Rig Veda 10.20.7: Mandala 10, Sukta 20, Mantra 7
Sukta 10.20
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
यज्ञासाहं दुव इषेऽग्निं पूर्वस्य शेवस्य । अद्रेः सूनुमायुमाहुः ॥
yajñāsā́haṃ dúva iṣe’gníṃ pū́rvasya śévasyá | ádreḥ sūnúm ā́yum ā́huḥ ||
Aku memohon khidmat kepada Agni, penakluk dalam yajña, Yang Purba lagi membawa sejahtera. Mereka menamakannya putera batu—Āyu, Hidup itu sendiri—lahir daripada asas yang teguh.
Word by Word
- यज्ञासाहम्
- yajña-conquering / victorious in sacrificeAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (अग्निम् का विशेषण)Role Karma (अग्निम् के साथ)Root यज्ञासाह (प्रातिपदिक; यज्ञ + साह ‘सहने/जितने में समर्थ’)
- दुवः
- worship, service, reverent offeringNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (वेदिक रूप: दुवः = दुवस्)Role Karma (इषे ‘इच्छामि/याचे’ का)Root दु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘दु/दव’ = दान/पूजा/सेवा; RV में ‘दुवस्’)
- इषे
- I seek / I desire / I askVerbलट्, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद (वेदिक प्रयोग: ‘मैं चाहता/याचता हूँ’)Role Kartā (अहं निहित)Root इष् (धातु; इच्छायाम्/प्रार्थनायाम्)
- अग्निम्
- Agni (the fire-god)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (इषे का)Root अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- पूर्वस्य
- of the former/earlierAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (शेवस्य का विशेषण)Role Sambandha (genitive relation)Root पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- शेवस्य
- of favor, grace, auspicious helpNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive relation; ‘पूर्वस्य शेवस्य’ = ‘पूर्व अनुग्रह/कल्याण’ का)Root शेव (प्रातिपदिक; ‘शिव/कल्याण/अनुग्रह’ अर्थ-क्षेत्र)
- अद्रेः
- of the stone/rock (pressing-stone)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive relation)Root अद्रि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘पत्थर/शिला’; RV में सोम-पीषण-शिला भी)
- सूनुम्
- sonNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (आहुः का)Root सूनु (प्रातिपदिक)
- आयुम्
- life, vital forceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (सूनुम् का विशेषण/समन्वय)Role Karma (आहुः का; सूनुम् के साथ)Root आयु (प्रातिपदिक)
- आहुः
- they have said / they callVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole Kartā (ते/जनाः निहित)Root अह् (धातु; ब्रू/वद्-अर्थे ‘कथने’)
Sandhi Notes
- मन्त्र-पाठ: यज्ञासाहं दुव इषेऽग्निं पूर्वस्य शेवस्य । अद्रेः सूनुमायुमाहुः ॥ Sandhi resolution: (1) इषेऽग्निम् = इषे + अग्निम् (ए + अ → एऽ)
- (2) सूनुमायुमाहुः = सूनुम् + आयुम् + आहुः (म् + आ → मा; आयुम् + आहुः → आयुमा-हुः)
- अन्य पद यथावत्। Accent note (general): उदात्त/अनुदात्त/स्वरित चिह्न पाठ में हैं
The meaning
Outer meaning
The speaker seeks to serve Agni, victorious in sacrifice, ancient and auspicious. Agni is called the “son of the rock,” and identified with Āyu (life-force).
Inner meaning
The seeker turns to the inner Fire (Agni) as the conquering will in the yoga of self-offering (yajña). “Ancient auspicious” indicates the timeless divine helper already present in the depths. “Son of the rock (adri)” points to the flame born from the firm foundation of being—out of the dense, resistant base (inconscient/subconscient) arises the will-to-progress; thus Agni is Āyu, the true life-power that can endure and lead the inner sacrifice.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress begins when our will aligns with the divine Will. From the most solid and resistant layers of nature, a higher life-force can be born, turning inertia into a stable foundation for awakening.
Themes
Agni victory, Hidden fire, Vitality (Āyu)
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.20.10 (names Vimadá)
Significance
The anonymity fits the universal voice of aspiration: the human seeker calling the inner Fire to take up leadership of the sacrifice of life.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (as Āyu; ‘son of the rock’)
- Epithets
- yajñāsaha (victorious in the sacrifice), pūrvasya (ancient), śevasya (auspicious), adreḥ sūnu (son of the rock), āyu (life)
- Related deities
- Soma (bliss/nectar that Agni helps release), Indra (illumined mind that works with Agni), Mitra (harmony implied by śeva/vāma themes nearby)
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine; awakener of powers; establisher of the right order in the offering.
