Rig Veda 1.12.1: Mandala 1, Sukta 12, Mantra 1
Sukta 1.12
- Rishi
- Medhātithi Kāṇva
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अग्निं दूतं वृणीमहे होतारं विश्ववेदसम् । अस्य यज्ञस्य सुक्रतुम् ॥
agníṃ dūtáṃ vṛṇīmahe hótāraṃ viśvá-vedasam | asyá yajñásya su-krátum ||
เราขอเลือกอัคนี (Agni) เป็นทูต เป็นโหตฤ (hotṛ) ผู้ประกอบการเชิญ และเป็นวิศวเวทัส (viśvavedas) ผู้รู้ทั่วทั้งปวง ขอให้ท่านเป็นสุกรตุ (sukratu) คือเจตจำนงอันสว่างไสวและให้ผลถูกต้อง สำหรับยัชญะ (yajña) นี้
Word by Word
- अग्निम्
- Agni (as the object of choice)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अग्नि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- दूतम्
- messengerNoun (appositional)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot दूत- (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृणीमहे
- we choose / we electVerbलट् (वर्तमान); उत्तम-पुरुष; बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदRoot √वृ (वृणीते) ‘to choose, to select’
- होतारम्
- Hotar-priest (invoker)Noun (agent noun)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot होतृ- (प्रातिपदिक; from √हु ‘to sacrifice, offer’)
- विश्ववेदसम्
- all-knowing / possessing universal knowledgeAdjective (compound epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्म (विशेषणम् of अग्निम्/होतारम्)Root विश्व- + वेदस्- (समास; वेदस् ‘knowledge’ from √विद्)
- अस्य
- of thisPronounषष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (पुं/नपुं)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- यज्ञस्य
- of the sacrificeNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root यज्ञ- (प्रातिपदिक; from √यज् ‘to worship, sacrifice’)
- सुक्रतुम्
- of good resolve / of good ritual skillAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्म (विशेषणम् of अग्निम्)Root सु- + क्रतु- (प्रातिपदिक; क्रतु ‘resolve, power of will/skill’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अग्निम् | दूतम् | वृणीमहे | होतारम् | विश्ववेदसम् | अस्य | यज्ञस्य | सुक्रतुम् || बाह्यसन्धिः: (1) वृणीमहे + होतारम् → वृणीमहे होतारम् (विसर्ग/स्वर-सन्धि नहीं; केवल पद-संयोग). (2) होतारं + विश्ववेदसम् → होतारं विश्ववेदसम् (अनुस्वार-परिवर्तन नहीं; ‘व्’ के पूर्व ‘म्’ नहीं आता). (3) अस्य + यज्ञस्य → अस्य यज्ञस्य (सन्धि-परिवर्तन नहीं). (4) यज्ञस्य + सुक्रतुम् → यज्ञस्य सुक्रतुम् (सन्धि-परिवर्तन नहीं). वैदिक स्वर-चिह्न (अ॒/॑) पाठ-स्वर (अनुदात्त/उदात्त/स्वरित) सूचक हैं
- पदरूप अपरिवर्तित रहते हैं।
The meaning
Outer meaning
We choose Agni as the divine messenger and as the Hotṛ (invoking priest), the knower of all, to make this sacrifice effective.
Inner meaning
The seeker deliberately installs Agni—the awakened flame of Divine Will—as the inner envoy between human nature and the higher powers. As Hotṛ, Agni calls the illumined states (devas) into the field of practice; as viśvavedas, he carries integral knowledge, coordinating mind, life, and body so the self-offering becomes rightly effective (sukratu).
Universal truth
Spiritual progress begins when the will is consecrated: an inner fire must mediate between aspiration and higher truth, organizing the whole being into a coherent, effective offering.
Themes
Agni-as-messenger, invocation, inner-sacrifice, mediation-between-worlds
The seer
- Rishi
- Medhātithi Kāṇva
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 1.12.2, RV 1.12.3, RV 1.12.4, RV 1.12.5
Family tradition
Kāṇva seers: hymns emphasizing Agni as the initiating power of the sacrifice and the mediator of ascent/descent.
Significance
Medhātithi (‘he who has medhā/insight as a guest’) represents the awakening of discernment that ‘chooses’ the right inner priest—Agni—as the first necessity of the path.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- dūta (messenger), hotṛ (invoker), viśvavedas (all-knowing), sukratu (right-effective will)
- Related deities
- Indra, Soma, Uṣas, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Mediator between earth and heaven; carrier of offerings; awakener of the gods; establisher of the rite in harmony with ṛta.
Inner power
Psychic-fire that turns desire into aspiration, gathers scattered energies, and opens the way for illumination and right action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnyādhāna/Agnihotra-style invocatory opening; general Agni-invocation at the start of offerings
अ॒ग्निं दू॒तं वृ॑णीमहे॒ होता॑रं वि॒श्ववे॑दसम् । अ॒स्य य॒ज्ञस्य॑ सु॒क्रतु॑म् ॥
अ॒ग्निम् । दू॒तम् । वृ॒णी॒म॒हे॒ । होता॑रम् । वि॒श्वऽवे॑दसम् । अ॒स्य । य॒ज्ञस्य॑ । सु॒ऽक्रतु॑म् ॥
agnim | dūtam | vṛṇīmahe | hotāram | viśva-vedasam | asya | yajñasya | su-kratum
24
3 pādas × 8 syllables
Compact, swift, and luminous; a ‘spark-like’ cadence suited to ignition and invocation.
