Rig Veda 6.3.2: Mandala 6, Sukta 3, Mantra 2
Sukta 6.3
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
ईजे यज्ञेभिः शशमे शमीभिॠधद्वारायाग्नये ददाश । एवा चन तं यशसामजुष्टिर्नांहो मर्तं नशते न प्रदृप्तिः ॥
ī́je yajñébhiḥ śaśamé śámībhiḥ ṛ́dhat-vārāyā́gnáye dadāśa | evā́ caná táṃ yaśásām ájuṣṭir nā́ṃho mártaṃ naśate ná pra-dṛ́ptiḥ ||
Dia telah beribadat dengan yajña-yajña; dia menjadi tenang oleh nyanyian pendamai; dia telah mempersembahkan kepada Agni yang pintu-pintunya meluas. Maka demikian, tiada penolakan oleh kuasa-kuasa yang mulia menimpa insan itu—tiada himpitan (aṃhas), dan tiada pula keangkuhan yang meluap.
Word by Word
- ईजे
- I have worshipped / I have sacrificedVerbPerfect (liṭ), 1st person singular, ParasmaipadaRole KartāRoot यज्
- यज्ञेभिः
- with sacrificesNounMasculine, Instrumental pluralRole KaraṇaRoot यज्ञ
- शशमे
- I have become calm / I have found peaceVerbPerfect (liṭ), 1st person singular, ĀtmanepadaRole KartāRoot शम्
- शमीभिः
- with pacifications / appeasing actsNounFeminine, Instrumental pluralRole KaraṇaRoot शमी
- ऋधद्वाराय
- to the one whose doors are prospering/opening (epithet)Adjective (epithet)Masculine, Dative singularRole SampradānaRoot ऋधद्वार
- अग्नये
- to AgniNounMasculine, Dative singularRole SampradānaRoot अग्नि
- ददाश
- I have given / I have offeredVerbPerfect (liṭ), 1st person singular, ParasmaipadaRole KartāRoot दा
- एवा
- thus / indeedIndeclinableParticleRoot एव
- चन
- and indeed / evenIndeclinableParticle (emphatic/enclitic)Root च
- तम्
- himPronounMasculine, Accusative singularRole KarmaRoot तद्
- यशसाम्
- of glories / of fameNounNeuter, Genitive pluralRole SambandhaRoot यशस्
- अजुष्टिः
- non-enjoyment / non-acceptance; disfavorNounFeminine, Nominative singularRole KartāRoot जुष् (with privative a-) / prātipadika: अजुष्टि
- न
- notIndeclinableNegationRoot न
- अंहः
- distress / sin / troubleNounNeuter, Nominative/Accusative singularRole KartāRoot अंहस्
- मर्तम्
- a mortalNounMasculine, Accusative singularRole KarmaRoot मर्त
- नशते
- reaches / attains / harmsVerbPresent (laṭ), 3rd person singular, ĀtmanepadaRole KartāRoot नश्
- न
- notIndeclinableNegationRoot न
- प्रदृप्तिः
- arrogance / insolenceNounFeminine, Nominative singularRole KartāRoot प्र-दृप् (kṛdanta base: प्रदृप्ति)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolutions (padapāṭha-style): यज्ञेभिः (यज्ञेभि: → visarga before ś)
- शमीभिः (शमी॑भि: → visarga)
- ऋधद्वाराय + अग्नये (dative apposition: ‘to Agni, the prospering-doored’)
- एवा + चन (particle cluster)
- यशसाम् + अजुष्टिः (genitive + nominative)
- न + अंहः (negation + noun)
- न + प्रदृप्तिः (negation + noun). Accent marks in the saṃhitā are not reproduced in the pada forms above
- they follow RV śākhā conventions
The meaning
Outer meaning
He has worshipped with sacrifices, grown calm with pacifying harmonies, and given to Agni of the widening doors. Thus no rejection by the glorious ones reaches that mortal—neither distress nor arrogant excess.
