Rig Veda 10.20.2: Mandala 10, Sukta 20, Mantra 2
Sukta 10.20
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
अग्निमीळे भुजां यविष्ठं शासा मित्रं दुर्धरीतुम् । यस्य धर्मन्त्स्वरेनीः सपर्यन्ति मातुरूधः ॥
agním īḷe bhujā́ṃ yáviṣṭhaṃ śāsā́ mítraṃ durdharītúm | yásya dhármantsvàreṇī́ḥ sapáryanti mātúrū́dhaḥ ||
Uwielbiam Agniego, najmłodszego nosiciela naszych rozkoszy, władcę, który jest przyjacielem, trudnym do powstrzymania. Jego niezachwiane prawa służą promieniste moce, jak służą wymieniu Matki, czerpiąc pożywną pełnię dla naszego wzrostu.
Word by Word
- अग्निम्
- Agni (as the object of praise)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अग्नि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- ईळे
- I praise / I invokeVerbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole (क्रिया)Root ईळ्/ईड् (स्तुतौ) धातु
- भुजाम्
- of the arms / of the strong ones (i.e., of the mighty)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (भुजा), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root भुज्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘भुज्’ = भुजा ‘भुजा/भुज’ ‘भुज्’ as ‘arm/strength/possessor’), here as a noun-stem भुज्/भुजा
- यविष्ठम्
- the youngest / most youthfulAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (अग्निम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण)Root यविष्ठ- (प्रातिपदिक; superlative)
- शासा
- having instructed / by commandVerbal (non-finite)अव्ययभावः (क्रियाविशेषण), ‘having instructed/ordained’Role (क्रियाविशेषणम्)Root शास् (अनुशासने/आज्ञायाम्) धातु; क्त्वा-प्राय/वेदिक-रूपेण ‘शासा’ (absolutive-like, ‘having commanded/ordained’)
- मित्रम्
- (as) a friend / Mitra-likeNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (अग्निम् इति समनाधिकरण/विशेष्य)Role कर्म (अग्निम् इत्यस्य विशेष्य/अप्पोज़िशन)Root मित्र- (प्रातिपदिक)
- दुर्धरीतुम्
- to withstand / to hold (him) is hardVerbal noun (infinitive)तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (infinitive), ‘to hold/withstand’Role प्रयोजन/उद्देश्य (infinitival purpose)Root दुर्- + धृ (धारणे) धातु; ‘दुर्धरि’ (hard-to-hold) + तुमुन्
- यस्य
- whosePronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root यद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- धर्मन्
- ordinance / lawNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (वेदिक-रूप: धर्मन्)Role कर्मRoot धर्मन्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘ordinance, law, fixed order’)
- त्स्वरेणीः
- the shining rays / sunbeamsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot स्वरेणी- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘sunbeams/bright rays’, Vedic)
- सपर्यन्ति
- they worship / they attend uponVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root सपर्य् (पूजायाम्/सेवायाम्) धातु
- मातुः
- of the motherNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root मातृ- (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऊधः
- udder (source of nourishment)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (अत्र कर्मरूपेण ‘they worship the udder’ अथवा विषय-रूपेण)Role कर्मRoot ऊधस्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘udder’)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolutions (Vedic): धर्म॒न्त्स्वरेणीः = धर्मन् + त् + स्वरेणीः (final -न् of धर्मन् with following त् gives -न्त्- cluster)
- Other padas are already in near-pada form
The meaning
Outer meaning
The poet adores Agni as the youngest carrier of enjoyments, a ruling friend (Mitra-like), difficult to resist. His firm ordinances are served by the radiant powers, as they serve a mother’s udder, drawing nourishing abundance.
Inner meaning
Agni is the awakened divine Will in the human being—ever “young” because it is perpetually self-renewing. As śāsā (the inner governor) and mitra (harmonizing friend), he disciplines the movements of nature without violence, making them consent to the right law. The “radiant powers” (enīḥ) are the illumined faculties (rays of understanding, intuitions, purified forces) that serve Agni’s dharman (stable truth-laws) and draw from the Mother (the universal Prakṛti / Mahāśakti as nurturing source) the sustaining sap of growth—an inner nourishment that increases the soul’s capacity and right enjoyment (bhuj).
