Rig Veda 1.60.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 60, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.60
अस्य शासुरुभयासः सचन्ते हविष्मन्त उशिजो ये च मर्ताः । दिवश्चित्पूर्वो न्यसादि होतापृच्छ्यो विश्पतिर्विक्षु वेधाः ॥
asyá śā́sor ubháyāsaḥ sacante havíṣmanta uśíjo yé ca mártāḥ | diváś cit pū́rvo ní asādi hótā āpṛ́cchyo viśpátiḥ víkṣu vedhā́ḥ ||
ఆయన శాసనం/విధానానికి రెండు వర్గాలవారూ అంటిపడుతారు—హవిష్ మోసేవారు, ఉశిజ్ (ఉత్సాహంగా ప్రజ్వలింపజేసేవారు) మరియు మర్త్యులూ. దివ్యమునుండే పూర్వుడు, ప్రాచీన హోతృ (హోతా) ఆసనం అధిష్ఠించాడు—ప్రశ్నించదగినవాడు, సంప్రదించదగినవాడు; ప్రజల మధ్య కులపతి, జ్ఞానవంత విధాత.
Describes Agni installed as Hotar and clan-lord; relevant to seating/kindling of fire and invocation of priestly function in the sacrifice.
śās (inner governance), approachability of divine guidance (āpṛcchya), vedhā as precise ordering intelligence
The mantra explicitly centers on śās: alignment to right order is the condition for cooperation of forces.
Agni as āpṛcchya: truth becomes accessible as inner counsel when the flame is seated.
Establishing the cosmic priest within the human settlement—microcosm reflecting macrocosm.
Vedic integral psychology: inner governance (viśpati) as basis for harmonizing prakṛti under the psychic being.
Heaven = higher mind plane; seated fire = stabilized will and awareness; ‘peoples’ = many movements of nature.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni enthroned as Hotar and clan-lord: both gods and mortals adhere to his ordinance. Inner sense: when the flame is established in the heart/altar, it becomes the consultable guide and the ordering intelligence that harmonizes divine and human movements.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śās is Indo-Iranian administrative/teaching lexicon (cf. later Sanskrit śāsana). √sad ‘sit’ is PIE *sed- (cf. Latin sedeō, English sit via Germanic *sitjan). viś ‘clan/settlement’ is an old Indo-Iranian social term (cf. Avestan vīs).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi depicts a covenant of obedience and consultation: humans with offerings and ardor align to Agni’s śās; Agni responds by seating himself as Hotar and becoming āpṛcchya—available to guide the community’s right action among the peoples.
Establish the ‘seat’ of Agni: feel a steady flame in the heart as inner counselor; align impulses to one rule.
anahata
Exhale-lengthening (e.g., inhale 4, exhale 6) to ‘seat’ the fire steadily without agitation.
Quiet authority; receptive discrimination.
Ask inwardly one clear question; wait for the response that arrives with calm certainty (not excitement). Let that be Agni’s āpṛcchya guidance.
Keep udatta prominence on hotā and viśpati; maintain clear svarita resolution at pāda ends.
Deliver second hemistich with a ‘settling’ cadence to mirror ny asādi (has taken seat).
asya śāsuḥ: śā long ā; visarga ḥ audible but light, ubhayāsaḥ: bha with aspiration; long ā, haviṣmantaḥ: ṣ retroflex; keep ‘haviṣ’ compact, uśijaḥ: ś palatal; short i, divaś cit: ‘cit’ crisp, no extra vowel, ny asādi: pronounce ‘ny’ cluster smoothly, āpṛcchyaḥ: ṛ vocalic; ‘cchy’ cluster careful, no break, vikṣu: kṣ conjunct clear
Grounded, even, and priestly; emphasize steadiness over volume.
9
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.
