Rig Veda 4.3.12: Mandala 4, Sukta 3, Mantra 12
Sukta 4.3
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
ऋतेन देवीरमृता अमृक्ता अर्णोभिरापो मधुमद्भिरग्ने । वाजी न सर्गेषु प्रस्तुभानः प्र सदमित्स्रवितवे दधन्युः ॥
ṛténa devī́r amṛ́tā amṛ́ktā árṇo-bhir ā́po mádhu-madbhir agne | vājī́ ná sárgeṣu pra-stubhānáḥ prá sádám ít srávitave dadhanyúḥ ||
Przez Ṛtę boskie Wody - nieśmiertelne i niezmieszane - płyną ze swymi strumieniami słodyczy, o Agni. Jak bojowy koń w natarciach, rozbrzmiewając, parą zawsze naprzód, by wypływać w stałym wylewie.
Word by Word
- ऋतेन
- by/with ṛta (cosmic order, truth)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole करणRoot ऋत (प्रातिपदिक) < √ऋ (गति/ऋ-धातु; ‘ऋत’ = cosmic order, truth)
- देवीः
- the goddessesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot देवी (प्रातिपदिक) < देव (divine)
- अमृताः
- immortalAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (देवीः इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृRoot अमृत (प्रातिपदिक) = a-mṛta ‘not mortal’
- अमृक्ताः
- unsoiled, pureAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (देवीः इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृRoot अमृक्त (प्रातिपदिक) < √मृज्/मृक्ष् (मार्जने/शोधने) + नञ्; ‘unsoiled, untainted’
- अर्णोभिः
- with floods/wavesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole करणRoot अर्णस्/अर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) ‘flood, wave, stream’
- आपः
- the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot आप् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘waters’
- मधुमद्भिः
- with honeyed/sweet (streams)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (अर्णोभिः इति विशेषणम्)Role करणRoot मधुमत् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘honey-sweet, having honey’
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- वाजी
- the prize-winner / the swift oneNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot वाजिन् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘swift/strong; prize-winning’
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-निपातRoot न (अव्यय)
- सर्गेषु
- in the rushes/onslaughtsNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot सर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) < √सृज् (सर्जने) ‘sending forth, rush, onset’
- प्रस्तुभानः
- chanting forth (praise)Participleपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; वर्तमानकालिकः कर्तरि (वाजी इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृRoot प्र-स्तुभ् (धातु) ‘to chant forth, to praise aloud’ → वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRoot प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- सदम्
- alwaysIndeclinableकाल-अव्ययRoot सदम् (अव्यय) ‘always, continually’
- इत्
- indeedIndeclinableनिपातRoot इत् (अव्यय/निपात) ‘indeed, just’
- स्रवितवे
- to flow, to streamVerbal noun (Infinitive)तुमर्थे दत्तिवे-प्रकारः (infinitive), ‘to flow/stream’Role प्रयोजन (उद्देश्य)Root √स्रु (स्रवणे ‘to flow’) → तुमुन्/तवेन्-प्रत्ययान्त infinitive
- दधन्युः
- they set/placed (themselves) / they put forthVerbप्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; वैदिक-लुङ्/इञ्जङ्क्टिव्-प्रयोगः (अर्थः: ‘they set/placed/put’)Role क्रियाRoot √धा (धारणे/स्थापने) ; Vedic injunctive/aorist-type form
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (pada-wise): ऋतेन | देवीः | अमृताः | अमृक्ताः | अर्णोभिः | आपः | मधुमद्भिः | अग्ने | वाजी | न | सर्गेषु | प्रस्तुभानः | प्र | सदम् | इत् | स्रवितवे | दधन्युः । Notable: ‘मधुमद्भिरग्ने’ = मधुमद्भिः + अग्ने (visarga-less sandhi with voiced consonant)
- ‘सदमित्स्रवितवे’ = सदम् + इत् + स्रवितवे (nigāhīta/stop assimilation in recitation; written as -मित्स्-)
The meaning
Outer meaning
By Ṛta, the divine Waters—immortal and unmixed—move with sweet streams, O Agni; like a war-horse in the rushes, sounding, they press forward to pour out continually.
