Rig Veda 10.156.2: Mandala 10, Sukta 156, Mantra 2
Sukta 10.156
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
यया गा आकरामहे सेनयाग्ने तवोत्या । तां नो हिन्व मघत्तये ॥
yayā́ gā́ ā́-karāmahe sénayāgne távo tyā́ | tā́m no hinva magháttaye ||
ด้วยพลังนั้น—โอ อัคนี (Agni) ด้วยความอุปถัมภ์ของท่าน ดุจเป็นกองทัพ—ขอให้เราชนะและได้มาซึ่งรัศมีแห่งแสงสว่าง; ขอท่านเร่งเร้าพลังนั้นในเรา เพื่อความยิ่งใหญ่แห่งความอุดมบริบูรณ์.
Word by Word
- यया
- by which (by whom/whereby)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया-एकवचनम् (instrumental sg.)Role करणRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → या-
- गाः
- cowsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया-बहुवचनम् (acc. pl.)Role कर्मRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards, inIndeclinableउपसर्गः (preverb) — गमन/आनयनार्थकःRoot आ (उपसर्ग)
- अकरामहे
- we made/caused (to come), we broughtVerbलुङ् (आगमयुक्तः) आत्मनेपदम्, उत्तमपुरुषः बहुवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot कृ (धातु) + आ (उपसर्ग)
- सेनया
- with (your) armyNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया-एकवचनम् (instrumental sg.)Role करणRoot सेना (प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन-एकवचनम् (voc. sg.)Role सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- तव
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी-एकवचनम् (gen. sg.)Role सम्बन्धRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → त्वद्-
- ऊत्या
- with help, with aidNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया-एकवचनम् (instrumental sg.)Role करणRoot ऊति (प्रातिपदिक)
- ताम्
- that (aid)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (acc. sg.)Role कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- our / for usPronounषष्ठी-बहुवचनम् (gen. pl., enclitic) — ‘our’Role सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हिन्व
- impel, set in motion, bestowVerbलोट् परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot हिव्/हिन्व् (धातु; प्रेरणे/प्रचोदने) → हिनु (present stem)
- मघत्तये
- for bounty/generosity (for giving gifts)Noun (abstract/purpose)पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे चतुर्थी-एकवचनम् (dat. sg.)Role सम्प्रदानRoot मघत्तय (प्रातिपदिक; ‘मघ’/‘मघत्’ से)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: यया | गाः | आ | अकरामहे | सेनया | अग्ने | तव | ऊत्या | ताम् | नः | हिन्व | मघत्तये || सन्धि-विशेषाः: (1) ‘आकरामहे’ = ‘आ’ (उपसर्ग) + ‘अकरामहे’ (लुङ्-आत्मनेपद) — उपसर्गसंयोगः। (2) ‘तवोत्या’ = ‘तव’ + ‘ऊत्या’ (स्वर-सन्धिः/स्वरित-प्रयोगः; ओ-आगमः) । (3) ‘तां नो’ = ‘ताम्’ + ‘नः’ (अनुस्वार/नासिक्य-सम्बन्धः; पदान्त-म् + नः)।
The meaning
Outer meaning
By that power with which, O Agni, by thy help as with an army, we may win the cows; impel that power in us for bounty.
Inner meaning
The same energized will (Agni) becomes a ‘senā’—a disciplined host of inner forces—when supported by the divine help (ūtí). With it we ‘win the cows’: recover the rays of knowledge and illumination that are withheld by obscurity. The prayer is to intensify that conquering power in us toward maghatti: a state of largeness, generosity, and plenitude.
Universal truth
Illumination is not merely received; it is recovered through organized inner effort aligned with a higher aid. True bounty is the widening that comes when knowledge is regained and shared through the being.
Themes
Recovery of light (gāḥ), Divine help (ūti), Plenitude (maghá)
The seer
Significance
The verse emphasizes a central Aurobindonian theme: the ‘cows’ are lost lights to be won back by the divine will acting as a coordinated inner army, supported by higher aid (ūtí).
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- sahāya (helper, implied through ūti), senānī (leader of the host, implied), gopā (protector of the rays, implied)
- Related deities
- Indra (winner of cows), Bṛhaspati (finder of the cows), Sarasvatī (inspiration)
Cosmic role
Commander of the sacrificial advance; awakener and organizer of energies to recover light.
Inner power
Disciplined force that marshals the faculties to break through obscurity and restore illumined knowledge.
