Rig Veda 2.10.6: Mandala 2, Sukta 10, Mantra 6
Sukta 2.10
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
ज्ञेया भागं सहसानो वरेण त्वादूतासो मनुवद्वदेम । अनूनमग्निं जुह्वा वचस्या मधुपृचं धनसा जोहवीमि ॥
jñeyā́ bhāgáṃ sahasā́nō váreṇa tvā́dūtāso manu-vád vadema | anū́nam agníṃ juhvā́ vacasyā́ madhú-pṛcaṃ dhana-sā́ johavīmi ||
సహసా (బలంతో) వరేణ (ఎంచుకున్న శ్రేయస్సును) గెలిచేవాడిచే భాగం (పాలు) సరిగా తెలిసి నిర్ణయింపబడుగాక. (అగ్నీ) నిన్ను దూతగా చేసుకొని మేము మనువలె వాక్యము పలుకుదుము. వాక్య-రూప జుహూ (కరచెంచా)తో నేను అనూన (అక్షయ) అగ్నిని ఆహ్వానిస్తున్నాను—మధు-మిశ్రితుడైనవాడిని, ధనసంపదలలో పరిపూర్ణతనిచ్చేవాడిని.
Word by Word
- ज्ञेयाः
- to be known; knowableAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग? प्रथमा बहुवचन (विशेषण-प्रयोग; ‘ज्ञेय’ = ‘ज्ञातव्य/ज्ञात होने योग्य’)Role Viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृ/कर्म-सम्बन्धानुसार)Root ज्ञा (धातु) → ज्ञेय (कृदन्त, भाव्य/विधेय)
- भागम्
- share; portionNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
- सहसानः
- mighty; powerfulAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā (विशेषण रूपेण कर्तृ-सम्बन्धी)Root सहस् (प्रातिपदिक) → सहसान (कृदन्त, वर्तमान कृदन्त/शतृ-प्राय)
- वरेण
- by choice; by boon/favorNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot वर (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वा
- you (Agni)Pronounद्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- दूतासः
- messengersNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot दूत (प्रातिपदिक)
- मनुवत्
- like Manu; in Manu’s mannerIndeclinableअव्ययRole Adverbial (रीति/प्रकार)Root मनु + वत् (तद्धित; अव्ययीभाव-प्राय)
- वदेम
- may we speak; let us utterVerbलोट्/विधिलिङ्? 1पुरुष बहुवचन (आत्मने/परस्मै—परस्मैपद रूप: वदेम = ‘we would/let us speak’)Role KriyāRoot वद् (धातु)
- अनूनम्
- not lacking; completeAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (अग्निम् विशेषयति)Role Viśeṣaṇa (कर्म-सम्बन्धी)Root अनून (प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्निम्
- AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- जुह्वा
- with the ladleNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot जुहू (प्रातिपदिक; ‘ladle’)
- वचस्या
- worthy of praise; eloquent/praiseworthyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (अग्निम् विशेषयति)Role Viśeṣaṇa (कर्म-सम्बन्धी)Root वचस् (प्रातिपदिक) → वचस्य (विशेषण)
- मधुपृचम्
- mixed with sweetness (honeyed)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (अग्निम् विशेषयति)Role Viśeṣaṇa (कर्म-सम्बन्धी)Root मधु + पृच् (धातु ‘to mix’) → मधुपृच (कृदन्त/बहुव्रीहि-प्राय विशेषण)
- धनसा
- with wealth; by richesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot धन (प्रातिपदिक)
- जोहवीमि
- I repeatedly call/invokeVerbलट्, 1पुरुष एकवचन, परस्मैपद (इंटेन्सिव/फ्रिक्वेन्टेटिव)Role KriyāRoot ह्वे (धातु) with intensive/reduplicated stem जोहव-
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): ज्ञेयाः | भागम् | सहसानः | वरेण | त्वा | दूतासः | मनुवत् | वदेम | अनूनम् | अग्निम् | जुह्वा | वचस्या | मधुपृचम् | धनसा | जोहवीमि । प्रमुख सन्धि: (1) त्वा + दूतासः → त्वादूतासो (स्वर-सन्धि/दीर्घीकरण)
- (2) मनुवत् + वदेम → मनुवद्वदेम (त् + व → द्व)
- शेष पद प्रायः असन्धित/पद-सीमा पर विराम।
The meaning
Outer meaning
May the rightful share be known by the force that wins the chosen good; with you as messenger we would speak like Manu. With the ladle of the word I call the unfailing Agni, honey-mingled, giver of riches.