Inner power
Flame of aspiration and discernment that arises from the dense base and converts life-energy into conscious progress.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnihotra / general Agni-invocation within soma and iṣṭi contexts (non-specific)
य॒ज्ञा॒साहं॒ दुव॑ इषे॒ऽग्निं पूर्व॑स्य॒ शेव॑स्य । अद्रे॑: सू॒नुमा॒युमा॑हुः ॥
य॒ज्ञ॒ऽसह॑म् । दुवः॑ । इ॒षे॒ । अ॒ग्निम् । पूर्व॑स्य । शेव॑स्य । अद्रेः॑ । सू॒नुम् । आ॒युम् । आ॒हुः॒ ॥
yajña-saham | duvaḥ | iṣe | agnim | pūrvasya | śevasya | adreḥ | sūnum | āyum | āhuḥ
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables (approx.)
Forward-driving, declarative cadence suited to invocation and resolve.
Builds steadiness and inner heat (tapas), encouraging the sense of a firm foundation from which aspiration rises.
- अग्नि (agni)
- Literal: fire; sacrificial flame. Symbolic: divine Will/psychic fire leading the inner yajña
- यज्ञसह (yajña-saha)
- Literal: conquering/prevailing in sacrifice. Symbolic: the will that overcomes inner resistances through consecration
- दुवः (duvaḥ)
- Literal: service, worship, reverent action. Symbolic: self-giving, obedience of nature to the soul’s aspiration
- पूर्वस्य (pūrvasya)
- Literal: ancient, former. Symbolic: timeless indwelling guide; the perennial flame in the heart
- शेव (śeva)
- Literal: auspicious, gracious, beneficent. Symbolic: the benevolent action of the divine Force that heals and harmonizes
- अद्रि (adri)
- Literal: rock, stone, mountain. Symbolic: dense foundation of being; the subconscient/inconscient basis; also the pressed Soma-stone as concentrated force
- सूनु (sūnu)
- Literal: son. Symbolic: a power born from a base—emergent flame of aspiration
- आयु (āyu)
- Literal: life, lifespan. Symbolic: true life-force (prāṇic-psychic vitality) sustained by Agni
Praise of Agni as victorious in yajña and as hidden fire brought forth; can accompany kindling/churning imagery and invocation for vitality.
At the kindling/invocation of Agni or when affirming Agni as leader of the rite
Offering (havis) with spoken praise to establish Agni as hotṛ/guide
Use at the start of meditation or sādhanā to ‘ignite’ will and align life-energy with a higher purpose.
sah from √sah ‘to conquer, prevail’. duvas ‘service’ from √du ‘to give/offer/service’ (Vedic). āyu from √i ‘to go, live’ or a lexical ‘life’ formation; cognate field with ‘vitality’. adri ‘rock/stone’ used symbolically as firm foundation; also linked to pressing-stones in soma imagery, but here ‘source of birth’ for fire suggests hidden fire in stone.
victory in inner work (yajña-saha), life as divine power emerging from firm basis
Agni as upholder of ṛta through the rightly ordered offering of energies.
Truth as the ‘ancient’ guiding flame that does not change with outer circumstances.
Emergence of conscious force from dense matter (fire from rock) as a Vedic image of evolution.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral-psychological reading (Aurobindo: ascent from inconscient to supraconscient via Agni).
Fire from rock = awakened will arising from inertia; ‘life’ as a divine power rather than mere biological duration.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘hidden fire in the rock’ mythologem: Agni is born from the firm stone (adri), emerging as āyu (life-force). Mythically, the victorious sacrificial fire is a concealed potency released by right action; psychologically, life-energy is unlocked from the inert foundation by disciplined will.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- sah ‘prevail’ has Indo-Iranian parallels and reflects an inherited martial/effort vocabulary. The semantic equation of ‘service’ (duvas) with effective participation in divine power is a common archaic ritual speech feature.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi seeks duvas not as mere praise but as alignment with Agni’s conquering capacity in the yajña. Agni reciprocates by manifesting as āyu—sustaining vitality—so the aspirant can endure and prevail in the work.
Kindle the inner fire of will and consecrate the life-force to the soul’s aim.
Manipura (fire/will)
Gentle bhastrikā-like emphasis without strain (short sets), then quiet nāḍī-śodhana to stabilize
Collected, warm, upward-striving attention (tapas with calm)
Begin with a brief inward offering: name one resistance as ‘rock,’ then invoke Agni as the force that can be born from it; end by feeling steadiness in the belly/heart and a clear intention.
Use standard Ṛgvedic accenting: preserve udātta on marked syllables; avoid flattening svarita transitions (exact svara requires śākhā-specific notation).
Keep ‘yajñā-sāhaṃ’ as a single confident unit; give a slight lift on udātta syllables, letting svarita fall naturally.
yajña: pronounce ‘yaj-ña’ with clear palatal nasal ‘ñ’, śeva: ‘ś’ as palatal (like ‘sh’ in ‘she’), not retroflex ‘ṣ’, adreḥ: roll light ‘r’; keep visarga-like aspiration if present in your recitation tradition, āyu: long ‘ā’, and ‘yu’ as a smooth glide
Warm, steady, slightly resonant in the chest
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