Rig Veda 10.16.4: Mandala 10, Sukta 16, Mantra 4
Sukta 10.16
- Rishi
- RV 10.16 funerary seer
- Devata
- Agni Jātavedas
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
अजो भागस्तपसा तं तपस्व तं ते शोचिस्तपतु तं ते अर्चिः । यास्ते शिवास्तन्वो जातवेदस्ताभिर्वहैनं सुकृतामु लोकम् ॥
ajó bhāgás tápasā táṃ tapasva táṃ te śócīs tapatu táṃ te arcíḥ | yā́s te śivā́s tanvò jā́tavedas tā́bhir vahainaṃ sukṛ́tām u lokám ||
అజ (అజర) భాగాన్ని తపసా ద్వారా తపించు—దానిని ప్రజ్వలింపజేయి, దానిని తీవ్రపరచు. నీ శోచి (జ్వాల) దానిని తపించుగాక; నీ అర్చిః (దీప్త కిరణం) దానిని శుద్ధి చేయుగాక. హే జాతవేదస్, నీ ఆ శివ తను (కల్యాణకర శక్తిరూప దేహాలు) ద్వారా ఇతనిని సుకృతుల లోకానికి వహించు.
Word by Word
- अजः
- the (unborn) one; the goat (epithet)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot अज (प्रातिपदिक)
- भागः
- portion, shareNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot भाग (प्रातिपदिक) < √भज् (to share, allot)
- तपसा
- with heat/austerityNounनपुंसकलिङ्गम्, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role करणRoot तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) < √तप् (to heat, practice austerity)
- तम्
- him/thatPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- तपस्व
- heat/burn (him)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role (आज्ञा) क्रियाRoot √तप्
- तम्
- himPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot तद्
- ते
- of you/yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्धRoot त्वद् (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
- शोचिः
- flame, blazeNounनपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot शोचिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- तपतु
- let it burn/heatVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role (आज्ञा) क्रियाRoot √तप्
- तम्
- himPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot तद्
- ते
- yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्धRoot त्वद् (युष्मद्)
- अर्चिः
- ray, flameNounनपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot अर्चिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- याः
- which (those)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्धRoot त्वद् (युष्मद्)
- शिवाः
- auspicious, kindlyAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role विशेषण (कर्तृ-सम्बन्धी)Root शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
- तन्वः
- bodies, formsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम् (वैदिक रूप: तन्वः = तन्वः/तन्वाः)Role कर्तृRoot तनू (प्रातिपदिक)
- जातवेदः
- O Jātavedas (Agni, knower of births)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot जातवेदस् (प्रातिपदिक; अग्नि-विशेषण)
- ताभिः
- with thosePronounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role करणRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वह
- carry!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role (आज्ञा) क्रियाRoot √वह् (to carry)
- एनम्
- this one, himPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot एतद्/इदम्-प्रत्ययात्मक सर्वनाम (एनद्)
- सुकृताम्
- of the well-doers / of the meritorious (deeds/people)Noun/Adjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्Role सम्बन्धRoot सुकृत (प्रातिपदिक; ‘well-done, meritorious’)
- उ
- indeed, justIndeclinableनिपातः (उपपादक/बलवाचक)Root उ (निपात)
- लोकम्
- world, realmNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (गन्तव्य-देशः)Root लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सम्भाव्य): अजः | भागः | तपसा | तम् | तपस्व | तम् | ते | शोचिः | तपतु | तम् | ते | अर्चिः | याः | ते | शिवाः | तन्वः | जातवेदः | ताभिः | वह | एनम् | सुकृताम् | उ | लोकम् । (१) ‘तं ते’ इत्यत्र अनुस्वार/नासिक्य-सन्धिः: तम् + ते → तं ते (लिखितम्)
- (२) ‘ताभिर्वह’ = ताभिः + वह : विसर्गस्य ‘र्’-आदेशः (विसर्ग-सन्धि) । (३) ‘सुकृतामु’ = सुकृताम् + उ : म् + उ → मु (अनुस्वार/परसवर्ण-प्रवृत्ति; पदपाठे पृथक् ‘सुकृताम् उ’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni is asked to intensify the ‘unaging portion’ by tapas; his flame and ray should heat it. With Agni’s auspicious forms, he is carried to the world of the well-doers (sukṛtām lokam).
