Rig Veda Sukta 59
Mandala 1Sukta 597 Mantras

Sukta 59

Sukta 1.59

Rishi

Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya (traditional for RV 1.59)

Devata

Agni Vaiśvānara

Chandas

Triṣṭubh (11-syllable pādas, standard for many Agni hymns here)

Himne ini memuji Agni sebagai Vaiśvānara—api sejagat yang di dalamnya semua api lain bersukacita—serta sebagai “pusar” (ikatan pusat) penempatan manusia yang menyatukan orang ramai dalam tatanan yang benar. Agni ditampilkan sebagai Hotṛ yang terilham, yang membawa puji-pujian dan persembahan purba yang perkasa kepada para dewa, lalu menganugerahkan kekuatan, kemakmuran, dan kehidupan yang tertib kepada keturunan Bharadvāja dan kepada semua bangsa.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 1.59

Mantras

Mantra 1

वया इदग्ने अग्नयस्ते अन्ये त्वे विश्वे अमृता मादयन्ते । वैश्वानर नाभिरसि क्षितीनां स्थूणेव जनाँ उपमिद्ययन्थ ॥

Wahai Agni, sesungguhnya semua api yang lain bersukacita dalam engkau, satu Api Yang Tidak-Mati. Wahai Vaiśvānara, engkau ialah pusat (pusar) dan simpul utama tempat kediaman; seperti tiang engkau menegakkan manusia bersama, menuntun mereka kepada sukatan dan tertib yang benar.

Mantra 2

मूर्धा दिवो नाभिरग्निः पृथिव्या अथाभवदरती रोदस्योः । तं त्वा देवासोऽजनयन्त देवं वैश्वानर ज्योतिरिदार्याय ॥

Agni menjadi kepala Langit dan pusar Bumi; kemudian ia berdiri sebagai penggerak yang giat di antara dua dunia. Para dewa melahirkan engkau, wahai Vaiśvānara yang ilahi—suatu cahaya benar bagi pencari Arya.

Mantra 3

आ सूर्ये न रश्मयो ध्रुवासो वैश्वानरे दधिरेऽग्ना वसूनि । या पर्वतेष्वोषधीष्वप्सु या मानुषेष्वसि तस्य राजा ॥

Seperti sinar-sinar pada Surya, teguh dan tetap, kekayaan-kekayaan wujud itu diletakkan dalam Agni Vaiśvānara. Apa jua yang ada di gunung-gunung, pada tumbuh-tumbuhan, di perairan, dan apa jua yang ada pada manusia—atas semuanya itu engkaulah raja.

Mantra 4

बृहती इव सूनवे रोदसी गिरो होता मनुष्यो न दक्षः । स्वर्वते सत्यशुष्माय पूर्वीर्वैश्वानराय नृतमाय यह्वीः ॥

Bagaikan Dua Dunia yang luas bagi puteranya, demikianlah nyanyian-nyanyian mengalir—Agni sang Hotar, mahir laksana manusia yang sempurna keupayaannya. Bagi penguasa alam bercahaya, bagi dia yang berdaya sejati, ujaran-ujaran purba nan perkasa meluru menuju Vaiśvānara, pemimpin paling jantan antara para pemimpin.

Mantra 5

दिवश्चित्ते बृहतो जातवेदो वैश्वानर प्र रिरिचे महित्वम् । राजा कृष्टीनामसि मानुषीणां युधा देवेभ्यो वरिवश्चकर्थ ॥

Bahkan melampaui langit yang luas, wahai Jātavedas Vaiśvānara, kebesaranmu telah melimpah. Engkau raja komuniti-komuniti manusia; dengan daya-perangmu engkau telah menyediakan ruang yang luas dan laluan yang bebas bagi para dewa.

Mantra 6

प्र नू महित्वं वृषभस्य वोचं यं पूरवो वृत्रहणं सचन्ते । वैश्वानरो दस्युमग्निर्जघन्वाँ अधूनोत्काष्ठा अव शम्बरं भेत् ॥

Kini aku menyuarakan kebesaran Sang Banteng, yang diiringi kaum Pūru sebagai pembunuh Vṛtra, sang penghalang. Vaiśvānara Agni, setelah menewaskan daya dasyu, menggoncang hingga terlerai sekatan-sekatan dan memecahkan Śambara.

Mantra 7

वैश्वानरो महिम्ना विश्वकृष्टिर्भरद्वाजेषु यजतो विभावा । शातवनेये शतिनीभिरग्निः पुरुणीथे जरते सूनृतावान् ॥

Vaiśvānara, dengan kebesarannya pembina segala bangsa, yang layak dipuja di kalangan Bharadvāja, yang bercahaya luas. Dalam perolehan ratusan dengan kekuatan seratus-ganda, Agni bertahan dalam banyak pimpinan, kaya dengan tutur yang benar dan membahagiakan.

