Rig Veda 5.2.8: Mandala 5, Sukta 2, Mantra 8
Sukta 5.2
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Karuna (compassion)
हृणीयमानो अप हि मदैयेः प्र मे देवानां व्रतपा उवाच । इन्द्रो विद्वाँ अनु हि त्वा चचक्ष तेनाहमग्ने अनुशिष्ट आगाम् ॥
hṛṇīyamāno ápa hí mád aiye prā́ me devā́nāṃ vratapā́ uvāca | índro vidvā́n ánu hí tvā cacakṣa ténā́ham agne ánuśiṣṭa ā́gām ||
సిగ్గుపడి నేను నా మదం నుండి తొలగిపోయాను; దేవుల వ్రతాన్ని కాపాడే రక్షకుడు నాకు పలికాడు. జ్ఞానవంతుడైన ఇంద్రుడు నిశ్చయంగా నిన్ను గమనించాడు; ఆ దర్శనానుసారం, అగ్నీ, నేను శిక్షితుడై ఇక్కడికి వచ్చాను.
Word by Word
- हृणीयमानः
- being ashamed/indignant; shrinking backParticiple (verbal adjective)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (वाक्यस्य कर्ता) अथवा विशेषणम् (इन्द्रस्य)Root हृणी (धातु: हृणी/हृण् ‘लज्जा/क्रोध/असूया’ → हृणीयते) अथवा प्रातिपदिक: हृणीयमान-
- अप
- away, offIndeclinableअव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्ग (वियोग/अपसारणार्थ)Root अप (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableअव्ययRole सम्बन्ध/हेतु-बोधक निपातRoot हि (निपात)
- मदैयेः
- from intoxication/exhilaration (from the drunken pride)Noun (abstract/collective)पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (वैदिक-प्रयोगे), पञ्चमी, एकवचनRole अपादान (अप ‘away’ इत्यस्य) / हेतौRoot मद (प्रातिपदिक) + अय (तद्धित: -अय) → मदाय/मदैय-
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableअव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्ग (प्रकर्ष/प्रारम्भ)Root प्र (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- मे
- to me / for mePronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्प्रदान/सम्बन्ध (to/for me; of me) प्रसङ्गानुसारRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- देवानाम्
- of the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- व्रतपाः
- the guardian of sacred law/ordinanceNoun (agent)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (वैदिके दीर्घ/प्लुत्यादि भेदः सम्भवः)Role कर्तृ (उवाच इत्यस्य)Root व्रतपा (व्रत + पा ‘पालन/रक्षण’)
- उवाच
- said, spokeVerbलिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot वच् (धातु)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विद्वान्/चचक्ष इत्यस्य)Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- विद्वान्
- knowing, wiseParticiple (perfect/possessive)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषणम् (इन्द्रस्य)Root विद् (धातु) → विद्वस् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- अनु
- after, along, according toIndeclinableअव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्ग (अनुगमन/अनुक्रम)Root अनु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- हि
- indeedIndeclinableअव्ययRole सम्बन्ध/हेतु-बोधक निपातRoot हि (निपात)
- त्वा
- youPronounद्वितीया, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role कर्म (चचक्ष इत्यस्य)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- चचक्ष
- observed, beheld, took noteVerbलिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot चक्ष् (धातु ‘देखना/ध्यान देना’)
- तेन
- by that; thereforePronoun (instrumental)तृतीया, एकवचनRole करण (means: ‘by that/therefore’)Root तद् (सर्वनाम)
- अहम्
- IPronounप्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (आगाम् इत्यस्य)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनुशिष्टः
- instructed, directedParticiple (past passive)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषणम् (अहम्)Root अनु + शास् (धातु ‘शासन/उपदेश’) → अनुशिष्ट (कृदन्त)
- आगाम्
- I came, I approachedVerbलुङ् (अorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot आ + गम् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविच्छेद): हृणीयमानः | अप | हि | मदैयेः | प्र | मे | देवानाम् | व्रतपाः | उवाच | इन्द्रः | विद्वान् | अनु | हि | त्वा | चचक्ष | तेन | अहम् | अग्ने | अनुशिष्टः | आगाम् । मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) मदैयेः: मन्त्रपाठे ‘मदैये॒:’ इति—विसर्गः पदान्ते, पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपम्। (2) ‘प्र मे’ इत्यत्र उपसर्ग-निपातयोः संयोगः, विशेष-सन्धिः न। (3) ‘तेनाहम्’ → तेन + अहम् (स्वर-सन्धिः/संहितायां एकपदत्वम्), पदपाठे पृथक्। (4) ‘अनुशिष्ट आगा॑म्’ → अनुशिष्टः + आगाम् (विसर्ग-लोपः/संहितायां), पदपाठे ‘अनुशिष्टः | आगाम्’।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Ashamed, the speaker turns away from intoxication; the guardian of the gods’ law speaks. Indra the knower has observed; instructed, the speaker comes to Agni.
