Rig Veda 6.2.9: Mandala 6, Sukta 2, Mantra 9
Sukta 6.2
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
त्वं त्या चिदच्युताग्ने पशुर्न यवसे । धामा ह यत्ते अजर वना वृश्चन्ति शिक्वसः ॥
tváṃ tyā́ cid acyutā́gne paśúr ná yávase | dhā́mā ha yát te ajara vánā vṛścánti śíkvasāḥ ||
హే అచ్యుత అగ్నీ! నీవు ఆ (శక్తి)లను కూడా, మేతకు వెళ్లే పశువులాగ, యవ (మేత) వైపు నడిపిస్తావు. హే అజరా! జ్ఞానులు నీకోసం అడవుల నుండి నీ ధామాలను—నీ స్థిర నివాసస్థానాలను—కొట్టి (నిర్మించి) పెడతారు.
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- thou (you)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/सर्वलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्या
- those (fem. pl.)Pronoun (demonstrative)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (वेदिक-रूप: ‘त्या’ = ‘ताः’)Role कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्
- even, indeedIndeclinableनिपातRoot चित् (निपात)
- अच्युत
- O unfailing/unyielding oneAdjective (vocative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अच्युत (अ- + √च्युत/√च्यु ‘to fall, slip’)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि
- पशुः
- a beast, cattleNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उपमान-भाग) / विधेय-सम्बन्धRoot पशु
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमानार्थक निपातRoot न (उपमा-निपात)
- यवसे
- for fodder/grassNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot यवस
- धाम
- abode; (rit.) seat/realmNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot धामन्
- ह
- indeed, surelyIndeclinableनिपात (प्रबलन/स्मरणार्थ)Root ह (निपात)
- यत्
- which (that)Pronoun (relative)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (यत्-तत् सम्बन्ध; ‘धाम’ इत्यस्य विशेषण/सम्बन्ध)Root यद् (सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम)
- ते
- of thee, thyPronounषष्ठी, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root युष्मद्
- अजर
- O unaging oneAdjective (vocative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अजर (अ- + जर ‘to age’)
- वना
- woods; forests (wooden things)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot वन
- वृश्चन्ति
- they cut/hewnVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √वृश्च् (वृश्चति) ‘to cut, hew’
- शिक्वसः
- the skilled ones, the able (men)Noun/Adjective (substantivized)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot शिक्वस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘skilled, able, expert’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: त्वम् | त्या(=ताः) | चित् | अच्युत | अग्ने | पशुः | न | यवसे | धाम | ह | यत् | ते | अजर | वना | वृश्चन्ति | शिक्वसः । 1) ‘त्या चित्’ इति वेदिके ‘त्या’ = ‘ताः’ (स्त्री. द्वि. बहु.)। 2) ‘अच्युताग्ने’ = ‘अच्युत + अग्ने’ (स्वर-सन्धि/संहिता-लेखनम्)। 3) ‘यत्ते’ = ‘यत् + ते’ (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि: त् + त् → त्त्)।
The meaning
Outer meaning
O unfailing Agni, you lead even those powers like cattle to pasture. The wise cut out for you, O unaging one, your dwelling places from the forests.
Inner meaning
Agni, the unfailing will (acyuta), leads the wandering energies of our nature (paśuḥ) toward their true nourishment (yavasa): right enjoyment and right field of growth. The ‘wise’ (śikvasaḥ) carve out dhāman—stable stations of consciousness—for the divine fire, cutting them from vanā, the tangled ‘forests’ of material nature and subconscious habit. Thus the inner sacrifice creates clear spaces in the being where Agni can abide and govern.
Universal truth
Progress requires guidance and clearing: energies must be led to their true pasture, and stable inner foundations must be cut out from the thicket of habit and obscurity.
Themes
taming-vital-nature, establishing-inner-seats, forest-to-altar transformation
The seer
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja
- Other hymns
- RV 6.3, RV 6.4, RV 6.5
Family tradition
Bharadvāja hymns often portray inner work as ‘clearing the forest’ for Agni—creating ordered stations for the sacrifice.
Significance
The seer emphasizes mastery of the vital (‘cattle’) by the unfailing will, and the deliberate creation of inner abodes—precursors to later yogic ideas of stable states (dhāman).
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Acyuta (Unfailing), Ajara (Unaging), Netṛ (Leader, implied)
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (breaker of obstacles; maker of spaces), Indra (force that breaks coverings)
Cosmic role
Guide of beings; establisher of divine stations; transformer of wild nature into ordered life.