Inner meaning
The ‘ajo bhāga’ is the deathless element in the being—psychic essence not subject to decay. Tapas here is concentrated spiritual heat: Agni’s will-kindling that purifies and strengthens the immortal portion. ‘Śociṣ’ (flame) and ‘arci’ (radiant ray) are two modes of inner fire: burning aspiration and illumining discrimination. Agni’s ‘śivāḥ tanvaḥ’ are his benign effective powers—forms of force that do not destroy the soul but free it. Carried to ‘sukṛtām loka’ is entry into the plane of true action and right formation: the world where works are shaped by truth and harmony (not merely ritual merit but a consciousness of right making).
Universal truth
Within change there is an unaging core. When spiritual heat purifies and illumines it, the being is borne to a truer field of action where life is ‘well-made’—aligned with the good, the true, and the right.
Themes
benign Agni, carrying to higher world, purification of the enduring portion, truth-formation
The seer
- Rishi
- Traditional attribution variable (RV 10.16 funerary seer)
- Other hymns
- RV 10.16, RV 10.154 (aspiration toward higher worlds; thematic resonance)
Family tradition
10th Maṇḍala eschatological-psychological strand: purification of the immortal element through Agni’s tapas.
Significance
The seer distinguishes the perishable from the imperishable and invokes a disciplined inner heat to reveal and carry the immortal portion.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni Jātavedas
- Epithets
- Jātavedas, Śociṣkeśa (implicit: flame-haired), Arciṣmān (radiant)
- Related deities
- Soma (bliss that seals transformation), Sūrya (illumination), Pitṛs (supporting continuity)
Cosmic role
Purifier and carrier to higher planes; the tapas-fire that refines essence and opens the ‘well-made’ world.
Inner power
Aspiration + illumination: burning away dross and revealing the immortal core; force of right transformation.
In ritual
Where it is used
Cremation/funerary invocation of Agni to purify and carry the departed to the ‘good world’
अ॒जो भा॒गस्तप॑सा॒ तं त॑पस्व॒ तं ते॑ शो॒चिस्त॑पतु॒ तं ते॑ अ॒र्चिः । यास्ते॑ शि॒वास्त॒न्वो॑ जातवेद॒स्ताभि॑र्वहैनं सु॒कृता॑मु लो॒कम् ॥
अ॒जः । भा॒गः । तप॑सा॒ । तम् । त॒प॒स्व॒ । तम् । ते॒ । शो॒चिः । त॒प॒तु॒ । तम् । ते॒ । अ॒र्चिः । याः । ते॒ । शि॒वाः । त॒न्वः॑ । जा॒त॒ऽवे॒दः॒ । ताभिः॑ । व॒ह॒ । ए॒न॒म् । सु॒ऽकृता॑म् । ऊँ॒ इति॑ । लो॒कम् ॥
ajaḥ | bhāgaḥ | tapasā | tam | tapasva | tam | te | śociḥ | tapatu | tam | te | arciḥ | yāḥ | te | śivāḥ | tanvaḥ | jāta-vedaḥ | tābhiḥ | vaha | enam | su-kṛtām | oṃ iti | lokam
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Intensifying and upward-bearing; repeated ‘taṃ’ gives hammering focus (tapas intensification).
Builds concentrated heat and aspiration; culminates in a sense of uplift and conveyance.
