Rig Veda 5.23.2: Mandala 5, Sukta 23, Mantra 2
Sukta 5.23
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
तमग्ने पृतनाषहं रयिं सहस्व आ भर । त्वं हि सत्यो अद्भुतो दाता वाजस्य गोमतः ॥
tám agne pṛtanāṣáhaṃ rayíṃ sahasva ā́ bhara | tváṃ hí satyó ádbhuto dātā́ vā́jasya gómataḥ ||
Kekayaan itu, wahai Agni—yang menang dalam pertempuran—bawakanlah kepada kami dengan daya penguasaanmu. Sesungguhnya engkaulah pemberi yang benar dan menakjubkan akan kelimpahan yang kaya dengan sinar-sinar pencerahan.
Word by Word
- तम्
- him / that (one)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग?; द्वितीया-एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक ‘तम्’ = ‘him/that’)Role कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- पृतनाषहम्
- battle-conquering / overcoming hostsAdjective (kṛdanta)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-समास: ‘पृतनाः सहते’Role कर्म (तम्-अग्निम् विशेषयति)Root पृतना + √सह् (सहते) → ‘षह’ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- रयिम्
- wealthNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot रयि (प्रातिपदिक)
- सहस्वः
- O mighty oneAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचन (अग्नेः विशेषणम्)Role सम्बोधनRoot सहस्व (प्रातिपदिक; ‘बलवान्/सहस्-युक्त’)
- आ
- hither, towards (us)Indeclinable (preverb/particle)उपसर्गः (√भृ ‘आ-भृ’ = ‘bring hither’)Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- भर
- bringVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √भृ (भरणे)
- त्वम्
- youPronounप्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- for / indeedIndeclinableअवधारण/हेतु-निपातःRoot हि (निपात)
- सत्यः
- trueAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (त्वम् इति सह)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- अद्भुतः
- wondrous, marvelousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (त्वम् इति सह)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
- दाता
- giverNoun/Agent (kṛdanta)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृ (नामरूपेण)Root √दा (दाने) → दातृ/दाता (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- वाजस्य
- of prize / of strength (vāja)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
- गोमतः
- rich in cowsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक; षष्ठी-एकवचन (वाजस्य विशेषणम्)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root गोमत् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘गो-युक्त’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: तम् | अग्ने | पृतनाषहम् | रयिम् | सहस्वः | आ | भर | त्वम् | हि | सत्यः | अद्भुतः | दाता | वाजस्य | गोमतः । 1) ‘तमग्ने’ = ‘तम् + अग्ने’ (अनुस्वार-पूर्वसन्धिः; म् + अ → म् अ)
- 2) ‘सहस्व आ भर’ = ‘सहस्वः + आ + भर’ (विसर्गः पदान्ते; संहितायां विसर्गलोप/रूपभेदः सम्भवः)
- 3) ‘सत्यो अद्भुतो’ = ‘सत्यः + अद्भुतः’ (विसर्गसन्धिः: अः + अ → ओ; ऋग्वैदिक-लेखन में ‘सत्यो’ ‘अद्भुतो’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
That wealth, O Agni, victorious in battles, bring to us by your powerful mastery. For you are the true and wondrous giver of the plenitude that is rich in cows (rays) and strength.
Inner meaning
The sought rayi is pṛtanāṣaha—able to win in the inner battles against the Coverer-forces (tamasic inertia, confusion, craving). Agni as sahasvaḥ (possessor of force) brings it by awakened mastery. He is satya and adbhuta: the reliable truth-power and the marvelous transformer. The gift is vājasya gomataḥ—not cattle, but a plenitude of force (vāja) rich in ‘go’ (rays of knowledge/illumination).
Universal truth
The most dependable aid in struggle is the truth-powered will that yields both strength and illumination; victory is inseparable from growth in knowledge.
Themes
battle-overcoming force, gift of plenitude, truth and wonder, illumined riches
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 5.23.1
Significance
This verse crystallizes the Aurobindonian key: go = light, vāja = force, pṛtanā = inner battle; Agni gives an illumined strength, not merely outer gain.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Pṛtanāṣaha, Sahasvaḥ, Satya, Adbhuta, Dātā
- Related deities
- Indra (slayer of Vṛtra), Soma (delight sustaining effort), Bṛhaspati (illumined word)
Cosmic role
Bestower of victorious force and illumination; guardian and increaser of the seeker’s power.
Inner power
Truth-will that acts marvelously—turning struggle into luminous capacity and steady progress.
