Rig Veda 7.3.4: Mandala 7, Sukta 3, Mantra 4
Sukta 7.3
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
वि यस्य ते पृथिव्यां पाजो अश्रेत्तृषु यदन्ना समवृक्त जम्भैः । सेनेव सृष्टा प्रसितिष्ट एति यवं न दस्म जुह्वा विवेक्षि ॥
ví yasya te pṛthivyā́m pā́jo áśret tṛṣú yád ánnā sam-avṛ́kta jámbhaiḥ | sénāiva sṛṣṭā́ pra-sítis ta étí yávam na dasma júhvā vivekṣi ||
ഹേ (അഗ്നി), നിന്റെ ശക്തി ഭൂമിയിലുടനീളം വ്യാപിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു; വരണ്ട ഇടങ്ങളിലെ ആഹാരങ്ങളെ നീ നിന്റെ താടികളാൽ ശുദ്ധീകരിച്ച് ഒരുമിപ്പിച്ചപ്പോൾ. വിട്ടയച്ച സൈന്യത്തെപ്പോലെ നിന്റെ മുന്നോട്ടുതള്ളുന്ന ഗതി മുന്നേറുന്നു; ഹേ അത്ഭുതനായ ദസ്മ, യജ്ഞജിഹ്വയാൽ നീ യവം (ധാന്യം) വേർതിരിക്കുന്നു—അഗ്നിയിൽ സ്വീകരിക്കേണ്ടതെന്തെന്നു വിവേകത്തോടെ തിരിച്ചറിഞ്ഞ്.
Word by Word
- वि
- apart, forth (intensifier/preverb)Indeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root वि (upasarga)
- यस्य
- of whom/whosePronounmasc/neut genitive singularRole Sambandha (genitive relation)Root यद् (sarvanāma)
- ते
- to youPronoundative singular (enclitic)Role SampradānaRoot त्वद् (sarvanāma)
- पृथिव्याम्
- on/in the earthNounfeminine locative singularRole AdhikaraṇaRoot पृथिवी (prātipadika)
- पाजः
- radiance, might, splendorNounneuter nominative singularRole KartāRoot पाजस् (prātipadika)
- अश्रेत्
- has rested/leaned, has come to abideVerbaorist, 3rd person singular, parasmaipada (Vedic injunctive/aorist form)Root श्रि (धातु) / Vedic aorist stem
- त्रिषु
- in the three (places/realms)Adjective (numeral)locative plural (common gender)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot त्रि (numeral)
- यत्
- which/thatPronounneuter nominative/accusative singular (relative)Role (links clause)Root यद् (relative)
- अन्नाः
- foods, nourishmentsNounmasculine nominative plural (Vedic; ‘foods’)Role KartāRoot अन्न (prātipadika)
- सम्
- together, whollyIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root सम् (upasarga)
- अवृक्त
- cut off/cleft/stripped away (Vedic: ‘severed’)Participle/Adjectivepast passive participle, nominative plural masculine agreeing with अन्नाःRole Kartā (as qualifier)Root वृज्/वृञ्ज् (धातु) → kṛdanta ‘वृक्त’ with preverb अव-
- जम्भैः
- with jaws/teeth (i.e., biting powers)Nounmasculine instrumental pluralRole KaraṇaRoot जम्भ (prātipadika)
- सेना
- an armyNounfeminine nominative singularRole Kartā (upamāna in simile)Root सेना (prātipadika)
- इव
- like, asIndeclinableparticle of comparisonRoot इव
- सृष्टा
- released, let loose, sent forthParticiple/Adjectivepast passive participle, feminine nominative singular agreeing with सेनाRole Kartā (as qualifier)Root सृज् (धातु) → सृष्ट (PPP)
- प्रसितिष्टः
- the impeller/advancer; one set forwardNoun/Adjectivemasculine nominative singular (agent/possessor sense: ‘one set in motion/one who advances’)Role KartāRoot प्र-√सि/सि (धातु) + तिष्ठ (from √स्था) (Vedic compound)
- एति
- goes, advancesVerbpresent indicative, 3rd person singular, parasmaipadaRoot इ (धातु)
- यवम्
- barleyNounmasculine accusative singularRole KarmaRoot यव (prātipadika)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableparticle of comparisonRoot न
- दस्म
- O wondrous/skillful oneAdjective (vocative epithet)masculine vocative singularRole SambodhanaRoot दस्म (prātipadika)
- जुह्वा
- with the ladle (sacrificial spoon)Nounfeminine instrumental singularRole KaraṇaRoot जुहू (prātipadika)
- विवेक्षि
