Rig Veda 2.6.5: Mandala 2, Sukta 6, Mantra 5
Sukta 2.6
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
स नो वृष्टिं दिवस्परि स नो वाजमनर्वाणम् । स नः सहस्रिणीरिषः ॥
sá no vṛṣṭíṃ divás pári sá no vā́jam anárvāṇam | sá naḥ sahasríṇīr íṣaḥ ||
स नो दिवः परि वृष्टिं आनयतु; स नो वाजम् अनर्वाणम् आनयतु; स नः सहस्रिणीर् इषः आनयतु।
Word by Word
- स
- he/that (referring to Agni); ‘may he’Pronounपुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिकः)Role सम्बन्ध/अन्वय-सूचकः (अनुवृत्तिः)Root तद् (स-आदेशः)
- नः
- for us / ourPronounषष्ठी बहुवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिकः)Role सम्बन्ध (अस्माकम्)Root अस्मद्
- वृष्टिम्
- rain, showerNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot वृष्टि- (√वृष् ‘to rain, shower’)
- दिवः
- of heaven, from the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (उत्पत्तिसम्बन्धः)Root दिव्/द्यौ-
- परि
- from around; down from; from aboveIndeclinable (Preverb/Adverb)अव्ययम्Role उपसर्ग/क्रियाविशेषण (परितः/उपरितः)Root परि
- स
- he (same one)Pronounपुं/नपुं प्रथमा एकवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिकः)Role सम्बन्ध/अन्वय-सूचकःRoot तद् (स-आदेशः)
- नः
- for us / ourPronounषष्ठी बहुवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिकः)Role सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद्
- वाजम्
- prize; strength; (winning) food/bootyNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot वाज-
- अनर्वाणम्
- unfailing, not slack; vigorousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (वाजम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेषणत्वेन)Root अनर्वाण- (a- + अर्वाण-)
- स
- hePronounपुं/नपुं प्रथमा एकवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिकः)Role सम्बन्ध/अन्वय-सूचकःRoot तद् (स-आदेशः)
- नः
- for us / ourPronounषष्ठी बहुवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिकः)Role सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद्
- सहस्रिणीः
- thousandfold, in thousandsAdjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया बहुवचनम् (इषः इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेषणत्वेन)Root सहस्रिणी- (सहस्र + -इनी)
- इषः
- refreshments; nourishment; provisionsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया बहुवचनम्Role कर्मRoot इष्/इषा-
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (sandhi-resolved): सः नः वृष्टिम् दिवः परि | सः नः वाजम् अनर्वाणम् | सः नः सहस्रिणीः इषः || 1) ‘स नो’ = ‘सः नः’ (visarga sandhi: ḥ + n → o in saṃhitā)
- 2) ‘दिवस्परि’ = ‘दिवः परि’ (visarga sandhi: ḥ + p → sp)
- 3) ‘स नः’ in 3rd pāda is written ‘स नः’ (no special sandhi beyond enclitic placement)
- 4) ‘सहस्रिणीरिषः’ = ‘सहस्रिणीः इषः’ (ḥ + i → r i; visarga before vowel becomes ‘r’ in RV saṃhitā)
- Accents: स नो॑ (udātta on ‘नो’), वाज॑म् (udātta on ‘वाज’), अन॒र्वाण॑म् (udātta on final syllable), सह॒स्रिणी॒रिष॑ः (udātta on ‘इष’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May he bring rain from heaven; may he bring undiminished vāja; may he bring thousandfold nourishments.
Inner meaning
Agni is invoked to bring the ‘rain’ (vṛṣṭi) from the higher heaven: the descent of force, inspiration, and grace into the mind-life. He brings ‘vāja’—not merely food but victorious plenitude of energy and accomplishment—‘anarvāṇam’, undiminished and unbroken. He brings ‘iṣaḥ’—impulsions of nourishment and delight—multiplied a thousandfold: abundant right movements supporting the growth of the soul.
Universal truth
True abundance is a descent from higher consciousness: an undiminishing energy and a manifold nourishment that sustains inner and outer life in harmony.
Themes
Boon of rain, Boon of strength, Abundance of nourishment
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada (Bhārgava)
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu (Bhārgava)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 2.6.1, Rig Veda 2.6.2, Rig Veda 2.6.3, Rig Veda 2.6.4
Family tradition
Bhārgava Agni hymns often culminate in the request for descent (vṛṣṭi) and plenitude (vāja/iṣ), read inwardly as higher-force and nourishment for the sādhanā.
Significance
Shows the Vedic movement: kindle → serve/yoke energy → worship by word → awaken and protect → receive descent and plenitude.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Vasudāvan (giver of riches, from prior verse context), Netṛ (leader, implied), Pāvaka (purifier, implied)
- Related deities
- Parjanya (rain, outer correlate), Indra (bringer of vāja through victory), Soma (nourishing bliss)
Cosmic role
Channel for the descent of celestial powers; converter of ‘heavenly rain’ into usable strength and nourishment on earth.
Inner power
Brings down higher force and establishes an undiminishing energy-current; multiplies right impulsions.