Inner meaning
When the inner Fire (Agni), the will of consecration, is established in Ṛta (right law of the soul), the divine Waters (āpaḥ)—currents of inspired consciousness and delight—begin to flow in the system as unmixed, deathless energies. Their ‘honey’ is Soma-like sweetness: the rasa of truth that nourishes the mind and life. The image of the ‘vājī’ (victorious horse/force) indicates the awakened vital energy that, once aligned with Ṛta, surges forward with mantra-sound (prastubhānaḥ) and becomes an unbroken outpouring (sadām… sravitave) of higher consciousness into the waking nature.
Universal truth
When aspiration and will are aligned with truth, higher energies naturally descend as a continuous, sweet, renewing flow; right order turns effort into effortless outpouring.
Themes
purification, delight-bearing flow, rhythmic outpouring, truth-governed movement
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 4.1, RV 4.2, RV 4.3, RV 4.4, RV 4.18
Family tradition
Vāmadeva is a major seer of RV Maṇḍala 4; the Gautama line is noted for hymns that turn ritual images into inner realizations—Agni as guide, protector, and revealer of hidden truth.
Significance
Vāmadeva’s vision often moves from invocation of Agni to the release of inner plenitudes (vāja) and the opening of luminous currents (āpaḥ/go). Here he emphasizes Ṛta as the condition for the continuous descent of sweetness and power.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (with Āpaḥ as associated powers)
- Epithets
- Agni, Vājī (as energizing force-image), Leader of the sacrifice (implicit)
- Related deities
- Āpaḥ, Soma, Indra (as illuminator who often releases waters), Sarasvatī (as river of inspiration)
Cosmic role
Mediator between the human and the divine; establishes Ṛta in the offering and calls down the higher currents (waters) of inspiration and delight.
Inner power
Transformative will and aspiration that purifies movements so the ‘waters’ remain amṛktā (unmixed) and become a constant outpouring.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agniṣṭoma/Soma-related recitation contexts where waters, sweetness (madhu), and flow are invoked; also general Agni praise within Śrauta settings.
ऋ॒तेन॑ दे॒वीर॒मृता॒ अमृ॑क्ता॒ अर्णो॑भि॒रापो॒ मधु॑मद्भिरग्ने । वा॒जी न सर्गे॑षु प्रस्तुभा॒नः प्र सद॒मित्स्रवि॑तवे दधन्युः ॥
ऋ॒तेन॑ । दे॒वीः । अ॒मृताः॑ । अमृ॑क्ताः । अर्णः॑ऽभिः । आपः॑ । मधु॑मत्ऽभिः । अ॒ग्ने॒ । वा॒जी । न । सर्गे॑षु । प्र॒ऽस्तु॒भा॒नः । प्र । सद॑म् । इत् । स्रवि॑तवे । द॒ध॒न्यु॒ह् ॥
ṛtena | devīḥ | amṛtāḥ | amṛktāḥ | arṇaḥ-bhiḥ | āpaḥ | madhumat-bhiḥ | agne | vājī | na | sargeṣu | pra-stubhānaḥ | pra | sadam | it | sravitave | dadhanyuh
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Forward-driving, wave-like propulsion suited to images of rushing waters and surging force.
Builds momentum and continuity; supports a felt sense of ‘unbroken flow’ and energizes aspiration while keeping it ordered by Ṛta.
- ṛtena (ऋतेन)
- Literal: by Ṛta; by right order/law. Symbolic: alignment with the truth-law that harmonizes mind, life, and spirit
- devīḥ āpaḥ (देवीः आपः)
- Literal: divine waters. Symbolic: streams of consciousness-force and delight (inspirations, intuitions, ananda-currents)
- amṛtāḥ (अमृताः)
- Literal: immortal. Symbolic: deathless energies of the higher planes, not subject to decline
- amṛktāḥ (अमृक्ताः)
- Literal: unmixed; untainted. Symbolic: pure movements not adulterated by ego, desire, or falsehood
- madhumat (मधुमत्)
- Literal: honeyed; sweet. Symbolic: Soma-sweetness, delight of truth, nourishing rasa in consciousness
- agne (अग्ने)
- Literal: O Agni. Symbolic: inner flame of will, aspiration, and transformative discernment
- vājī (वाजी)
- Literal: charger/war-horse; winner of prize. Symbolic: victorious dynamic force (energized prāṇa) carrying the soul’s march
- sargeṣu (सर्गेषु)
- Literal: in rushes/onsets; in emissions. Symbolic: surges of effort or decisive inner movements in practice
- prastubhānaḥ (प्रस्तुभानः)
- Literal: sounding forth; chanting. Symbolic: mantric vibration that releases and directs the flow
- sravitave (स्रवितवे)
- Literal: to flow out. Symbolic: steady descent/effusion of higher consciousness into the being
Invocation of purifying, delight-bearing currents (Āpaḥ) in relation to Agni’s kindling and the Soma-flow symbolism; supports inner/ritual purification and steady offering
During Agni invocations and sequences calling for purification and prosperity; thematically near offerings that seek ‘madhu’ (sweetness) and ‘vāja’ (plenitude).