Inner power
Steady guidance of instinctive energies toward right nourishment; power to cut pathways and establish stable consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
General Agni praise; may accompany establishment/maintenance of sacred fires and preparation of ritual space
त्वं त्या चि॒दच्यु॒ताग्ने॑ प॒शुर्न यव॑से । धामा॑ ह॒ यत्ते॑ अजर॒ वना॑ वृ॒श्चन्ति॒ शिक्व॑सः ॥
त्वम् । त्या । चि॒त् । अच्यु॑ता । अग्ने॑ । प॒शुः । न । यव॑से । धाम॑ । ह॒ । यत् । ते॒ । अ॒ज॒र॒ । वना॑ । वृ॒श्चन्ति॑ । शिक्व॑सः ॥
tvam | tyā | cit | acyutā | agne | paśuḥ | na | yavase | dhāma | ha | yat | te | ajara | vanā | vṛścanti | śikvasaḥ
44
4 × 11 (likely)
measured, directive, carving/clearing feel
Creates a sense of guidance and disciplined clearing; supports steadiness in practice.
- अच्युत (acyuta)
- Literal: unfailing, not fallen. Symbolic: steadfast divine will that does not deviate into desire
- पशु (paśu)
- Literal: beast, cattle. Symbolic: raw life-energies and instinctive movements
- यवस (yavasa)
- Literal: pasture, fodder. Symbolic: right field of experience and nourishment; sattwic support for growth
- धामन् (dhāman)
- Literal: abode, station. Symbolic: stable plane/state of consciousness established in the being
- अजर (ajara)
- Literal: unaging. Symbolic: timeless flame-principle, ever-fresh consciousness
- वन (vanā)
- Literal: forests, woods. Symbolic: dense material/subconscious nature; tangled habits
- शिक्वस् (śikvasaḥ)
- Literal: the wise, skilled. Symbolic: disciplined discernment; the seer-in-us who can shape inner life
Preparation of fuel/space for Agni; establishing fire-places/altars; inwardly, disciplines that create stable ‘dhāman’ for the divine will.
When invoking Agni as guide and establisher; during preparations/clearing of altar area (symbolically)
Invoking leadership and stability; preparing ‘abodes’ for the fire
Use when restructuring habits—recite while setting a clean practice space or beginning a detox/discipline period.
acyutá-: a- ‘not’ + cyutá (pp. of √cyu ‘fall, slip’) → ‘not fallen, unwavering’. yávasa-: ‘pasture/grass’ (nourishment); inner: growth-substance for right development. dhā́man-: from √dhā ‘set, establish’ → ‘abode, ordinance’; indicates stable formations of ṛta in the being. vṛśc-: ‘cut, hew’; ritual: cutting wood for fire/altar; psychological: cutting paths through the forest of the subconscient to establish seats of the flame.
guidance of instinct (paśu) by will (Agni), establishing dhāman (stable law/seats), ajara (deathless principle)
Leading energies to proper pasture is aligning life-force with ṛta.
The ‘wise’ carve truth-stations from confusion; satya becomes inhabitable (dhāman).
Making ordered spaces within the undifferentiated ‘forest’ of prakṛti.
Sāṃkhya-Yoga resonances (prakṛti as forest; puruṣa-guidance via inner fire)
The forest is subconscious complexity; pasture is right nourishment; the herd is vital impulses; Agni is the guiding will that creates clearings (stable states) for consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The transformation of wild nature (forest) into ordered seats for the fire: the wise ‘hew out’ Agni’s abodes, enabling the divine will to lead the instinctive powers to their true nourishment.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dhā (set, place) is a robust IE root (PIE *dʰeh₁-) seen across Indo-European languages; dhāman as ‘established seat/law’ preserves the semantic core. The pastoral metaphor (yavasa) reflects inherited Indo-European sacral-poetic linkage between grazing/nourishment and right increase.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi (and the śikvasaḥ) prepare conditions—cutting through the ‘forest’ to form dhāman—so Agni can dwell steadily; Agni reciprocates by governing and educating the vital/instinctive energies toward right growth.
Bring attention to instinctive pulls; gently ‘lead’ them toward a chosen sattwic support (breath, mantra, truth-thought).
Maṇipūra (guidance of vital) with grounding into Mūlādhāra (stable station)
slow nasal breathing; on inhale ‘gather the herd,’ on exhale ‘lead to pasture’—settle into steadiness
disciplined calm with firm guidance
Identify one ‘forest’ habit; for 14 days create one dhāman (a fixed daily practice slot). Recite 5 times before beginning to reinforce the inner clearing.
Maintain Triṣṭubh firmness; let the second hemistich settle strongly on dhāmā / vṛścanti / śikvasaḥ (cadence).
Highlight acyuta-agne, paśur, yavase, dhāmā, ajara, vanā, vṛścanti, śikvasaḥ.
acyuta: cy cluster clean, agne: g hard, short e, yavase: va short, se clear, dhāmā: long ā, vṛścanti: ṛ short; śc cluster crisp, śikvasaḥ: śi- clear; final ḥ audible
grounded, guiding, firm
5
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