Rig Veda 7.39.4: Mandala 7, Sukta 39, Mantra 4
Sukta 7.39
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Agni as officiant
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
ते हि यज्ञेषु यज्ञियास ऊमाः सधस्थं विश्वे अभि सन्ति देवाः । ताँ अध्वर उशतो यक्ष्यग्ने श्रुष्टी भगं नासत्या पुरंधिम् ॥
té hí yajñeṣú yajñiyā́sa ūmā́ḥ sadha-stháṃ víśve abhí sánti devā́ḥ | tā́n adhvará uśató yakṣy agne śruṣṭī́ bhágaṃ nā́satyā púraṃdhim ||
ఎందుకంటే యజ్ఞాలలో యజ్ఞార్హులై, ఉత్సుకులై—సర్వ దేవతలు—ఒకే సధస్థం (సామూహిక ఆసనం) చుట్టూ సమవేతమవుతారు. హే అగ్నీ, కోరుకున్న అధ్వరంలో, శ్రుతికి విధేయుడై, వారికి యజించు—భగుడు, నాసత్యులు ఇద్దరు, మరియు పురంధి (సంపదను నిర్మించే పరిపూర్ణత)ను.
Word by Word
- ते
- theyPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपातःRoot हि (निपात)
- यज्ञेषु
- in the sacrificesNounपुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्Role अधिकरणRoot यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
- यज्ञियासः
- worthy of sacrifice, venerableAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (ते/देवाः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root यज्ञिय (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- ऊमाः
- helpers/benefactors (Vedic epithet)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (ते इत्यस्य विशेषण/सम्बन्धि-शब्दः)Root ऊमा (प्रातिपदिक; वैदिक)
- सधस्थम्
- the common seat/assembly-placeNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (अभि + सन्ति इत्यस्य)Root सधस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वे
- allAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (देवाः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root विश्व (सर्व/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- अभि
- towards, untoIndeclinableउपसर्गःRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- सन्ति
- are, are presentVerbलट्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Root अस् (धातु)
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- तान्
- themPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role कर्म (यक्षि इत्यस्य)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अध्वरः
- the rite/sacrifice (the ritual)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (यक्षि इत्यस्य; ‘यजमान/यज्ञः’ अर्थे)Root अध्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
- उशतः
- of the desiring one / of the eager (worshipper)Participle (Adjective)पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम् (अध्वरस्य)Role सम्बन्धRoot वश्/उश् (धातु) → उशत् (वर्तमान-कृदन्त)
- यक्षि
- worship/sacrifice (offer)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root यज् (धातु; वैदिक रूप ‘यक्षि’)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- श्रुष्टी
- obedience/attentive hearing (favour)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (यक्षि इत्यस्य; ‘श्रुष्टिं’)Root श्रुष्टि (प्रातिपदिक; वैदिक)
- भगम्
- Bhaga; fortune/bountyNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot भग (प्रातिपदिक)
- नासत्या
- the Nāsatyas (Aśvins)Noun (Dual deity-name)पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, द्विवचनम्Role कर्मRoot नासत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुरंधिम्
- Purandhi (abundance/prosperity)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot पुरंधि (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: ते हि | यज्ञेषु | यज्ञियासः | ऊमाः | सधस्थम् | विश्वे | अभि | सन्ति | देवाः || तान् | अध्वरः | उशतः | यक्षि | अग्ने | श्रुष्टीम् | भगम् | नासत्या | पुरंधिम् || 1) ‘ऊमा:’ इति विसर्गः पदान्तः। 2) ‘श्रुष्टी’ पाठे पदरूपं कर्मकारके ‘श्रुष्टीम्’ (द्वितीया एकवचन) इति ग्रहणम्। 3) ‘यक्ष्यग्ने’ = ‘यक्षि अग्ने’ (इकारस्य य्-आदेशः/संयोगः) इति संधिः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
All the gods, worthy of sacrifice and eager, gather around the common ritual seat; Agni is asked to offer to them—especially Bhaga, the Nāsatyas (Aśvins), and Purandhi.
