Rig Veda 4.3.4: Mandala 4, Sukta 3, Mantra 4
Sukta 4.3
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Shanta (peace)
त्वं चिन्नः शम्या अग्ने अस्या ऋतस्य बोध्यृतचित्स्वाधीः । कदा त उक्था सधमाद्यानि कदा भवन्ति सख्या गृहे ते ॥
tvaṃ cín naḥ śámyā agne asyā́ ṛtásya bodhy ṛta-cit sv-ādhīḥ | kadā́ ta ukthā́ sadha-mā́dyāni kadā́ bhavanti sakhyā́ gṛhé te ||
Ты ведь и из растопочной палочки, о Агни, пробудись для нас к этому Рите; о знающий Истину, благосклонный в разумении. Когда же станут твоими вдохновенные речи и общие радости, когда родится дружба в твоём доме?
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- youPronounपुंलिङ्ग/सर्वलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्
- indeed, evenIndeclinableनिपात (अव्यय)Root चित् (निपात)
- नः
- for us / of usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role सम्प्रदान (हितार्थे) / सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शम्या
- with/through appeasement, pacifying (means)Noun (f.)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot शम्या (प्रातिपदिक; ‘शम्या’ = शमन/शान्ति-सम्बद्ध)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (m.)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्याः
- of thisPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋतस्य
- of ṛta (cosmic order/true rite)Noun (n.)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
- बोधि
- be aware; awaken; take noticeVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot बुध् (धातु)
- ऋतचित्
- ṛta-knowing, knowing the right orderAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (अग्नेः विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root ऋत + चित् (कृदन्त/समास; ‘ṛta-knowing’)
- स्वाधीः
- good resolve/insightNoun (f.)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ-सम्बन्ध/विशेष्यRoot सु-आधी (प्रातिपदिक; ‘good intention/insight’)
- कदा
- when?Indeclinableप्रश्नार्थक-अव्ययRoot कदा (अव्यय)
- ते
- yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- उक्थानि
- hymns of praiseNoun (n.)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot उक्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
- सधमाद्यानि
- belonging to the common feast/assemblyAdjective (n. pl. used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (उक्थानि इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root सधमाद्य (प्रातिपदिक; ‘common feast/pressing-session’)
- कदा
- when?Indeclinableप्रश्नार्थक-अव्ययRoot कदा (अव्यय)
- भवन्ति
- become, come to beVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot भू (धातु)
- सख्या
- friendships, bonds of friendshipNoun (n.)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot सख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- गृहे
- in the houseNoun (n.)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (pada-wise): त्वं चित् नः (enclitic नः) | शम्या अग्ने (voc.) | अस्याः ऋतस्य (gen. sg.) | बोधि ऋतचित् स्वाधीः (ऋतचित् = ऋत-चित् ‘ṛta-knowing’; no further sandhi) || कदा ते उक्थानि (उक्था + नि → उक्थानि) सधमाद्यानि | कदा भवन्ति सख्या (सख्य + आ → सख्या) गृहे ते. Accent marks in the input are retained as Vedic recitational features
- analysis is on the sandhi-resolved word-forms
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni, even from the kindling-stick, should awaken to the Order (ṛta) for us; being truth-knowing and well-disposed. The poet asks when Agni’s hymns and communal joys will arise, and when friendships will form in his home.
Inner meaning
Even from the smallest beginning (the śamī-stick/kindling), the divine Will can awaken if the seeker aligns with ṛta. The rishi longs not only for isolated experiences but for a stable inner household of harmony: inspired utterance (uktha), shared joy (sadhamādya), and enduring friendship (sakhyā) among the powers of the being gathered in Agni’s ‘home’—the heart-center where the flame dwells.
Universal truth
A great transformation begins from a small sincere spark; when life is ordered by truth, inspiration and joy become natural companions, and the inner nature becomes a harmonious community rather than a divided field.
Themes
enkindling and awakening, yearning question (kadā), establishing divine-human communion, truth-conscious intelligence
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 4.3.1, Rig Veda 4.3.2, Rig Veda 4.3.5
Family tradition
Vāmadeva’s Agni hymns frequently move from ritual images to the psychology of awakening, harmony, and inner community.
Significance
This verse expresses the integral aim: not a momentary blaze but a settled divine household—speech, joy, and unity established around the inner Fire.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- ṛtacit (truth-knower), svādhī (rightly-disposed)
- Related deities
- Mitra (friendship), Soma (joy), Bṛhaspati (inspired speech)
Cosmic role
Guardian of ṛta; awakener from small beginnings; organizer of the inner and outer sacrifice.
