Rig Veda 4.7.1: Mandala 4, Sukta 7, Mantra 1
Sukta 4.7
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
अयमिह प्रथमो धायि धातृभिर्होता यजिष्ठो अध्वरेष्वीड्यः । यमप्नवानो भृगवो विरुरुचुर्वनेषु चित्रं विभ्वं विशेविशे ॥
ayám ihá prathamó dhā́yi dhātṛ́bhir hótā yájiṣṭho adhvaréṣv ī́ḍyaḥ | yám apnávāno bhṛ́gavo vi-rurucúr váneṣu citráṃ vi-bhvám viśé-viśe ||
Este, aqui, foi primeiro estabelecido pelos ordenadores: Agni, o Hotar, o mais digno do sacrifício, a ser venerado nos ritos. A ele, ao conquistá-lo, os Bhṛgu fizeram fulgir nas florestas — poder maravilhoso e vasto, para clã após clã.
Word by Word
- अयम्
- this (one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इह
- hereIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role अधिकरणRoot इह (अव्यय)
- प्रथमः
- firstAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (अयम् इति विशेषणम्)Root प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
- धायि
- was established/was setVerbलुङ् (अorist), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमा-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role (क्रिया)Root धा (धातु)
- धातृभिः
- by the establishers/ordainersNounपुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role करणRoot धातृ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √धा ‘स्थापने/धारणे’ + तृ)
- होता
- the Hotṛ-priest (invoker)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (अयम् इत्यस्य समनाधिकरणम्)Root होतृ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √हु ‘यज्ञे’ + तृ)
- यजिष्ठः
- most worshipful / best at sacrificeAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (होता इति विशेषणम्)Root यजिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; यज्-तमे/इष्ठ-प्रत्ययः)
- अध्वरेषु
- in the rites/sacrificesNounपुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्Role अधिकरणRoot अध्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
- ईड्यः
- praiseworthy / to be invokedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (होता इति विशेषणम्)Root ईड्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √ईड्/ईळ् ‘स्तुतौ’ + य)
- यम्
- whomPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अप्नवानः
- possessing gain/attainment; successfulAdjective/Participleपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot अप्नवत् (प्रातिपदिक; अप्न ‘धन/कार्य-सम्पत्ति’ + वत्) अथवा √आप् ‘प्रापणे’ से भाव
- भृगवः
- the Bhṛgus (a seer-clan)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot भृगु (प्रातिपदिक)
- विरुरुचुः
- shone forth / made (him) shineVerbलिट् (perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमा-पुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role (क्रिया)Root √रुच् (दीप्तौ) with preverb वि-
- वनेषु
- in the woods/forestsNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्Role अधिकरणRoot वन (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role समुच्चयRoot च (अव्यय)
- चित्रम्
- bright, wondrousAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (कर्मणि/विशेषणरूपेण)Role कर्म (यम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- विभ्वम्
- all-pervading, mightyAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (यम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root विभ्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- विशे-विशे
- in each clan/settlementNoun (reduplicated distributive)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्; पुनरुक्त्या ‘प्रत्येकं विशि’ (distributive)Role अधिकरणRoot विश् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: (1) अयम् + इह → अयमिह (anusvāra before vowel). (2) धातृभिः + होता → धातृभिर्होता (visarga → r before voiced consonant). (3) अध्वरेषु + ईड्यः → अध्वरेष्वीड्यः (u + ī → vī). (4) यम् + अप्नवानः → यमप्नवानः (m + a coalescence in saṃhitā). (5) विरुरुचुः + वनेषु → विरुरुचुर्वनेषु (ḥ → r before voiced consonant). (6) विशे + विशे → विशेविशे (vowel coalescence; distributive repetition). Accents are retained as in the provided saṃhitā text
- pada-forms here are unaccented for morphological clarity
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni, the Hotṛ, was first established here by the Ordainers; he is most worshipful and worthy of praise in sacrifices. The Bhṛgus, attaining him, made him blaze in the forests—wondrous, vast—for each and every clan.