Universal truth
True progress requires an ever-renewed flame of conscious will that governs as a friend, not a tyrant. When our faculties align to steadfast truth-laws, life becomes nourished from a deeper Source and growth becomes natural, ordered, and resilient.
Themes
Agni invocation, Cosmic law (dharman), Nourishment/plenitude, Friendship/harmony (Mitra)
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.20.1-6 (hymn to Agni)
Significance
The anonymity suits the hymn’s emphasis on impersonal inner law (dharman) and universal nourishment: the seeing is presented as a general yogic truth—Agni as the governing friend whose steadfast order is served by the illumined powers.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (with Mitra-quality emphasized)
- Epithets
- yaviṣṭha (ever-young), śāsā (the ruler/governor), mitra (harmonizing friend), durdharīta (irresistible)
- Related deities
- Mitra, Varuṇa (as dharman/ṛta background), Uṣas (as awakening light), Soma (as nourishment/bliss drawn from the Mother-source)
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine; establisher of order in the sacrifice; carrier of offerings and awakener of the gods’ powers in the human field.
Inner power
Aspiring will that purifies, harmonizes, and compels the nature to align with truth; the friendly governor that converts impulse into conscious, rhythmic action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnihotra / general Agni-invocation at the opening or strengthening of the fire in a soma or havir-yajña context (non-exclusive)
अ॒ग्निमी॑ळे भु॒जां यवि॑ष्ठं शा॒सा मि॒त्रं दु॒र्धरी॑तुम् । यस्य॒ धर्म॒न्त्स्व१॒॑रेनी॑: सप॒र्यन्ति॑ मा॒तुरूध॑: ॥
अ॒ग्निम् । ई॒ळे॒ । भु॒जाम् । यवि॑ष्ठम् । शा॒सा । मि॒त्रम् । दुः॒ऽधरी॑तुम् । यस्य॑ । धर्म॑न् । स्वः॑ । एनीः॑ । स॒प॒र्यन्ति॑ । मा॒तुः । ऊधः॑ ॥
agnim | īḷe | bhujām | yaviṣṭham | śāsā | mitram | duḥ-dharītum | yasya | dharman | svaḥ | enīḥ | saparyanti | mātuḥ | ūdhaḥ
Triṣṭubh (probable, common in RV 10; three-pāda feel with a heavier cadence)
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4 pādas × ~11 syllables (approximate; text shows triṣṭubh-like cadence with compact compounds)
Firm, governing rhythm—measured and directive, matching the theme of dharman (steadfast law).
Creates a sense of inner alignment and resolve; the listener feels a steadying ‘upright’ pressure that gathers scattered energies into order.
- अग्निम् (agnim)
- Literal: fire; Agni. Symbolic: divine Will and the conscious flame leading the inner sacrifice
- यविष्ठम् (yaviṣṭham)
- Literal: youngest. Symbolic: ever-fresh power of aspiration and renewal
- भुजाम् (bhujām)
- Literal: of enjoyments/possessions. Symbolic: right enjoyment—soul’s capacity to receive and assimilate delight and power
- शासा (śāsā)
- Literal: ruling, governing. Symbolic: inner governance—discipline that establishes right order
- मित्रम् (mitram)
- Literal: Mitra; friend. Symbolic: harmonizing consciousness; power that makes movements consent to unity
- दुर्धरीतुम् (durdharītum)
- Literal: hard to withstand/hold back. Symbolic: irresistible pressure of awakened truth-force against inertia
- धर्मन् (dharman)
- Literal: law, ordinance, foundation. Symbolic: stable truth-law (ṛta in application) that upholds inner growth
- स्वः (svaḥ)
- Literal: heaven; luminous world. Symbolic: plane of illumination; higher mind/light
- एनीः (enīḥ)
- Literal: radiant ones/bright powers. Symbolic: illumined faculties/rays that serve the truth
- मातुः ऊधः (mātuḥ ūdhaḥ)
- Literal: mother’s udder. Symbolic: the nourishing source of the universal Mother/Prakṛti feeding spiritual growth
Agni praise/invocation: establishes Agni as leader of offering and guardian of dharman; suitable for kindling and opening sections of an iṣṭi/soma context.
