Rig Veda 3.20.3: Mandala 3, Sukta 20, Mantra 3
Sukta 3.20
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
अग्ने भूरीणि तव जातवेदो देव स्वधावोऽमृतस्य नाम । याश्च माया मायिनां विश्वमिन्व त्वे पूर्वीः संदधुः पृष्टबन्धो ॥
agne bhūrī́ṇi táva jātavedo devá svadhāvo ’mṛ́tasya nā́ma | yā́ś ca māyā́ māyínāṃ viśvám-inva tvé pūrvī́ḥ sáṃdadhúḥ pṛṣṭabándho ||
ஓ அக்னி ஜாதவேதஸ், ஓ தேவா, ஸ்வதாவன்—அமரத்துவத்தின் உன் நாமங்கள் பல. மேலும் மாயினர்களின் உலகை இயக்கும் படைப்பாற்றல்களாகிய அந்தப் பலவகை மாயைகள் அனைத்தும், ஓ ப்ருஷ்டபந்தோ (உலகங்களை இணைப்பவனே), ஆதிகாலம் முதலே உன்னுள் ஒழுங்காகச் சேர்த்தமைந்துள்ளன.
Word by Word
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि-
- भूरीणि
- many (things/names)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-बहुवचनRole कर्म (नामानि/वस्तूनि) / विधेयRoot भूरि-
- तव
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी-एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root त्वद्- (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
- जातवेदः
- O Jātavedas (knower of births / all beings)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (अग्नेः विशेषणम्)Root जातवेदस्-
- देव
- O godNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot देव-
- स्वधावः
- O possessor of svadhā (innate power/ritual potency)Adjective/Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (अग्नेः विशेषणम्)Root स्वधावन्-
- अमृतस्य
- of immortality / of the immortal (nectar/state)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root अमृत-
- नाम
- nameNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्म/विधेयRoot नामन्-
- याः
- which (those)Relative pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (संदधुः)Root यद्-
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चय-अव्ययRoot च
- मायाः
- powers of illusion / wondrous artsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (याः … संदधुः) (याः = मायाः)Root माया-
- मायिनाम्
- of the magicians / of the possessors of māyāNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root मायिन्-
- विश्वमिन्व
- O all-stirring / all-pervading oneAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (अग्नेः विशेषणम्)Root विश्वमिन्व- (विश्वम् + इन्व, from √इव्/इन्व् ‘to set in motion, impel, pervade’)
- त्वे
- in youPronounसप्तमी-एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot त्वद्- (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
- पूर्वीः
- the former/ancient (ones)Adjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (संदधुः)Root पूर्व-
- संदधुः
- they have put together / have arrangedVerbलिट् (परोक्श/परफेक्ट); परस्मैपद; 3 पुरुष; बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot सम् + √धा
- पृष्टबन्धो
- O you whose bond is firm/close (lit. ‘with joined/fastened connection’)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (अग्नेः विशेषणम्)Root पृष्टबन्धु-
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अग्ने | भूरीणि | तव | जातवेदः | देव | स्वधावः | अमृतस्य | नाम | याः | च | मायाः | मायिनाम् | विश्वमिन्व | त्वे | पूर्वीः | सं-दधुः | पृष्टबन्धो । (स्वधावोऽमृतस्य = स्वधावः + अमृतस्य; विश्वमिन्व = विश्वम् + इन्व (समास/संयोग); संदधुः = सं + दधुः from सम्+√धा)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni Jātavedas has many names of immortality; the manifold māyā (powers of formation) of the formers that drive the whole have from of old been harmonized in him, the binder of worlds.
Inner meaning
The divine flame-consciousness (Agni Jātavedas, ‘knower of births’) is one reality with many functional names—modes of immortal working in the being. All formative powers (māyāḥ)—the capacities that shape mind, life, and matter—are reconciled and held in unity in Agni, who binds the worlds (pṛṣṭabandhu) by connecting planes of consciousness. What appears as multiplicity and even illusion becomes, in the truth-fire, a coordinated instrument of evolution.
Universal truth
Behind the many forces shaping our life stands a unifying consciousness that can harmonize them; immortality is not a single label but a spectrum of powers when the inner fire becomes the knower and organizer of our becoming.
Themes
Agni Jātavedas, many names, formative powers, cosmic cohesion
The seer
- Lineage
- Gāthin / Viśvāmitra (probable)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.1, RV 3.5, RV 1.65 (Jātavedas themes)
Family tradition
A tradition that often sees Agni as Jātavedas—the one who knows the secret of manifestation and guides the ascent.
Significance
The seer points to a key Aurobindonian insight: māyā as formative power becomes harmonious when seized by the truth-fire, enabling integral transformation rather than fragmentation.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (Jātavedas)
- Epithets
- Jātavedas, Deva, Svadhāvaḥ, Pṛṣṭabandhu
- Related deities
- Viśvakarman (world-former), Bṛhaspati (truth-word that orders), Savitṛ (impulsion of formation)
Cosmic role
Bearer of immortality’s powers; unifier of cosmic formations; mediator linking worlds and beings.
