Rig Veda 1.74.5: Mandala 1, Sukta 74, Mantra 5
Sukta 1.74
- Rishi
- Gotama Rāhūgaṇa
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
तमित्सुहव्यमङ्गिरः सुदेवं सहसो यहो । जना आहुः सुबर्हिषम् ॥
tám ít su-hávyam aṅgiraḥ su-deváṃ sahaso yáho íti | jánā ā́huḥ su-bárhiṣam ||
Dialah sesungguhnya, wahai Aṅgiras, yang oleh manusia disebut “yang baik diseru,” “dewa yang mulia-bercahaya,” “dorongan daripada kekuatan,” dan “dia yang mempunyai barhis (hamparan suci) yang baik.”
Word by Word
- तम्
- him / that (one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इत्
- indeed, justIndeclinableनिपातः (अव्ययम्)Root इत् (निपात)
- सु-हव्यम्
- well-invocable; having good oblationsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (तम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्मRoot हव्य (प्रातिपदिक); उपसर्गः सु-
- अङ्गिरः
- O Aṅgiras (seer)Noun (vocative) / Proper nounपुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot अङ्गिरस् (ऋषि-नाम, प्रातिपदिक)
- सु-देवम्
- very divine; good as a godAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (तम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्मRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक); उपसर्गः सु-
- सहसः
- of might, of strengthNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (genitive) / हेतु-सम्बन्धःRoot सहस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- यहो
- O fame / O glorious oneNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे सम्बोधन/प्रथमा एकवचनम् (वैदिकः रूपभेदः: यशो/यहो)Role सम्बोधन (अङ्गिरः इत्यस्य सह-सम्बोधनम्)Root यशस् (प्रातिपदिक; वैदिक रूपम्)
- जनाः
- peopleNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot जन (प्रातिपदिक)
- आहुः
- they have said / they sayVerbलिट् (परोक्शभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुषः बहुवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot अह् (धातु) → आह (परोक्श/परफेक्ट) बहुवचनम्
- सु-बर्हिषम्
- having good sacred grass (good barhis); well-strewnAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (तम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (आहुः इत्यस्य उक्त-वस्तु)Root बर्हिस् (प्रातिपदिक); उपसर्गः सु-
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: तम् इत् सुहव्यम् अङ्गिरः सुदेवम् सहसः यहो । जनाः आहुः सुबर्हिषम् ॥ 1) तमित् → तम् + इत् (निपात-सन्धिः; म् + इ = मि)
- 2) सुहव्यम्, सुदेवम्, सुबर्हिषम्: सु- उपसर्गपूर्वक-समास/उपपद-योगः (सु + हव्य/देव/बर्हिस्)
- 3) जनाः आहुः: विसर्गः पदान्ते, परतः स्वरादौ (आ-)—पदपाठे पृथक्। 4) यहो: वैदिक रूपभेदः यशो/यहो (यशस्-शब्दस्य नपुंसक एकवचनम्; मन्त्रपाठे ‘यहो’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Him men call, O Angiras, the well-invoked, the good god, the impulse of might, and he of the good sacred seat (barhis).
Inner meaning
The verse gathers names that describe Agni’s inner functions. ‘Suhavyam’—easy to invoke—because the flame is nearest to our nature when we aspire. ‘Sudevam’—a god of noble shining—indicates the luminous divinity within will. ‘Sahaso yaho’—the impetus of force—Agni as the dynamic push of tapas that drives progress. ‘Subarhiṣam’—good barhis—suggests the well-prepared seat/ground of offering: a purified, receptive foundation in the being where higher powers can descend and settle.
Universal truth
Spiritual realization depends on right invocation, inner luminosity, dynamic force, and a prepared foundation. Names are not labels but powers: to call the divine rightly is to awaken its corresponding function in us.
Themes
Agni-epithets, Invocation, Preparation of the inner altar, Rita-oriented worship
The seer
- Rishi
- Gotama Rāhūgaṇa (traditional attribution noted)
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 1.75 (associated in some Anukramaṇīs), RV 1.74 (as grouped in certain listings)
Family tradition
Gautama seers are associated with clarity of vision and luminous formulation; here the hymn functions as a naming of Agni’s operative powers.
Significance
The rishi offers a compact ‘mantric theology’ of Agni: invocation, luminosity, force, and prepared foundation—four pillars of effective inner sacrifice.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- suhavya, sudeva, sahaso yahaḥ, subarhiṣ
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (mantric invocation), Soma (delight that stabilizes), Indra (victory-force complement)
Cosmic role
The god who is called first; the luminous force that establishes the seat of sacrifice and energizes its movement.
Inner power
Responsive flame of aspiration (suhavya), shining divinity in will (sudeva), driving tapas-force (yahaḥ), and builder of a stable inner foundation (subarhiṣ).
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni-stuti (praise) used to establish the deity’s names/qualities before offerings
तमित्सु॑ह॒व्यम॑ङ्गिरः सुदे॒वं स॑हसो यहो । जना॑ आहुः सुब॒र्हिष॑म् ॥
तम् । इत् । सु॒ऽह॒व्यम् । अ॒ङ्गि॒रः॒ । सु॒ऽदे॒वम् । स॒ह॒सः॒ । य॒हो॒ इति॑ । जनाः॑ । आ॒हुः॒ । सु॒ऽब॒र्हिष॑म् ॥
tam | it | su-havyam | aṅgiraḥ | su-devam | sahasaḥ | yaho iti | janāḥ | āhuḥ | su-barhiṣam
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4 pādas × 11 syllables (typical triṣṭubh)
Broader, more descriptive and declarative than gāyatrī; allows epithet-stacking with dignified pace.
