Rig Veda 10.21.8: Mandala 10, Sukta 21, Mantra 8
Sukta 10.21
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh/Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अग्ने शुक्रेण शोचिषोरु प्रथयसे बृहत् । अभिक्रन्दन्वृषायसे वि वो मदे गर्भं दधासि जामिषु विवक्षसे ॥
agne śukréṇa śóciṣorú prathayase bṛhát | abhíkrandan vṛṣāyase ví vo made gárbhaṃ dadhāsi jā́miṣu vívakṣase ||
โอ อัคนี ด้วยเปลวเพลิงอันผ่องใส (śociṣ) ของท่าน ท่านแผ่ขยายความกว้างใหญ่ไพศาล เมื่อเปล่งเสียงกึกก้อง ท่านหลั่งตนเป็นพลังดุจโคผู้ (วฤษภ) และในความปีติ (มท) ของเรา ท่านวางครรภ์/เชื้อกำเนิด (garbha) ไว้ท่ามกลางหมู่ญาติและเผ่าพันธุ์ (jāmi) มุ่งให้การเกิดใหม่แห่งสติรู้ปรากฏ
Word by Word
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- शु॒क्रेण॑
- with the bright (radiance)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot शु॒क्र- (प्रातिपदिक) < √शुच्/√शुचि (दीप्तौ/शौच) (व्युत्पत्त्यर्थ)
- शो॒चिषा
- with flame, with blazeNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot शोचिस्- (प्रातिपदिक) < √शुच् (दीप्तौ)
- उ॒रु
- widely, far and wideIndeclinable (adverbial)अव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot उरु (अव्यय/विशेषण-प्रयोग)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinable (preverb)अव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot प्र (उपसर्ग)
- प्रथयसे
- you spread, you extendVerbलट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole कर्तृ (अग्ने) सह क्रियाRoot √प्रथ् (विस्तारे) / caus. प्रथय-
- बृ॒हत्
- the great (vastly)Adjective (accusative used adverbially / object-qualifier)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (प्रथयसे) / क्रियाविशेषणRoot बृहन्त्- (प्रातिपदिक) < √बृह् (वृद्धौ)
- अ॒भि
- towards, against, overIndeclinable (preverb)अव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot अभि (उपसर्ग)
- क्रन्दन्
- roaring, crying aloudParticiple (present active)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (अग्ने-विशेषण)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot √क्रन्द् (रुदिते/नादे)
- वृषायसे
- you act as a bull; you grow strong/impelVerbलट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole कर्तृ (अग्ने) सह क्रियाRoot √वृष् (वर्षणे/बलप्रदाने) denom. वृषाय-
- वि
- apart, forth, distinctlyIndeclinable (preverb)अव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot वि (उपसर्ग)
- वः
- of you / for you (pl.)Pronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक) — here best as षष्ठीRole सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘your/for you’)Root युष्मद्- (सर्वनाम)
- मदे
- in exhilaration, in intoxicationNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot मद- (प्रातिपदिक) < √मद् (हर्षे/मत्ते)
- गर्भम्
- embryo; germ; inner seedNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (दधासि)Root गर्भ- (प्रातिपदिक)
- दधासि
- you place, you setVerbलट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole कर्तृ (अग्ने) सह क्रियाRoot √धा (धारणे/स्थापने)
- जा॒मिषु
- among kin/households; in near relationsNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot जामि- (प्रातिपदिक) (सम्बन्धि/कुटुम्ब/निकट)
- विवक्षसे
- you wish to speak/utter; you intend to proclaimVerbलट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole कर्तृ (अग्ने) सह क्रियाRoot √वच् (वचने) with desiderative/intentive formation विवक्ष-
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): अग्ने | शु॒क्रेण॑ | शो॒चिषा | उ॒रु | प्र | प्रथयसे | बृ॒हत् | अ॒भि | क्रन्दन् | वृषायसे | वि | वः | मदे | गर्भम् | दधासि | जा॒मिषु | विवक्षसे । मुख्य सन्धि-विचार: (1) शोचिषो॒रु → शोचिषा + उरु (आ-उ संधि: आ + उ → औ; पदपाठ में पृथक्)
- (2) अभिक्रन्दन् → अभि + क्रन्दन् (उपसर्ग-संयोग)
- (3) वि वोः/वो → वि + वः (उपसर्ग + एन्क्लिटिक सर्वनाम)
- (4) जामिषु विवक्षसे → जामिषु + विवक्षसे (सन्धि नहीं, पदसंयोग)
The meaning
Outer meaning
With your bright flame, O Agni, you broaden the Vast; crying aloud you pour yourself as a bull-force; in our rapture you place the germ within the kindreds, seeking manifestation.
