhelmed, chant once, then sit and ‘re-hub’ your system: name your main faculties (mind, speech, breath, emotion, action) and align each to the central will before proceeding.
Let nemiḥ and paribhūḥ carry steady prominence; brighten slightly on citram (variegated) before settling.
Make the simile clear: nemir arām̐ iva (hub like spokes). Keep paribhūḥ firm; color the tone on citram.
nemir: short ‘e’, light ‘r’, arām̐ iva: long ā; nasalization on ām̐; keep iva separate, paribhūr: long ū; roll ‘r’ lightly, rādhaś: dh aspirated; final ś crisp, ṛñjase: initial ṛ syllabic; ‘ñj’ cluster clear
centered, resonant, slightly circular phrasing
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