Rig Veda 5.13.2: Mandala 5, Sukta 13, Mantra 2
Sukta 5.13
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
अग्नेः स्तोमं मनामहे सिध्रमद्य दिविस्पृशः । देवस्य द्रविणस्यवः ॥
agnéḥ stómaṃ manāmahe sidhrám adyá divi-spṛ́śaḥ | devásya draviṇasyávaḥ ||
அக்னியின் ஸ்தோமத்தை நாம் மனத்தில் தியானிக்கிறோம்—இன்று சித்தமானது, த்யுலோகத்தைத் தொடுவதாக. தேவனுடைய த்ரவிணத்தை நாடுபவர்கள் நாம்.
Word by Word
- अग्नेः
- of AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root अग्नि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्तोमम्
- praise-hymnNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्म (object)Root स्तोम- (प्रातिपदिक)
- मनामहे
- we think/revereVerbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपदRole क्रिया (with implicit कर्ता ‘वयम्’)Root √मन् (मनुते/मन्यते) ‘to think, to revere’
- सिध्रम्
- effective, successfulAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (स्तोमम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (qualifier of the object)Root सिध्र- (प्रातिपदिक)
- अद्य
- today, nowIndeclinableकालवाचक-अव्ययRole अधिकारण (time)Root अद्य (अव्यय)
- दिविस्पृशः
- heaven-touchingAdjective (kṛdanta)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (RV usage: -ः for -म्), (स्तोमम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (qualifier of the object)Root दिवि- + स्पृश् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक: ‘touching heaven’)
- देवस्य
- of the godNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root देव- (प्रातिपदिक)
- द्रविणस्यवः
- wealthe-seekers, desirous of richesAdjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (वयम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (predicate/epithet of the subject ‘we’)Root द्रविणस्यु- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘wealth-seeking/desiring wealth’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अग्नेः | स्तोमम् | मनामहे | सिध्रम् | अद्य | दिविस्पृशः | देवस्य | द्रविणस्यवः || 1) ‘दिविस्पृशः’ = ‘दिवि’ + ‘स्पृश्’ (कृदन्त-विशेषण)
- RV में द्वितीया-एकवचन नपुंसक/पुं. के स्थान पर -ः (पदपाठ-परम्परा/वैदिक-रूप) मिलता है, अर्थतः ‘दिविस्पृशम्’ (स्तोमम्) । 2) ‘द्रविणस्यवः’ प्रातिपदिक ‘द्रविणस्यु-’ (यु-प्रत्यय) का प्रथमा-बहुवचन
- ‘वयम्’ (मनामहे का कर्ता) का विशेषण।
The meaning
Outer meaning
We fashion in mind a hymn of praise to Agni—effective today and reaching up to heaven; we seek the god’s wealth.
Inner meaning
The seeker consciously forms (manāmahe) an inner mantra: a focused intention and luminous thought-offering to Agni, the divine Will in us. When the aspiration is “effective today” (sidhram adya), it becomes an immediate yogic act, capable of touching the higher consciousness (divi-spṛśaḥ). The “richness” (draviṇa) sought is not material gain but the plenitude of forces—clarity, strength, joy, right action—needed to sustain the inner journey and its works.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress begins when thought becomes consecrated: a deliberate, sincere formation of aspiration that links the human mind to higher truth and draws down the resources required for transformation.
Themes
stoma as inner formation, effective mantra, seeking divine abundance
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 5.11, Rig Veda 5.12, Rig Veda 5.13 (entire sūkta)
Family tradition
Atri lineage noted for hymns of Agni and inner sacrifice; seerhood emphasizing luminous intelligence and right ordering of the yajña.
Significance
Atri’s vision often turns the outer rite into an inner discipline: Agni as the initiating will, and the hymn as a deliberate act of consciousness that opens to the ‘heaven’ of higher truth.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- divi-spṛś (heaven-touching), deva (shining power), hotṛ (implied: priest of the offering)
- Related deities
- Indra, Soma, Uṣas, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Mediator between earth and heaven; carrier of offerings; awakener of the gods (cosmic powers) and establisher of ṛta in action.
