Rig Veda 6.6.2: Mandala 6, Sukta 6, Mantra 2
Sukta 6.6
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
स श्वितानस्तन्यतू रोचनस्था अजरेभिर्नानदद्भिर्यविष्ठः । यः पावकः पुरुतमः पुरूणि पृथून्यग्निरनुयाति भर्वन् ॥
sa śvitānas tānyatuḥ rocana-sthā ajarebhir nānadadbhir yaviṣṭhaḥ | yaḥ pāvakaḥ puru-tamaḥ purūṇi pṛthūny agnir anu-yāti bharvan ||
ท่านแผ่ขยายออกไป ดุจเสียงฟ้าร้องกึกก้อง ตั้งมั่นอยู่ในแดนแห่งความสว่าง—ผู้เยาว์ที่สุด—ด้วยพลังอันไม่ร่วงโรยที่กังวานก้อง. อัคนี (Agni) องค์นี้—ผู้ชำระให้บริสุทธิ์ ผู้เปี่ยมล้นยิ่ง—ติดตามแดนกว้างใหญ่นานาประการ แบกและค้ำจุนการเคลื่อนไปข้างหน้า.
Word by Word
- सः
- he (that one = Agni)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- श्वितानः
- bright, shiningAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot श्वित (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक; √श्वित्/श्वेत् ‘to be bright/white’)
- तन्यतुः
- thunder, roaringNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot √तन्/तन्य् (धातु; ‘to thunder/roar’), तन्यतु- (नाम)
- रोचनस्थाः
- standing/abiding in the luminous realmsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot रोचन (नपुं; ‘luminous realm’) + √स्था (धातु; ‘to stand’) → रोचन-स्था (बहुव्रीहि/तत्पुरुष-समास)
- अजरेभिः
- with the unaging (ones/powers)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot अजर (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक; ‘unaging’)
- नानदद्भिः
- with the roaring/sounding (ones)Participleपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot √नद् (धातु; ‘to roar/sound’) + नानदत् (वर्तमान-कृदन्त, शतृ)
- यविष्ठः
- youngestAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot युवन्/यव (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक; ‘young’) + इष्ठ (तमप्-प्रत्यय; superlative)
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पावकः
- the purifier (Agni)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot √पू (धातु; ‘to purify’) → पावक (नाम/विशेषण)
- पुरुतमः
- most abundant/most manifoldAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot पुरु (अव्यय/विशेषण ‘much, many’) + तम (तमप्-प्रत्यय; superlative) → पुरुतम
- पुरूणि
- many (things/acts)Adjective (substantivized)नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot पुरु (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- पृथूनि
- broad, wide (things/spaces)Adjective (substantivized)नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot पृथु (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक; ‘broad, wide’)
- अग्निः
- AgniNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot अग्नि (नाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अनुयाति
- follows, goes afterVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role KriyāRoot अनु-√या (धातु; ‘to follow/go after’)
- भर्वन्
- O bearer/mighty oneNoun (address)पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role (Sambodhana)Root भर्वन् (नाम/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक; ‘bearing, mighty’; vocative of भर्वन्)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सः | श्वितानः | तन्यतुः | रोचनस्थाः | अजरेभिः | नानदद्भिः | यविष्ठः || यः | पावकः | पुरुतमः | पुरूणि | पृथूनि | अग्निः | अनुयाति | भर्वन् || प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) स + श्वितानः → स श्वितानः (विसर्ग-लोपः पदान्ते, ऋग्वैदिक-पाठानुसार)
- (2) -स्थाः + अ- → -स्था अ- (स्वर/पदविभागेन सन्धि न कृतः; संहितायां सम्भवतः -स्थाऽजरेभिः)
- (3) -भिः + य- → -भिर्य- (विसर्गस्य रेफादेशः: भिः + य → भिर्य)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni spreads out with thunder-like force, stationed in luminous regions, the ever-young fire with unaging, resonant powers; as purifier and richly abundant, he follows and supports the onward movement through many wide realms.
Inner meaning
The inner Fire (divine Will) expands through the being with a puissant, awakening vibration. Established in the “luminous spaces” of higher consciousness, it remains ever-new in aspiration, yet supported by deathless energies (ajarebhiḥ). As the purifier, it pursues and sustains the soul’s progressive journey across multiple ranges of experience—physical, vital, mental—carrying the evolution forward.
Universal truth
True progress is driven by an inner guiding will that is both youthful (ever-renewing) and deathless (persistent). When established in clarity, it purifies and supports movement through all domains of life toward a wider consciousness.
Themes
cosmic-expansion, resonant-awakening, purification-and-wideness, agni-pervasion
The seer
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja (probable)
- Other hymns
- RV 6.6.1, RV 6.6.3, RV 6.6.4, RV 6.6.5, RV 6.6.6
Family tradition
Book 6 is predominantly attributed to Bharadvāja seers; hymns to Agni often express the inner yajña as ascent into luminous worlds.