Inner meaning
The seeker recognizes a wrong movement—mada (intoxication) is not only soma-rapture but also egoic excitement, pride, or careless rajas. Hṛṇīyamānaḥ (feeling shame) indicates the awakening of conscience and sincerity. The vratapā (guardian of divine law—often Varuṇa-like function, or Agni as keeper of the right working) speaks the corrective word. Indra vidvān (illumined mind) has ‘seen’ (cacakṣa) the true Agni and the seeker’s condition; guided by that higher seeing, the seeker approaches Agni anuśiṣṭaḥ—disciplined/instructed—ready to align with ṛta rather than impulse.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress requires honest self-correction: turning from egoic intoxication, accepting the guidance of inner law and higher intelligence, and approaching the divine will with discipline.
Themes
repentance-turning, instruction by divine law, Indra’s vision as guidance, approach to Agni
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vāsiṣṭha
- Other hymns
- RV 7.86 (Varuṇa and confession/realignment themes), RV 7.87, RV 7.88
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha is closely associated with ṛta and vrata (law, vow) and with the ethical-spiritual alignment needed for divine protection and progress.
Significance
This verse mirrors the Vasiṣṭha-type inner movement: confession, turning from error, and return to the divine law through Agni and Indra’s light.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (supported by Indra; vratapā as law-guardian aspect)
- Epithets
- Vratapā (guardian of the law, functional), Anuśāsaka (instructor, implied by anuśiṣṭa), Jātavedas (implicit)
- Related deities
- Varuṇa (vrata/law), Mitra (harmony), Soma (right ecstasy vs intoxication)
Cosmic role
Agni purifies the seeker and establishes right action; Indra supplies the seeing intelligence that confirms and guides.
Inner power
Agni: purifying will and sincerity; Indra: illumined discernment and victorious clarity over confusion.
In ritual
Where it is used
General Agni hymn usage; also fits expiatory/realignment moments within ritual where mistakes are acknowledged and corrected
हृ॒णी॒यमा॑नो॒ अप॒ हि मदैये॒: प्र मे॑ दे॒वानां॑ व्रत॒पा उ॑वाच । इन्द्रो॑ वि॒द्वाँ अनु॒ हि त्वा॑ च॒चक्ष॒ तेना॒हम॑ग्ने॒ अनु॑शिष्ट॒ आगा॑म् ॥
हृ॒णी॒यमा॑नः । अप॑ । हि । मत् । ऐये॑ । प्र । मे॒ । दे॒वाना॑म् । व्र॒त॒ऽपाः । उ॒वा॒च॒ । इन्द्रः॑ । वि॒द्वान् । अनु॑ । हि । त्वा॒ । च॒चक्ष॑ । तेन॑ । अ॒हम् । अ॒ग्ने॒ । अनु॑ऽशिष्टः । आ । अ॒गा॒म् ॥
hṛṇīyamānaḥ | apa | hi | mat | aiye | pra | me | devānām | vrata-pāḥ | uvāca | indraḥ | vidvān | anu | hi | tvā | cacakṣa | tena | aham | agne | anu-śiṣṭaḥ | ā | agām
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4 × 11
Confessional opening softens into authoritative guidance, then resolves in disciplined approach
Encourages humility and realignment; the cadence supports a ‘turning back’ from error and a steady return to the fire.
