Rig Veda 3.5.7: Mandala 3, Sukta 5, Mantra 7
Sukta 3.5
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
आ योनिमग्निर्घृतवन्तमस्थात्पृथुप्रगाणमुशन्तमुशानः । दीद्यानः शुचिॠष्वः पावकः पुनःपुनर्मातरा नव्यसी कः ॥
ā yóniṃ agnír ghṛtávantam asthāt pṛthúpragāṇam uśántam uśānáḥ | dī́dyānaḥ śúciḥ ṛ́ṣvaḥ pā́vakaḥ púnaḥ-punar mā́tarā návyasī kaḥ ||
అగ్ని ఘృతసమృద్ధమైన యోని (గర్భం)లో నిలిచాడు; విస్తారమైన అగ్ర-గానంతో, అతడు కోరుతాడు—అతడే కోరుకునే జ్వాల. దీప్తుడు, శుచి, ఋష్వుడు, పావకుడు—అతడు మళ్లీ మళ్లీ రెండు మాతృలను నిత్యనవీనంగా చేస్తాడు; దానిని ఎవరు కొలవగలరు?
Word by Word
- आ
- towards, untoIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRoot आ (upasarga) अथवा अव्यय
- योनिम्
- womb; source; abodeNounपुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे प्रायः पुं.), द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्निः
- Agni (fire-god)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- घृतवन्तम्
- rich in ghee; ghee-filledAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (योनिम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot घृतवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्थात्
- stood; took his placeVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRoot स्था (धातु)
- पृथुप्रगाणम्
- broad/ample ‘pragāṇa’ (wide-ranging course/track; broad path)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (योनिम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot पृथु-प्रगाण (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
- उशन्तम्
- desiring; eagerAdjective (participle)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (अग्निम्/योनिम्-संबद्धं विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot उशत् (कृदन्त; √वश्/उश् ‘इच्छ्/काम्’)
- उशानः
- desiring; ardentAdjective (participle)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (अग्निः इति कर्तुः विशेषणम्)Role KartāRoot उशान (कृदन्त; √वश्/उश्)
- दीद्यानः
- shining; blazingAdjective (participle)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (अग्निः इति कर्तुः विशेषणम्)Role KartāRoot दीद्यत्/दीद्यान (कृदन्त; √दीद्/√द्युत् ‘दीप्तौ’)
- शुचिः
- pure; brightAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (अग्निः इति कर्तुः विशेषणम्)Role KartāRoot शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋष्वः
- lofty; great; exaltedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot ऋष्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- पावकः
- purifier; purifying fireNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot पावक (प्रातिपदिक; √पू ‘पवने/शोधने’)
- पुनःपुनः
- again and againIndeclinableपुनरुक्त-अव्ययRoot पुनः (अव्यय) + पुनः
- मातरौ
- the two mothers (i.e., heaven & earth / two kindling-sticks, contextually)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्विवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (अत्र कर्मरूपेण ‘approaches/attains the two mothers’ इति)Role KarmaRoot मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- नव्यसी
- ever-new; renewedAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्विवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (मातरौ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot नव्यस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- कः
- who? (interrogative/relative nuance)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni has stood in the womb rich with ghee; wide in his forward-chant, desiring, he is the desiring one. Shining, pure, lofty, the purifier, he again and again makes the two Mothers ever new—who can measure that?
Inner meaning
Agni takes his stand in the ghṛtavant yoni: the inner matrix filled with clarified light and sweetness—psychic substance ready for transformation. His ‘wide forward-chant’ (pṛthupragāṇam) is the expansive drive of aspiration that presses ahead; uśantam uśānaḥ shows the reciprocity: the human desire for the Divine answered by the Divine’s own delight in manifestation within us. As pāvaka, he purifies repeatedly, renewing the two Mothers—heaven and earth (dyāvā-pṛthivī), symbolically the higher and lower nature, mind and life/body—making them ‘ever new’ by continual transmutation. The closing question marks the immeasurable power of this recurrent renewal.
Universal truth
When the inner will is established in a luminous matrix, it becomes an ever-renewing purifier that repeatedly refreshes both higher aspiration and lower embodiment; the depth of this renewal exceeds mental measure.
