Rig Veda 7.4.1: Mandala 7, Sukta 4, Mantra 1
Sukta 7.4
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
प्र वः शुक्राय भानवे भरध्वं हव्यं मतिं चाग्नये सुपूतम् । यो दैव्यानि मानुषा जनूंष्यन्तर्विश्वानि विद्मना जिगाति ॥
prá vaḥ śukrā́ya bhā́nav e bharadhvaṃ havyáṃ matíṃ cā́gnáye su-pū́tam | yó daivyā́ni mā́nuṣā janū́ṃṣy ántar víśvāni vidmánā jígāti ||
Hulurkanlah bagi Agni yang terang lagi bersinar persembahan yang disucikan sebaik-baiknya, serta mati—fikiran yang bercahaya. Dialah yang dengan vidmanā—pengetahuannya—menembusi segala kelahiran di dalam: yang ilahi dan yang manusia; menghubungkan seluruh proses menjadi dari dalam.
Word by Word
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root प्र (upasarga)
- वः
- of you (your)Pronoungenitive plural (enclitic)Role सम्बन्ध (possessor/related)Root युष्मद्
- शुक्राय
- to the bright oneAdjective (used substantively)dative singular masculineRole सम्प्रदानRoot शुक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- भानवे
- to the shining one (radiance)Noundative singular masculineRole सम्प्रदानRoot भानु (प्रातिपदिक)
- भरध्वम्
- carry/bring (you all)Verbimperative, 2nd person plural, ĀtmanepadaRole (क्रिया) —Root √भृ (भृञ्)
- हव्यम्
- oblation, offeringNounaccusative singular neuterRole कर्मRoot हव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- मतिम्
- thought, hymn, intentionNounaccusative singular feminineRole कर्मRoot मति (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableconjunctionRoot च (nipāta)
- अग्नये
- to AgniNoundative singular masculineRole सम्प्रदानRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुपूतम्
- well-purifiedAdjective (past participle)accusative singular neuter (agreeing with हव्यम्)Role कर्म (qualifier of object)Root सु- + पूत (PPP of √पू)
- यः
- whoPronoun (relative)nominative singular masculineRole कर्ताRoot यद्
- दैव्यानि
- divine (things/rites)Adjective (used substantively)accusative plural neuterRole कर्मRoot दैव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- मानुषा
- human (things/rites)Adjective (used substantively)accusative plural neuterRole कर्मRoot मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
- जनूंषि
- peoples, generationsNounaccusative plural neuterRole कर्मRoot जनूषि (प्रातिपदिक; RV neut. pl. ‘generations/peoples’)
- अन्तः
- within, amongIndeclinableadverb/preposition-likeRole अधिकरण (locative sense: ‘within’)Root अन्तः (nipāta)
- विश्वानि
- all (things)Adjective (used substantively)accusative plural neuterRole कर्मRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- विद्मना
- by knowledge, through insightNouninstrumental singular neuterRole करणRoot विद्मन्/विद्मना (instrumental of ‘knowledge’; from √विद्)
- जिगाति
- goes to, reachesVerbpresent indicative, 3rd person singular, ParasmaipadaRole (क्रिया) —Root √गम् (with reduplication: जि-गम्)
Sandhi Notes
- Resolved padapāṭha-style segmentation: प्र वः | शुक्राय भानवे | भरध्वम् | हव्यम् मतिम् च | अग्नये सुपूतम् | यः | दैव्यानि मानुषा जनूंषि | अन्तः विश्वानि | विद्मना | जिगाति. Notable sandhi: च + अग्नये → चाग्नये
- जनूंषि + अन्तः → जनूंष्यन्तः (y-insertion before vowel)
- अन्तः + विश्वानि → अन्तर्विश्वानि (r-sandhi). Accents retained as in saṃhitā but not re-marked per pada here
The meaning
Outer meaning
Bring forth for bright shining Agni the well-purified offering and the thought. He, by his knowledge, goes through all births within—divine and human—moving through them all from inside.
Inner meaning
The call is to present to Agni not only outer offering (havya) but also purified mind (mati supūtā). In Aurobindo’s line, mati is the illumined thought-force that becomes an offering when cleansed of distortion. Agni is śukra bhānu—pure radiance—because he is the inner light of will-knowledge. He traverses all ‘births’ (janūṃṣi) within us: every state and formation—mental, vital, physical; also the divine possibilities and human limitations. By vidmanā (knowledge-consciousness), he links and penetrates the whole becoming from within, enabling integration and transformation rather than fragmented growth.
Universal truth
Transformation is holistic: a conscious inner flame must illuminate and pass through every layer of our becoming; offering must include purified thought, not only external acts.
Themes
Invocation, Purified offering, Knowledge traversal, Inner mediation
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.4.2-10 (same hymn continuation), RV 7.3 (preceding hymn on protection and purification)
Family tradition
Book 7’s Vasiṣṭha corpus frequently depicts Agni as inner knower and integrator across states of being.
Significance
Vasiṣṭha here frames the sacrifice as inner psychology: purified thought is essential, and Agni’s knowledge must enter every birth/state to unify the becoming.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Śukra, Bhānu, Jātavedas (implied by ‘knowing births’)
- Related deities
- Soma (bliss that crowns purification), Indra (illumined mind-force), Savitṛ (impulsion of thought)
Cosmic role
Inner knower moving through worlds; light that connects divine and human; mediator and integrator of becoming.
Inner power
Illuminating will that penetrates all layers, purifies thought, and coordinates transformation from within.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni iṣṭi / daily kindling with emphasis on offering of mind (mati) alongside havis.