Inner meaning
The ‘sacrifice’ is the inner offering of works and energies into the conscious Fire. ‘Śamībhis’ are harmonising movements—peaceful disciplines that quiet the vital. Agni is ‘ṛdhadvāra’—he who makes the doors grow wide: openings between ordinary mind and higher ranges. When the seeker gives (dadāśa) to this Agni—i.e., consecrates energies to the divine Will—then the luminous powers (yaśasām) do not turn away; the being is protected both from aṃhas (constriction) and from pradṛpti (overheated pride/ego-inflation) which is another danger on the path.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress needs both aspiration (offering) and pacification (śama). When will is consecrated to the inner Fire that opens the doors, one is saved not only from weakness and distress but also from the arrogance that can follow power and success.
Themes
discipline-and-calm, opened-passages, avoidance-of-arrogance, divine-acceptance
The seer
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja
- Other hymns
- RV 6.3.1, RV 6.3.3
Family tradition
Bharadvāja’s Agni hymns often balance force and peace: offering (yajña) with śama, so that the higher powers accept and the doors open safely.
Significance
A practical yogic warning: the path requires calm harmonisation as much as intensity; otherwise the ‘glorious powers’ may not consent, or pride may distort the gain.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- ṛdhadvāra (widening-doored), yajñiya (fit for sacrifice; implied), śuci (pure; implied)
- Related deities
- Yaśasām (glorious devas collectively)
Cosmic role
Opener of passages between worlds; receiver and transformer of offerings; establishes communication with the luminous powers.
Inner power
The inner flame that widens the narrow mind, opens higher faculties, and regulates energy so that peace and power coexist.
In ritual
Where it is used
Dāna/offerings to Agni and praise within Śrauta rites; also suited to domestic fire-cult as a consecration verse.
ई॒जे य॒ज्ञेभि॑: शश॒मे शमी॑भिॠ॒धद्वा॑राया॒ग्नये॑ ददाश । ए॒वा च॒न तं य॒शसा॒मजु॑ष्टि॒र्नांहो॒ मर्तं॑ नशते॒ न प्रदृ॑प्तिः ॥
ई॒जे । य॒ज्ञेभिः॑ । श॒श॒मे । शमी॑भिः । ऋ॒धत्ऽवा॑राय । अ॒ग्नये॑ । द॒दा॒श॒ । ए॒व । च॒न । तम् । य॒शसा॑म् । अजु॑ष्टिः । न । अंहः॑ । मर्त॑म् । न॒श॒ते॒ । न । प्रऽदृ॑प्तिः ॥
īje | yajñebhiḥ | śaśame | śamībhiḥ | ṛdhat-vārāya | agnaye | dadāśa | eva | cana | tam | yaśasām | ajuṣṭiḥ | na | aṃhaḥ | martam | naśate | na | pra-dṛptiḥ
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables
Balanced cadence: first half describes disciplined action; second half gives a protective conclusion—like a seal.
Settles agitation while keeping aspiration alive; ends with a stabilizing assurance against two extremes (constriction and arrogance).
- यज्ञ (yajña)
- Literal: sacrifice; offering. Symbolic: inner consecration of works, thoughts, and energies
- शमीभिः (śamībhiḥ)
- Literal: pacifications; appeasing acts. Symbolic: harmonising practices that quiet the vital and clarify the mind
- ऋधद्वार (ṛdhadvāra)
- Literal: widening doors. Symbolic: openings to higher consciousness; gates between planes
- ददाश (dadāśa)
- Literal: has given. Symbolic: self-giving/consecration to the divine Will
- यशसाम् (yaśasām)
- Literal: of the glorious ones. Symbolic: luminous powers of consciousness; forces of victory and splendour
- अजुष्टिः (ajuṣṭiḥ)
- Literal: non-acceptance; rejection. Symbolic: withdrawal of higher help when the being is unready or egoistic
- अंहः (aṃhaḥ)
- Literal: distress; narrowness. Symbolic: constriction, depressive limitation
- प्रदृप्तिः (pradṛptiḥ)
- Literal: arrogant excitement; over-inflation. Symbolic: ego-excess, vital overdrive that breaks harmony
Instructional assurance: right sacrifice and inner pacification lead to opened ‘doors’ and protection from aṃhas and pride; suitable as a reinforcing verse in Agni rites.