In ritual
Where it is used
Benedictive close to an Agni praise; prosperity and strength seeking
स नो॑ वृ॒ष्टिं दि॒वस्परि॒ स नो॒ वाज॑मन॒र्वाण॑म् । स न॑: सह॒स्रिणी॒रिष॑: ॥
सः । नः॒ । वृ॒ष्टिम् । दि॒वः । परि॑ । सः । नः॒ । वाज॑म् । अ॒न॒र्वाण॑म् । सः । नः॒ । स॒ह॒स्रिणीः॑ । इषः॑ ॥
saḥ | naḥ | vṛṣṭim | divaḥ | pari | saḥ | naḥ | vājam | anarvāṇam | saḥ | naḥ | sahasriṇīḥ | iṣaḥ
24
8-8-8
Threefold benediction; each pada is a ‘bestowal’ cadence.
Creates a sense of receiving: descent, then strength, then abundance—calming and empowering.
- वृष्टि (vṛṣṭi)
- Literal: rain, raining-down. Symbolic: descent of higher force/inspiration from the luminous planes
- दिवः परि (divaḥ pari)
- Literal: from/around heaven. Symbolic: from the higher consciousness (dyu), the supramental/illumined mind region
- वाज (vāja)
- Literal: prize, strength, victorious food. Symbolic: plenitude of victorious energy; capacity to win light and right action
- अनर्वाण (anarvāṇa)
- Literal: not failing, not slackened. Symbolic: unbroken continuity of force; steadfast power
- इषः (iṣaḥ)
- Literal: refreshments, impulses of nourishment. Symbolic: right impulsions, delighting energies that feed growth
- सहस्रिणीः (sahasriṇīḥ)
- Literal: thousandfold. Symbolic: abundant, many-streamed influx of supportive forces
Prosperity-boon request within Agni hymn; connects sacrificial fire with descent of rains/boons and increase of energies
Toward the end of a hymn/sequence to request fruits of the rite; also in seasonal rites connected to increase.
Recitation with offering; mentally invite descent and stabilization of energy and nourishment.
For practitioners: invoke steady energy and supportive ‘nourishments’ (right habits, helpful circumstances, inner joy) during demanding phases.
vṛṣṭi from √vṛṣ ‘to rain, pour’ indicates a ‘pouring’ motif: in inner sense, the higher pours force into the lower. div- ‘sky/heaven’ as the luminous plane. vāja is a central Vedic polyvalent term: not merely ‘food/prize’ but ‘strength, winning power’ (linked to vigor and victorious attainment). an-arvāṇa ‘unhindered/unflagging’ negates a root-field of slackness; thus ‘steady potency’. iṣ- denotes both ‘refreshment’ and ‘impulse’—nourishment that also propels.
Descent from the higher (divaḥ), Plenitude (vāja) as force for realization
The descent (vṛṣṭi) is force aligned with ṛta, enabling right growth rather than chaotic increase.
Anarvāṇa vāja suggests satya as continuity—truth that does not break under pressure.
Heaven-to-earth transmission: higher powers descend, are transformed by Agni, and become life-supporting abundance.
Integral evolutionary view: descent of higher consciousness-force into embodied nature.
rain-bearing cloud time (symbolic)
monsoon (outer), any ‘descent’ period (inner)
A downward flow of inspiration-force; stabilized victorious energy; many-streamed nourishing impulses.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘heavenly rain/boon’ mythologem: divine power pours from the luminous realm, yielding strength (vāja) and abundant nourishment (iṣaḥ). Inwardly, it is the descent of higher consciousness-force that makes the seeker’s energies steady and manifold.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- div- ‘sky’ reflects PIE *dyew- (cf. Latin deus, Greek Zeus in the same root-family), linking heaven with divinity and luminous order. The rain/pouring imagery is a widespread Indo-European sacral metaphor for grace and fertility.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks Agni to mediate the descent of higher gifts into the human condition: not only material ‘rain’ but steadfast power (an-arvāṇa vāja) and abundant inner nourishment (iṣaḥ). Agni is thus the transformer who converts the ‘heavenly’ into workable human energies.
Receive the ‘rain from heaven’: open the crown and heart to a gentle descending current; then stabilize it as steady strength in the belly and limbs.
Sahasrāra/Ājñā (descent) to Maṇipūra (vāja) and Anāhata (iṣ as joy-nourishment)
Inhale imagining light descending from above the head to heart; exhale spreading it through the body; 12 cycles, then chant.
Receptive descent with grounded power.
After chanting, sit quietly and note: (1) what is descending (idea/peace/force), (2) how to keep it anarvāṇa (unbroken), (3) which ‘iṣaḥ’—right impulses—arise naturally; follow those.
Benedictive cadence: keep gentle udatta lifts on key nouns (vṛṣṭim, vājam, iṣaḥ); exact svara per Śākala markings.
Let each ‘sa no’ begin cleanly; pause slightly between pādas to feel three distinct gifts.
vṛṣṭiṃ (vṛ-ṣṭiṃ; retroflex ṭ; nasal ṃ), divas pari (di-vas pa-ri; dental sounds), vājam (vā-jam; long ā), anarvāṇam (a-nar-vā-ṇam; retroflex ṇ; long ā), sahasriṇīḥ (sa-has-ri-ṇīḥ; retroflex ṇ; long ī), iṣaḥ (i-ṣaḥ; retroflex ṣ; visarga)
Nourishing, descending, expansive; soften the endings to evoke ‘rain’.
12
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