Inner power
Divine Will and psychic fire that turns thought into effective aspiration and links the human to the higher consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni-stotra / Agni invocation at the opening of a soma or iṣṭi sequence (general Agni praise within sūkta recitation)
अ॒ग्नेः स्तोमं॑ मनामहे सि॒ध्रम॒द्य दि॑वि॒स्पृश॑: । दे॒वस्य॑ द्रविण॒स्यव॑: ॥
अ॒ग्नेः । स्तोम॑म् । म॒ना॒म॒हे॒ । सि॒ध्रम् । अ॒द्य । दि॒वि॒ऽस्पृशः॑ । दे॒वस्य॑ । द्र॒वि॒ण॒स्यवः॑ ॥
agneḥ | stomam | manāmahe | sidhram | adya | divi-spṛśaḥ | devasya | draviṇasyavaḥ
24
3 pādas of ~8 syllables each
compact, swift, mantra-like clarity; forward-driving cadence
Creates immediacy (‘today’) and upward lift (‘touching heaven’), aiding concentration and a clean ascent of aspiration.
- स्तोम (stoma)
- Literal: hymn of praise. Symbolic: formed aspiration; organized mantra-thought offered upward
- मनामहे (manāmahe)
- Literal: we think/mentally fashion. Symbolic: conscious inner formation (saṅkalpa) of the offering
- सिध्र (sidhram)
- Literal: successful, effective, accomplished. Symbolic: mantric force that ‘takes effect’ in consciousness
- दिविस्पृश् (divi-spṛś)
- Literal: touching heaven. Symbolic: contact with higher mind/illumined planes
- द्रविण (draviṇa)
- Literal: wealth, treasure. Symbolic: spiritual plenitude: powers, capacities, supports for sādhanā
- देव (deva)
- Literal: a god, shining one. Symbolic: luminous power of consciousness
Praise preceding offering; framing the stoma as a mental/intentional act before the external rite.
At kindling/invocation phases; also suitable for daily Agni remembrance
Recitation while establishing the fire and offering ghee; mentally ‘forming’ the stoma as an inner oblation
Use as a morning intention-mantra: silently form the day’s aspiration, then recite aloud to ‘make it effective today’ and align with higher purpose.
stóma from √stu ‘praise’—a ‘built’ hymn. manāmahe from √man indicates the hymn as formed in mind first (inner formulation). sidhrá ‘effective’ relates to √sidh ‘accomplish, succeed’. divi-spṛś ‘touching heaven’ (div ‘shine’ + √spṛś ‘touch’) encodes ascent. draviṇa ‘wealth’ (draviṇá) is not mere goods; in Vedic usage it often denotes sustaining abundance/power granted by the deity.
manas (mind) as ritual instrument, ascent to dyu (higher light), divine plenitude (draviṇa)
Agni makes the human act consonant with ṛta by converting thought into right offering.
‘Heaven-touching’ aspiration seeks the plane where truth is native, then draws its support downward.
Ascent of offering and descent of plenitude: the reciprocal exchange that sustains worlds.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral-Vedic psychology (as read by Sri Aurobindo): higher planes contacted through inner sacrifice.
dawn or early morning (implied by ‘today’ and upward kindling)
Fire = awakened will; heaven = higher mind; the rising flame = aspiration that reaches and brings back plenitude.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The hymn itself becomes the ladder: a ‘heaven-touching’ stoma that enables ascent. The mythic pattern is the upward reach of Agni (and speech) from human to divine plane, drawing down draviṇa as sustaining fullness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- div- ‘sky/shine’ is a classic IE root (cf. Latin diēs, Greek Zeus via *dyew-). The compound divi-spṛś shows inherited poetic compounding. √man (think) is also widely IE, reinforcing the cognitive-ritual identity.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi ‘thinks’ the stoma into being, implying that Agni responds not only to physical kindling but to rightly-formed intention; the requested return is draviṇa—inner resources for the work.
Form the stoma inwardly: a single clear intention offered to the inner Fire; feel it rise to the ‘heaven’ of quiet luminous awareness.
anahata (heart-fire as aspiration)
gentle ujjayi or slow nasal breathing; on exhale, ‘offer’ the thought upward
collected, upward-turned attention (uddhva-cetas), receptive to descent of support
Before action, pause—mentally craft the day’s ‘hymn’ (one sentence of truth). Recite once, then sit 2–3 minutes feeling the will become steady and effective.
Use Vedic svara as per śākhā tradition: udatta on marked highs, anudatta as low, svarita as falling; this verse typically carries a rising emphasis into divi-spṛśaḥ.
Stress the lift on divi-spṛśaḥ (heaven-touching) and the concluding draviṇasyavaḥ (seekers of plenitude).
agneḥ: visarga soft before s (agneḥ stomam), stomam: clear dental ‘t’ and long ‘o’, manāmahe: keep long ā in nā, divi-spṛśaḥ: articulate ṣ (retroflex) in spṛśaḥ; keep ṛ short and crisp, draviṇasyavaḥ: retroflex ṇ in draviṇa; split as draviṇa-syavaḥ
bright, forward, steady—like a clean flame
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