Rig Veda 8.23.20: Mandala 8, Sukta 23, Mantra 20
Sukta 8.23
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
तं हुवेम यतस्रुचः सुभासं शुक्रशोचिषम् । विशामग्निमजरं प्रत्नमीड्यम् ॥
táṃ huvema yatásrucaḥ su-bhā́saṃ śukráśociṣam | viśā́m agním ajáraṃ pratnám ī́ḍyam ||
Dia kami seru—dengan senduk persembahan yang ditata tepat—Agni yang bercahaya indah dan berlidah api terang: Api umat-umat yang tidak menua, yang purba dan sentiasa patut dipuja, yang menegakkan kembali tertib asal dalam diri kami.
Word by Word
- तम्
- himPronounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हुवेम
- let us invoke / we would callVerbलोट् (विधिलिङ्/आज्ञार्थे वैदिक-प्रयोगः), उत्तम-पुरुषः, बहुवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role (क्रिया)Root √हू (ह्वा) ‘आह्वाने’
- यतस्रुचः
- (him) whose ladles are extended / with outstretched ladlesNoun (epithet)पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (अग्नेः विशेषणम्)Role कर्मRoot यत-स्रुच् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘यत’ + ‘स्रुच्’)
- सुभासम्
- well-shining, splendidAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot सु-भास (प्रातिपदिक)
- शुक्रशोचिषम्
- of bright flame / with radiant lightAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot शुक्र-शोचिस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘bright’ + ‘flame/brightness’)
- विशाम्
- of the clans/peoplesNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे षष्ठी-बहुवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root विश् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्निम्
- AgniNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अजरम्
- unaging, undecayingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot अ-जर (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-समासः)
- प्रत्नम्
- ancient, primevalAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot प्रत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
- ईड्यम्
- to be praised, worthy of worshipAdjective (gerundive)पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्; -य (यत्) प्रत्ययः: ‘स्तुत्य/पूज्य’Role कर्मRoot √ईड्/√ईळ् ‘स्तुतौ’ (कृदन्त)
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठः: तं हु॑वेम य॒तस्रु॑चः सु॒भासं॑ शु॒क्रशो॑चिषम् । वि॒शाम॒ग्निम॒जरं॑ प्र॒त्नमीड्य॑म् ॥ पद-विच्छेदः (सन्धि-निरासः): तम् | हुवेम | यतस्रुचः | सुभासम् | शुक्रशोचिषम् | विशाम् | अग्निम् | अजरम् | प्रत्नम् | ईड्यम् । मुख्य-सन्धि: (1) विशाम् + अग्निम् → विशामग्निम् (म् + अ = म्-अ, संहिता-लेखनम्). (2) प्रत्नम् + ईड्यम् → प्रत्नमीड्यम् (म् + ई = म्-ई, संहिता-लेखनम्). उच्चारण-चिह्न (॑, ॒) वैदिक-स्वर-चिह्नाः
- पद-विच्छेदे स्वर-चिह्न सामान्यतः न दर्शिताः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
We call him, holding the ladles rightly—Agni of fair radiance and bright flame, the unaging Fire of the peoples, the ancient and adorable.
Inner meaning
With disciplined offering (yata-srucah: rightly held instruments of giving), we invoke the luminous will (subhāsa, śukraśociṣ) that belongs to all parts of the being (viśām) and yet is unaging (ajara), primal (pratna), ever worthy of adoration (īḍya). The mantra emphasizes right method and steady consecration: when giving is ordered, the inner fire becomes brilliantly effective and restores the ancient law within.
Universal truth
Right inner practice—disciplined offering—awakens the timeless guiding will; it is not created anew but recovered as an ancient, ever-present power in human life.
Themes
invocation, discipline in sacrifice, primordial Agni, collective order
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra (traditional attribution)
- Lineage
- Kauśika (traditional)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.1.1 (Agni invoked), RV 3.62.10
Family tradition
Mantra-discipline and tapas leading to luminous guidance; emphasis on right method (yoga of offering).
Significance
The rishi’s note here is methodical: the ‘rightly held ladles’ mirrors the need for controlled, conscious giving—an inner yajña requiring precision and sincerity.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Subhāsa, Śukraśociṣ, Ajara, Pratna, Īḍya, Viśām Agni
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (right word), Indra (illumined mind), Viśve Devāḥ
Cosmic role
Unaging fire-principle sustaining sacrifice across generations; luminous power that maintains continuity of ṛta.
Inner power
Steady, bright will that becomes the common priest of the whole nature and keeps the practice alive over time.