Inner meaning
Agni’s pure flame (śukra śociṣ) expands consciousness into the bṛhat—the Vast (the wide, free planes of being). His ‘cry’ (abhikrandan) is the forceful awakening-call that breaks inertia. As vṛṣā (bull-power), he rains energy into the nature, making it fertile. In the uplifted intensity (mada), he places the ‘garbha’—the seed of a new consciousness—into the ‘jāmiṣu’, the kindreds/related parts of our being (mind-life-body and their sub-personalities), so the new birth can be formed and manifested (vivakṣase).
Universal truth
Spiritual growth is not only illumination; it is a fertilizing descent of force that plants a new principle throughout the whole nature until a new being is born in action, relationship, and embodiment.
Themes
expansion into vastness, creative potency, seed of new consciousness, integration across the being (jāmiṣu)
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.21.1-10 (same sūkta; Agni as expansive and generative power)
Significance
A psychological ‘birth’ motif: Agni not only illumines but implants a transforming seed across the whole being—an integral process rather than a momentary experience.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- śukra-śociṣ (pure-bright flame), bṛhat-prathayitā (expander of the Vast), vṛṣā (bull-force)
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (word that breaks open), Indra (illumined force that conquers resistance), Soma (bliss-nourishment of the new birth)
Cosmic role
Expander of the worlds; awakener who makes the vastness accessible; giver of creative seed.
Inner power
Dynamic tapas that expands consciousness and implants the new formation (garbha) in the nature.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni praise in śrauta contexts; imagery compatible with kindling and ghee offerings; also used as a generative invocation for new undertakings.
अग्ने॑ शु॒क्रेण॑ शो॒चिषो॒रु प्र॑थयसे बृ॒हत् । अ॒भि॒क्रन्द॑न्वृषायसे॒ वि वो॒ मदे॒ गर्भं॑ दधासि जा॒मिषु॒ विव॑क्षसे ॥
अग्ने॑ । शु॒क्रेण॑ । शो॒चिषा॑ । उ॒रु । प्र॒थ॒य॒से॒ । बृ॒हत् । अ॒भि॒ऽक्रन्द॑न् । वृ॒ष॒ऽय॒से॒ । वि । वः॒ । मदे॑ । गर्भ॑म् । द॒धा॒सि॒ । जा॒मिषु॑ । विव॑क्षसे ॥
agne | śukreṇa | śociṣā | uru | prathayase | bṛhat | abhi-krandan | vṛṣa-yase | vi | vaḥ | made | garbham | dadhāsi | jāmiṣu | vivakṣase
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4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Expansive, forceful; the mid-verse ‘abhikrandan’ gives a surge-like accent.
Creates widening breath and energized uplift; supports a felt descent of force into the body when chanted steadily.