In ritual
Where it is used
Invocation for battle-winning prosperity and strength within offerings to Agni
तम॑ग्ने पृतना॒षहं॑ र॒यिं स॑हस्व॒ आ भ॑र । त्वं हि स॒त्यो अद्भु॑तो दा॒ता वाज॑स्य॒ गोम॑तः ॥
तम् । अ॒ग्ने॒ । पृ॒त॒ना॒ऽसह॑म् । र॒यिम् । स॒ह॒स्वः॒ । आ । भ॒र॒ । त्वम् । हि । स॒त्यः । अद्भु॑तः । दा॒ता । वाज॑स्य । गोऽम॑तः ॥
tam | agne | pṛtanāsaham | rayim | sahasvaḥ | ā | bhara | tvam | hi | satyaḥ | adbhutaḥ | dātā | vājasya | go--mataḥ
44
4 × ~11
Compact, emphatic; strong causal clause (‘tvam hi…’) gives certainty.
Produces conviction and trust in Agni’s reliable, wondrous giving; energizes for perseverance.
- पृतनासहम् (pṛtanāṣaham)
- Literal: battle-conquering. Symbolic: victory over inner resistances and obscurities
- सहस्वः (sahasvaḥ)
- Literal: possessing force. Symbolic: tapas-energy, mastery in action
- सत्यः (satyaḥ)
- Literal: true. Symbolic: aligned with the real; unfailing guidance
- अद्भुतः (adbhutaḥ)
- Literal: wondrous. Symbolic: the surprising transformative action of the divine fire
- वाजस्य (vājasya)
- Literal: of strength/prize. Symbolic: effective power, capacity, victorious energy
- गोमतः (gomataḥ)
- Literal: rich in cows. Symbolic: rich in rays of light/knowledge; illumined plenitude
Prayer for victorious ‘rayi’ and ‘vāja’ in Agni rites; adaptable to offering liturgy seeking protection and increase of inner/outer resources.
When seeking success in obstacles—ritual completion, protection, prosperity
Recitation with offering; calling Agni as giver of vāja and ‘go’ (illumination)
Mantra for overcoming procrastination/addiction patterns: ask for ‘pṛtanāṣaha’ inner wealth—strength plus clarity.
pṛtanā (battle/conflict) + √sah frames the ‘battle’ as inner struggle against obstruction; sahas (strength) is the executive energy of Agni; satya (from sat ‘being’) indicates truth of being, not mere factuality; adbhuta (‘wonder’) points to supramental/extra-mental efficacy; go-mat (‘possessing cows’) is read as ‘possessing rays of light/knowledges’—go from the radiance/illumination symbolism widely attested in Vedic diction.
Satya (truth-being), Rita/Satya efficacy (unfailing action), inner battle (pṛtanā as psychological conflict)
Truth (satya) and right order (ṛta) express as victorious force in the embodied struggle.
Explicit: Agni as satya—truth-power whose gifts are dependable.
Illumined force (vāja+go) as a divine endowment enabling evolution of consciousness.
Vedantic-psychological: truth-force as operative power; illumination and strength are one movement.
Fire = will; battle = inner tapas; rays/cows = thoughts of light and seeing that accompany true strength.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the battle-winner (pṛtanāṣah) who bestows the luminous herds (go) and the winning force (vāja). Innerly, the mythic ‘battle’ becomes the conflict with ignorance; the ‘cows’ are recoveries of light/knowledge secured by Agni’s power.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- satya < sat relates to PIE *h₁es- ‘to be’; √dā ‘give’ is PIE *deh₃- ‘give’; go ‘cow’ is PIE *gʷōus, but Vedic extends it poetically to ‘ray/light’, a semantic elevation typical of Indo-European sacral poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi appeals to Agni’s essential nature—true (satya) and marvellous (adbhuta)—as the guarantee of the gift. The exchange is: human aspiration/call → Agni’s descent as force (sahas) → bestowal of illumined plenitude (gomat vāja).
Call for truth-powered strength and illumination; feel Agni as reliable inner ally in struggle.
Maṇipūra (power) with uplift to Ājñā (illumination)
6-2-8 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) to build steadiness; repeat ‘satyo adbhuto dātā’ on exhale
Resolute, clear, victorious
Name the inner ‘battle’ honestly; offer it into the flame; ask specifically for ‘gomat vāja’—clarity about the next right step plus the force to do it.
Keep the udatta peaks prominent on agné, pṛtanāṣahám, satyó, ádbhutaḥ (per śākhā marking).
Deliver ‘tvam hi satyo adbhuto’ as an unwavering assertion; avoid rushing the final ‘gomataḥ’.
pṛtanāṣaham: retroflex ṣ; keep ‘pṛ’ vocalic ṛ short., sahasvaḥ: aspirate ‘h’ lightly; keep final visarga audible., gomataḥ: soft ‘go’ (long o), light final visarga.
Firm, confident, slightly ringing on ‘satyo adbhuto’.
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