In ritual
Where it is used
General Agni invocation at the start of offering sequences; emphasis on correct handling of sruc (ladles)
तं हु॑वेम य॒तस्रु॑चः सु॒भासं॑ शु॒क्रशो॑चिषम् । वि॒शाम॒ग्निम॒जरं॑ प्र॒त्नमीड्य॑म् ॥
तम् । हु॒वे॒म॒ । य॒तऽस्रु॑चः । सु॒ऽभास॑म् । शु॒क्रऽशो॑चिषम् । वि॒शाम् । अ॒ग्निम् । अ॒जर॑म् । प्र॒त्नम् । ईड्य॑म् ॥
tam | huvema | yata-srucaḥ | su-bhāsam | śukra-śociṣam | viśām | agnim | ajaram | pratnam | īḍyam
44
4 × ~11 (probable)
Balanced and luminous; emphasis on adjectives produces a ‘praise-wave’ that stabilizes.
Creates steadiness and clarity; supports disciplined invocation and sustained concentration.
- यतस्रुचः (yata-srucaḥ)
- Literal: with controlled/rightly held ladles. Symbolic: disciplined instruments of offering: attention, speech, and action held rightly
- सु-भासम् (su-bhāsam)
- Literal: fairly shining. Symbolic: clear luminous guidance in the mind
- शुक्र-शोचिषम् (śukra-śociṣam)
- Literal: bright-flamed. Symbolic: pure intensity of will free from mixture
- विशाम् (viśām)
- Literal: of the peoples/clans. Symbolic: belonging to all parts of the nature; universal in the being
- अजरम् (ajaram)
- Literal: unaging. Symbolic: timeless spiritual force not worn by circumstances
- प्रत्नम् (pratnam)
- Literal: ancient, primal. Symbolic: original truth in us (soul-law) recovered
- ईड्यम् (īḍyam)
- Literal: to be praised/adored. Symbolic: that which deserves continual remembrance and consecration
Invocation with disciplined offering (yata-sruc): suitable for formal oblation sequences; emphasizes correct handling of offerings and the primacy of Agni in ritual order
Before/at commencement of oblations when precision and purity are stressed
Holding ladles, offering ghee; praising Agni’s radiance and antiquity
Use as a ‘practice alignment’ mantra: before meditation, set posture/breath ‘rightly held’; then invoke clarity and steadiness of will.
yata-sruc: yata ‘restrained/controlled’ from √yam ‘restrain’ (PIE *yem- ‘hold’) + sruc ‘ladle’ (ritual implement; symbolically the channel of offering). śukra ‘bright’ relates to √śuc/śuk ‘shine, be pure’. īḍya from √īḍ ‘praise’ indicates the sought/adored power. pratna ‘ancient’ marks primordiality—Agni as first principle.
Rita via disciplined offering (restraint/measure), primal Agni (pratna) as origin principle, Satyam-Ritam-Brihat trajectory (implicit via radiance and vast order)
‘Rightly held’ offering instruments signify alignment with ṛta in action and attention.
Bright, pure flame symbolizes unmixed truth-force in will.
Primal fire as ancient foundation of ordered life and ascent.
Vedic discipline of yajña as inner yoga (precision → illumination).
Ladles = faculties of offering (mind/speech/hands); bright flame = clarified will; unaging/ancient = perennial inner truth.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘ancient unaging Agni’ invoked with right measure: by disciplined offering, the sacrificers call the primordial fire, bright and fair-radiant. Mythically, correct rite summons the first priestly fire; psychologically, regulated aspiration opens the perennial inner flame that re-establishes right order (ṛta) and luminous clarity.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √yam in yata- continues PIE *yem- ‘hold/restrain’ (cf. Lat iugum ‘yoke’ from related holding/yoking semantics). The praise root √īḍ is Indo-Iranian; √hu ‘invoke’ is central to Indo-Iranian sacrificial vocabulary. The adjectival formations (su-bhāsa, śukra-śociṣ) show productive compounding typical of early Indo-European poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi-community approaches Agni through measured, controlled giving (yata-sruc), implying an ethic of right action. Agni responds as the bright, ancient, unaging mediator—confirming that disciplined aspiration is the condition for stable illumination and the restoration of inner order.
Right offering: bring attention to the ‘ladles’—speech, breath, and intention—then invoke bright will.
manipura
even-count breathing (sama-vritti) to ‘hold rightly’; then silent mantra repetition on a steady inner flame
Calm, luminous steadiness (shanta with inner brightness).
Before any work: pause, align breath, align intention, offer the act; let Agni be ‘viśām’—the common center that unifies all parts.
Follow accent notation where present; maintain evenness across descriptive compounds; keep pāda breaks clear.
Let the praise-epithets flow but mark pāda cadence; avoid swallowing visarga in viśām and īḍyam where applicable in recitation style.
yata-srucaḥ: ‘sr’ cluster clear; final ḥ audible lightly, su-bhāsam: long ā, śukra-śociṣam: palatal ś; retroflex ṣ in śociṣam, ajaraṃ: short a initial; clear ‘j’
Clear, steady, luminous; minimal vibrato; ‘centered’ tone.
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