Creates a spacious ‘naming’ field—good for contemplation of qualities and establishing inner foundation.
- सुहव्यम् (su-havyam)
- Literal: well-invoked; easy to call. Symbolic: the accessible inner flame that responds to sincerity
- अङ्गिरः (aṅgiraḥ)
- Literal: O Angiras (seer-lineage / epithet). Symbolic: the lineage of flame-seers; the power of luminous will and word
- सुदेवम् (su-devam)
- Literal: good/noble god. Symbolic: inner divinity of will—pure, luminous, beneficent
- सहसः यहः (sahaso yahaḥ)
- Literal: impulse/drive of might. Symbolic: tapas-shakti: the pushing force that breaks inertia and advances growth
- सुबर्हिषम् (su-barhiṣam)
- Literal: having good barhis (sacred grass/seat). Symbolic: a well-prepared inner seat—purified mind-heart as receptacle for descent
- जनाः आहुः (janāḥ āhuḥ)
- Literal: people say/call. Symbolic: the consensus of experience across seekers; the many parts of being recognizing Agni’s powers
Agnyādhāna/Agnihotra and general Agni-invocation contexts; verse functions as epithets establishing Agni’s fitness as hotṛ and as the prepared seat for the gods.
During introductory praises, especially when emphasizing Agni’s epithets and readiness to be invoked.
Recite while preparing barhis/seat in ritual; inwardly, prepare a calm and pure base for practice.
Use as a contemplative mantra: reflect on each epithet as a quality to awaken—responsiveness, purity, force, receptivity.
su-havyam: su- ‘well’ + havya ‘that which is to be invoked/offered’ (√hu/√hū ‘to call, invoke; to offer in sacrifice’). su-devam: su- + deva (from √div ‘to shine’), hence ‘well-shining, noble luminous’. sahasaḥ: gen. of sahas ‘force, might’ (√sah ‘to be able, to prevail’), suggesting dynamic capacity/tapas. āhuḥ: perfect of √ah ‘to say’. barhis: ritual grass-spread; philologically tied to ‘covering/spread’ (cf. √bṛh/√barh ‘to grow, expand’ in semantic neighborhood), used here as the ‘seat’ where powers descend—psychologically the prepared field of consciousness.
Tapas/Sahas (dynamic force of realization), Vāc (naming as a power of manifestation), Adhvara (right-ordered action implied by barhis preparation)
‘Subarhiṣ’ implies right preparation—ṛta as correct foundation for descent and action.
True naming (nāma) is a satya-act: the word calls forth the power it signifies.
Invocation as a creative act: by calling, the god/power becomes manifest in the field of consciousness.
Mantra-yoga within Vedic frame: nāma as shakti; qualities as powers to be embodied.
Fire = awakened will; barhis = prepared mind-heart ground; ‘impulse of might’ = rising inner heat (tapas) driving evolution.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the “naming and enthroning of Agni”: the divine Fire is established through epithets (su-havya, su-deva, su-barhis) as the power that can be called down and seated. In inner terms, it is the ignition of the will of aspiration and the preparation of the consciousness (barhis) so that higher powers can descend and act.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- deva < √div ‘shine’ aligns with PIE *diw- (‘sky/daylight’; cf. Latin deus, Greek Zeus). sahas < √sah ‘prevail’ relates to PIE *seǵh-/*sēgʰ- ‘to hold out, overcome’ (cf. English ‘seek’ is different; better comparanda are Indo-Iranian: Av. hazah- ‘strength’). The verse’s compounding with su- (‘good, well-’) is a productive inherited pattern (PIE *su-), emphasizing evaluative intensification.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi functions as identifier and installer: by true speech (āhuḥ) he ‘fixes’ Agni’s forms in the human field. The reciprocity is implicit: when Agni is recognized as ‘well-invoked’ and ‘well-seated,’ he in turn becomes capable of carrying the offering/aspiration upward and bringing the gods’ powers downward into the prepared barhis of the seeker.
Contemplate and awaken four functions: invoke (call), illumine (shine), energize (push), and prepare (seat).
Anāhata (invocation/devotion) and Maṇipūra (force)
Four-part breath: inhale (suhavya), hold (sudeva), exhale (sahaso yahaḥ), pause (subarhiṣ).
Receptive awe with stable foundation.
Chant slowly 4 times, each time dwelling on one epithet; then sit 5 minutes feeling a ‘clean seat’ in the heart where the flame rests steadily.
Triṣṭubh chanting benefits from measured udatta peaks on epithets; exact svara requires śākhā notation.
Let each epithet land clearly: su-havyam | su-devam | sahaso yaho | su-barhiṣam.
: ‘su-ha-vyam’ (cluster ‘vy’ clean), : ‘aṅ-gi-raḥ’ with velar nasal ‘ṅ’, : ‘sa-ha-saḥ’ (visarga light), : ‘su-bar-hi-ṣam’ with retroflex ‘ṣ’
Dignified, resonant, contemplative.
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