Rig Veda 6.3.5: Mandala 6, Sukta 3, Mantra 5
Sukta 6.3
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
स इदस्तेव प्रति धादसिष्यञ्छिशीत तेजोऽयसो न धाराम् । चित्रध्रजतिररतिर्यो अक्तोर्वेर्न द्रुषद्वा रघुपत्मजंहाः ॥
sá íd astéva práti dhād asiṣyáñ chīśīta téjo ayáso na dhā́rām | citrá-dhrajatir aratír yó aktór vér na dru-sádvā raghupátma-jaṃhāḥ ||
లక్ష్యాన్ని ఎదుర్కొని నిలిచినవాడిలా అతడు తనను స్థిరపరుచుకుంటాడు; అయస్ (ఇనుము) ధార వలె తన తేజస్సును పదును పెడతాడు. చిత్రధ్వజంలా ప్రకాశించే ప్రవాహంతో, అలసటలేని వాడై, రాత్రి కట్టెపై పక్షిలా సంచరిస్తాడు—వేగపక్షి, త్వరిస్తు పాదాలు, ద్రుతగతి.
Word by Word
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (स-आदेश) सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक
- इत्
- indeedIndeclinableनिपातः (एव/खलु-अर्थे)Root इद् (निपात) अव्यय
- अस्तेः
- be / exist (for us)Verbलोट्/लुङ्-इञ्जङ्क्टिव-प्रयोगः (वैदिक), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root अस् (धातु) → अस्ति; ‘अस्तेः’ = 2nd sg. injunctive/imperative-like form in Vedic usage
- इव
- as if / likeIndeclinableउपमार्थकः निपातःRoot इव (उपमा-अव्यय)
- प्रति
- towards / in responseIndeclinableउपसर्गः/अव्ययम्Root प्रति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- धात्
- he placed / setVerbलुङ् (अorist injunctive), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root धा (धातु)
- असिष्यन्
- sword-like (keen)Adjective/Participleपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (कर्तृ-विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणम्Root असि (प्रातिपदिक) + √अस्/√अस्?; वैदिक कृत्-रूप ‘असिष्यन्’ = ‘असि-इष्यन्’ (इष्यन् = इच्छन्/गच्छन्) → ‘तलवार-वत्/असि-समः’ (अर्थे: sword-like)
- अञ्छि
- straight / sharplyIndeclinable/Adverbक्रियाविशेषणम्Root अञ्च् (धातु) / अञ्चि- (वैदिक अव्यय/विशेषण) ‘अञ्छि’ = ‘सीधे/तीव्रं’
- शिशीत
- has sharpenedVerbलिट् (परफेक्ट्), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root शी (धातु) / श्यै?; वैदिक ‘शिशीत’ = परस्मैपदम्, परिपूर्ण-रूप (perf.) ‘he has sharpened’
- तेजः
- splendour / sharp blazeNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अयसः
- of metal / ironNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्धRoot अयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- likeIndeclinableउपमार्थकःRoot न (उपमा-अव्यय)
- धाराम्
- edge / stream (blade-edge)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot धारा (प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्रध्रजतिः
- he of bright banner/bright courseNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot चित्र- (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक) + ध्रजति- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘ध्वज/केतु-गति/प्रकाश-गति’ अर्थे) समासः
- अरतिः
- the charioteer / driverNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (अप्पोजिशन्)Root अरति (प्रातिपदिक)
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अक्तोः
- of the night / of duskNounपुं/स्त्री (वैदिक चल), षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्धRoot अक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) / अक्तु (प्रातिपदिक) ‘night/dusk’ वैदिक
- वेः
- of the bird (swift one)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्धRoot वि (प्रातिपदिक) / वे (वैदिक ‘bird’/‘wind’/‘weaver’ संदिग्ध); here taken as ‘वे’ = ‘पक्षिन्/विहग’
- न
- likeIndeclinableउपमार्थकःRoot न (उपमा-अव्यय)
- द्रुषत्
- a rock / stoneNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (उपमान-प्रयोगः)Root द्रुषद् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘stone/rock’
- वा
- or / indeedIndeclinableविकल्प/समुच्चयार्थकःRoot वा (निपात)
- रघुपत्मजंहाः
- swift-winged, swift-stridingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (यः-इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणम्Root रघु- (विशेषण) + पत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक ‘flight/soaring’) + जंह (प्रातिपदिक ‘stride/step’) बहुव्रीहिः
Sandhi Notes
- स इदस्तेव → सः + इत् + अस्तेः + इव (विसर्ग-लोपः; इत्-निपातः)
- धादसिष्यञ्छिशीत → धात् + असिष्यन् + अञ्छि + शिशीत (नासिक्य-सन्धि/व्यञ्जन-संयोग)
- तेजोऽयसो → तेजः + अयसः (विसर्गः → ‘ओऽ’)
- चित्रध्रजतिररति → चित्रध्रजतिः + अरतिः (विसर्ग-लोपः)
- अक्तोर्वेर्न → अक्तोः + वेः + न (विसर्ग-लोपः)
- द्रुषद्वा → द्रुषत् + वा (त् + व → द्व)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni sets himself as if facing a target, sharpening his flame like an iron blade; he moves tirelessly through the night like a swift bird on wood, rapid-winged and quick-footed.
