Rig Veda 1.67.5: Mandala 1, Sukta 67, Mantra 5
Sukta 1.67
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
अजो न क्षां दाधार पृथिवीं तस्तम्भ द्यां मन्त्रेभिः सत्यैः ॥
ajó ná kṣā́ṃ dādhā́ra pṛthivī́ṃ tastámbha dyā́ṃ mantrébhíḥ satyáiḥ
అజుడు (అజన్ముడు) వలె ఆయన భూమిని ధరించాడు; సత్య మంత్రాలతో ఆయన ద్యులోకాన్ని స్థంభింపజేశాడు—ఋతం (సత్య-నియమం) యొక్క దృఢతలో లోకాలను ప్రతిష్ఠించాడు.
Word by Word
- अजः
- the Unborn (one)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अज (प्रातिपदिक ‘अज’)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा/सादृश्यार्थक निपातRoot न
- क्षाम्
- the earth/groundNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot क्षाम् (प्रातिपदिक ‘क्षाम्’ = पृथिवी/भूमि)
- दाधार
- he has held, upheldVerbलिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot √धृ (धारणे)
- पृथिवीम्
- the broad earthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
- तस्तम्भ
- he has propped, made firmVerbलिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot √स्तम्भ् (स्तम्भने)
- द्याम्
- the heaven/skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot द्याम् (प्रातिपदिक ‘द्यौ/द्याम्’ = द्युलोक/आकाश)
- मन्त्रेभिः
- with (his) sacred formulas/hymnsNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole करणRoot मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सत्यैः
- true, truthfulAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (मन्त्रेभिः इति विशेषणम्)Role करणRoot सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अ॒जः | न | क्षाम् | दा॒धार॑ | पृथि॒वीं | त॒स्तम्भ॒ | द्यां | मन्त्रे॑भिः | स॒त्यैः || 1) ‘अजो न’ इति उपमान-प्रयोगः (न = ‘इव’). 2) ‘मन्त्रेभिः सत्यैः’—विशेषण-विशेष्यभावः
- सत्यैः तृतीया बहुवचनं मन्त्रेभिः सह समन्वयति. 3) क्रियापदे ‘दाधार’, ‘तस्तम्भ’ उभे लिट्-रूपे (परफेक्ट) — वैदिके प्राचीनकथन/स्तुत्यर्थे प्रायः
The meaning
Outer meaning
Like the Unborn, he upheld the earth; he propped the heaven by true mantras.
Inner meaning
Agni, the divine Will, acts ‘like the Unborn’ (ajaḥ)—like the timeless Self that is not a product of nature. From that depth he supports the lower plane (pṛthivī: embodied life) and stabilizes the higher plane (dyauḥ: mind/vision) through satya-mantra: truth-vibration that gives firm structure to consciousness. The worlds become steady when speech and will are aligned to Truth, not desire.
Universal truth
A stable life and a stable higher vision arise from contact with the unborn depth of being and from truth-speaking (inner and outer). Truth, when embodied as vibration and will, becomes a pillar for existence.
Themes
Cosmogonic support motif, Unborn principle, Truth-conscious speech
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhārgava
- Other hymns
- RV 2.1 (Agni as foundation), RV 2.3 (Agni’s sustaining and purifying)
Family tradition
Seer of a tradition where mantra is world-building power and Agni is the cosmic/psychic supporter.
Significance
The verse bridges cosmology and yoga: the same power that holds earth and heaven holds body and mind when truth-vibration is active.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Aja-sama (like the Unborn, by simile), Satya-mantra-dhṛk (upholder by truth-mantra, by function)
- Related deities
- Viṣṇu (support/wideness, later correlation), Bṛhaspati (truth-word that establishes), Varuṇa (satya/ṛta guardianship)
Cosmic role
World-supporter: establishes the lower and higher realms; pillar between earth and heaven.
Inner power
The will rooted in the unborn Self that stabilizes mind and life through truth-vibration.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni praise in rites emphasizing cosmic order and establishment (foundation/axis symbolism)
अ॒जो न क्षां दा॒धार॑ पृथि॒वीं त॒स्तम्भ॒ द्यां मन्त्रे॑भिः स॒त्यैः ॥
अ॒जः । न । क्षाम् । दा॒धार॑ । पृ॒थि॒वीम् । त॒स्तम्भ॑ । द्याम् । मन्त्रे॑भिः । स॒त्यैः ॥
ajaḥ | na | kṣām | dādhāra | pṛthivīm | tastambha | dyām | mantrebhiḥ | satyaiḥ
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4 × ~11 syllables
Architectonic and declarative; feels like placing pillars.
