Rig Veda 1.19.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 19, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.19
- Rishi
- Kāṇva
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism)
नहि देवो न मर्त्यो महस्तव क्रतुं परः । मरुद्भिरग्न आ गहि ॥
náhi devó ná mártyo mahás táva krátuṃ paráḥ | marúdbhír agne ā́ gahi ||
ไม่ว่าทวยเทพหรือมนุษย์ ก็ไม่มีผู้ใดล้ำเกินความยิ่งใหญ่แห่งเจตจำนงและพลังปรีชาญาณ (krátu) ของท่าน อัคนีเอ๋ย จงมาพร้อมเหล่ามารุตเถิด
Word by Word
- नहि
- for (indeed) not / surely notIndeclinableनिषेध/प्रत्यवायार्थक अव्यय; ‘हि’ निपातः (हेतौ/निश्चये)Root नहि (न + हि)
- देवः
- a godNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā (with implied ‘अस्ति/विद्यते’)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेध अव्ययRoot न
- मर्त्यः
- a mortalNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā (with implied ‘अस्ति/विद्यते’)Root मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- महः
- greatness, mightAdjective (used substantively) / Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (here: ‘greatness/might’ as object of ‘परेति’ sense)Role Karma (of implied comparison/overpassing)Root महत् (प्रातिपदिक; Vedic stem मह/मही)
- तव
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive: possessor)Root युष्मद् (त्वद्-शब्द)
- क्रतुम्
- power of will, resolve, wisdom/planNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
- परः
- beyond, superiorAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; (comparative sense: ‘beyond/superior’)Role Kartā (predicate adjective with implied ‘अस्ति’)Root पर (प्रातिपदिक)
- मरुद्भिः
- with the MarutsNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया बहुवचनRole Karaṇa (instrument/companionship)Root मरुत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- hither, towards (as preverb)Indeclinable (preverb) / particleउपसर्गः (आ-)Root आ
- गहि
- come!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद; Vedic imperative form ‘गहि’ (< *गम-हि)Role (क्रिया)Root गम् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: न॒हि | दे॒वः | न | मर्त्यः | महः | तव | क्रतुम् | परः | मरुद्भिः | अग्ने | आ | गहि || 1) ‘न॒हि’ = ‘न’ + ‘हि’ (निपात-संयोग)
- 2) ‘महस्तव’ इति संहितायां ‘महः तव’ (विसर्ग-सन्धिः: अः + त → स्त; RV संहिता-लेखन)
- 3) ‘मरुद्भिरग्न॒’ इति ‘मरुद्भिः अग्ने’ (विसर्गः + अ → र्; ततः ‘अग्ने’ सम्बोधन-रूपम्)
- 4) ‘आ गहि’ उपसर्ग ‘आ-’ + लोट् ‘गहि’ (Vedic imperative)
The meaning
Outer meaning
No god or mortal surpasses your greatness—your kratu (intelligent will). Therefore come, O Agni, with the Maruts.
Inner meaning
Agni’s kratu is the sovereign power of conscious will guided by truth-intelligence. Neither higher mental formations (‘deva’ as powers) nor ordinary human nature (‘martya’) can exceed this flame when it is fully kindled. The mantra affirms confidence: once the psychic will is awake, it can marshal the Maruts (energies) and outgrow both inertia and limited mental pride.
Universal truth
The awakened will aligned with truth is a greater force than circumstance, instinct, or even partial spiritual powers; it can gather all energies into an effective transformation.
Themes
Supremacy of Agni, Will-power, Invocation refrain
The seer
- Rishi
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 1.19.1, RV 1.20.1-6
Family tradition
Kāṇva hymns often stress kratu—effective, luminous will—as the practical key to victory in the inner battle.
Significance
The seer asserts the supremacy of awakened will over both human limitation and partial divine powers—an essential psychological faith for integral progress.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (with the Maruts)
- Epithets
- Mahān (great, implied by mahaḥ), Kratumat (possessing kratu), Marutvat (with Maruts, implied)
- Related deities
- Maruts, Indra (as companion of Maruts in many hymns)
Cosmic role
Establishes divine efficacy in the worlds; makes aspiration effective; opens the vast (mahas) by right action.
Inner power
Unsurpassable will-intelligence that can coordinate all parts of the being and compel growth beyond limits.
In ritual
Where it is used
Invitatory verse in Agni–Marut context; supports the rite by affirming Agni’s superiority and efficacy.