प्र व॑: शु॒क्राय॑ भा॒नवे॑ भरध्वं ह॒व्यं म॒तिं चा॒ग्नये॒ सुपू॑तम् । यो दैव्या॑नि॒ मानु॑षा ज॒नूंष्य॒न्तर्विश्वा॑नि वि॒द्मना॒ जिगा॑ति ॥
प्र । वः॒ । शु॒क्राय॑ । भा॒नवे॑ । भ॒र॒ध्व॒म् । ह॒व्यम् । म॒तिम् । च॒ । अ॒ग्नये॑ । सुऽपू॑तम् । यः । दैव्या॑नि । मानु॑षा । ज॒नूंषि॑ । अ॒न्तः । विश्वा॑नि । वि॒द्मना॑ । जिगा॑ति ॥
pra | vaḥ | śukrāya | bhānave | bharadhvam | havyam | matim | ca | agnaye | su-pūtam | yaḥ | daivyāni | mānuṣā | janūṃṣi | antaḥ | viśvāni | vidmanā | jigāti
44
4 x ~11 syllables
Processional and linking—each pāda feels like a step through successive domains.
Encourages integrative awareness; the mind feels ‘carried through’ layers toward a central light.
- शुक्राय भानवे (śukrāya bhānave)
- Literal: to the bright shining (one). Symbolic: to the pure radiance of conscious will-knowledge
- हव्य (havya)
- Literal: offering. Symbolic: energies and actions given to the divine working
- मति (mati)
- Literal: thought, intention. Symbolic: illumined thought-force offered upward; purified mental substance
- सुपूतम् (supūtam)
- Literal: well-purified. Symbolic: cleansed of ego, obscurity, and mixed motives
- दैव्यानि मानुषा जनूंषि (daivyāni mānuṣā janūṃṣi)
- Literal: divine and human births. Symbolic: higher and lower states of consciousness; spiritual possibilities and ordinary formations
- अन्तः (antaḥ)
- Literal: within. Symbolic: the inner domain where true transformation occurs
- विद्मना (vidmanā)
- Literal: by knowledge. Symbolic: by conscious discernment/light, not mechanical ritual
- जिगाति (jigāti)
- Literal: goes through, traverses. Symbolic: pervades and links all planes, integrating the whole being
Opening injunction for offering and mantra-thought to Agni; establishes Agni as knower who mediates all ‘births’ (states) in ritual and inner ascent.
At the beginning of hymn/rite to consecrate both offering and intention; suitable as an opening invocation.
Presenting oblation and reciting to purify the mental offering; invoking Agni as knower across births.
As a pre-meditation consecration: offer your intention (mati) explicitly; ask Agni to illuminate all parts of life (all ‘births’) from within.
: ‘bright, pure’ from √śuc/√śuk ‘shine, be clear’. : √bhā ‘shine’. : √man ‘think’ → thought as formative intention. : su+√pū ‘well-purified’ → inner clarification. /: √jan ‘be born’ → becomings. : instrumental of vidman ‘knowledge’ from √vid ‘know’. : desiderative/intensive of √gam ‘go’ (via jigāti formation) → traverses repeatedly/fully.
Agni as inner knower traversing all states of being, Unity of divine and human becomings, Purification of thought and offering as prerequisite to Rita
Agni’s traversal by knowledge establishes ṛta across all states—harmonizing divine and human movements.
Purified thought becomes a vessel of satya; Agni’s light reveals what is true in each layer.
The many births within are stages of becoming; Agni is the thread of consciousness linking them into an evolutionary unity.
Integral Vedāntic-yogic orientation: inner fire as evolving consciousness through planes of being.
dawn/early morning (suggested by ‘bright shining’ opening, though not explicit)
Sun-like Agni = inner sun of consciousness; offering = consecrated action; purified thought = clear mental substance enabling inner traversal.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the knower who traverses divine and human births: he moves within all becomings, making a bridge. Inner sense: the awakened fire-consciousness can pass through and harmonize all layers of the being, from human mind-life to divine planes.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √man (m) and √vid (vidmanā) are strong IE inheritances (cf. English mind; Greek oîda). The verse’s pairing of daivya/mānuṣa articulates a binary of realms typical of early IE sacral poetry, but here unified by Agni’s knowledge.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi commands the community to offer both substance (havya) and consciousness (mati) in purified form; Agni reciprocates by using his knowledge to carry the offering and to guide the sacrificer through multiple ‘births’—stages of inner and cosmic becoming.
Consecrate both action and thought: mentally place a ‘pure offering’ into a central flame and ask it to move through all inner layers—body, life, mind, soul.
Anahata (inner offering) and Ajna (illumined thought) with Manipura as the flame-base
Three-part breath: inhale to navel (kindle), chest (offer), brow (illumine); exhale with silent ‘Agni’ awareness.
Integrative witnessing with luminous will; sense of inner continuity across states.
Name the ‘births’ you pass through daily (moods, roles, reactions). Invite Agni’s knowledge to traverse each from within, purifying and linking them to one central aspiration.
Follow Vedic accent marks; keep ‘śukrā́ya bhā́nave’ with clear lifts; maintain flow across compounds like ‘daivyāni mānuṣā’.
Let the first pāda be an invocation; make a slight contemplative pause before the final idea ‘antar viśvāni’.
: pronounce pra-vaḥ with visarga lightly before consonant., : long ā; bhaa-na-ve., : su-pū-tam with long ū., : ja-nūṃ-ṣi; keep nasalization (ṃ) subtle but present., : vid-ma-nā with long ā.
Bright, clear, and spacious; allow resonance to ‘open’ on words indicating inner traversal (antaḥ, viśvāni).
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