During offerings or when seeking acceptance (juṣṭi) of the rite; before or after giving oblations.
Recitation accompanying oblation; emphasis on peace-making and right giving.
As a mantra for ‘safe opening’: before intense practice, repeat to invoke calm, wideness, and protection from ego-spikes.
√yaj: sacrificial act as conscious exchange; inner: self-offering. √śam: calm, pacify; psychological: quieting of turbulence so ṛta may act. ṛdhat-vāra-: √ṛdh ‘grow’ + vāra ‘door, opening’ → ‘he whose doors widen’; Agni as opener of passages to the vast (uru). ajuṣṭi-: a- ‘not’ + juṣṭi ‘acceptance’ from √juṣ ‘enjoy/approve’ → ‘non-approval’; divine refusal as inner inauthenticity. pra-dṛpti-: from √dṛp ‘be proud, be intoxicated’ → inflation of egoic force.
quieting (śam) as prerequisite for ṛta, widening (ṛdh/uru) vs constriction (aṃhas), divine acceptance (juṣ) as inner consent
Widening doors implies movement from limited order to greater order; acceptance by luminous powers indicates alignment with ṛta.
Truth-consent is shown by ‘juṣṭi’; when inner offering is sincere, higher truth-forces do not reject.
Opening of gates: evolution of consciousness by sacrificial transformation.
Integral-yogic reading: progress requires harmonised nature; not ascetic negation but ordered transformation.
Fire = transforming will; doors = thresholds to higher states; giving = self-offering; pacifying harmonies = settling waves of the vital/mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as ‘opener of widening doors’: through sacrifice and inner pacification, the aspirant gains access to the vast and is no longer assailed by constriction or ego-inflation.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dā ‘give’ (PIE *deh₃-) and √yaj (sacral act; Indo-Iranian *yaj-) show inherited reciprocity patterns. The ‘door/opening’ metaphor is broadly IE for access to realms/states; here it is internalized as widening consciousness.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi posits a yogic-ritual causality: offering (dadāśa) and harmonizing calm (śamī) invite Agni’s opening action; the gods’ ‘acceptance’ (juṣ) manifests as protection from both suffering-narrowness and the distortion of pride.
Consecrate energy to the inner Fire while simultaneously invoking śama: ‘Let my offering be accepted; let the doors widen without pride or collapse.’
Anahata (harmonising peace) supporting Manipura (consecrated will)
Lengthened exhale (e.g., 4 in / 8 out) while mentally repeating śaśame… śamībhir to pacify; then a brighter inhale on ṛdhadvārāya.
Quiet receptivity with steady aspiration; ‘safe expansion’.
After chanting, sit and watch for two deviations: shrinking heaviness (aṃhas) or excited self-importance (pradṛpti). Offer both into Agni and return to calm wideness.
Rigvedic svara; keep even flow, with gentle udātta emphasis on ī́je, śaśáme, ṛdhádvārāya, náśate for the protective negations.
ī́je… | śaśáme śamī́bhir | ṛdhádvārāyā́gnaye | …ná aṃ́ho… ná pradṛ́ptiḥ.
śaśame: pronounce both ś clearly (palatal), not ‘s’., ṛdhadvārāya: keep conjunct ‘dhv’ clean; long ā in -āya., ajuṣṭiḥ: ‘juṣ’ with retroflex ṣ; short iḥ ending., pradṛptiḥ: vocalic ṛ; avoid ‘pradrip’.
Soothing, steady, pacifying; end with firm, quiet negation (na… na…).
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