Rig Veda 5.25.2: Mandala 5, Sukta 25, Mantra 2
Sukta 5.25
स हि सत्यो यं पूर्वे चिद्देवासश्चिद्यमीधिरे । होतारं मन्द्रजिह्वमित्सुदीतिभिर्विभावसुम् ॥
sá hí satyó yáṃ pū́rve cid devā́saś cid yám ī́dhire | hótāraṃ mandrájihvam ít sudītíbhir vibhā́vasum ||
ఆయనే నిజంగా సత్యస్వరూపుడు—పూర్వకాల దేవతలే యెవరిని ప్రజ్వలింపజేసిరో ఆయన. ఆయన హోతా; ఆనందమయ జిహ్వ కలవాడు; ప్రకాశవంతమైన ఇంధనాలతో సర్వత్రా దీప్తిమంతుడైన విభావసు.
Praise of Agni’s primordial kindling by the gods; used to affirm legitimacy and antiquity of the Agni cultus and its inner counterpart—ignition of conscious fire.
Satya (truth-power), primordial tradition (pūrve devāsaḥ), inspired speech (mandra-jihvā), illumination (sudīti, vibhāvasu)
Agni as the operative power that makes ṛta effective in human speech and action.
Explicit: Agni is satyaḥ—truth-force in manifestation.
Kindling as the awakening of light in the worlds; speech (jihvā) as creative instrument.
Mantra-śakti orientation; bridges Vedic revelation with later Upaniṣadic emphasis on truth and inner fire.
Kindling = purified mental/vital material offered to the flame; spreading light = expansion of awareness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the primordial kindling of Agni by the gods themselves: the cosmic powers ignite the mediator-fire, who then invokes them in return. Innerly, higher faculties awaken the central flame of will and inspired speech, enabling a stable commerce with the divine.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √idh ‘kindle’ is Indo-Iranian (cf. Avestan forms in the same semantic domain of ignition). bhā ‘shine’ connects to PIE *bʰeh₂- ‘shine’. The epithet construction (mandra-jihva, vibha-vasu) reflects archaic IE compound style used for divine characterization.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi legitimizes his invocation by appealing to primordial precedent: even the gods kindle Agni. The relationship is circular and reciprocal: Agni is kindled by higher powers; once kindled, he becomes Hotṛ, calling those powers into the human offering and making illumination (sudīti, vibhāvasu) available to the aspirant.
Consecrate speech and thought as offerings; awaken the ‘true fire’ and let it spread illumination.
Vishuddha (speech/mantra) linked to Ajna (illumination)
Slow inhale—feel ‘kindling’ gathering; slow exhale—offer it into the heart-flame; pause in the after-exhale to sense spreading light.
Truth-anchored lucidity; expansive clarity.
Before speaking or chanting, invoke mandrajihva: let words arise from delight and sincerity; refine thoughts (sudīti) so they feed illumination rather than smoke.
Triṣṭubh flow with careful accent integrity; keep ‘satyo’ and ‘hotāram’ clearly articulated; consult a svara-marked text for exact udātta placements.
Pause lightly after īdhire; emphasize compounds: mandra-jihvam, su-dītibhiḥ, vibhāvasum.
satyo: short a, clear ty cluster, pūrve: long ū, īdhire: long ī, mandrajihvam: jihvā with jh sound; keep compound smooth, sudītibhiḥ: long ī; bhih with visarga, vibhāvasum: bhā with long ā
Clear, resonant, ‘mantric’—let consonants be crisp without harshness.
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