Inner power
Integrative flame of consciousness that reconciles multiplicity, organizes formations, and reveals the immortal principle within change.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni praise emphasizing cosmic functions; used in general invocations and contemplative stotras
अग्ने॒ भूरी॑णि॒ तव॑ जातवेदो॒ देव॑ स्वधावो॒ऽमृत॑स्य॒ नाम॑ । याश्च॑ मा॒या मा॒यिनां॑ विश्वमिन्व॒ त्वे पू॒र्वीः सं॑द॒धुः पृ॑ष्टबन्धो ॥
अग्ने॑ । भूरी॑णि । तव॑ । जा॒त॒ऽवे॒दः॒ । देव॑ । स्व॒धा॒ऽवः॒ । अ॒मृत॑स्य । नाम॑ । याः । च॒ । मा॒या । मा॒यिना॑म् । वि॒श्व॒म्ऽइ॒न्व॒ । त्वे इति॑ । पू॒र्वीः । स॒म्ऽद॒धुः । पृ॒ष्ट॒ब॒न्धो॒ इति॑ पृष्टऽबन्धो ॥
agne | bhūrīṇi | tava | jāta-vedaḥ | deva | svadhāvaḥ | amṛtasya | nāma | yāḥ | ca | māyā | māyinām | viśvam-inva | tve iti | pūrvīḥ | sam-dadhuḥ | pṛṣṭabandho itipṛṣṭa-bandho
44
4 x ~11 syllables
Expansive and synthetic; long vowels and compounds create a ‘gathering’ cadence.
Encourages a unifying contemplation; mind feels collected as disparate thoughts are ‘bound together’.
- Jātavedas
- Literal: knower of births/creatures. Symbolic: consciousness that knows origins and processes; inner fire that understands transformation
- svadhāvaḥ
- Literal: self-powered, having its own law. Symbolic: autonomous divine will, not dependent on ego impulse
- amṛtasya nāma
- Literal: names of immortality. Symbolic: multiple divine functions/realizations that carry beyond death-limits
- māyā
- Literal: power of formation, measuring. Symbolic: formative consciousness-force; shaping power that can veil or reveal depending on alignment with truth
- māyinām
- Literal: of the formers/possessors of māyā. Symbolic: cosmic powers that build worlds; in us, faculties that construct experience
- viśvaminva
- Literal: driving/impelling the whole. Symbolic: dynamic energies that move the totality of nature forward
- saṃdadhuḥ
- Literal: have put together, harmonized. Symbolic: integration of diverse forces into a single purposeful order
- pṛṣṭabandho
- Literal: binder/support-connector (of backs/worlds). Symbolic: linker of planes—mind, life, body—so they act as one system under truth
Praise of Agni’s many epithets and cosmic functions; suitable in rites emphasizing Agni’s omniscience and world-binding role.
During Agni-stuti segments; also apt for reflective recitation in study contexts.
Naming and praising Agni’s immortal functions; affirming his role as harmonizer of powers.
For integration work: when one feels pulled by conflicting drives, chant to invoke the harmonizing fire that aligns all formations toward truth.
jātá-vedas: jāta ‘born’ + veda ‘knowledge’ (√vid, PIE *weyd-), ‘knower of all becomings’. svadhā́: ‘own law/power’ (sva + dhā/√dhā semantic of placing/establishing), indicating autonomous divine energy. māyā́: from √mā ‘measure, form’; in RV frequently ‘formative power/skill’ rather than later ‘illusion’. sam-dadhúḥ: sam- + √dhā ‘put together’, integration of powers in Agni. pṛṣṭa-bandhu: ‘binder/support’, expressing structural cohesion of worlds/planes.
amṛta (immortality), māyā as formative power, integration (sam-dhā) of cosmic functions, names as modes of manifestation
Harmonization (saṃdadhuḥ) implies alignment of formations with ṛta rather than chaotic motion.
Truth is the principle that turns māyā from veiling to revealing and coordinating.
Worlds are formed by many powers but held together by a unifying fire-consciousness that knows the process of becoming.
Integral/psychological cosmology: multiplicity of powers integrated by a central divine will-consciousness.
Fire = consciousness that knows becoming; binding = integration of planes; many names = many states/powers of realization.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the integrator of creative powers: the māyās of the world-formers are ‘assembled in him’ from the beginning. Mythically, Agni is the binder of cosmic structures; psychologically, the awakened fire is the unifying consciousness in which diverse formative energies become harmonized toward immortality (amṛta).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- veda (in jātavedas) comes from √vid (PIE *weyd- ‘see/know’). √mā ‘measure’ (māyā) is PIE *meh₁- ‘measure’ (cf. Greek μέτρον via related measuring roots; Latin mētior). √dhā (samdadhuh) is PIE *dʰeh₁-.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi recognizes Agni not merely as ritual flame but as the self-powered knower in whom all formative powers cohere. The relation is contemplative and developmental: by aligning with Agni’s svadhā and many ‘names’ (manifest modes), the seeker gains access to integrated creative energies leading toward amṛta.
Rest in the sense of one flame-consciousness behind many names—let conflicting impulses be offered into Agni for harmonization.
Ājñā (integration/command) with Maṇipūra (transformative fire)
Box breathing 4–4–4–4 while contemplating ‘many names—one fire’; on exhale, release fragmentation into the inner flame.
Collected, unified awareness; reduced inner conflict; emergence of a central governing will.
After chanting, silently name your own ‘many forces’ (fear, desire, ambition, love, clarity) and imagine them as streams entering one fire at the heart/navel, becoming one luminous intention.
Rigvedic accents as per śākhā; compounds like viśvaminva and pṛṣṭabandho should be articulated clearly without losing accent contour.
Give a slight emphasis to ‘jātavedo’ and ‘amṛtasya nāma’; pause after ‘nāma’ to let the sense of multiplicity settle.
jātavedo: keep ‘ve’ clear, not ‘vai’., svadhāvo: aspirate ‘dh’, sustain long ā., māyā māyinām: distinguish long ā; avoid collapsing into one word., pṛṣṭabandho: retroflex ṣṭ; vocalic ṛ at start.
Warm, resonant, contemplative; let the second half feel ‘integrative’ and settling.
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