Rig Veda 1.1.7: Mandala 1, Sukta 1, Mantra 7
Sukta 1.1
- Rishi
- Madhucchandas Vaiśvāmitra
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace)
उप त्वाग्ने दिवेदिवे दोषावस्तर्धिया वयम् । नमो भरन्त एमसि ॥
úpa tvāgne divédivé dóṣāvastar dhiyā vayám | námo bháranta émasi ||
Wahai Agni, kepada-Mu kami mendekat hari demi hari; pada malam dan ketika fajar menjelang kami menghampiri dengan fikiran yang terjaga, membawa sembah-hormat—memohon masuk ke hadirat-Mu yang bercahaya serta pimpinan-Mu.
Word by Word
- उप
- near, towards (prefix/adverb)Indeclinableनिपात/उपसर्ग (अव्यय)Root उप (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- त्वा
- you (object)Pronounद्वितीया, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role KarmaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- दिवे-दिवे
- day by dayNoun (reduplicated adverbial)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (अव्ययीभावार्थ: ‘प्रतिदिन’)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक: दिवस्/दिव)
- दोषा-वस्तः
- at night and at dawnNoun (dvandva compound)द्वन्द्व-समास, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (कालद्वयम्)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot दोषा (स्त्री) + वस्तु/वस्तः (प्रातिपदिक: वस्तः ‘प्रभात’)
- धिया
- with (our) thought/insightNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot धी (प्रातिपदिक)
- वयम्
- wePronounप्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नमः
- homage, reverenceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (कर्मरूपेण ‘नमः’ = ‘प्रणामम्’)Role KarmaRoot नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- भरन्तः
- bearing, bringingVerb-participleवर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (वयम्-समन्वयः)Root √भृ (भरति) धातु
- एमसि
- we go/come (approach)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचनRoot √इ (एति) धातु
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: उप | त्वा | अग्ने | दिवे-दिवे | दोषा-वस्तः | धिया | वयम् | नमः | भरन्तः | एमसि । 1) ‘उप त्वा’ इत्यत्र उपसर्ग ‘उप’ + सर्वनाम ‘त्वा’ (द्वितीया) — संधिः विशेषः नास्ति। 2) ‘दिवेदिवे’ = ‘दिवे दिवे’ (पुनरुक्ति; चतुर्थी-एकवचनस्य अव्ययीभावार्थः ‘प्रतिदिन’)। 3) ‘दोषावस्तः’ = ‘दोषा वस्तः’ (द्वन्द्वसमास; ‘रात्रौ च प्रभाते च’ इत्यर्थे कालाधिकरणम्)। 4) ‘नमो भरन्तः’ = ‘नमः भरन्तः’ (विसर्गः परे भकारे प्रायः ‘ओ’ इव श्रूयते; संहितायां ‘नमो’ इति रूपम्)।
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Agni, we approach you day after day, at night and at dawn, with thought, bearing reverence.
Inner meaning
The practice is continual (dive-dive): the seeker repeatedly returns to the inner Fire. ‘Night and dawn’ are psychological states—obscurity and awakening. With dhī (illumined thought, awakened intelligence) and namas (self-submission, ego-bowing), we draw near to the guiding Flame so that it may lead the inner journey.
Universal truth
Regular return to the inner center—through reverent attention and clarity of thought—carries one through cycles of darkness and illumination.
Themes
daily invocation, inner sacrifice, aspiration and surrender, transition from darkness to light, Agni as guide/mediator
The seer
- Rishi
- Madhucchandas Vaiśvāmitra
- Lineage
- Vaiśvāmitra
- Other hymns
- RV 1.1.1-9
Family tradition
A visionary tradition where dhī (inspired intelligence) is central; opening hymns establish the rhythm of daily inner sacrifice.
Significance
The rishi frames yoga as repetition and rhythm: approach the Fire through all inner ‘times’—clarity and confusion—until guidance becomes continuous.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Approachable (implied by upa/ā), Guide through night and dawn
- Related deities
- Ushas, Sūrya, Indra
Cosmic role
Maintains the sacrificial continuity across time; awakens the dawn of consciousness and guards through the night.
Inner power
The ever-available flame of aspiration that can be contacted repeatedly to reorient the being.
In ritual
Where it is used
Daily Agni-upāsanā / Agnihotra-style approach; also opening of rites where Agni is invited repeatedly.
उप॑ त्वाग्ने दि॒वेदि॑वे॒ दोषा॑वस्तर्धि॒या व॒यम् । नमो॒ भर॑न्त॒ एम॑सि ॥
उप॑ । त्वा॒ । अ॒ग्ने॒ । दि॒वेऽदि॑वे । दोषा॑ऽवस्तः । धि॒या । व॒यम् । नमः॑ । भर॑न्तः । आ । इ॒म॒सि॒ ॥
upa | tvā | agne | dive--dive | doṣāvastaḥ | dhiyā | vayam | namaḥ | bharantaḥ | ā | imasi
24
3x8
Processional and repetitive; suited to daily recitation.
Creates a habit-groove in the mind; steadies attention and builds devotional discipline.