Inner meaning
The ‘share’ (bhāga) is the soul’s true portion in the divine attainment—discerned by sahas (spiritual force) that chooses and wins the higher good (vara). Agni as inner messenger carries the word-thought (vāc) upward and brings down response. The offering is made through speech itself—‘juhvā vacasyā’—a psychic oblation. Agni is anūna (unfailing) and madhupṛc (honey-mingled): will united with sweetness/bliss, yielding plenitude (dhanasāḥ) in the substance of being.
Universal truth
Right discernment of one’s true spiritual portion comes by force of aspiration and right choice; when speech becomes offering, the inner fire turns effort into sweetness and abundance.
Themes
Agni as messenger, right knowledge and portion, mantric offering, plenitude (dhana) as inner richness
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada (Bhārgava)
- Lineage
- Bhārgava
- Other hymns
- RV 2.1, RV 2.3, RV 2.10, RV 2.11
Family tradition
Bhṛgu-inspired Agni yoga: mantra as offering, speech as a sacrificial instrument, and discernment of the true ‘portion’ of realization.
Significance
The seer frames spiritual practice as a continuity with Manu—the archetype of humanity aligned to ṛta—emphasizing right speech, right choice, and the unfailing inner fire.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- anūna (unfailing, undiminished), madhupṛc (honey-mingled)
- Related deities
- Manu (archetypal human sacrificer), Soma (honey/bliss aspect), Bṛhaspati (word-power)
Cosmic role
Divine envoy (dūta) between worlds; awakener of the gods in man; distributor of the ‘share’ through right offering.
Inner power
Transmutes thought and speech into effective aspiration; sustains perseverance; brings sweetness into discipline and yields plenitude.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni-prayer within soma and fire rites; also aligned with offerings where the hotṛ’s recitation is central.
ज्ञे॒या भा॒गं स॑हसा॒नो वरे॑ण॒ त्वादू॑तासो मनु॒वद्व॑देम । अनू॑नम॒ग्निं जु॒ह्वा॑ वच॒स्या म॑धु॒पृचं॑ धन॒सा जो॑हवीमि ॥
ज्ञे॒याः । भा॒गम् । स॒ह॒सा॒नः । वरे॑ण । त्वाऽदू॑तासः । म॒नु॒ऽवत् । व॒दे॒म॒ । अनू॑नम् । अ॒ग्निम् । जु॒ह्वा॑ । व॒च॒स्या । म॒धु॒ऽपृच॑म् । ध॒न॒ऽसाः । जो॒ह॒वी॒मि॒ ॥
jñeyāḥ | bhāgam | sahasānaḥ | vareṇa | tvādūtāsaḥ | manu-vat | vadema | anūnam | agnim | juhvā | vacasyā | madhu-pṛcam | dhana-sāḥ | johavīmi
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables; suited to declarative, instructive invocations.
Firm, articulate, ‘speech-forward’ cadence supporting mantra-offering.
Strengthens resolve and clarity of intention; helps feel speech as a consecrated act rather than mental noise.