Kindling/feeding Agni; offering ghee; recitation to invite pure descending currents and steady oblations.
Use as a meditation-chanted invocation before practice: ‘may the sweet, pure currents of higher consciousness flow steadily through me under Ṛta.’
√sru ‘to flow’ → sravitave (infinitive). pra-√stubh ‘to resound, chant’ → pra-stubhānaḥ (participle). vāja (force/plenitude; linked with vigor and winning power) supports the inner sense of ‘energized impetus’. āpaḥ as ‘waters’ frequently denotes streams of consciousness and delight; madhumat ‘honeyed’ points to ānanda-quality rather than physical sweetness.
Ṛta, purity (amṛktāḥ), ānanda/delight (madhu)
Explicit: Ṛta is the governing law enabling the divine waters to move and pour.
Purity/unmixedness (amṛktāḥ) implies satya-consciousness free from admixture of falsehood.
Waters as primal carriers of life and consciousness; ordered flow as a mode of manifestation.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: descent of higher consciousness under truth-law; also resonates with Upaniṣadic ‘rasa’ and ‘amṛta’ motifs.
dawn (suggested by awakening flow and forward surge, though not explicit)
rainy/monsoon (suggested by rushing waters, though not explicit)
Waters = currents of inspiration/ananda; Fire = will; Horse = energized prāṇa; Honey = rasa of truth; Ṛta = inner law aligning all movements.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The truth-governed Waters (Āpaḥ) as divine goddesses who carry honeyed delight and purifying force, moving in rhythmic releases. Mythically they are cosmic rivers; psychologically they are currents of clarified consciousness that, under Ṛta, pour themselves forward to nourish Agni’s work and the soul’s progression.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √sru ‘flow’ corresponds to PIE *sreu- (cf. English ‘stream’). √stubh has an IE sound-symbolic resonance with striking/resounding actions (less direct cognacy, but comparable to expressive roots). The noun āpaḥ ‘waters’ parallels Indo-Iranian *āp- (Avestan āpō).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi addresses Agni while presenting the Waters as cooperating divine forces: Agni is the conscious flame that receives; the Waters are the sweet, purifying movements that must ‘flow out’ continually. The reciprocity is functional: the awakened fire calls and shapes the flow; the flow feeds and enlarges the fire’s effective action.
Invite a continuous ‘sweet flow’ of higher consciousness through the spine and breath while keeping the will aligned to truth (ṛta).
Anāhata to Viśuddha (flow of sweetness and mantra-sound); also Ājñā for ordered guidance.
Slow inhalation imagining ascent of Agni in the heart; exhalation imagining āpaḥ flowing downward as nectar through the body (6–6 or 6–8 count).
Quietly energized (sattvic dynamism): steady aspiration with felt descent of delight.
Begin by establishing sincerity (ṛta): one clear intention. Chant once slowly, then 3 or 9 times, sensing ‘unmixed’ purity—no bargaining, no strain—only steady flow.
Mixed udātta/anudātta/svarita as per Rigvedic accent; key lifts often on invocatory words (ṛtena, devīḥ, āpaḥ, agne).
Keep udātta as a clear raised pitch; svarita as a brief fall; avoid flattening compound clusters like madhumadbhir.
ṛ in ṛtena: crisp vocalic ‘r̥’ (not ‘ri’), amṛtā/amṛktā: keep ṛ short and distinct, madhumadbhir: articulate -dbh- with voiced aspiration, prastubhānaḥ: clear ‘st’ cluster; long ā in -bhā-, sravitave: light ‘sr’ onset, do not insert vowel
Bright, flowing, slightly resonant in the chest and throat to evoke ‘waters’ and ‘sound’.
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