Creates immediacy and focus; gathers attention into a single-pointed call, aiding inner kindling (āhuti as intention).
- अग्निम् (agniṃ)
- Literal: fire; Agni. Symbolic: Divine Will/psychic fire leading the inner sacrifice
- दूतम् (dūtam)
- Literal: messenger, envoy. Symbolic: linking power that carries aspiration upward and brings down inspiration
- होतारम् (hotāram)
- Literal: invoking priest. Symbolic: the calling force in consciousness that summons higher powers
- विश्ववेदसम् (viśvavedasam)
- Literal: knower of all. Symbolic: integral gnosis that knows the right movement for all parts of the being
- यज्ञस्य (yajñasya)
- Literal: of the sacrifice. Symbolic: the discipline of self-offering and transformation
- सुक्रतुम् (su-kratum)
- Literal: of good/right resolve; right-effective. Symbolic: the luminous, correctly directed will that makes the yoga efficacious
Agni-invocation at the opening of the iṣṭi; applicable to daily Agnihotra/Darśa-Pūrṇamāsa contexts as the consecrating call that establishes the priestly fire as mediator
At the commencement of a yajña or as an opening remembrance of Agni before any inner/outer offering.
Selecting/establishing Agni as Hotṛ and dūta; offering ghee or intention into the fire.
Begin meditation by ‘choosing Agni’: a brief resolve-prayer to align will, speech, and action with truth before practice or work.
(agni-) from √/ (to move/drive; also linked in Vedic semantic field to ignition and forward impulse): hence inner flame of aspiration and executive will. (dūta-) from √/ (to go/run, to hasten): the go-between principle carrying offerings upward and bringing powers downward. from √ (to choose, select): indicates conscious assent of the sacrificer. (hotṛ-) from √ (to sacrifice, invoke): the invoking agency. (viśva-vedas-) from √ (to know): comprehensive knowledge of the rite and its hidden correspondences. (krátu-) from √ (to do, make) with Vedic sense of effective will/intelligence-power; - adds rightness, harmony with ṛta.
Ṛta (right order expressed as right action in the sacrifice), Satya (truth of intention and offering), Kratu (effective will aligned to the Truth)
Agni as sukratu embodies ṛta in action—right arrangement of forces so the sacrifice yields true results.
viśvavedas implies truth-knowledge guiding the offering.
Tapas as the first kindling that mediates manifestation—fire as the principle of becoming conscious.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: ascent to higher planes and descent of powers through the psychic fire.
dawn or ritual-beginning (symbolic ‘first light’)
unspecified
Fire = awakened will; ghee = clarified essence of experience; dawn-sense = beginning of illumination in the mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as dūta and hotā: the archetypal mediator who carries the offering from the human realm to the gods and returns their powers. Mythically, this is the establishment of the sacrificial bridge (yajña-setu) whereby the divine world becomes accessible through the fire-principle.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- hotāram derives from √hu ‘to pour/offer’ (PIE *gʰeuH- ‘to pour, libate’), reflecting the Indo-European sacrificial lexicon. veda- from √vid ‘to know’ (PIE *weyd- ‘see/know’) preserves the archaic equation of knowledge with vision. kratu (effective will) continues an old Indo-Iranian notion of intelligent force (cf. Avestan xratu- ‘wisdom, intellectual power’).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer does not merely praise but ‘chooses’ (vṛṇīmahe) Agni—signaling a reciprocal pact: the human offers self-giving (yajña), and Agni, as inner priest and messenger, organizes the rite with su-kratu (right-effective will). The implied dakṣiṇā is the devotee’s consent and offering; the return is illumination and successful mediation with the higher powers.
Kindle the psychic flame: ‘Let my will be the messenger of the Divine, not the servant of impulse.’
anahata (heart/psychic)
gentle nāḍī-śodhana or 6-6 slow breathing while repeating the mantra mentally
Collected aspiration (saṅkalpa) moving toward inner silence and right action.
Before practice, offer one dominant motive into Agni; ask for sukratu—right direction—then proceed with japa or contemplation.
Vedic svara as per Śākala tradition: observe udatta on marked syllables; svarita on following fall; anudatta in unraised segments (exact pitch requires a pada/krama svara text).
Keep the natural rise on key words: agníṃ, dūtáṃ, hotā́ram, viśvavédasam, sukrátum; avoid flattening the cadence of Gāyatrī.
(agniṃ): final ‘ṃ’ as light anusvāra, (vṛṇīmahe): clear vocalic ṛ; long ī, (viśva-vedasam): split lightly at the compound boundary, (su-kratum): crisp k + r cluster
Clear, steady, ‘kindling’ tone—neither forceful nor languid.
12
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