- bhāga
- Literal: share, portion. Symbolic: the destined measure of realization; one’s true spiritual ‘allotment’ in the divine
- sahasānaḥ
- Literal: prevailing by force. Symbolic: tapas/inner strength that conquers inertia and falsehood
- vareṇa
- Literal: by/with the chosen (good). Symbolic: right selection (viveka) of the higher aim over lower impulses
- tvādūtāsaḥ
- Literal: with you as messenger. Symbolic: Agni as mediator carrying aspiration upward and bringing divine influence down
- manuvat
- Literal: like Manu. Symbolic: according to the archetypal human law of right sacrifice—disciplined, truth-speaking, rightly ordered
- juhvā vacasyā
- Literal: with the ladle of speech. Symbolic: speech as instrument of offering; mantra as oblation
- madhupṛcam
- Literal: mixed with honey. Symbolic: will suffused with delight; sweetness of truth-consciousness in the act of offering
- dhanasāḥ
- Literal: riches, wealth-giver. Symbolic: plenitude of being—powers, joy, wideness, effective force
Invocation of Agni as dūta in Soma-sacrifice diplomacy between worlds; mantra as offering (vāc as juhū) in Hotṛ recitation sequences
During invocatory sequences emphasizing Agni as dūta and the right apportioning of offerings.
Calling Agni through recited word as oblation; affirming right share and right speech.
Before study, teaching, or important conversation: recite to consecrate speech, choose the higher good, and invite unfailing will with sweetness.
from √jñā ‘to know’; bhāga from √bhaj ‘to share, apportion’ → ‘right portion’ as rightly distributed delight. from √sah ‘to prevail, be strong’ indicates overcoming inner opposition. from √vṛ ‘to choose’ → ‘the chosen good’. from √dū ‘to send/dispatch’ (messenger-function of Agni). /juhvā from √hu ‘to pour/offer’ (instrumental of offering). from √vac ‘speak’ as effective utterance. ‘honey/sweet’ (PIE *médʰu; cf. English mead) marks sweetness of delight-consciousness. is intensive/desiderative-like frequentative of √hū/√hvā ‘to call/invoke’ in RV idiom.
right apportionment (bhāga) aligned with ṛta, manu as archetype of right human order, mantra as effective action (vāc)
‘Manuvat’ implies alignment to the archetypal law of right sacrifice—right exchange between human aspiration and divine response.
jñeyā bhāgam: the portion must be known—truth is a seeing/discernment, not belief.
Speech as creative offering: vāc, when purified, becomes a formative power that builds the inner world.
Mantra-yoga orientation: word as effective force (śabda-śakti) in a Vedāntic-yogic frame.
Fire is will; honey is delight—discipline infused with sweetness, producing abundance in consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as dūta (messenger) mediates between human speech-offering and divine acceptance; the ‘share’ (bhāga) is not merely ritual food but the destined portion of delight/force to be known (jñeyā) and won by victorious energy (sahasāna) guided by right choice (vareṇa).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu is a classic Indo-European isogloss (PIE *médʰu) with wide cognates (Avestan madu-, Greek méthy, English mead). √bhaj ‘apportion’ aligns with distributive semantics found across IE (cf. ‘to share’ concepts), while √vac ‘speak’ corresponds to PIE *wekʷ- ‘voice’ (Latin vox, English voice).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi positions the community as speakers in Manu’s archetypal manner—right utterance within ṛta—while Agni is invoked as the unfailing mediator who carries the offered word and returns plenitude (dhana) as inner substance and sweetness (madhu).
Consecration of speech and intention: let mantra become the inner ladle offering thought into the fire of aspiration.
Viśuddha (speech purity) linked with Maṇipūra (offering-fire).
Soft ujjāyī or slow exhale while reciting, feeling the word descend into the chest/solar plexus as an offering.
Clear, sincere, sweetly fervent.
Set a ‘chosen good’ (vara) before recitation. Speak with precision and sincerity; after each round, pause to feel the response—quiet warmth, clarity, or widening—as Agni’s return-message.
Chant with Vedic udātta/anudātta/svarita as per Śākala; keep clear articulation of consonant clusters in vacasyā and johavīmi.
Maintain even tone; let udātta syllables lift without strain; avoid rushing through compounds like madhupṛcaṃ.
jñeyā: initial jñ is ‘gny’ (j+ñ), not ‘gy’ alone., sahasāno: keep short a in -sa-, long ā in -sā- if indicated by text tradition., manuvad: pronounce as manu-vad (two parts)., juhvā: long ū? here juhvā has short u + hv cluster; articulate h+v clearly., madhupṛcaṃ: vocalic ṛ; caṃ with anusvāra.
Clear, resonant, ‘speech-as-offering’ precision.
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.