न॒हि दे॒वो न मर्त्यो॑ म॒हस्तव॒ क्रतुं॑ प॒रः । म॒रुद्भि॑रग्न॒ आ ग॑हि ॥
न॒हि । दे॒वः । न । मर्त्यः॑ । म॒हः । तव॑ । क्रतु॑म् । प॒रः । म॒रुत्ऽभिः॑ । अ॒ग्ने॒ । आ । ग॒हि॒ ॥
nahi | devaḥ | na | martyaḥ | mahaḥ | tava | kratum | paraḥ | marut-bhiḥ | agne | ā | gahi
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3×8
Declarative and emphatic; first two pādas build a strong assertion, third repeats the invocatory refrain.
Instills confidence and uprightness; the mind feels ‘no obstacle is greater than the truth-will’.
- नहि (nahi)
- Literal: indeed not, surely not. Symbolic: strong negation of doubt; certainty in the inner power
- देवः (devaḥ)
- Literal: a god. Symbolic: higher faculties/powers of consciousness
- मर्त्यः (martyaḥ)
- Literal: mortal. Symbolic: ordinary human nature bound to limitation
- महः (mahaḥ)
- Literal: greatness, vastness. Symbolic: the wideness of being that the flame opens
- क्रतुम् (kratum)
- Literal: will, resolve, intelligent power. Symbolic: truth-guided will-force (Agni’s conscious executive power)
- परः (paraḥ)
- Literal: beyond, superior. Symbolic: transcendence of limiting formations
- मरुद्भिः (marudbhiḥ)
- Literal: with the Maruts. Symbolic: with transformed dynamic energies
Praise-statement (stuti) establishing Agni’s supremacy in kratu; used to intensify invocation and ensure the rite is empowered by the highest effective will-force.
When strengthening the call and establishing certainty before offering/oblation.
Recitation to magnify Agni’s kratu; energize the rite with Marut-force.
Affirmation-mantra for overcoming discouragement; repeat before difficult work or inner resistance.
kratu: key Vedic term from √kr (to do/make) or related semantic of ‘power to effect’; denotes effective will-intelligence. maha: from √mah ‘to be great’. para: ‘beyond’ (comparative/transcendent). martya from √mṛ ‘die’.
Kratu (effective will as instrument of ṛta), Transcendence (paraḥ: beyond ordinary limits)
Kratu is the executive of ṛta in action—right ordering becomes effective force.
Truth-will cannot be exceeded by lesser formations; it is ‘paraḥ’ to mixed motives.
Expansion into mahas (vastness) through awakened will; evolution by conscious force.
Vedic psychology aligned with Integral Yoga: will as instrument of the soul, exceeding both instinct and mental limitation.
morning (confidence-building kindling)
unspecified
Fire’s rising dominance = growing mastery of will; storm harnessed = prāṇa disciplined to serve the truth.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni’s unsurpassed kratu: the mythic principle that the divine will-fire is the foremost effective power enabling all other gods and mortals to act. Innerly, it is the awakening of a will that no part of the being can exceed, making transformation possible.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- maha from √mah aligns with PIE *megʰ- ‘great’ (cf. Greek megas). para ‘beyond’ reflects an inherited comparative spatial metaphor for transcendence. The negative correlative (náhi … ná …) is a common archaic emphasis device.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi grounds the request (‘come’) in recognition of Agni’s unmatched kratu. The reciprocity is: the human offers and calls; Agni answers by bringing decisive effective force, assisted by the Maruts’ energies, into the sacrificer’s inner and outer work.
Kindle ‘kratu’: a clear, truth-aligned resolve; feel it exceed habitual limits and recruit life-energy.
maṇipūra (will) and ājñā (directive intelligence)
Square breathing (4-4-4-4) to stabilize resolve; mentally place ‘kratum’ at the navel center as steady heat.
Firm, luminous determination; mastery over wavering impulses.
Speak the first two pādas as an inner decree; then use the refrain as the actual invitation for energies to align and arrive.
Vedic accents with emphatic udātta on key negation/affirmation words (nahi, mahaḥ, kratum) as per recension; maintain clear rise-fall contours.
Deliver ‘nahi’ with firm clarity (not rushed); keep ‘kratum’ weighty; let the refrain lift slightly on ‘ā’.
nahi: short vowels, devo: ‘de-vo’ (not ‘day-vo’), martyo: ‘mar-tyo’ with palatal ‘ty’, mahas: visarga lightly aspirated, kratum: crisp ‘kr’, paraḥ: final visarga audible but soft
Commanding, steady, heat-bearing tone.
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