Rig Veda 8.44.2: Mandala 8, Sukta 44, Mantra 2
Sukta 8.44
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
अग्ने स्तोमं जुषस्व मे वर्धस्वानेन मन्मना । प्रति सूक्तानि हर्य नः ॥
agné stómaṁ juṣasva me várdhasvānéna mánmanā | práti sū́ktāni harya naḥ ||
O Agni, przyjmij i rozkoszuj się moją pieśnią; wzrastaj dzięki tej mojej uformowanej myśli. Zwróć się ku naszym dobrze wypowiedzianym słowom i raduj się nimi.
Word by Word
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (address)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्तोमम्
- praise, hymnNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot स्तोम- (प्रातिपदिक)
- जुषस्व
- take pleasure in, acceptVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRole (क्रिया) —Root √जुष् (सेवने/प्रीतौ)
- मे
- my, of mePronounषष्ठी-एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role सम्बन्ध (स्वामि/सम्बन्धी)Root अस्मद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वर्धस्व
- grow, increaseVerbलोट्; मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRole (क्रिया) —Root √वृध् (वर्धने)
- अनेन
- with thisPronounतृतीया-एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्गRole करणRoot इदम्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मन्मना
- with (our) thought/intentNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचनRole करणRoot मन्मन्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘thought, intention’)
- प्रति
- towards, in response toIndeclinableअव्ययRole (क्रियाविशेषण/दिशा)Root प्रति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- सूक्तानि
- well-spoken hymnsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-बहुवचनRole कर्म (with हर्य) / (or subject by context)Root सूक्त- (प्रातिपदिक)
- हर्य
- hasten (to), come eagerlyVerbलोट्; मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Vedic injunctive/imperative usage)Role (क्रिया) —Root √हृ (हरणे) / Vedic: ‘to hasten/come eagerly’ (हर्यति)
- नः
- our, of usPronounषष्ठी-बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role सम्बन्ध (our)Root अस्मद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अग्ने | स्तोमम् | जुषस्व | मे | वर्धस्व | अनेन | मन्मना | प्रति | सूक्तानि | हर्य | नः । 1) ‘अग्ने’ = अग्नि-सम्बोधन एकवचन (अग्नि → अग्ने). 2) ‘वर्धस्वा॒नेन’ इति संहितायां ‘वर्धस्व | अनेन’ (अ + अ → आ) दीर्घ-सन्धिः। 3) ‘मन्म॑ना’ तृतीया-एकवचनम्
- ‘अनेन मन्मना’ इति करण-द्वयम्। 4) ‘प्रति’ अव्ययम्
- ‘प्रति सूक्तानि’ इति क्रियायाः (हर्य) दिशाबोधकः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni, enjoy my hymn; grow by this thought of mine; turn to our well-spoken words and delight in them.
Inner meaning
The hymn (stoma) is not mere praise but a shaped offering of consciousness. When Agni ‘accepts’ it, the inner Fire increases—becoming more capable of transforming nature. The ‘formed thought’ (manmanā) is the intentional mental formation aligned to truth; as it becomes luminous speech (sūkta), Agni turns toward it—meaning the will and aspiration find response, inspiration, and a living presence.
Universal truth
When thought and speech are purified into truth, the inner power grows; sincere expression becomes a vehicle for transformation.
Themes
mantra-as-formation, Agni-increase, truth-speech, reciprocity
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.44.1, Rig Veda 8.44.3, Rig Veda 8.44.4
Significance
Embodies the Vedic psychology of mantra: right speech and right thought are themselves offerings that increase the inner Fire and draw response.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- acceptor of stoma, grower by manman, delighter in sūkta
- Related deities
- Sarasvatī (inspired speech, thematic), Bṛhaspati, Indra
Cosmic role
Power that receives the Word and turns it into effective force in the worlds.
Inner power
Mantric fire: capacity to translate inspired speech into transformation and protection.