- अजः (ajaḥ)
- Literal: unborn; also unaging in context. Symbolic: deathless psychic essence; unborn consciousness
- भागः (bhāgaḥ)
- Literal: portion, share. Symbolic: the immortal share in the human being
- तपसा (tapasā)
- Literal: by heat, austerity. Symbolic: concentrated spiritual force that purifies and empowers
- शोचिः (śociḥ)
- Literal: flame. Symbolic: burning aspiration; purifying will
- अर्चिः (arciḥ)
- Literal: ray, radiance. Symbolic: illumination; discriminating light of consciousness
- शिवाः तन्वः (śivāḥ tanvaḥ)
- Literal: auspicious forms/bodies. Symbolic: benign effective powers of Agni that liberate without violence
- सुकृताम् लोकम् (sukṛtām lokam)
- Literal: world of the well-doers. Symbolic: plane of right formation and true works; harmonious order of perfected action
Cremation hymn: invoking Agni’s benign forms to convey the enduring portion to the accomplished world (sukṛta-loka).
During the mantric sequence that frames Agni as purifier and conveyor
Kindling/praising Agni’s flame; invoking tapas and auspicious powers to bear the subtle being onward
Inner purification practice: invoke ‘tapas’ to refine motives; dedicate action to ‘sukṛtām loka’—life as right making.
aja ‘unborn’ is a key Vedic marker of the deathless principle (not merely biological). tapas from √tap ‘to heat’ indicates conscious intensification. śociṣ and arciṣ are Agni’s modalities: flame (transformative heat) and ray (luminous direction). su-kṛta from su- ‘well’ + √kṛ ‘do/make’: not moralism alone but ‘well-formed action/being’—a plane where formation is harmonized with ṛta.
tapas (transformative ardor), aja (deathless/unborn principle), sukṛta (right formation; accomplished being)
Sukṛta implies works aligned with ṛta; Agni’s tapas restores right order in the being.
The immortal portion is brought to its truth by illumination (arciḥ).
Tapas as the force that forges higher worlds and higher being-stuff; the ‘well-made world’ as a crafted order.
Integral-Vedic: tapas as evolutionary engine; psychic essence (aja bhāga) as the enduring core.
Heat = tapas concentration; flame = aspiration; ray = illumination; carriage = transition to higher plane of right action.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as conveyor of the ‘deathless portion’ to the world of accomplished formation (sukṛta-loka), using benign flames/rays—initiation through tapas.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vah ‘carry’ (vahainaṃ) is an old IE transport-verb (cf. Latin vehō). √kṛ (kṛta) is Indo-Iranian/IE action-root (cf. English ‘create’ via Latin is not cognate; but PIE *kwer-/*ker- complex is debated—still √kṛ is central Indo-Aryan).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi selects Agni’s ‘śivāḥ tanvaḥ’—his gentle modalities—indicating a conscious choice of divine operation: transformation that preserves and uplifts the essential share.
Contact the ‘aja bhāga’—the unaging core—and invoke tapas to purify the outer nature.
manipura
Bhastrikā-light (gentle, not forceful) or steady kapalabhāti-style awareness for 30–60 seconds, then stillness in the navel flame.
Concentrated, bright, upward-moving aspiration.
Feel a warm steady fire at the navel; let it rise as a ray to the heart and brow. Affirm inwardly: ‘May the immortal portion be intensified and carried to the world of right making.’ End in quiet gratitude.
Observe Vedic accents; the repeated ‘taṃ’ phrases benefit from crisp udātta articulation to build tapas-like emphasis.
Slightly stress the imperative verbs (tapasva, tapatu, vaha) to convey active transformation and carrying.
ajo: pronounce initial a- clearly; ‘j’ soft but distinct, bhāgas: long ā; keep ‘g’ voiced, śociṣ: retroflex ṣ at end; do not add extra vowel, tābhir: long ā; aspirate ‘bh’, sukṛtām: clear ṛ; long ā in -tām
Bright, focused, slightly rising energy; end with a gentle release on ‘lokam’.
3
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.
