Rig Veda 4.10.6: Mandala 4, Sukta 10, Mantra 6
Sukta 4.10
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
घृतं न पूतं तनूररेपाः शुचि हिरण्यम् । तत्ते रुक्मो न रोचत स्वधावः ॥
ghṛtáṃ ná pūtáṃ tanūr arepā́ḥ śúci híraṇyam | tát te rukmó ná rocat svadhāvaḥ ||
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.
Word by Word
- घृतम्
- ghee, clarified butterNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (उपमेय/विशेष्य)Root घृत (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमानार्थे (तुलना)Root न (निपात)
- पूतम्
- purified, cleansedAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त)Role कर्म (विशेषण)Root पू (धातु) → पूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- तनूः
- body, formNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेष्य)Root तनू (प्रातिपदिक)
- अरेपाः
- spotless, unstainedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (RV-प्रयोगः; ‘तनूः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (विशेषण)Root अ-रेपस् (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-समास)
- शुचि
- bright, pureAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः)Role कर्म (विशेषण)Root शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
- हिरण्यम्
- goldNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (उपमेय/विशेष्य)Root हिरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- तत्
- thatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (संदर्शित-वस्तु)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- रुक्मः
- golden ornament; bright goldNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot रुक्म (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमानार्थे (तुलना)Root न (निपात)
- रोचत
- shone, gleamedVerbलङ् (इम्परफेक्ट), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot रुच् (धातु)
- स्वधावः
- O self-empowered one; O one of inherent mightNoun/Adjective (vocative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot स्वधा-वस् (प्रातिपदिक; बहुव्रीहि/तत्पुरुष-प्रकृति)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: घृतं | न | पूतं | तनूः | अरेपाः | शुचि | हिरण्यम् | तत् | ते | रुक्मः | न | रोचत | स्वधावः । 1) ‘तनूररेपाः’ = तनूः + अरेपाः (विसर्ग-लोपः, ऊ + अ → ऊर्)
- 2) ‘तत्ते’ = तत् + ते (त् + त् संयोगः)
- 3) ‘रोचत’ वैदिके लङ्-रूपम् (रुच् धातोः) ‘अरोचत’ इत्यर्थे।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni’s body is like purified ghee—stainless—and like pure gold; in him a golden splendor shines, O self-lawed one (svadhāvaḥ).
Inner meaning
The awakened divine Will is intrinsically pure (arepaḥ: without stain) and luminous (hiraṇya). Its ‘body’—the active formation of consciousness-force—becomes like clarified ghee: refined essence that feeds the inner flame. The shining ‘rukma’ is the radiance of self-existent law (svadhā): the soul’s true nature expressing without distortion.
Universal truth
Purification is not mere negation; it is refinement into essence. When the will is self-governed by truth (svadhā), consciousness becomes a stable golden luminosity that nourishes all parts of life.
Themes
Purity motif, Luminous body, Self-powered divinity
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 4.1, RV 4.5, RV 4.10
Family tradition
The Gautamas frequently present Agni as purifier and illuminator; Vāmadeva’s diction favors ‘gold/purity’ as signs of inner perfection.
Significance
This verse crystallizes the Aurobindonian theme: Agni is the pure psychic fire whose very substance becomes ‘gold’ when freed from stain—an emblem of transformed nature.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- śuci (pure), svadhāvaḥ (self-lawed), hiraṇya (golden)
- Related deities
- Soma (bliss-essence), Uṣas (illumination), Sūrya (truth-light)
Cosmic role
Purifier and transformer; establishes divine order through luminous energy; sustainer of sacrifice via ghee.
Inner power
Alchemical power that clarifies mixed movements into a single essence and turns it into stable light-force.
In ritual
Where it is used
Ghee offering (ājyabhāga) and Agni praise in soma and fire rites
घृ॒तं न पू॒तं त॒नूर॑रे॒पाः शुचि॒ हिर॑ण्यम् । तत्ते॑ रु॒क्मो न रो॑चत स्वधावः ॥
घृ॒तम् । न । पू॒तम् । त॒नूः । अ॒रे॒पाः । शुचि॑ । हिर॑ण्यम् । तत् । ते॒ । रु॒क्मः । न । रो॒च॒त॒ । स्व॒धा॒ऽवः॒ ॥
ghṛtam | na | pūtam | tanūḥ | arepāḥ | śuci | hiraṇyam | tat | te | rukmaḥ | na | rocata | svadhāvaḥ
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4 × ~11; compact nominal style with strong caesura after key nouns.
