Rig Veda 6.16.8: Mandala 6, Sukta 16, Mantra 8
Sukta 6.16
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
तव प्र यक्षि संदृशमुत क्रतुं सुदानवः । विश्वे जुषन्त कामिनः ॥
táva prá yakṣi saṃ-dṛ́śam utá krátuṃ su-dā́navaḥ | víśve juṣanta kā́minaḥ ||
Złóż ofiarę ze swojej mocy jasnej wizji i swojej skutecznej woli; niech wszyscy hojni dawcy, pragnący prawdziwego spełnienia, znajdą w nich rozkosz i zostaną zharmonizowani przez Twój płomień.
Word by Word
- तव
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी (genitive), एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitival relation)Root त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableउपसर्ग (preverb) with यक्षिRoot प्र (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- यक्षि
- worship! / offer sacrifice!Verbलोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया) —Root यज् (धातु)
- संदृशम्
- the sight/vision; the meeting/appearanceNoun (abstract/quality)द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्गRole कर्म (object of यक्षि)Root संदृश् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘दर्शन/समानदर्शन’)
- उत
- and alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चय/अधिकरणार्थक निपातRoot उत (निपात)
- क्रतुम्
- resolve, power of will; ritual skill/planNounद्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन; पुल्लिङ्गRole कर्म (object coordinated with संदृशम्)Root क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुदानवः
- the good-givers / generous onesAdjective (used substantively)प्रथमा (nominative), बहुवचन; पुल्लिङ्गRole कर्तृ (subject of जुषन्त)Root सु-दानु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘good-giving’)
- विश्वे
- all (of them)Adjective (used substantively)प्रथमा (nominative), बहुवचन; पुल्लिङ्गRole कर्तृ (subject of जुषन्त; in apposition with सुदानवः)Root विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- जुषन्त
- they enjoy/accept/favourVerbलट् (present), तृतीयपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया) —Root जुष् (धातु)
- कामिनः
- desirers, lovers (of it/you)Noun/Adjectiveप्रथमा (nominative), बहुवचन; पुल्लिङ्गRole कर्तृ (predicate/apposition to the subject: ‘as desirers’)Root कामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic): तव | प्र | यक्षि | संदृशम् | उत | क्रतुम् | सुदानवः | विश्वे | जुषन्त | कामिनः । Sandhi: (1) प्र + यक्षि → प्र यक्षि (no external sandhi change; preverb separated in pada)
- (2) संदृशम् उत → संदृशमु॒त (m + u → mu; anusvāra/‘म्’ before vowel gives ‘मु’ in saṃhitā)
- (3) क्रतुम् सुदानवः → क्रतुं सुदानवः (final -म् before sibilant becomes anusvāra -ं)
- Accent as in saṃhitā: तव॒ (anudātta), य॑क्षि (udātta on य), सं॒दृश॑म् (udātta on दृश), उ॒त (anudātta), क्रतुं॑ (udātta), सु॒दान॑वः (udātta on दान), विश्वे॑ (udātta), का॒मिन॑ः (udātta on का)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni, offer forth (or manifest) clear vision and effective will; may all generous givers delight in them, desiring fulfilment.
Inner meaning
From Agni we ask two central yogic powers: saṃdṛśam—integral seeing/clear vision—and kratu—effective will/intelligent force. When these are offered forth into the being, the ‘sudānavaḥ’ (generous, open natures) rejoice; the ‘kāminaḥ’ (those who truly desire fulfilment) become harmonized by the flame, their desires purified into right seeking.
Universal truth
Clarity of vision and power of execution must unite; then desire is transformed into aspiration, and the community of seekers becomes joyful and aligned.
Themes
inner clarity, will-force, collective harmonization, delight/acceptance (juṣ)
The seer
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja
- Other hymns
- RV 6.16, RV 6.13
Family tradition
Practical psychology of the yajña: request for vision (saṃdṛś) and will (kratu) as the two pillars of effective sādhanā.
Significance
The rishi points to a mature stage: not only invocation, but the manifestation of faculties that make the whole nature consent and rejoice in the divine working.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Kratu-vit (knower/holder of will, implied), Dīdhiti (shining, implied), Sudānu (good-giving, by effect)
- Related deities
- Indra (illumined mind-force), Bṛhaspati (truth-word), Soma (delight that makes consent easy)
Cosmic role
Illuminator and executor: reveals the path and energizes its fulfilment.