Themes
Agni-kindling, inner sacrifice, renewal of heaven-and-earth, illumination and purification
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Gāthina (Viśvāmitra line)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.5.1-6, RV 3.3 (Agni ascent motifs), RV 3.4 (Agni in the home/field)
Family tradition
Culminating movement of the hymn: Agni not only established and protective, but continually renewing the whole dual field of existence.
Significance
Viśvāmitra’s vision points to iterative transformation: the fire must purify ‘again and again’ until both higher and lower nature are remade.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (Pāvaka, purifier)
- Epithets
- ghṛtavant yoni-stha (standing in ghee-rich womb), pṛthupragāṇa (wide-advancing), uśāna (desiring), dīdyāna (shining), śuci (pure), ṛṣva (lofty), pāvaka (purifier)
- Related deities
- Dyāvā-Pṛthivī (two Mothers), Uṣas (renewal), Soma (sweetness/ghṛta-like bliss)
Cosmic role
Ever-renewing purifier who maintains the cyclic regeneration of heaven and earth; awakens and refreshes the worlds.
Inner power
Psychic fire that repeatedly cleanses and recreates mind-life-body relations, making the whole being freshly capable of illumination.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni kindling and praise in daily and śrauta contexts; renewal theme suits morning offerings
आ योनि॑म॒ग्निर्घृ॒तव॑न्तमस्थात्पृ॒थुप्र॑गाणमु॒शन्त॑मुशा॒नः । दीद्या॑न॒: शुचि॑ॠ॒ष्वः पा॑व॒कः पुन॑:पुनर्मा॒तरा॒ नव्य॑सी कः ॥
आ । योनि॑म् । अ॒ग्निः । घृ॒तऽव॑न्तम् । अ॒स्था॒त् । पृ॒थुऽप्र॑गानम् । उ॒शन्त॑म् । उशा॒नः । दीद्या॑नः । शुचिः॑ । ऋ॒ष्वः । पा॒व॒कः । पुनः॑ऽपुनः । मा॒तरा॑ । नव्य॑सी॒ इति॑ । क॒रिति॑ कः ॥
ā | yonim | agniḥ | ghṛta-vantam | asthāt | pṛthu-pragānam | uśantam | uśānaḥ | dīdyānaḥ | śuciḥ | ṛṣvaḥ | pāvakaḥ | punaḥ-punaḥ | mātarā | navyasī iti | karitikaḥ
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4×11 syllables (probable/standard for this hymn group)
Expansive and luminous; the cadence widens in the second pāda and culminates in a wondering question.
Creates uplift and freshness; induces a sense of repeated inner cleansing and renewal.
- योनि (yoni)
- Literal: womb, source. Symbolic: inner matrix/psychic ground where transformation begins
- घृतवन्तम् (ghṛtavantam)
- Literal: rich in ghee. Symbolic: filled with clarified light, sweetness, luminous substance
- पृथुप्रगाणम् (pṛthupragāṇam)
- Literal: wide in forward-chant. Symbolic: expansive advancing aspiration; broad mantric drive
- उशन्तम् उशानः (uśantam uśānaḥ)
- Literal: desiring, desiring. Symbolic: mutual longing: seeker’s aspiration and divine delight responding within
- दीद्यानः (dīdyānaḥ)
- Literal: shining. Symbolic: self-luminous consciousness
- शुचिः (śuciḥ)
- Literal: pure. Symbolic: clarity free from mixture; sattwic transparency
- ऋष्वः (ṛṣvaḥ)
- Literal: lofty. Symbolic: raised to higher planes
- पावकः (pāvakaḥ)
- Literal: purifier. Symbolic: transforming fire that cleanses nature
- मातरौ (mātarau)
- Literal: two mothers. Symbolic: heaven-and-earth; higher and lower nature; mind and life/body
- नव्यसी (navyasī)
- Literal: ever new. Symbolic: perpetual renewal; fresh formation of consciousness
Kindling and establishing Agni in the rite (Agnyādheya / daily Agnihotra context broadly; also applicable to Soma sacrifices as the Hotṛ’s fire and carrier of oblations)
Morning kindling/recitation; also at moments of recommitment after lapse.
Offering ghee; invoking Agni as pāvaka for purification and renewal.
