Rig Veda Sukta 10
Mandala 4Sukta 107 Mantras

Sukta 10

Sukta 4.10

Himne ini memuji Agni sebagai kuasa yang pantas dan menyentuh hati—tenaga kehendak yang benar (kratu)—yang memakmurkan pemuja melalui usaha yang terilham serta dorongan ilahi. Agni diraikan sebagai pelihat yang sentiasa hadir—bersinar siang dan malam—yang membawa keindahan, keharmonian, dan pertambahan, serta menegakkan ikatan mesra dan persaudaraan antara manusia dan rombongan para dewa. Tujuan sukta ini ialah memohon bimbingan Agni yang bercahaya dan kebersamaan pelindungnya agar rumah si pelaksana korban dan “pusat-pusar” batinnya menjadi sumber pemeliharaan dan kekuatan yang teguh.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 4.10

In this hymn

Addressed to

  • Agni

    Agni is the bright, sweet-essenced fire-principle, seer-like in perception, who shines near at hand by day and by night, accepts offerings, and carries prayers to the gods.

Mantras

Mantra 1

अग्ने तमद्याश्वं न स्तोमैः क्रतुं न भद्रं हृदिस्पृशम् । ऋध्यामा त ओहैः ॥

Wahai Agni, pada hari ini dengan puji-pujian kami hendak berjaya dalam itu—seperti kuda yang pantas—kehendakmu yang baik dan bercahaya, yang menyentuh hati; semoga kami bertambah oleh dorongan dan tenaga-mu.

Mantra 3

एभिर्नो अर्कैर्भवा नो अर्वाङ्स्वर्ण ज्योतिः । अग्ने विश्वेभिः सुमना अनीकैः ॥

Dengan nyala-nyala Sabda ini, hadirlah bagi kami; datanglah kepada kami dari alam yang bercahaya sebagai cahaya itu sendiri, wahai Agni—berkenanlah dalam budi dengan segala wajah dan daya-mu.

Mantra 4

आभिष्टे अद्य गीर्भिर्गृणन्तोऽग्ने दाशेम । प्र ते दिवो न स्तनयन्ति शुष्माः ॥

Dengan girah-girah pujian ini, memuji Engkau pada hari ini, wahai Agni, semoga kami mempersembahkan kepada-Mu diri kami dan segala perolehan kami. Semoga kekuatan-Mu meluru seperti dentuman guruh langit—daya yang membangkitkan dan mengusir kelambanan kegelapan.

Mantra 5

तव स्वादिष्ठाग्ने संदृष्टिरिदा चिदह्न इदा चिदक्तोः । श्रिये रुक्मो न रोचत उपाके ॥

Wahai Agni, yang paling manis hakikatnya, penglihatan-Mu yang sempurna bersinar dekat di sisi—pada siang dan juga pada malam. Seperti perhiasan emas ia berkilau, menambah seri dan harmoni jiwa.

Mantra 6

घृतं न पूतं तनूररेपाः शुचि हिरण्यम् । तत्ते रुक्मो न रोचत स्वधावः ॥

Tubuh-Mu seperti ghṛta yang dimurnikan—tanpa cela, emas yang suci. Yang di dalam-Mu bersinar seperti kilau emas itu, wahai yang bersvadhā, yang berdiri pada daya hakiki-Mu sendiri.

Mantra 7

कृतं चिद्धि ष्मा सनेमि द्वेषोऽग्न इनोषि मर्तात् । इत्था यजमानादृतावः ॥

Bahkan kebencian yang telah terbentuk pun dapat kami menewaskannya—kerana Engkau, wahai Agni, menghalau kebencian daripada insan fana. Demikianlah Engkau memelihara sang yajamāna yang berjalan dalam Ṛta, Tertib-Kebenaran.

Mantra 8

शिवा नः सख्या सन्तु भ्रात्राग्ने देवेषु युष्मे । सा नो नाभिः सदने सस्मिन्नूधन् ॥

Semoga bagi kami terjalin persahabatan yang sejahtera—wahai Agni, sebagai saudara di antara kamu para dewa. Jadilah itu pusat (nābhi) kami di kediaman ini, laksana ambing (ūdhán) yang menegakkan, memberi santapan di dalam rumah keberadaan.