In ritual
Where it is used
Stotra to Agni accompanying offerings; strengthening the fire through praise
अग्ने॒ स्तोमं॑ जुषस्व मे॒ वर्ध॑स्वा॒नेन॒ मन्म॑ना । प्रति॑ सू॒क्तानि॑ हर्य नः ॥
अग्ने॑ । स्तोम॑म् । जु॒ष॒स्व॒ । मे॒ । वर्ध॑स्व । अ॒नेन॑ । मन्म॑ना । प्रति॑ । सु॒ऽउ॒क्तानि॑ । ह॒र्य॒ । नः॒ ॥
agne | stomam | juṣasva | me | vardhasva | anena | manmanā | prati | su-uktāni | harya | naḥ
Gāyatrī (probable; three compact pādas typical of RV 8.44 invocations)
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3 × ~8 syllables (approx.)
Mantric and forward-moving; suited to recitation with clarity.
Sharpens speech and intention; creates a sense of response and inner quickening.
- स्तोमम् (stomam)
- Literal: hymn, praise. Symbolic: offering of consciousness; vibration that calls down higher force
- जुषस्व (juṣasva)
- Literal: enjoy, accept, relish. Symbolic: divine consent and assimilation of the offering
- वर्धस्व (vardhasva)
- Literal: grow, increase. Symbolic: intensification of inner will and transformative capacity
- मन्मना (manmanā)
- Literal: by thought, by mental formation. Symbolic: shaped intention; mantra as formed consciousness
- सूक्तानि (sūktāni)
- Literal: well-spoken utterances. Symbolic: truth-speech: inspired, aligned expression
- प्रति (prati)
- Literal: toward, in response. Symbolic: answering movement from the divine to the human call
- हर्य (harya)
- Literal: take delight, be eager. Symbolic: joyous participation of Agni in the upward movement
Stotra/śastra mood within Agni worship; supports the phase where praise is offered to intensify Agni before inviting other gods.
During Agni praise before/alongside oblations; also in daily recitation traditions
Recite as a verbal offering; synchronize with a ghee offering if performed externally
Use as japa before speaking/teaching/writing: align speech with truth and invite inner guidance.
√juṣ indicates ‘assent/relishing’—the deity’s consent to inhabit the offering. √vṛdh frames Agni as a power that can be increased by right mental formation (manman). Manmanā highlights that mantra is not mere sound but shaped intention/meaning. Sūkta (su-ukta) implies alignment with ṛta: speech that is ‘well-set’ and truth-bearing.
vāc (truth-speech as power), ṛta through ‘su-ukta’ (right utterance), inner increase (vardhana) of divine force
Sūkta is speech aligned to Ṛta; Agni’s growth indicates increasing right order in the being.
Truth-speech as a carrier of Satya; what is ‘well-spoken’ is what is true in vibration.
Word-fed fire: creation and transformation through mantra and conscious force.
Mantra-vidyā orientation; integral psychological symbolism.
Fire grows by ‘fuel’ of true thought and speech; the environment becomes luminous through inspired utterance.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- ‘The god grows by praise’: the hymn is nourishment; Agni increases through the rightly-shaped thought and utterance, then reciprocally turns toward the sacrificers’ speech.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vṛdh ‘grow’ continues PIE *werdʰ- ‘to grow’ (cf. English ‘worth’ via Germanic developments is not direct, but the PIE growth complex is widespread). √man ‘think’ is from PIE *men- (cf. Greek ménos ‘spirit’, Latin mens ‘mind’), reflecting the Indo-European linkage of mind, intention, and sacred speech.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi offers structured consciousness (stoma, manman, sūkta); Agni’s response is enjoyment/acceptance (juṣ) and an inward turning (prati) that stabilizes the channel between human speech and divine force.
Offer speech and thought into the inner Fire; cultivate truth-vibration.
vishuddha
ujjayi-light (very gentle) while reciting to stabilize vocal resonance
inspired clarity; receptive mind
Before japa, pause and form one clear intention (manmanā); chant with exactness; observe how the inner flame ‘answers’ as increased warmth, clarity, or quiet joy.
Maintain RV pitch accents; keep ‘Agne’ clearly addressed; avoid monotone so ‘prati’ feels like a turning/response.
Stress clarity on consonant clusters: स्तोमं (sto-maṃ), जुषस्व (ju-ṣas-va), वर्धस्व (var-dhas-va), सूक्तानि (sūk-tā-ni).
: retroflex ‘ṣ’, : ‘rdh’ cluster—roll lightly without inserting a vowel, : double ‘n’ feel (man-manā), : ‘ry’ conjunct, brief and clean
clear, slightly uplifted; articulate; devotional but precise
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