In ritual
Where it is used
General Agni-stuti within offerings seeking ‘gāḥ’ (light/wealth) and victory
यया॒ गा आ॒करा॑महे॒ सेन॑याग्ने॒ तवो॒त्या । तां नो॑ हिन्व म॒घत्त॑ये ॥
यया॑ । गाः । आ॒ऽकरा॑महे । सेन॑या । अ॒ग्ने॒ । तव॑ । ऊ॒त्या । ताम् । नः॒ । हि॒न्व॒ । म॒घत्त॑ये ॥
yayā | gāḥ | ākarāmahe | senayā | agne | tava | ūtyā | tām | naḥ | hinva | maghattaye
32
4 pādas × ~8 syllables
Directive and exhortative; strong imperative close (hinva).
Creates a sense of collective inner mobilization; strengthens resolve to reclaim clarity.
- यया (yayā)
- Literal: by which (power). Symbolic: the operative force of Agni—truth-will in action
- गाः (gāḥ)
- Literal: cows. Symbolic: rays of light/knowledge, illumined perceptions
- सेनया (senayā)
- Literal: with an army. Symbolic: organized inner powers: will, courage, clarity, perseverance acting together
- ऊत्या (ūtyā)
- Literal: by help, aid. Symbolic: grace/support of the divine consciousness assisting effort
- हिन्व (hinva)
- Literal: impel! drive!. Symbolic: increase the flame-force; intensify aspiration
- मघत्तये (maghattaye)
- Literal: for bounty/greatness of giving. Symbolic: plenitude and largeness of being; abundance that supports right action
Prayer for recovery of ‘cows’ (lights) with Agni’s aid; applicable to rites seeking increase and protection, especially where Agni is invoked as leader of forces.
At the point of invoking divine aid for success in the rite; before pressing forward in the sequence of offerings.
Invocatory praise with request for empowering aid.
Chant when ذهن feels scattered: visualize inner faculties forming a single ‘senā’ behind the flame of aspiration to regain clarity and insight.
ākarāmahe: ā- + √kṛ ‘to make/do’ in middle/optative nuance ‘to win/secure for ourselves’. ūti from √av/√ū? (Vedic noun ūti ‘help, favor’), a standard term for divine protection. senā ‘army’ (organized force) used psychologically as coordinated energies. maghá ‘bounty’ (giver-power), maghattā abstract indicates state of plenitude; supports the inner reading ‘fullness of being’ rather than material charity.
Cooperation of divine aid (ūti) with human striving, R̥ta as organized victory (senā) restoring knowledge
The ‘army’ is effective when aligned to ṛta—right arrangement of forces.
Winning the cows = restoring satya-dṛṣṭi (truth-seeing).
Re-conquest of light from concealment; manifestation through recovery.
Integral-psychological Vedic interpretation (Aurobindo/Kashyap): knowledge as luminous herds reclaimed from darkness.
Cows = rays of illumination; army = coordinated faculties; Agni’s help = higher support entering the effort.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The cow-recovery mythologem: gaining the gāḥ (lights) through Agni’s aid, but explicitly as senā—organized inner powers—rather than solitary effort.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The pervasive √kṛ ‘make/achieve’ belongs to an inherited action-verb core of Indo-European ritual diction. The abstract maghattā from maghá shows Vedic tendency to reify power-as-bounty into a psychological capacity.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi requests Agni’s ūti (supporting grace) to activate a specific enabling force (yayā…); Agni is not merely praised but asked to ‘impel’ (hinva) the operative power that yields illumination and plenitude.
Recover ‘lost light’: bring scattered attention back to a single flame of aspiration; let all faculties support it as one host.
Ajna (illumined perception) supported by Manipura (will)
4-4-6 breathing: inhale gather the ‘senā’; hold to align with ūti; exhale to ‘win the cows’—repeat with mantra.
Collected, courageous, luminous striving without strain.
On ‘gāḥ’ imagine rays returning to the forehead-space; on ‘senayā’ feel the whole being aligned; end resting in magnanimity (maghatti).
Rigvedic accenting with clear udātta rises on key nouns/verbs; keep pāda pauses distinct.
Emphasize gāḥ and senayā; keep the imperative hinva crisp at the end.
yayā: both ‘y’ sounds clear; long ā sustained, ākarāmahe: articulate long ā and retroflex ‘ṛ’ lightly (kārā), tavotyā: sandhi as ‘tavotyā’ (tava-ūtyā) without over-separating, maghattaye: aspirated ‘gh’ voiced (magh-)
Steady, rallying, slightly martial but controlled.
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.