At kindling/affirming Agni as priest and leader; also suitable as a daily recitation to establish inner discipline.
Offering with ghee and invocation of Agni’s governing friendship (Mitra-quality) to stabilize the rite.
Use as a morning or pre-work mantra to invoke calm authority: ‘let the inner will govern as a friend; let my faculties serve the right law’.
Agni from ag ‘to drive/move’ and/or ‘fire’ semantic complex; īḷe from √īḍ ‘praise, invoke’. bhuj from √bhuj ‘enjoy, partake’. yaviṣṭha is superlative from yuvan/yu ‘young’ semantics. śāsā from √śās ‘to command, instruct’. mitra from √mi ‘to bind’ → friendship/contract/harmony. dharman from √dhṛ ‘to hold, support’ → ‘that which upholds’. svaḥ as luminous realm. ūdhaḥ ‘udder’ from √uh/ūh? (lexical), used as abundance-symbol.
Dharman as supports of Ṛta, Svaḥ as luminous consciousness-plane, Nourishment as inner increase (puṣṭi) of the being
Agni’s dharman are the operational form of ṛta within the human being—laws that make the illumined powers serve the true order.
Steadfastness of dharman implies truth that holds across changing states; the ‘youngest’ fire renews without losing truth.
Nourishment-from-the-Mother: manifestation is sustained by a deeper source; growth occurs when powers draw right sustenance under true law.
Proto-Vedāntic and integral-yogic reading (Aurobindo): ascent to svar (illumination) through Agni-led sacrifice.
Dawn-to-morning (suggested by ‘young’ fire and svar/illumination, though not explicit)
Fire = conscious will; milk = subtle nourishment of force and delight from the Mother-source; heaven = illumined consciousness that serves as the field of higher faculties.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the ever-young leader whose law is served by radiant powers: a mythologem of the divine Fire establishing order (dharman) and drawing nourishment from the ‘Mother’s udder’—the source of increase—so the sacrificer’s being grows in right formation.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dharman from √dhṛ aligns with PIE *dher- ‘hold, support’ (cf. Greek thronos ‘seat’ via holding/support notions; Sanskrit dhārayati). manas-family appears elsewhere; here mitra relates to binding/contractual harmony seen across Indo-Iranian. The semantic pairing of ‘law/support’ with ‘holding’ is a common PIE conceptual mapping.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s adoration (īḷe) seeks an active governance: Agni as śāsā (ruler) and mitra (harmonizer) is invited to impose right order in the inner and outer rite. The devatā responds by making the human field partake of the Mother’s nourishing plenitude through the obedient service of luminous energies.
Invoke Agni as the friendly inner governor; offer thoughts and impulses into the flame to be reordered by dharman.
Manipura (fire/will) with an upward link to Ajna (illumination/svar)
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana for balance, then gentle kumbhaka while mentally offering a key intention into ‘Agni’.
Collected, upright, quietly forceful; a sense of being guided by an inner law rather than outer pressure.
Before action, repeat the mantra slowly; visualize a steady flame in the navel rising to the brow, and let the ‘radiant powers’ (clear perceptions) align to one governing aim.
Notated svaras not provided; chant in a steady Vedic recitation style with clear udātta lifts on marked accents in the source tradition used.
Keep compounds crisp (durdharītum, māturūdhaḥ). Maintain a slight lift on accented syllables; avoid flattening ‘īḷe’ and ‘yaviṣṭham’.
īḷe: retroflex ḷ (tongue curled back), long ī, durdharītum: articulate dur-dha-rī-tum with long ī, mātuḥ: visarga ḥ lightly echoed before pause, ūdhaḥ: long ū; final ḥ aspirated lightly
Steady, warm, ‘upright’ tone—neither harsh nor lax; let the cadence feel governing.
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