Inside Sukta 10

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Agni is invoked as swift and beneficent—his good kratu ‘touching the heart’—so the worshipper may prosper through his impulses and energies.

  2. Development

    The hymn deepens from outer praise to inner vision: Agni’s ‘perfect seeing’ is near, shining both day and night, and his radiance becomes a beautifying power that increases harmony and well-being.

  3. Climax

    The relationship peaks in intimacy and trust: Agni is asked to be a gracious friend and ‘brother among the gods,’ forming a stable bond between the human home and the divine community.

  4. Where it settles

    The hymn settles into a sustaining image—Agni as the nābhi (central hub) and as a nourishing udder within the dwelling—promising ongoing support, protection, and increase.

The deity: Agni

  • In the VedaHe is invoked as swift like a steed, beneficent in resolve, and intimately “touching the heart.”
  • Cosmic functionMediator between human and divine realms: he conveys oblations, awakens and sustains order (ṛta) through right action, and manifests light that dispels darkness across day and night.
  • Inner significanceThe awakened flame of aspiration and discernment—inner will (kratu) that becomes luminous, steady, and heart-guiding; the friendly divine presence that stabilizes the psyche and nourishes life from within.

The seer

  • Vāmadeva GautamaGautama gotra (Vāmadeva line) · A major seer of Mandala 4, renowned for profound Agni and Indra hymns that unite ritual precision with inward, psychological insight (Agni as vision, will, and friendly divine presence).

Famous verses

hṛdispṛśam ("touching the heart")
Verse 4.10.1Sets the hymn’s keynote: prosperity through Agni’s swift, heart-touching kratu and through his ohaḥ (impulsions/energies), linking praise, right will, and growth.Read verse 4.10.1 →
idā cid ahna idā cid aktoḥ ("by day and also by night")
Verse 4.10.5A central theological image: Agni’s ‘perfect seeing’ shines near at hand by day and night, like a golden ornament—Agni as continuous inner and outer illumination.Read verse 4.10.5 →
śivā naḥ sakhyā ("a gracious friendship for us")
Verse 4.10.8Culminates in the domestic-spiritual bond: Agni as gracious friend and brother among the gods, becoming the household’s nābhi and a nourishing source within the dwelling.Read verse 4.10.8 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Messenger and carrier of offerings
  • Luminous seer (vision that shines day and night)
  • Swift, energizing impulse (ohaḥ)
  • Heart-touching beneficence
  • Protector and household centre (nाभि / nābhi)
  • Bringer of prosperity, beauty, and harmony (śrī)

Also by this seer

  • Primary author of many hymns in Rig Veda Mandala 4 (traditional attribution to Vāmadeva)
  • Noted contributor to Agni and Indra praise-poetry emphasizing inner illumination and strength
  • Associated in later tradition with mantric formulations used in domestic and soma-related rites

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare and tend the sacred fire (kindling, arranging fuel, establishing steadiness of flame).
  • Invoke Agni with recitation, emphasizing his swift aid and heart-guiding kratu (right resolve).
  • Offer oblations while contemplating Agni’s all-seeing light present by day and night.
  • Pray for friendly alliance: Agni as ‘brother among the gods’ and as the household’s nābhi (central support).
  • Conclude with a request for sustained nourishment, protection, and increase in the dwelling and in one’s inner life.

Offerings

  • Ghee (ājya)
  • Kindling sticks (samidh)
  • Grains or simple food-offerings (as applicable in domestic rite)
  • Soma-related offering context (where integrated into śrauta sequences)

Frequently Asked Questions

It asks Agni to awaken a good, luminous resolve in us, to guide the heart, and to bring steady prosperity—like a swift power that helps our efforts succeed.

It highlights Agni as constant vision and protection: not only the physical fire, but also an ever-present light of awareness that stays near in all conditions.

Agni is invoked as an intimate ally among the gods, and as the household’s central support—like a living centre that nourishes, protects, and holds the family together.

Ask anything about Sukta 10 of the Rig Veda

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