- you wish to enter/approach; you seek to reachVerbpresent (desiderative) 2nd person singular, parasmaipadaRoot वि-√विच्/विविक्ष् (desiderative of √विच्/√विज् in Vedic usage)
Sandhi Notes
- Resolved/normalized padas: वि | यस्य | ते | पृथिव्याम् | पाजः | अश्रेत् | त्रिषु | यत् | अन्नाः | सम् | अवृक्त | जम्भैः | सेना | इव | सृष्टा | प्रसितिष्टः | एति | यवम् | न | दस्म | जुह्वा | विवेक्षि । प्रमुख संधि-विच्छेद: (1) अश्रेत्+त्रिषु → अश्रेत् त्रिषु (t + t cluster across pada boundary). (2) यदन्नाः → यत् अन्नाः (final -d of यद् becomes -t before vowel in saṃhitā). (3) समवृक्त → सम् अवृक्त (anusvāra before vowel; preverb + PPP). (4) जम्भै: → जम्भैः (visarga normalization). (5) सेनेव → सेना इव (vowel sandhi ā+i → e). (6) यवं न → यवम् न (m before n in saṃhitā). Accent marks in the prompt are saṃhitā accents
- pada listing here is sandhi-resolved without accent re-marking
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni’s might spreads over the earth; with his jaws he clears foods among dry places. His forward driving goes like an army released; with his offering-tongue he separates out the grain.
Inner meaning
When the inner Fire grows, its power permeates the physical nature (‘earth’). It bites through arid zones—dryness, fatigue, and sterile habits—freeing the ‘foods’ (nourishments/energies) locked there. The liberated force advances like a disciplined army: coordinated faculties moving under a single will. With the ‘tongue of offering’ Agni discerns and separates what can be taken up—purifying impulses and selecting the right substance of experience to be transformed into light and strength.
Universal truth
True transformation is discriminative and organized: it does not merely consume, it selects, purifies, and mobilizes the whole being toward a unified forward movement.
Themes
Purification, Removal-of-obstruction, Discernment, Force-in-action
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.3.1, RV 7.19, RV 7.23
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha’s Agni is a practical yogic power working through all layers, especially stabilizing the physical (‘earth’) by r̥ta-guided force.
Significance
Emphasis on effective purification: Agni is not only luminous but also a strong ‘worker’ in the dense parts of nature, clearing dryness and unlocking sustenance.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Dasma (wonderful, skillful), Jātavedas, Yaviṣṭha
- Related deities
- Indra (for the battle/advance), Soma (nourishment/bliss), Maruts (army-like forces)
Cosmic role
Permeates earth with force; separates pure from impure; drives the sacrifice forward.
Inner power
Discriminating transformative energy—breaks resistances, organizes faculties, and consecrates the right substance for growth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni offerings with emphasis on purification and correct selection of oblations
वि यस्य॑ ते पृथि॒व्यां पाजो॒ अश्रे॑त्तृ॒षु यदन्ना॑ स॒मवृ॑क्त॒ जम्भै॑: । सेने॑व सृ॒ष्टा प्रसि॑तिष्ट एति॒ यवं॒ न द॑स्म जु॒ह्वा॑ विवेक्षि ॥
वि । यस्य॑ । ते॒ । पृ॒थि॒व्याम् । पाजः॑ । अश्रे॑त् । तृ॒षु । यत् । अन्ना॑ । स॒म्ऽअवृ॑क्त । जम्भैः॑ । सेना॑ऽइव । सृ॒ष्टा । प्रऽसि॑तिः । ते॒ । ए॒ति॒ । यव॑म् । न । द॒स्म॒ । जु॒ह्वा॑ । वि॒वे॒क्षि॒ ॥
vi | yasya | te | pṛthivyām | pājaḥ | aśret | tṛṣu | yat | annā | sam-avṛkta | jambhaiḥ | senāiva | sṛṣṭā | pra-sitiḥ | te | eti | yavam | na | dasma | juhvā | vivekṣi
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Forceful and marching; well-suited to ‘army released’ imagery.
