Rig Veda 7.10.2: Mandala 7, Sukta 10, Mantra 2
Sukta 7.10
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
स्वर्ण वस्तोरुषसामरोचि यज्ञं तन्वाना उशिजो न मन्म । अग्निर्जन्मानि देव आ वि विद्वान्द्रवद्दूतो देवयावा वनिष्ठः ॥
svàrṇa vástor uṣásām arocī yajñáṃ tanvānā uśíjo ná mánma | agnír jánmāni devá ā́ ví vidvā́n drávad dūtó deva-yā́vā ván iṣṭhaḥ ||
उषांच्या आगमनकाळी स्वर्गाच्या सुवर्णासारखा तो तेजस्वी झाला; यज्ञ पसरवीत, उशिज् (उत्सुक साधक) यांसारखा मन (संकल्प) घडवितो. जन्मे जाणणारा देव अग्नी दूत होऊन धावतो—देवांकडे जाणाऱ्या यात्रेत सर्वांत अग्रस्थानी.
Word by Word
- स्वः
- in heaven; aloftIndeclinableअव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot स्वस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक) / स्वर्ग-भाव
- वर्णः
- lustre; colour; radianceNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
- वस्तोः
- of the dwelling; of the houseNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग (वेदे ‘वस्तु’), षष्ठी, एकवचनRole SambandhaRoot वस्तु/वस्तु (प्रातिपदिक) → वस्तोः (वस्- ‘dwelling, home’ in Vedic usage)
- उषसाम्
- of the dawnsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole SambandhaRoot उषस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अरोचि
- shone forth; became brightVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole KriyāRoot रुच् (धातु)
- यज्ञम्
- the sacrificeNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
- तन्वाना
- spreading; extendingVerbवर्तमान-कृदन्त (शानच्), आत्मनेपद-भाव, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (उषसा-सम्बद्धा)Role KartāRoot तन् (धातु) + शानच्
- उशिजः
- the eager ones; the zealous worshippers (priests)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot उशिज् (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like; asIndeclinableअव्ययRole Upamāna-markerRoot न (अव्यय)
- मन्यम्
- thought; intentionNounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (वेदे चल), द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मन्/मनस् (प्रातिपदिक; Vedic ‘manya’ = thought/intent)
- अग्निः
- AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- जन्मानि
- births; originsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवः
- the godNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Apposition (to Kartā)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards; forthIndeclinableउपसर्गRole PreverbRoot आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वि
- apart; distinctlyIndeclinableउपसर्गRole PreverbRoot वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- विद्वान्
- knowing; wiseAdjectiveभूतकृदन्त (विद्वस्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (अग्नि-विशेषण)Role Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇaRoot विद् (धातु) + वस् (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
- द्रवत्
- runs; hastensVerbलट्, परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole KriyāRoot द्रु/द्रव् (धातु)
- दूतः
- messengerNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (appositional)Root दूत (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवयावा
- god-ward; going to the godsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (दूत/अग्नि-विशेषण)Role Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇaRoot देव-यावन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘going to/for the gods’)
- वनिष्ठः
- most beloved; most desirableAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (अग्नि-विशेषण)Role Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇaRoot वनिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; superlative of ‘dear/desired/pleasant’ in Vedic usage)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: स्वः | वर्णः | वस्तोः | उषसाम् | अरोचि || यज्ञम् | तन्वाना | उशिजः | न | मन्यम् || अग्निः | जन्मानि | देवः | आ | वि | विद्वान् | द्रवत् | दूतः | देवयावा | वनिष्ठः || 1) स्वर्ण → स्वः + वर्णः (विसर्ग-सन्धि: स्वः + व = स्वर्व-, लेखने ‘स्वर्ण’)
- 2) अग्निर्जन्मानि → अग्निः + जन्मानि (विसर्गः + ज → र्)
- 3) विद्वान्द्रवत् → विद्वान् + द्रवत् (न् + द् संयोग)
- 4) द्रवद्दूतो → द्रवत् + दूतः (त् + द् → द्द्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni shines like heaven’s gold at the coming of dawns; spreading the sacrifice, the thought is formed like that of eager seekers. Agni, the divine knower of births, runs as messenger, foremost in the journey to the gods.
Inner meaning
At the threshold of awakening, Agni appears as svarṇa—gold of the higher world—signifying supramental/intuitive light touching the mind. ‘Spreading the yajña’ is the expansion of conscious offering through all parts of the being. Manma (formed thought) becomes uśij-like: eager, seeking, disciplined aspiration. ‘Knowing the births’ points to Agni’s mastery over the soul’s many becomings—he recognizes the right emergence of powers and experiences. As dūta he moves swiftly between human consciousness and divine planes, leading the ascent (devayāvā) as the most forward (vaniṣṭhaḥ).
Universal truth
True progress comes when aspiration becomes organized offering: a luminous will that understands life’s stages and carries our intention upward with perseverance.
Themes
Agni as messenger, dawn-opening of sacrifice, aspiration (uśij), illumination and movement
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha (Maitrāvaruṇa lineage, as traditionally remembered)
- Other hymns
- RV 7.3, RV 7.4, RV 7.5, RV 7.10
Family tradition
Hymns of the Vasiṣṭhas frequently emphasize right formation (manma), orderly ascent, and Agni’s guidance through stages (janmāni).
Significance
Vasiṣṭha presents Agni as the architect of inner rite—forming thought, guiding transitions, and making aspiration effective across ‘many dawns’ of practice.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- deva (divine), dūta (messenger), janmāni vidvān (knower of births), vaniṣṭha (foremost)
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Vasus, Ādityas
Cosmic role
Carries offerings to the gods; initiates and sustains the yajña that maintains cosmic exchange and order.