Inner meaning
The inner Fire is the first foundation of the yoga: the cosmic powers that ‘ordain’ (dhātṛbhis) establish in us the priestly will-to-offer. When the Bhṛgu-forces (energies of luminous discernment and ardent seeking) win this Fire, it blazes in the ‘forests’ of our nature—dense growths of habit and vital life—turning them into a field of illumination. Then Agni becomes a universal power available to every part of the being (viśe-viśe).
Universal truth
All inner progress begins with establishing a central flame of conscious will. When that flame is found and nourished, it can transform even the wild growth of nature into light and power, becoming a common good for all parts of life and community.
Themes
first founding of Agni, lineage of fire-discoverers, continuity of sacrifice, pervasive divine power
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 4.6, RV 4.7, RV 4.1
Family tradition
In Maṇḍala 4, Vāmadeva’s line repeatedly presents Agni as primordial foundation and universal priestly power; the Gautamas emphasize illumination that organizes life into ṛta.
Significance
The seer frames Agni as ‘first established’—suggesting an initiatory moment in sadhana where the inner will becomes stable and begins to act across the whole nature.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Hotṛ, Yajiṣṭha, Īḍya, Prathama (first, foundational)
- Related deities
- Bhṛgu (as lineage-symbol), Indra, Sūrya, Uṣas
Cosmic role
First among the gods in the human world; awakener and carrier of the sacrifice; power that spreads through the worlds as transformative heat and light.
Inner power
Psychic fire that discovers itself in the subconscient ‘forest’ and expands as a vast, many-sided capacity for right action and aspiration.
In ritual
Where it is used
General Agni invocation at the opening/establishment of sacrificial action (adhvara)
अ॒यमि॒ह प्र॑थ॒मो धा॑यि धा॒तृभि॒र्होता॒ यजि॑ष्ठो अध्व॒रेष्वीड्य॑: । यमप्न॑वानो॒ भृग॑वो विरुरु॒चुर्वने॑षु चि॒त्रं वि॒भ्वं॑ वि॒शेवि॑शे ॥
अ॒यम् । इ॒ह । प्र॒थ॒मः । धा॒यि॒ । धा॒तृऽभिः॑ । होता॑ । यजि॑ष्ठः । अ॒ध्व॒रेषु॑ । ईड्यः॑ । यम् । अप्न॑वानः । भृग॑वः । वि॒ऽरु॒रु॒चुः । वने॑षु । चि॒त्रम् । वि॒ऽभ्व॑म् । वि॒शेऽवि॑शे ॥
ayam | iha | prathamaḥ | dhāyi | dhātṛ-bhiḥ | hotā | yajiṣṭhaḥ | adhvareṣu | īḍyaḥ | yam | apnavānaḥ | bhṛgavaḥ | vi-rurucuḥ | vaneṣu | citram | vi-bhvam | viśe--viśe
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4×11 syllables (approx.)
Majestic, proclamatory; suitable for ‘first establishment’ statements and expansive scope (vibhvaṃ).
Elicits confidence and foundational steadiness; supports the feeling of a central fire spreading through the being.
- prathamaḥ
- Literal: first. Symbolic: the foundational principle of the path: awakening of will-consciousness
- dhātṛbhiḥ
- Literal: by the ordainers/establishers. Symbolic: cosmic formative powers; laws of ṛta that set the inner sacrifice in place
- hotā
- Literal: invoking priest. Symbolic: inner guide that calls down higher forces and offers lower movements
- yajiṣṭhaḥ
- Literal: most fit for sacrifice/worship. Symbolic: the most effective inner power for transformation
- īḍyaḥ
- Literal: worthy of praise. Symbolic: that which the soul can safely adore and rely upon
- bhṛgavaḥ
- Literal: the Bhṛgus (seer-family). Symbolic: luminous-ardent powers that discover and kindle the hidden fire
- vaneṣu
- Literal: in the forests. Symbolic: in the tangled growth of the outer nature (vital/physical habits)
- citraṃ vibhvam
- Literal: wondrous, vast. Symbolic: multi-faceted and expansive divine capacity awakened in the being
- viśe-viśe
- Literal: to each clan. Symbolic: to each domain of life; to every part-personality within us
Foundational Agni-installation and praise; recalls primordial establishment of fire by cosmic ordainers and priestly lineages—used to sacralize the present rite as continuation of the first founding
At commencement of rite; when acknowledging Agni as first and most worthy in the sacrifice
Invoking Hotṛ-Agni; kindling and praising; establishing sacred space
Use as a ‘foundation’ chant when beginning a new discipline: establish the inner fire as first priority before other practices.