Inner power
Union of light and force—clarity that guides and will that accomplishes; transforms desire into aspiration.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni-stuti requesting kratu and vision; used in contexts seeking success of rite and right intention
तव॒ प्र य॑क्षि सं॒दृश॑मु॒त क्रतुं॑ सु॒दान॑वः । विश्वे॑ जुषन्त का॒मिन॑: ॥
तव॑ । प्र । य॒क्षि॒ । स॒म्ऽदृश॑म् । उ॒त । क्रतु॑म् । सु॒ऽदान॑वः । विश्वे॑ । जु॒ष॒न्त॒ । का॒मिनः॑ ॥
tava | pra | yakṣi | sam-dṛśam | uta | kratum | su-dānavaḥ | viśve | juṣanta | kāminaḥ
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directive and uplifting; a ‘command-prayer’ rhythm
Energizes intention; supports decisive clarity and confident forward movement.
- saṃdṛśam
- Literal: clear/complete seeing; a vision. Symbolic: integral perception; inner clarity that sees the right direction and the truth of movements
- kratum
- Literal: will, resolve, intelligence in action. Symbolic: effective spiritual will-force; the executive power of consciousness
- pra yakṣi
- Literal: offer forth, worship forth. Symbolic: project/manifest the powers into active life; make them operative in the inner yajña
- sudānavaḥ
- Literal: good givers, generous. Symbolic: open-hearted parts of nature that can collaborate and offer themselves
- juṣanta
- Literal: may they enjoy/delight. Symbolic: spontaneous consent of the nature when truth-powers act
- kāminaḥ
- Literal: desirers. Symbolic: the seeking energies; desire transmuted into right aspiration
Prayer for Agni to effectuate the offering with right vision and kratu; inner yoga: ignition yielding clarity (saṃdṛś) and executive force (kratu).
Before key offerings or decisions within the rite; adaptable to any commencement
prayer for faculties; offering oblation to strengthen intention
Before important work or life decisions: chant to invoke clear seeing and effective will; then act from that clarity.
saṃ-dṛś < sam- 'together' + √dṛś 'see' → integrated vision (not mere sensory sight). krátu: Vedic key-term for effective will/intelligence that accomplishes (often contrasted with mere desire). juṣanta < √juṣ 'enjoy, welcome' (ritual acceptance by gods; here inner acceptance by seekers). kāmin < √kam 'desire'—desire purified into aspiration.
kratu (effective will/intelligence), integral vision (saṃdṛś), purification of desire into aspiration
Saṃdṛś and kratu are instruments of ṛta in the individual—seeing the law, executing it.
Clear vision is a satya-function; it corrects distorted desire.
Conscious evolution: faculties of truth-seeing and truth-doing emerge through Agni.
Vedic psychology aligned with later Yoga: viveka (discernment) + icchā/śakti (will-force)
morning (clarity) or noon (power) as symbolic tones
Light = clear perception; heat = force of will; community delight = harmonized parts of the being consenting to truth.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythic action is the 'right sacrifice' as a release of faculties: vision and kratu are offered/manifested through Agni so the community may enter delight and fulfilment. Innerly, Agni converts aspiration into clear seeing and effective execution.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dṛś 'see' has broad IE parallels (PIE *derk- 'see', cf. Greek dérkomai). The pairing of 'seeing' and 'will/intelligence' is a common IE poetic duality: cognition + power accomplishing.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer asks Agni not merely for externals but for inner instruments—vision and kratu—so that the sacrificers (sudānavaḥ) can truly 'relish' (juṣ) the divine working; the god-power perfects the human faculty-set.
Invoke twofold power: (1) clear seeing of the next right step, (2) force to carry it out without agitation.
ājñā (vision) linked with maṇipūra (will)
inhale ‘saṃdṛśam’ (clarity), exhale ‘kratum’ (power); brief pause feeling consent in the whole being
lucid, empowered, harmonizing
After chanting, ask inwardly: ‘What is the truth I must see?’ then ‘What is the will I must apply?’ Wait for a quiet, non-impulsive answer and commit to one concrete act.
Triṣṭubh; emphasize saṃdṛśam and kratum as the two peaks; exact udatta/anudatta requires marked text.
Keep consonant clusters clear: saṃ-dṛ-śam (do not drop ṛ); kratum with crisp ‘kr’.
saṃdṛśam: anusvāra before d; ṛ as short vocalic r, kratum: rolled/clear ‘r’ after k, juṣanta: ṣ retroflex; not ‘susanta’
bright, directive, confidence-building
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