Gives a sense of vertical alignment (earth-to-heaven axis) and inner steadiness.
- अज (aja)
- Literal: unborn. Symbolic: timeless Self/psychic being; the unconditioned source of true action
- क्षाम् / पृथिवीम् (kṣām / pṛthivīm)
- Literal: earth. Symbolic: physical/vital embodiment; the field of works
- द्याम् (dyām)
- Literal: heaven. Symbolic: mind-plane, luminous vision, higher consciousness
- दाधार (dādhāra)
- Literal: upheld, bore. Symbolic: sustaining power that prevents collapse into inertia
- तस्तम्भ (tastambha)
- Literal: propped, fixed like a pillar. Symbolic: establishing firm stability in consciousness
- मन्त्रेभिः सत्यैः (mantrebhiḥ satyaiḥ)
- Literal: by true mantras. Symbolic: truth-vibrations that create and stabilize inner worlds
Affirmation of satya-mantra efficacy: in rite, mantra establishes the sacrificial world; inwardly, true speech stabilizes earth (body) and heaven (mind/spirit)
At moments of affirming stability of rite and correct mantra efficacy.
Recitation accompanying offerings that ‘support’ the rite—fuel placement, ghee offering.
Chant as a grounding-and-uplift practice: feel feet/body (earth) steady, crown/sky-mind (heaven) clear, linked by a central fire of truth.
aja: ‘unborn’ (a- + ja ‘born’ from √jan). dādhāra: √dhṛ ‘hold’ (PIE *dʰer- ‘hold, support’). stambh: ‘prop/support’ (stiffening/establishing). dyauṣ/dyām: from √div ‘shine’ (PIE *deiw-), ‘heaven’. satya: from sat ‘being’ (√as ‘be’) + -ya, ‘truth as that which accords with being’. The verse links cosmic stability to mantra aligned with satya—speech as world-support.
Satya (truth of being), Mantra as world-support, Cosmic order (ṛta) as stability
The worlds stand by ṛta; Agni is the operative heat that makes ṛta effective.
Satya-mantra is a creative pillar; truth is not abstract but world-forming.
Worlds are upheld by conscious force and truth-word; mantra is a structural power of creation.
Seed of Skambha/axis doctrine (later explicit in AV) and Śabda-ontology (word as creator)
Earth = embodied stability; heaven = luminous mind; pillar/fire = central channel of will and truth linking and stabilizing both.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The cosmogonic ‘supporting of heaven and earth’: Agni (as divine will and truth-fire) stabilizes the worlds, not by physical force but by satya-mantra—truth-conscious speech as creative foundation.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dhṛ (dādhāra) reflects PIE *dʰer- ‘hold/support’ (cf. Greek θρόνος via related support semantics; Germanic ‘throne’ complex is debated but the support-field is widespread). dyām (< *deiw-) preserves the IE link between shining and heaven. The cosmogonic ‘heaven–earth’ pair is a pan-Indo-European poetic formula.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi affirms Agni’s deepest function: to found the seeker’s cosmos by truth. By aligning speech and will to satya, the human participates in Agni’s world-making—stabilizing embodied life (earth) and higher mind (heaven).
Align with the ‘unborn’ witness within; let truth-vibration stabilize body and mind.
Suṣumṇā axis (mūlādhāra-to-sahasrāra)
Slow spinal breathing: inhale up (earth to heaven), exhale down, keeping a central ‘fire’ awareness.
Upright, spacious, steady.
Sit with a sense of inner pillar. On each recitation, feel the lower nature supported (no collapse into tamas) and the higher mind fixed in clarity (no dispersion).
Sustain long vowels in dādhāra, dyām, satyaiḥ; keep Vedic accent contours (requires accent-marked text for exact udātta).
Make ajaḥ and satyaiḥ clearly articulated; keep consonant clusters clean to preserve ‘pillar-like’ firmness of sound.
ajaḥ: j soft (palatal), final ḥ audible but light, tastambha: stambh cluster clear; bh aspirated, satyaiḥ: diphthong ai; visarga ḥ lightly released
Upright, sonorous, steady (as if voicing a pillar).
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