Inner meaning
In the inner yajña, all divine powers (viśve devāḥ) assemble around the unified “seat” of concentrated consciousness (sadhastha). Agni, the awakened divine Will and priest within, is urged to make the offering in the desired rite—i.e., to place our energies, attention, and aspiration into the right relation with the gods. Bhaga represents the soul’s share of delight and fortunate portion; the Nāsatyas are swift helpers who heal and harmonize the dual nature (mind-life, inner-outer); Purandhi is the building fullness—an accumulating integrality that constructs the inner being by right increase.
Universal truth
When aspiration becomes unified and sincere, higher capacities naturally converge. A steady inner will can “offer” our scattered movements to harmony, healing, and a rightful share of joy; then fullness is built as a stable formation of consciousness.
Themes
Divine assembly, Offering distribution, Healing powers, Fulfilment/abundance
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.1, RV 7.2, RV 7.23, RV 7.33, RV 7.86, RV 7.88
Family tradition
The Vasiṣṭhas are seers of harmonizing order (ṛta), priestly mastery of the inner fire, and integrative invocation of multiple god-powers for wholeness.
Significance
Vasiṣṭha’s line emphasizes the right arrangement of forces: aspiration (Agni) calling the many godheads into a single session of consciousness so the human being becomes an ordered vessel for truth and wideness.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (as hotṛ/inner priest) with Viśve Devāḥ; Bhaga; Nāsatyā (Aśvins); Purandhi
- Epithets
- yajñiya (worthy of offering), uśata (eager, desired), hotṛ (invoker/priest—implicit)
- Related deities
- Indra, Soma, Mitra, Varuṇa, Sarasvatī
Cosmic role
Agni mediates between worlds, gathers gods to the sacrifice, and establishes the channel of exchange between human aspiration and cosmic powers.
Inner power
Capacity to consecrate: turning desire into aspiration, action into offering, and scattering into a unified session where divine aids can descend.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni-led offering within a Viśve Devāḥ sequence; invitatory/oblation verse
ते हि य॒ज्ञेषु॑ य॒ज्ञिया॑स॒ ऊमा॑: स॒धस्थं॒ विश्वे॑ अ॒भि सन्ति॑ दे॒वाः । ताँ अ॑ध्व॒र उ॑श॒तो य॑क्ष्यग्ने श्रु॒ष्टी भगं॒ नास॑त्या॒ पुरं॑धिम् ॥
ते । हि । य॒ज्ञेषु॑ । य॒ज्ञिया॑सः । ऊमाः॑ । स॒धऽस्थ॑म् । विश्वे॑ । अ॒भि । सन्ति॑ दे॒वाः । तान् । अ॒ध्व॒रे । उ॒श॒तः । य॒क्षि॒ । अ॒ग्ने॒ । श्रु॒ष्टी । भग॑म् । नास॑त्या । पुर॑म्ऽधिम् ॥
te | hi | yajñeṣu | yajñiyāsaḥ | ūmāḥ | sadha-stham | viśve | abhi | santidevāḥ | tān | adhvare | uśataḥ | yakṣi | agne | śruṣṭī | bhagam | nāsatyā | puram-dhim
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Forward-driving and declarative; suited to invocation and orderly sequencing of divine names.
Builds a sense of gathered power and disciplined offering; supports a ‘collecting’ movement of attention around the inner altar.