Inner meaning
The inner Fire (divine Will in the heart) takes a steady aim toward the soul’s goal (the right offering and right direction), refines its force into a keen edge (discernment + concentrated tapas), and works even in the ‘night’ of obscurity. The bird-on-wood image becomes the will moving on the support of embodied nature, swiftly traversing inner resistances and kindling hidden fuel into conscious aspiration.
Universal truth
Progress is not accidental: the awakened will must (1) orient to a clear aim, (2) sharpen its energy into precision, and (3) persist through periods of inner darkness until illumination becomes continuous.
Themes
vigilance-in-night, sharpened-tejas, swift-messenger-power
The seer
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja
- Other hymns
- RV 6.1, RV 6.2, RV 6.3, RV 6.4, RV 6.5
Family tradition
Mandala 6 is the Bharadvāja family book; Bārhaspatya indicates the Angirasa-Bṛhaspati lineage of inspired speech and inner priesthood.
Significance
Bharadvāja’s Agni hymns emphasize Agni as the conscious priest-power in the human being: organizer of the inner yajña, awakener of illumination, and leader through obscurity toward the Truth (ṛta).
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Hotṛ (inner priest), Jātavedas (knower of births), Sūno sahasaḥ (offspring of Force), Arusha (ruddy one, in adjacent verses)
- Related deities
- Indra, Uṣas, Maruts, Soma, Mitra-Varuṇa
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine; carrier of offerings; power of transformation that turns material fuel into light and upward movement.
Inner power
Divine Will and psychic fire that concentrates, purifies, and drives the being toward realization; the ‘edge’ that cuts through tamas and the coverer’s hold.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnihotra / Darśa-Pūrṇamāsa context (Agni as Hotṛ and carrier of oblations)
स इदस्ते॑व॒ प्रति॑ धादसि॒ष्यञ्छिशी॑त॒ तेजोऽय॑सो॒ न धारा॑म् । चि॒त्रध्र॑जतिरर॒तिर्यो अ॒क्तोर्वेर्न द्रु॒षद्वा॑ रघु॒पत्म॑जंहाः ॥
सः । इत् । अस्ता॑ऽइव । प्रति॑ । धा॒त् । अ॒सि॒ष्यन् । शिशी॑त । तेजः॑ । अय॑सः । न । धारा॑म् । चि॒त्रऽध्र॑जतिः । अ॒र॒तिः । यः । अ॒क्तोः । वेः । न । द्रु॒ऽसद्वा॑ । र॒घु॒पत्म॑ऽजंहाः ॥
saḥ | it | astāiva | prati | dhāt | asiṣyan | śiśīta | tejaḥ | ayasaḥ | na | dhārām | citra-dhrajatiḥ | aratiḥ | yaḥ | aktoḥ | veḥ | na | dru-sadvā | raghupatma-jaṃhāḥ
44
4 padas of ~11 syllables each (Triṣṭubh cadence; probable/typical for this hymn).
Forward-driving, martial yet controlled; suited to images of aiming, sharpening, swift movement.
Builds focused intensity and inner momentum; supports concentration (ekāgratā) and persistence through ‘night’ states.