- शु॒क्रेण शोचिषा (śukreṇa śociṣā)
- Literal: with bright flame. Symbolic: pure luminous will-force that burns obscurity without violence
- उरु प्रथयसे (uru prathayase)
- Literal: you widen broadly. Symbolic: expansion from narrow ego to wide consciousness
- बृहत् (bṛhat)
- Literal: the Vast. Symbolic: wide planes of truth-consciousness; spacious freedom of being
- अभिक्रन्दन् (abhikrandan)
- Literal: crying out. Symbolic: awakening call that breaks tamas and summons hidden powers
- वृषायसे (vṛṣāyase)
- Literal: you act as a bull. Symbolic: fertilizing force; dynamic potency that makes nature fruitful
- गर्भम् (garbham)
- Literal: germ/embryo. Symbolic: seed of the new consciousness (new birth) placed within
- जामिषु (jāmiṣu)
- Literal: among kindreds/kins. Symbolic: the many related movements of our nature that must all be transformed
- विवक्षसे (vivakṣase)
- Literal: you seek to manifest. Symbolic: pressing realization into embodied formation
Culminating praise of Agni’s expansive and generative action: appropriate when invoking growth, widening, and new birth (garbha) through the fire.
At moments of invoking Agni’s spreading flame and creative potency; adaptable to beginnings (dīkṣā-like intention).
Offer ghee while contemplating expansion (bṛhat) and planting of the ‘garbha’ (intention/seed).
Mantra for starting a new phase (study, healing, creative work): chant to ‘widen the Vast’ and implant a steady inner seed across habits and emotions.
śóciṣ ‘flame’ from √śuc ‘shine, burn’; prathayase from √prath ‘spread’; bṛhát from √bṛh ‘to grow, expand’ (PIE *bʰerǵʰ- ‘rise, high’ debated; Vedic bṛhat is key to ‘Bṛhat’ as vast truth-plane); abhi+√krand ‘cry/roar’; vṛṣa imagery from √vṛṣ ‘to rain, be virile’—creative pouring; garbha ‘womb/germ’; jāmi ‘kin’ (used in Vedic for near relations; here extended to inner related faculties).
Bṛhat (the Vast) as wideness of consciousness, creative force (vṛṣan) as divine potency, inner rebirth (garbha) as emergence of truth-life
The ‘germ’ is placed so growth follows right order—true transformation is staged and integrated.
śukra indicates purity of light; expansion is toward truth, not mere excitement.
Garbha motif: creation as implantation of seed-force leading to new birth.
Integral/psychological reading: creation occurs in consciousness and then in life-formation.
Flame = tapas-will; vast space = widened consciousness; bull = descending potency; seed = new formation in the subtle body and habits.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as expander of Bṛhat and planter of the garbha: the mythologem of divine fire initiating a new birth by widening consciousness into the Vast and depositing a seed of transformation throughout the kindreds (jāmiṣu) of the being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śuc ‘shine/burn’ and √dhā ‘place’ are archaic Indo-European staples of fire-poetry and institution. The bull-force metaphor (vṛṣa) reflects inherited IE association of virility/rain/creative power with divine potency.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi seeks not only external favor but inner transformation: Agni’s flame widens the seeker into Bṛhat, then establishes a germ of new consciousness within all related parts of the nature, making the whole being capable of manifestation.
Expansion into bṛhat; receive the descending force that implants a new habit of consciousness.
manipura (tapas/force)
moderate
Energized wideness with a quiet center; receptive to ‘seeded’ transformation.
Chant 12 times. On ‘uru prathayase bṛhat’ widen awareness around the body. On ‘vṛṣāyase’ feel force descending through spine. On ‘garbhaṃ dadhāsi’ place one luminous intention in the navel/heart as a steady seed, then sit silently 2–3 minutes.
Rigvedic udatta/anudatta/svarita as per śākhā; exact svara requires pada-svara text.
Give a clear lift on ‘śúkreṇa śóciṣā’ and ‘úru práthayase’; let ‘abhikrანდ’ be slightly more forceful without shouting.
agne: keep ‘e’ clear, not ‘ai’, śociṣā: palatal ś, and ‘ci’ clean, prathayase: aspirate th, abhikrandan: conjunct kr, keep ‘nd’ dental, vṛṣāyase: vocalic ṛ; retroflex ṣ, garbhaṃ: keep ‘rbh’ conjunct; anusvāra before pause
Bright, projecting, but controlled—like a widening flame.
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