Bright, polished, ‘metallic’ cadence matching gold imagery.
Felt sense of purification and consolidation; mind becomes clear and collected.
- घृतं न पूतम् (ghṛtaṃ na pūtam)
- Literal: like ghee, purified. Symbolic: refined essence of experience offered to the inner fire; clarified consciousness
- तनूः (tanūḥ)
- Literal: body, form. Symbolic: formed power of the divine Will in the being; embodied energy of practice
- अरेपाः (arepāḥ)
- Literal: stainless, without blemish. Symbolic: freedom from mixture/ego distortion; psychic sincerity
- शुचि (śuci)
- Literal: pure, bright. Symbolic: luminous purity; clarity of motive and perception
- हिरण्यम् (hiraṇyam)
- Literal: gold. Symbolic: truth-light substance; supramental radiance (in Aurobindo’s sense)
- रुक्मः (rukmaḥ)
- Literal: golden ornament/splendor. Symbolic: concentrated glory of awakened consciousness
- स्वधावः (svadhāvaḥ)
- Literal: possessing svadhā (own law/power). Symbolic: self-existent inner governance; dharma from within, not imposed
Ghee-offering context is implicit (ghṛta); supports identification of outer ghṛta with inner clarified essence poured into Agni.
During offerings of ghṛta; also in household fire worship as a verse of purification.
Offer clarified butter while contemplating inner purification and luminosity.
Before meditation, recite while mentally offering ‘refined attention’ (ghṛta) into the heart-flame to remove inner stains.
ghṛta ‘clarified butter’ from √ghṛ ‘to sprinkle/anoint’ and the semantic field of ‘unctuous, bright’; in RV ghṛta often bridges ritual offering and inner ‘clarified’ mind-substance. arepā: privative a- + repas ‘defect/taint’ (rep- semantic of harm/blemish). hiraṇya ‘gold’ as incorruptible light-substance. svadhā-vant: svadhā ‘own law, inherent power’ (sva- ‘self’ + √dhā ‘to place/establish’) → one who acts by intrinsic ordinance.
Purification (pūta, śuci), Tapas-to-essence (ghṛta as clarified), Svadhā (self-law, inherent power)
Purity and gold symbolize alignment with ṛta—no crookedness or admixture.
‘Self-lawed’ indicates truth functioning from its own nature, not from external compulsion.
Transmutation of substance (ghee/gold) suggests inner evolution: gross to subtle, mixed to pure.
Integral Yoga hermeneutic: svadhā as intrinsic spiritual law; gold as truth-substance.
Ghee = clarified mind/attention; gold = stable truth-light; fire = transforming will.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The transmutation mythologem: the divine fire’s form is ‘clarified’ and ‘golden’, suggesting the alchemy of sacrifice—raw substance becomes purified essence and radiant power. Psychologically, the being becomes stainless through the inner flame.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- sva- ‘self’ is PIE *swe- (cf. Latin suus). √dhā ‘set/place’ is PIE *dheh₁- (cf. Greek títhēmi, Latin facere via different root; but dhā aligns with ‘set’ verbs). The purity lexicon (śuci) is characteristic Indo-Iranian, with Avestan parallels in ritual-purity terminology.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi contemplates Agni’s nature as the model for inner work: by offering the ‘clarified’ essence (ghṛta) and aspiring to stainlessness (arepā), the human aligns with Agni’s svadhā—his intrinsic right action—so that the same radiance can establish itself in the sacrificer.
Refinement: notice ‘impure mixtures’ (restlessness, ego claim) and offer them as ‘ghṛta’ to be clarified.
Maṇipūra (transformative fire) with support from Anāhata (psychic sincerity)
Exhale-focused release (lengthen exhale) while repeating ‘śuci hiraṇyam’.
From tamasic heaviness to luminous sattva tending toward spiritual clarity.
Practice ‘arepaḥ’: before action, remove the stain of urgency/ego; let action arise from svadhā—quiet inner law.
Maintain clear udātta rises on emphatic nouns (ghṛtám, śúcí, híraṇyam) per recensional tradition.
Keep clusters clean: ‘tanūr arepāḥ’; avoid swallowing final visarga-like breath in ‘svadhāvaḥ’—let it be soft and audible.
ghṛtam: vocalic ṛ; no ‘ghe-ritam’, pūtam: long ū, arepāḥ: a-re-pāḥ (open vowels), retroflex not involved, hiraṇyam: retroflex ṇ, svadhāvaḥ: svadhā + vaḥ; long ā
Clear, polished, slightly brighter resonance than usual (to match ‘gold’).
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