- उप (upa)
- Literal: near, towards. Symbolic: inner approach: turning consciousness inward to the psychic flame
- दिवेऽदिवे (dive-dive)
- Literal: day by day. Symbolic: constancy of sādhanā; repeated consecration
- दोषाऽवस्तः (doṣā-vastaḥ)
- Literal: night and dawn. Symbolic: alternation of obscurity and awakening in the mind-life
- धिया (dhiyā)
- Literal: by thought, by intelligence. Symbolic: illumined understanding; right discernment that guides offering
- नमः (namaḥ)
- Literal: reverence, bowing. Symbolic: ego-surrender; making oneself fit to receive guidance
- भरन्तः (bharantaḥ)
- Literal: bearing, carrying. Symbolic: actively bringing reverence and offering, not passive belief
- आ इमसि (ā imasi)
- Literal: we come/approach. Symbolic: entry into Agni’s presence—alignment with the inner guide
Agnyādhāna and daily Agnihotra orientation; generally applicable as an Agni-invocation in the opening of Soma rites (e.g., Agniṣṭoma) as the kindling of the priestly/fire principle
Morning and evening (sandhyā-like rhythm); also whenever beginning study/meditation.
Approach the fire, offer namas and oblation; inwardly: recollect, bow, kindle aspiration.
Use as a ‘daily return’ mantra: morning (dawn) and night (before sleep) to reconnect with inner guidance.
Key terms: (1) (agni-) traditionally from √ag/√añj debated; Vedic usage centers on 'fire' as the force that leads and transforms; here voc. marks direct invocation. (2) (dhī) from √dhī/√dhyai 'to think, contemplate': not ordinary mentation but inspired, truth-seeking discernment (a vehicle of ṛta). Instr. sg. indicates the means of approach. (3) (namaḥ) from √nam 'to bend, bow': psychological sense of ego-bending into receptivity and self-giving. (4) (bharantaḥ) pres. act. ptc. nom. pl. from √bhṛ 'to bear, carry': the sacrificers 'carry' the offering—inner energies and attention—to Agni. (5) (imasi) 1pl. pres. from √i 'to go': a dynamic progression; with / suggests graded approach and entry. (6) is a reduplicated distributive (dive-dive) expressing continual recurrence—an inner discipline renewed each day.
Ṛta (right order) as the regularity of approach 'day by day', tapas/inner heat as the sustaining of Agni, dhī as the luminous faculty aligning mind to Truth
Day/night alternation mirrors ṛta; practice aligns personal rhythm with cosmic rhythm.
Dhī becomes satya when it is offered in namas and guided by Agni.
Daily re-creation of the inner being through repeated consecration.
Yoga of works and knowledge (Aurobindo): dhī + namas as twin instruments.
night and dawn (doṣā-vastaḥ)
Night = subconscious inertia/confusion; Dawn = awakening insight; Fire = will that persists through both.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The foundational mythologem is the 'approach to Agni' as the ever-present mediator who receives offerings and opens the way. Night-and-dawn marks the cyclic passage from obscurity to illumination: the seeker repeatedly returns to the flame of will/aspiration so that the hidden light can be recovered and established in consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The verb √i 'to go' (imasi) continues PIE *h₁ey- 'to go' (cf. Lat. eō 'I go'). √bhṛ 'to bear' (bharantaḥ) reflects PIE *bʰer- 'to carry' (cf. Eng. bear, Gk. phérō). √nam 'to bend' (namaḥ) aligns with PIE *nem- 'to allot/bend' and the broader Indo-European gesture of reverential bowing. The distributive repetition in divé-divé parallels Indo-European poetic emphasis through iteration to express regularity and ritual recurrence.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- It is reciprocal and developmental: the human side offers dhī (clarified intelligence) and namas (ego-bending reverence), while Agni—once approached and kindled—returns guidance, purification, and the opening of the path toward ṛta. The verse encodes dakṣiṇā not as payment but as inner giving: the seeker 'bears' the offering of attention and will, and Agni responds by making the passage from night to dawn inwardly effective.
Daily reconnection: ‘approach the flame with dhī and namas’—attention + surrender.
anahata
Evening: lengthen exhale to quiet; Morning: gentle inhale emphasis to ‘rise’ into dhī.
Recollected, devotional, attentive.
Twice daily, sit 3–5 minutes: recall the inner flame at the heart; bring one clear intention (dhī), then soften into reverence (namas). Let guidance arise as a calm directive.
Gāyatrī with clear udātta on vocative ‘agné’ and on emphasized temporal markers as per tradition; keep the cadence even across the repeated ‘dive-dive’.
Do not rush ‘doṣā-vastaḥ’; articulate the compound cleanly; keep ‘dhiyā’ lightly elevated (mental clarity).
tvāgne: consonant cluster ‘tvāg-’ clean, no extra vowel, dive-dive: short ‘i’, repeat evenly, doṣā: long ‘ā’; ṣ retroflex, vastaḥ: ‘st’ crisp; final visarga soft, namas: single ‘a’, not ‘namah’ in connected chant unless pausing
Steady, prayerful, slightly inward.
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