- अस्ताऽइव (astā-iva)
- Literal: like one at the goal/mark (or like an archer at the target). Symbolic: the will aligned to the true aim; concentration toward the psychic intention
- शिशीत तेजः (chiśīta tejaḥ)
- Literal: he sharpens the blaze. Symbolic: refinement of force into discerning, effective tapas
- अयसः न धाराम् (ayasaḥ na dhārām)
- Literal: like an iron edge/blade. Symbolic: cutting clarity that pierces inertia and confusion
- अक्तोः (aktoḥ)
- Literal: of night. Symbolic: states of obscurity, subconscient resistance, unillumined passages
- वेः न (veḥ na)
- Literal: like a bird. Symbolic: swift upward-moving aspiration; the soul-force that can traverse inner spaces
- द्रु-सद्वा (dru-sadvā)
- Literal: resting/settling on wood. Symbolic: the fire’s action supported by bodily nature (fuel) and its disciplines
- रघुपत्मजंहाः (raghu-patma-jaṃhāḥ)
- Literal: swift-winged, rapid-footed. Symbolic: quickened progress when will and knowledge cooperate
Describes the intensification and directed posture of the flame; supports rites emphasizing Agni’s vigilant movement through ‘night’ and swift conveyance of offerings.
Kindling/praise of Agni at the start of soma-less or soma rites; also as general Agni-stuti in daily fire-maintenance.
Offering ghee and kindling while reciting praise of Agni’s swift, sharpened flame.
Use as a pre-meditation ‘inner kindling’ verse: set intention, sharpen attention, and commit to steady practice during dullness or doubt.
√dhā (PIE *dʰeh₁-) ‘set’ indicates establishment/orientation. śiśīta/asiṣyan: sharpening intensives—Agni as self-whetting force. tejas: from √tij ‘be sharp’ (semantic link to tigmá); inner: keen luminous energy. dhārā: ‘edge/stream’ from √dhṛ/√dhār ‘hold/flow’ in later usage; here edge-like line. Bird-on-wood image: fire perched on fuel, psychologically the will resting on material nature yet moving swiftly through darkness.
self-sharpening will (tejas as edge), vigilant movement through darkness, orientation toward the goal (prati-dhā)
Agni’s ‘aim’ and ‘edge’ symbolize alignment to ṛta—right direction and right action.
The sharpened tejas is truth-force that discriminates and reveals.
Fire as the evolving power that brings hidden light out of the wood/fuel; manifestation of consciousness from matter.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral (Aurobindo): Agni as psychic being and will leading the ascent.
night
In obscurity, the disciplined will (Agni) works on the ‘wood’ of embodied habits, sharpening into a luminous edge and moving like a bird—aspiration that can cross inner darkness swiftly.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the vigilant night-mover: self-whetting like iron, swift as a bird on wood, he traverses darkness—mythically the ever-awake flame that carries the sacrifice and psychologically the sharpened will that operates even in obscurity.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dhā ‘set’ is PIE *dʰeh₁-. The avian swift-messenger metaphor is widespread in IE poetics (bird as carrier between realms), here mapped onto fire’s motion and the conveyance of offerings.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi recognizes Agni’s self-active sharpening and asks (implicitly through praise) for that quality to become operative in the human instrument: a tejas that is keen, tireless, and swift in overcoming night-like conditions.
Set a clear inner aim; feel a warm, upward flame in the heart that becomes a ‘keen edge’ of attention.
Anāhata (heart) with support to Maṇipūra (will/heat)
Moderate ujjāyī or slow nasal breathing; on exhale, ‘sharpen’ attention; on inhale, ‘rise’ like the bird.
From tamasic dullness to steady, luminous resolve.
Before practice, silently affirm the goal; then concentrate as if honing a blade—reduce scatter, keep one-pointedness, and continue even when the mind feels like ‘night’.
Vedic svaras as in Śākala tradition: udatta on marked syllables; anudatta preceding; svarita on post-udatta falls (exact notation depends on the source pada text).
Keep the main lift on accented syllables (udātta); do not over-stress consonants—let the pitch carry emphasis.
(śiśīta): clear śi-śī-ta, long ī, (tejo ’yaso): observe sandhi break; soft avagraha pause, (dhārām): long ā; nasalized final m, - (dru-sadvā): articulate cluster dr- smoothly, not ‘dar’
Bright, steady, slightly forceful; like ‘forging’ clarity.
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