Inner power
Discerning will that understands developmental stages and swiftly connects the seeker to higher powers.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni as dūta in soma and iṣṭi contexts; opening invocations where Agni is sent toward the gods
स्व१॒॑र्ण वस्तो॑रु॒षसा॑मरोचि य॒ज्ञं त॑न्वा॒ना उ॒शिजो॒ न मन्म॑ । अ॒ग्निर्जन्मा॑नि दे॒व आ वि वि॒द्वान्द्र॒वद्दू॒तो दे॑व॒यावा॒ वनि॑ष्ठः ॥
स्वः॑ । न । वस्तोः॑ । उ॒षसा॑म् । अ॒रो॒चि॒ । य॒ज्ञम् । त॒न्वा॒नाः । उ॒शिजः॑ । न । मन्म॑ । अ॒ग्निः । जन्मा॑नि । दे॒वः । आ । वि । वि॒द्वान् । द्र॒वत् । दू॒तः । दे॒व॒ऽयावा॑ । वनि॑ष्ठः ॥
svaḥ | na | vastoḥ | uṣasām | aroci | yajñam | tanvānāḥ | uśijaḥ | na | manma | agniḥ | janmāni | devaḥ | ā | vi | vidvān | dravat | dūtaḥ | deva-yāvā | vaniṣṭhaḥ
44
4×11 syllables (approx.)
Quickened, ‘running’ feel; suitable to dravad (he runs).
Energizes aspiration and gives a sense of forward motion; helps the mind ‘form’ a clear intention.
- svar / svarṇa
- Literal: heaven/light; golden. Symbolic: higher consciousness; truth-light in mind
- vastor uṣasām
- Literal: at the approach of dawns. Symbolic: repeated awakenings; successive openings in sadhana
- yajñaṃ tanvānāḥ
- Literal: spreading/expanding the sacrifice. Symbolic: making all life an offering; integrality of practice
- uśijaḥ
- Literal: eager seekers/zealous ones. Symbolic: aspirant forces in the being; concentrated tapas
- manma
- Literal: thought, intention. Symbolic: formed will-thought aligned to the Divine
- janmāni
- Literal: births. Symbolic: successive inner becomings; emergence of faculties
- dūtaḥ
- Literal: messenger. Symbolic: linking power between human and divine consciousness
- devayāvā
- Literal: going to the gods. Symbolic: movement toward higher planes/powers
- vaniṣṭhaḥ
- Literal: most forward/foremost. Symbolic: leader-impulse that pioneers the path
Morning rite: Agni shines at dawn, spreads the yajña, and runs as messenger to bring the gods—an archetypal opening movement of the offering.
Morning or dawn-adjacent portions; also whenever Agni is invoked as messenger
Kindling, offering, and dispatching Agni to bring divine powers to the rite
Use at the start of work/study: set a ‘manma’ (clear intention) and mentally offer it into the inner fire to carry it upward.
√ruc ‘shine’ (arocī); √tan ‘stretch’ (tanvānāḥ); √vid ‘know’ (vidvān); √dru ‘run’ (dravat); √van ‘win/desire’ (vaniṣṭha). uśíj- denotes ardent seekers; in inner sense: the intensities of aspiration that ‘stretch’ the yajña.
knowledge of becomings (janmāni vidvān), yajña as expansion of consciousness, divine path (deva-yā)
‘Spreading the yajña’ is the extension of ṛta into life—orderly offering rather than scattered impulse.
Svarṇa radiance suggests truth-light shaping intention (manma).
Repeated dawns as iterative creation in consciousness; births as progressive manifestation of powers.
Vedic yoga of ascent (integral psychology): formation of will-thought under truth-light.
dawn
Dawn = renewed openings; gold = higher light; fire = will that organizes and carries aspiration.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The dawn-opening and messenger-run: Agni appears with dawn’s gold, expands the sacrifice, and ‘runs’ as dūta toward the gods—mythically the link between worlds; psychologically the quickened will carrying the formed intention (manma) upward.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vid ‘know’ is PIE *weyd- (cf. Latin vidēre, English ‘wit’). √ruc ‘shine’ belongs to an IE light lexicon (though direct cognates vary). √dru ‘run’ aligns with PIE *drew- ‘run’ (cf. Sanskrit dravati; possible relation to ‘drift’ in Germanic semantic field).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s manma (inspired intention) participates in the stretching of yajña; Agni reciprocates by knowing the right ‘births’ (processes of manifestation) and by actively moving as envoy on the deva-yā, ensuring divine descent into the human work.
Form a single luminous intention (manma) and let it ‘run’ upward as an offering.
vishuddha (formation of word-thought)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) to stabilize intention before chanting
Collected aspiration; directed upward movement.
Before chanting, name one inner ‘birth’ you seek (a quality to manifest). Chant, then visualize Agni carrying that seed upward in a golden current; end with quiet listening for guidance.
Maintain traditional accents; highlight the cadence around dravad dūtaḥ with clear udātta rise.
Do not over-emphasize consonant clusters; keep vowels open, especially svar/aro ci.
svar: short, clear ‘svar’ (not ‘swār’), uṣasām: long ā; retroflex ṣ, tanvānāḥ: keep ‘nvā’ smooth; long ā, vidvān: dental d, clear v, devayāvā: long ā twice; avoid collapsing syllables
Focused and forward; slightly brighter on ‘svarṇa’ imagery.
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