- yajña
- Literal: sacrifice, offering. Symbolic: inner consecration of works, thoughts, and energies to the Divine
- sadhastha
- Literal: common seat, session-place. Symbolic: gathering-point of unified consciousness; the inner altar of concentration
- Agni
- Literal: fire. Symbolic: divine Will, priest-power that carries offerings upward and brings powers downward
- viśve devāḥ
- Literal: all the gods. Symbolic: the totality of divine faculties/powers needed for integral growth
- Bhaga
- Literal: distributor of shares, fortune. Symbolic: right portion of delight and spiritual gain; luminous enjoyment in the journey
- Nāsatyā (Aśvins)
- Literal: the two horsemen, helpers. Symbolic: swift twin powers of healing, right functioning, and harmonizing dualities
- Purandhi
- Literal: abundance, fullness; ‘city-builder’. Symbolic: constructive plenitude that builds the inner ‘city’ (personality) by right increase
- adhvara
- Literal: (non-injuring) rite, sacrifice. Symbolic: true inner process that purifies without violence—right method of transformation
- śruṣṭī
- Literal: obedient listening, attentiveness. Symbolic: receptive obedience of the being to higher guidance
Agni instructed to distribute offerings to the assembled gods; mid-rite summoning of specific beneficent powers (Bhaga, Aśvins, Purandhi)
During soma-yajña or agniṣṭoma-style sequences where multiple deities are invited and offered to via Agni
Hotṛ recitation while offering (āhuti) is made; calling specific deities to the shared seat
Use as a pre-meditation ‘gathering mantra’ to assemble inner faculties—will, clarity, harmony, healing—before japa or silent sitting.
adhvará is traditionally ‘sacrifice/rite’; etymologically often explained as a-dhvara ‘unbroken, non-injured’ (dhvar = harm/obstacle), hence ‘smooth movement’—psychologically a flow without inner rupture. nā́satyā (Aśvins) connect to healing and right ‘saving’ action. purandhí from puram + √dhā ‘to place/fill’ (or √dhī ‘to hold’ in semantic development): the fullness that establishes capacities.
Adhvara as unbroken right movement, Śruṣṭi (obedient listening) as receptivity, Healing and fulfilment (Aśvins, Purandhi)
The ‘common seat’ signifies ordered assembly—powers acting in right relation rather than in conflict.
True offering is sincerity and exactness of inner movement; the gods respond to authenticity of consciousness.
Building of the inner ‘city’ (Purandhi) as a formation of consciousness through right participation of multiple powers.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: many godheads as facets of one Divine working in the human ascent.
Fire = will and aspiration; seat = collected awareness; the ‘gathering’ of gods = emergence of coordinated higher functions in the psyche.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the ‘gods gathered at the common seat’ and Agni as the distributor: the sacrifice becomes a council/assembly where beneficent powers are fed so they can act within the human—especially the healers (Aśvins) and the fulfiller (Purandhi).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √yaj (yákṣi) again shows Indo-Iranian continuity (Avestan yaz-). The formulaic collocation of ‘all gods’ (víśve devā́ḥ) is a shared Indo-European poetic strategy of totalizing invocation.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi directs Agni to act as mediator, offering with śruṣṭi (attentive obedience). The devatā respond by taking their place in the rite and, through their specific functions—distribution (Bhaga), healing (Aśvins), fulfilment (Purandhi)—stabilize and enrich the sacrificer’s inner life.
Unify the being at the inner altar; consciously ‘offer’ attention and intention to higher qualities: fortunate joy (Bhaga), healing harmonization (Aśvins), constructive fullness (Purandhi).
anahata (integration)
moderate nāḍī-śodhana for 5–9 rounds, then recite once per exhale
Collected, receptive, and quietly aspiring (sāttvika concentration).
Before action or study, pause; feel a flame in the heart/solar plexus, then inwardly call supportive powers. End with a brief silence to sense the ‘assembly’ settling.
Mixed udatta/anudatta/svarita as per Ṛgvedic recitation; maintain clear udātta lift on accented syllables and smooth svarita glide after udātta.
Keep the cadence steady across 4 pādas; slight pause at ‘|’ and a fuller pause at ‘||’. Emphasize names: agne, bhagaṃ, nāsatyā, puraṃdhim.
Retroflex clarity: ‘ṇ’ in nāsatyā; ‘dh’ in puraṃdhim is aspirated, Maintain long vowels: yajñiyāsaḥ, sadhastham, Cluster care: śruṣṭī (śr + uṣṭī), avoid inserting extra vowel
Clear, invocatory, steady warmth (as if tending a flame).
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