Use as a renewal mantra: after fatigue or relapse, recite to re-establish the flame in a ‘luminous womb’ and refresh both aspiration and embodiment.
Key terms: (1) yóni- ‘womb/seat’ from √yu ‘to join, yoke’ > locus of conjunction/formation. (2) ghṛtá- from √ghṛ ‘to shine/sprinkle’ (Vedic polyvalence): both ‘clarified butter’ (outer rite) and ‘luminous clarity’ (inner truth-substance). (3) asthāt: aorist of √sthā ‘to stand, establish’—Agni as established power in the vessel. (4) uśánt-/uśāná- from √vaś/√uś ‘to desire, yearn, be eager’; indicates aspiration-force. (5) pāvaka- from √pū ‘to purify’—psychologically the force that refines mind-life into truth-fit substance. (6) mātarā (dual) conventionally dyāvā-pṛthivī; inwardly the higher consciousness and the embodied field continually ‘made new’ by Agni’s working.
Ṛta (right order through repeated renewal), purification (pū/ pāvaka), manifestation in the vessel (yoni as matrix)
Renewal of the Mothers is restoration of ṛta between higher and lower worlds within the person.
Purity (śuci) supports satya: clear seeing and truthful movement.
Continuous creation: the worlds are remade repeatedly by the purifying fire; not a one-time event but ongoing manifestation.
Integral transformation: repeated purification and re-creation of nature as a yogic principle.
dawn/morning (renewal and kindling)
spring (symbolically: renewal; not explicit)
Ghee = clarified luminous sweetness; womb = psychic ground; two Mothers = higher/lower nature; repeated renewal = ongoing purification cycles in sādhanā.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘birth/establishment of Agni in the womb’—Agni entering and standing in the yoni (matrix) rich in ghṛta. Mythically this is Agni’s perennial re-manifestation; psychologically it is the descent/awakening of the will-to-truth in the prepared vessel, renewing Heaven-and-Earth (higher consciousness and embodied nature) repeatedly.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √sthā (asthāt) continues PIE *steh₂- ‘stand’ (cf. Greek hístēmi, Latin stō). yoni- is Indo-Iranian in form/usage as ‘seat/womb’ tied to joining/yoking semantics. The purifier notion in √pū (pāvaka) aligns with PIE *peuH- ‘clean/purify’ (broadly comparable to purification lexemes across IE, though exact one-to-one cognation is debated).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer does not merely praise an outer fire; he calls and recognizes Agni as an inner operative power—desiring (uśantam) and kindling aspiration (uśānaḥ). The reciprocity is the classic Vedic exchange: the human offers clarified substance (outer ghṛta / inner clarity), and Agni responds by renewing the foundations of experience (the two Mothers) and widening the forward movement (pṛthu-pragānam) toward Ṛta.
Place attention in a luminous inner ‘womb’ (heart/solar plexus) and kindle the purifier to renew both aspiration and embodiment.
anāhata (yoni as psychic seat) with maṇipūra (fire of purification)
Slow inhale imagining golden ghṛta-light filling the torso; exhale imagining Agni purifying and ‘renewing’ the whole system; 12 cycles.
Bright purification leading to quiet wonder and freshness.
Begin with a felt sense of sweetness/light (ghṛta) in the heart. Kindle a steady flame there. On each breath, let it cleanse one layer (body sensation, emotion, thought). Conclude by offering both ‘heaven’ (ideals) and ‘earth’ (habits) into the same renewing fire.
Triṣṭubh; allow udatta lift on dīdyānaḥ, śuciḥ, pāvakaḥ; final interrogative ‘kaḥ’ kept clear and slightly raised in intent (not volume).
Widen the tone on ‘pṛthupragāṇam’; brighten on ‘dīdyānaḥ śuciḥ’; make ‘punaḥ-punaḥ’ distinctly repeated with equal weight.
ghṛtavantam: voiced gh + vocalic ṛ; keep -vantam clear., pṛthupragāṇam: pṛ-thu-pra-gā-ṇam (retroflex ṇ)., uśantam uśānaḥ: ś sound clear; avoid ‘sh’ drifting to s., pāvakaḥ: long ā; final ḥ audible.
Luminous, pure, gently ascending; aim for clarity over force.
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