Energizes will and discipline; supports a sense of coordinated forward movement in practice.
- पृथि॒व्याम् (pṛthivyām)
- Literal: on the earth. Symbolic: the physical consciousness and embodied life
- पाजः (pājaḥ)
- Literal: might, radiance, vigor. Symbolic: effective spiritual force acting in matter
- तृषु (tṛṣu)
- Literal: in the dry places. Symbolic: arid states: depression, inertia, lack of rasa/joy
- अन्ना (annā)
- Literal: foods. Symbolic: available energies, experiences, and supports for growth
- जम्भैः (jambhaiḥ)
- Literal: with jaws/teeth. Symbolic: decisive power that breaks resistances and releases locked energies
- सेना इव (senā iva)
- Literal: like an army. Symbolic: organized faculties (mind-life-body) advancing under inner command
- प्रसितिः (prasitiḥ)
- Literal: onward impulse, forward driving. Symbolic: evolutionary push of the will toward the goal
- जुह्वा (juhvā)
- Literal: with the offering-tongue/ladle. Symbolic: power of consecration and discernment in offering
- यवम् (yavam)
- Literal: barley/grain. Symbolic: the essential substance to be offered—purified gain of experience
Agni as consumer/purifier of offerings and opener of nourishment; relevant to offering sequences where Agni ‘eats’ and transforms anna into subtle gain.
During kindling and offering sequences where Agni is invoked to ‘separate’ and ‘carry’ the essence
Offering grains/ghee; invoking Agni’s discrimination and strength
For inner hygiene: before work, study, or sadhana—invoke discernment to choose what to ‘feed’ the mind and what to burn away.
: often ‘strength, splendour’; linked to √paj/√bhaj semantic field debated; here ‘driving luminous might’. : sam+√vṛj/√vṛk ‘to remove, clear’ → clearing obstruction. : ‘jaw’ from √jambh ‘to crush/chew’ → fire’s consuming discrimination. : vi+√vic/√vij ‘to separate, discern’ → inner discrimination; yava ‘grain’ becomes symbol of sifted essence.
Tapas as transformative consumption, Discrimination (viveka-like separation) as a function of Agni, Rita as ordered ‘army-like’ advance of force
Agni’s ‘separating grain’ is r̥ta in action—discerning the true from the mixed in experience.
Truth is approached by purification and right choice, not by indiscriminate intensity.
Separation as creation: extracting essence from mixture; organizing forces for manifestation.
Yoga of works (kriyā) in Vedic form—consecration and discrimination leading to transformation.
Dry places = joyless inertia; foods/grain = energies and impressions; offering-tongue = consecrating discernment.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the devourer who clears and releases energies: he opens blocked nourishment in ‘dry’ states and advances like a deployed host. Psychologically, the flame of will consumes inertia and extracts the usable essence from mixed impulses.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vic ‘separate’ (vivekṣi) belongs to an IE discrimination/splitting semantic family (cf. Latin vicis ‘alternation’ is not direct but shows related partition concepts). The imagery of ‘jaws’ as instrumentality preserves archaic somatic metaphors typical of early IE poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi trusts Agni’s discernment: the human offers mixed ‘foods’ (energies), and Agni reciprocates by sorting, consuming, and converting them into a disciplined forward movement that supports the sacrificer’s growth.
Bring Agni into the body: feel warmth/clarity spreading through the ‘earth’ of the system; let it bite through dryness and release energy.
Maṇipūra (digestive fire) grounding into Mūlādhāra (earth stability)
Kapalabhāti (mild, if appropriate) or steady diaphragmatic breathing to awaken ‘digestive’ clarity.
Dynamic steadiness; purified readiness.
Practice ‘selection’: choose one impulse/thought as offering (yava) and release the rest into the fire. Then act in one direction like an ‘army released’—no scattered effort.
Ṛgvedic accents; maintain udātta prominence on pājaḥ, prasitiḥ, juhvā.
Chant with a marching steadiness; keep caesura natural in each pāda to avoid rushing.
Retroflex ṭ in prasitiṣ ṭa (if sandhi realized) should be crisp, jambhaiḥ: clear bh + aiḥ diphthong, vivekṣi: keep kṣ cluster sharp
Firm and grounded; slightly percussive consonants to convey ‘clearing’ and ‘advance’.
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