Inner power
Integrative will that unifies the parts of the being into friendship and shared joy.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni kindling and praise in household/shrauta settings
त्वं चि॑न्न॒: शम्या॑ अग्ने अ॒स्या ऋ॒तस्य॑ बोध्यृतचित्स्वा॒धीः । क॒दा त॑ उ॒क्था स॑ध॒माद्या॑नि क॒दा भ॑वन्ति स॒ख्या गृ॒हे ते॑ ॥
त्वम् । चि॒त् । नः॒ । शम्यै॑ । अ॒ग्ने॒ । अ॒स्याः । ऋ॒तस्य॑ । बो॒धि॒ । ऋ॒त॒ऽचि॒त् । सु॒ऽआ॒धीः । क॒दा । ते॒ । उ॒क्था । स॒ध॒ऽमाद्या॑नि । क॒दा । भ॒व॒न्ति॒ । स॒ख्या । गृ॒हे । ते॒ ॥
tvam | cit | naḥ | śamyai | agne | asyāḥ | ṛtasya | bodhi | ṛta-cit | su-ādhīḥ | kadā | te | ukthā | sadha-mādyāni | kadā | bhavanti | sakhyā | gṛhe | te
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4 × ~11
Questioning yet firm; a rhythmic ‘knocking’ that presses for manifestation (kadā…kadā).
Invokes aspiration and expectancy; builds a steady inner demand for harmony and revelation.
- śamyā
- Literal: kindling-stick (often śamī wood). Symbolic: small starting-point of practice; the humble support that awakens the flame
- bodhi
- Literal: wake, become aware. Symbolic: awakening of conscious will in the obscurer layers
- ṛtasya
- Literal: of ṛta, cosmic order. Symbolic: right law of being; truth-guided functioning
- ṛtacit
- Literal: truth-knowing, knowing ṛta. Symbolic: gnostic discernment within the will-force
- svādhīḥ
- Literal: good in understanding/disposition. Symbolic: benevolent intelligence of the flame; right guidance
- ukthā
- Literal: hymns, inspired utterances. Symbolic: mantric formations arising from inner contact
- sadhamādyāni
- Literal: common feasts/joyings. Symbolic: shared delight of harmonized powers in the being
- sakhyā
- Literal: friendships. Symbolic: integration—mutual support of mind, life, body under the soul’s rule
- gṛhe te
- Literal: in your house/home. Symbolic: the heart as Agni’s dwelling; the inner temple
Kindling/enkindling context (samidh); also a reflective prayer for the establishment of ṛta-consciousness and stable communion in the sacrificial ‘home’.
At kindling (samidh) and at moments of seeking Agni’s awakening to ṛta.
Placing kindling, offering ghee, reciting to awaken Agni.
Use when restarting practice after dullness: ‘even from the stick’—begin small; ask for ṛta-guidance and inner harmony.
śamyā: kindling wood; from √śam ‘to be calm/auspicious’ is tempting but śamyā is technical ritual term for a stick; psychologically ‘fuel’ of nature. ṛtá from √ṛ ‘to go, fit, rise’ → ‘right movement/order’. bodhi: impv. of √budh ‘to awaken/know’ (PIE *bheudh-). ādhī ‘thought, intelligence’; sv-ādhīḥ: su- ‘good’ + ādhī: well-ordered understanding. ukthá from √vac/√ukṣ? traditional: ‘solemn recitation’; in RV it is the inspired formulation that supports the gods. sakhyá from sakhi ‘friend’ (√sac ‘to accompany, adhere’).
Rita (right order), awakening (bodhi), friendship/companionship with the divine (sakhyā)
Explicit: Agni is asked to awaken to ṛta and make it operative in us.
ṛtacit indicates truth-conscious discernment guiding action.
Fire born from wood mirrors consciousness emerging from material basis.
Integral Vedic yoga: establishment of truth-order in the whole being.
dawn or early ritual time (typical kindling context)
Wood = inert nature; ignition = awakening; home = embodied life; hearth = heart-center.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The birth/awakening of Agni from fuel and the establishment of ṛta in the human house. Mythically: Agni awakened in the dwelling. Psychologically: the divine will ignites inert nature and organizes it into right order, enabling shared joy and enduring friendship with the higher powers.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- bodhi from √budh reflects PIE *bheudh- (cf. English bid/forbid in older senses of ‘proclaim/command’, German bieten). The semantic core ‘wake/notice’ remains central in Indo-European sacral vocabulary for illumination.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi appeals to Agni as ṛta-knower to awaken within the prepared material (śamyā) and to convert ritual speech (uktha) into lived companionship (sakhyā). The relationship is aspirational and covenantal: right invocation seeks stable indwelling presence.
Awaken Agni from ‘small beginnings’ and establish inner harmony (sakhyā) around the heart-flame.
Anāhata
Inhale imagining a spark in the heart; exhale imagining it spreading warmth through the body; repeat with the cadence of kadā…kadā.
Aspiring, patient, integrative—seeking stable community of inner parts.
After chanting, reflect: Which part of me resists friendship (mind vs. vital vs. body)? Offer that division into the flame and ask for sadhamādya—shared joy under ṛta.
Let the repeated kadā carry a gentle rising interrogative contour; keep the rest steady and grounded.
Mark the pauses: …bodhi | …svādhīḥ || kadā… | kadā… ||
śamyā: palatal ‘ś’, and long ‘yā’, ṛtasya/ṛtacit: clear ‘ṛ’ and dental ‘t’, svādhīḥ: long īḥ at end; ‘dh’ aspirated, sadhamādyāni: keep clusters distinct—sa-dha-mā-dyā-ni
Warm, earnest, slightly questioning; end with a hopeful settling.
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