dhātṛ- from √dhā 'set/establish' → ordainers (cosmic builders). īḍya from √īḍ 'praise'. vi-ruruc- from √ruc 'shine' with intensifying/reduplicating formation, signaling repeated blaze. apna-/√āp 'reach, obtain' indicates deliberate acquisition of Agni by Bhṛgus—mythic discoverers of fire. 'Forests' (vana) can bear inner sense: unformed life-energies where the flame must be found and established.
primordial establishment of order (dhātṛ), tradition lineage (Bhṛgu) as transmission of knowledge, pervasion (vibhū) across communities
Agni established by dhātṛs indicates cosmic order placing the divine will at the start of manifestation in the human field.
Agni as īḍya: truth-recognition and right praise align speech with reality.
Discovery and expansion of fire in the ‘forest’ mirrors emergence of consciousness from dense nature.
Integral/psychological Veda: gods as powers of consciousness; sacrifice as inner evolution.
unspecified
dry season implied by forest-blaze imagery (symbolic)
Forest = subconscient/vital thicket; blaze = awakening of aspiration; vast power = widened consciousness acting in every life-domain.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The primordial founding/discovery of Agni: established first by cosmic ordainers and brought to blaze by the Bhṛgus in the forests. Mythically, it grounds present ritual in an archetypal first ignition; psychologically, it depicts the discovery of inner fire within the raw growth of nature.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dhā 'place' (dhāyi, dhātṛ) is PIE *dʰeh₁-. √ruc 'shine' relates to PIE *lewk- 'light' (semantic neighborhood; Indo-Iranian has distinct reflexes but comparable light-root networks). vana 'wood/forest' ties to PIE *wen- 'desire/love' is not cognate; however 'wood' lexemes differ across branches—here the interest is formulaic: fire-in-wood as an inherited ritual motif.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi situates himself within the chain of transmission: as the Bhṛgus once 'won' Agni and made him blaze, so the present sacrificer must attain and establish him 'here'. The reciprocity is tradition-as-yajña: human effort and right praise make Agni manifest; Agni becomes the adored priestly power in every community, sustaining order and wideness.
Establish a stable inner flame as the first act; then let it spread through ‘each clan’—each part of life.
maṇipūra (will) with support from anāhata (devotion/reverence)
4-4-6 breathing: inhale (kindle), hold (establish), exhale (spread through the being).
Grounded, luminous readiness for action; expansive clarity.
Before work or meditation, recall: ‘first establish Agni.’ Feel one-pointed will in the belly, offer the day into it, and mentally extend the flame into speech, senses, and actions (viśe-viśe).
Follow Vedic accent marks in the saṃhitā/pada tradition; keep udatta rises on key nouns (ayám, hotā́, īḍyáḥ) and let svarita fall naturally—confirm with the chosen recension’s notation.
Maintain triṣṭubh pacing: each pāda as a complete thought; slight pause at caesura; avoid over-stressing consonant clusters.
dhātṛbhir: ṛ is vocalic; keep it short and crisp, yajiṣṭho: ṣṭh cluster—articulate ṣ then ṭh aspirated, adhvareṣv: pronounce ṣv smoothly without inserting a vowel, virurucuḥ: keep repeated ru-ru distinct, viśe-viśe: clear dental ś (palatal) and final e longish in chant
Bright, confident, expanding tone; let the second half widen slightly.
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