- हृणी॑यमानः (hṛṇīyamānaḥ)
- Literal: being ashamed. Symbolic: psychic sincerity; awakening of inner conscience
- मद (mada)
- Literal: intoxication. Symbolic: ego-rapture, impulsive excitement, unruled desire-force (even misused spiritual exhilaration)
- व्रतपा (vratapā)
- Literal: guardian of the vow/law. Symbolic: inner law of ṛta; power that preserves right movement (Varuṇa/Agni aspect)
- उवाच (uvāca)
- Literal: spoke. Symbolic: the decisive inner word of correction/guidance
- इन्द्रः विद्वान् (indraḥ vidvān)
- Literal: Indra the knower. Symbolic: illumined intelligence that sees truly and supports right action
- चचक्ष (cacakṣa)
- Literal: has seen/observed. Symbolic: higher witnessing consciousness
- अनुशिष्टः (anuśiṣṭaḥ)
- Literal: instructed, disciplined. Symbolic: guided obedience to inner truth; yogic discipline
- आगाम् (āgām)
- Literal: I came. Symbolic: turning toward the inner fire for purification and right leading
Preparatory purification/confession motif before effective offering; aligns with Soma-sacrifice ethics of vrata (right rule) before invoking Agni as Hotṛ.
After an error, lapse, or over-excitation; before rekindling disciplined offering
Recite as a self-corrective prayer; reaffirm vrata and invite Agni’s purifying presence
Use when recovering from impulsive decisions, overstimulation, or spiritual pride; a mantra for humility and recommitment.
√hrī ‘to feel shame/modesty’ → hṛṇīyamānaḥ (a turning of the being away from wrong delight). vrata ‘vow, law, fixed rule’ (PIE *wer- ‘to speak/command’?; more securely Indo-Iranian vrata as ‘ordinance’) + √pā ‘protect’ → vratapāḥ ‘guardian of the law’. √cakṣ ‘see’ emphasizes inner vision; √śās ‘instruct/discipline’ gives anuśiṣṭaḥ, the shaped obedience to ṛta.
vrata (discipline/ordinance of Ṛta), self-purification and right intention, guidance by higher knowledge
Vratapā represents ṛta’s guardianship; turning away from mada is returning to ṛta.
Hṛṇīyamānaḥ is the soul’s insistence on truthfulness; Indra’s seeing is satya-dṛṣṭi.
Re-ordering of the human instrument: from chaotic excitation to lawful, illumined action.
Ethico-spiritual Vedism: vrata/ṛta as inner discipline; aligns with Aurobindo’s stress on sincerity and right use of force.
late morning/noon (symbolic of clarity after dawn; moving from intoxication to clear sight)
Mada = turbulent vital waves; Indra’s seeing = clear mental sun; Agni = purifying flame that stabilizes and leads.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The return to ṛta through vrata: the speaker turns away from ‘mada’ (misleading exhilaration/egoic intoxication) after the divine guardian of law admonishes him. Indra’s seeing functions as the mythic guarantee that the divine powers witness and correct human movement.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √gam ‘come’ (āgām) and √i ‘go’ (aiye) are core IE motion verbs. √cakṣ ‘see’ parallels a widespread IE ‘see’ lexeme family (though exact cognates vary), reinforcing the Vedic emphasis on cognition as vision. The compound vratapāḥ shows classic Vedic compounding for functional epithets.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The human speaker accepts correction and arrives ‘anuśiṣṭaḥ’—disciplined—toward Agni. Agni is approached not by mere rite but by an inner alignment to vrata; Indra’s knowledge mediates the approach by establishing right perception.
A practice of sincerity: recognize ‘mada’ (overdrive), step back, listen to the inner law, then approach the heart-flame with discipline.
ājñā (Indra’s seeing) guiding anāhata (Agni seated as purifier)
slow_meditative: 5 minutes of lengthened exhale (inhale 4, exhale 8) to cool mada; then mantra 9 times on natural breath
From rajas/overexcitement to sattva/clear guidance
Begin with a brief inward confession (one sentence). On ‘vratapā uvāca’ listen inwardly for the corrective intuition. On the final pāda, feel yourself ‘coming’ to Agni—offer the error into the flame.
Triṣṭubh; keep udatta prominence on hṛṇīyamāno, vratapā́, índro, vídvān, cacakṣa; let the final ‘anuśiṣṭa āgām’ descend into steadiness.
First pāda softer (confessional), second more declarative, third luminous (Indra’s seeing), fourth resolved and grounded.
hṛṇīyamāno: vocalic ṛ clear; long ī held, mad aiyeḥ: separate sandhi cleanly in slow practice; avoid swallowing ‘ai’, vratapā: retroflex? (t is dental), long ā sustained, anuśiṣṭaḥ: ś and ṣ distinguished; retroflex ṣ in śiṣṭa
gentle, sincere, inward; avoid forceful projection
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