Inside Sukta 59

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Agni is hailed as the one immortal fire in whom all other fires delight, the Vaiśvānara who is the “navel” of habitations and a pillar-like support of people (1.59.1).

  2. Development

    The hymn develops Agni’s priestly and cosmic roles: he is the skilled Hotṛ, the recipient of ancient powerful praises, and the luminous lord whose true strength draws inspired speech toward him (cf. 1.59.4).

  3. Climax

    Agni-Vaiśvānara is proclaimed great and world-forming—“builder of all peoples”—granting hundredfold winning and mighty capacities that sustain collective life.

  4. Where it settles

    It closes by rooting this universal power in the Bharadvāja tradition: Agni remains enduring through many guidances, rich in truthful, auspicious speech, continuing to protect and prosper the community (1.59.7).

The deity: Agni Vaiśvānara

  • In the VedaAgni is the immortal fire present in many forms—household flame, sacrificial fire, and cosmic light. As Vaiśvānara he is the fire “belonging to all men,” the central support of dwellings and the skilled Hotṛ who receives and elevates praise.
  • Cosmic functionMediator between humans and gods, transforming offerings into a divine share; the organizing principle of sacrifice that sustains ṛta (right order) and links earth and heaven.
  • Inner significanceThe illumined will and digestive/transformative power in the human being—conscience, aspiration, and inner heat that unifies scattered impulses and leads them toward measure, truth, and right action.

The seer

  • Bharadvāja BārhaspatyaBharadvāja gotra; traditionally “Bārhaspatya” (connected with Bṛhaspati/Angiras line) · A principal seer of the Rig Veda associated with powerful Agni hymns and the Bharadvāja family’s priestly tradition, emphasizing Agni as the organizer of sacrifice and social order.

Famous verses

vaiśvānara nābhir asi kṣitīnāṃ
Verse 1.59.1Defines the hymn’s core theology: Agni as the single immortal fire in whom all fires rejoice, and as Vaiśvānara the “navel” and pillar of human settlements—linking sacrifice, society, and ṛta.Read verse 1.59.1 →
बृहती इव सूनवे रोदसी गिरो होता मनुष्यो न दक्षः । स्वर्वते सत्यशुष्माय पूर्वीर्वैश्वानराय नृतमाय यह्वीः ॥
Verse 1.59.4Portrays Agni as the capable Hotṛ and the magnet of ancient inspired utterances, connecting the hymn to the living ritual act of speech becoming offering.Read verse 1.59.4 →
vaiśvānaro mahimnā viśvakṛṣṭiḥ
Verse 1.59.7Summative exaltation: Vaiśvānara as “builder of all peoples,” wide-shining and adored among the Bharadvājas, granting hundredfold strength and enduring guidance.Read verse 1.59.7 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Universal (vaiśvānara) presence in all fires
  • Hotṛ-priest and messenger of offerings
  • Pillar/support of communities and households
  • Bearer of ṛta: measure, order, and right alignment
  • Wide-shining (vibhāvā), luminous and strengthening
  • Giver of prosperity and “hundredfold” powers

Also by this seer

  • Numerous Rig Veda hymns attributed to the Bharadvājas, especially in Mandala 6 (the Bharadvāja family book)
  • Agni and Indra praise hymns across the early mandalas in the Bharadvāja tradition
  • Later Vedic memory links Bharadvāja with priestly lineages and transmission of ritual knowledge (śrauta orientation)

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare the altar/āhavanīya or gārhapatya fire space; establish purity and silence
  • Kindle or brighten Agni (samidh-ādhāna) with dry fuel while reciting opening praise to Vaiśvānara
  • Invite Agni as Hotṛ to take the seat and carry the hymn and offerings to the gods
  • Offer oblations in measured sequence (āhuti), affirming Agni as the “navel” that binds the settlement and aligns it with ṛta
  • Conclude with a prosperity request—strength, orderly life, and enduring protection for the people/lineage

Offerings

  • Ghee (ājya) oblations
  • Kindling sticks (samidh)
  • Grain or cakes in domestic contexts (anna/puroḍāśa where applicable)
  • Soma-related praise in the wider sacrificial frame (when integrated into soma rites)

Frequently Asked Questions

Vaiśvānara is Agni as the universal fire shared by all people—present in homes, in sacrifice, and as a cosmic power that holds communities together.

It means Agni is the central bond of settled life: the hearth and ritual fire around which order, unity, and right measure (ṛta) are established.

It can be recited during lighting a lamp or tending a sacred fire, with a simple ghee offering, to invoke clarity, inner strength, and harmony in the household or community.

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