Significance
The seer-vision emphasizes Agni as the leader of inner progress—established in rocanā (luminous consciousness) and carrying the evolutionary movement across multiple planes.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Yaviṣṭha (youngest), Pāvaka (purifier), Purutama (most abundant), Bharvan (bearer/supporter)
- Related deities
- Indra, Soma, Uṣas, Maruts
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine worlds; carrier of offerings; awakener of light in the worlds.
Inner power
Divine Will and aspiration that purifies, sustains effort, and leads the consciousness into illumined ranges.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnihotra / daily fire kindling; also Agni-invocations in Soma rites
स श्वि॑ता॒नस्त॑न्य॒तू रो॑चन॒स्था अ॒जरे॑भि॒र्नान॑दद्भि॒र्यवि॑ष्ठः । यः पा॑व॒कः पु॑रु॒तम॑: पु॒रूणि॑ पृ॒थून्य॒ग्निर॑नु॒याति॒ भर्व॑न् ॥
सः । श्वि॒ता॒नः । ता॒न्य॒तुः । रो॒च॒न॒ऽस्थाः । अ॒जरे॑भिः । नान॑दत्ऽभिः । यवि॑ष्ठः । यः । पा॒व॒कः । पु॒रु॒ऽतमः॑ । पु॒रूणि॑ । पृ॒थूनि॑ । अ॒ग्निः । अ॒नु॒ऽयाति॑ । भर्व॑न् ॥
saḥ | śvitānaḥ | tānyatuḥ | rocana-sthāḥ | ajarebhiḥ | nānadat-bhiḥ | yaviṣṭhaḥ | yaḥ | pāvakaḥ | puru-tamaḥ | purūṇi | pṛthūni | agniḥ | anu-yāti | bharvan
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables each (requires full phonetic scansion for certainty)
Strong, forward-driving, with emphatic mid-line stresses suited to proclamation and force.
Energizes resolve; gives a sense of expansion and onward movement, supporting tapas (steady inner effort).
- श्वितानः (śvitānaḥ)
- Literal: spreading, expanding. Symbolic: the widening of consciousness under the awakened will
- तन्यतुः (tanyatuḥ)
- Literal: thundering. Symbolic: a forceful awakening vibration that breaks inertia
- रोचनस्था (rocanasthā)
- Literal: standing in luminous spaces. Symbolic: established in higher mind/illumined consciousness
- यविष्ठः (yaviṣṭhaḥ)
- Literal: youngest. Symbolic: ever-fresh aspiration; constant renewal of the divine impulse
- अजरेभिः (ajarebhiḥ)
- Literal: unaging. Symbolic: deathless energies of the soul-force
- नानदद्भिः (nānadadbhir)
- Literal: resounding. Symbolic: mantric/psychic reverberations that pervade the being
- पावकः (pāvakaḥ)
- Literal: purifier. Symbolic: power that clarifies motives and burns falsehood
- पुरुतमः (purutamaḥ)
- Literal: most abundant. Symbolic: rich plenitude of inner force and light
- पृथूनि (pṛthūni)
- Literal: wide realms. Symbolic: broad planes/fields of consciousness
- अनुयाति (anuyāti)
- Literal: follows after. Symbolic: supports evolution step-by-step, not abandoning the seeker
- भर्वन् (bharvan)
- Literal: bearing, supporting. Symbolic: upholding the onward sacrifice and its results
Praise of Agni’s cosmic pervasion and purifying expansion; appropriate in hymnic sequences that establish Agni’s universal presence across realms (bhuvana/rocana).
At lighting of the sacred fire; at the start of offerings; as an invocation for purification and right movement
Kindling (samidh), offering ghee, establishing Agni as hotṛ and pathfinder
Use as a mantra for beginning meditation/work: invoke clarity, purification, and steady progress through life’s ‘wide fields’.
rocana ‘luminous space’ from √ruc ‘shine’ indicates higher clarity-planes. √nad ‘sound/roar’ marks the vibratory force of Agni (akin to thunder), psychologically the resonant awakening. pṛthu ‘wide’ is the antonymic release from aṃhas (narrowness), showing the trajectory from constriction to wideness. pāvaka from √pū ‘purify’ confirms the central function: expansion by purification.
expansion into wideness (pṛthu), purification (pāvaka), pervasion across realms (anu-yāti)
Agni ‘follows’ and supports the ordered progression (ṛta) through the worlds/planes.
Rocanā suggests truth-lit regions where will becomes aligned with satya.
Expansion (śvitāna) as a microcosmic echo of cosmic widening; the fire-force as evolutionary driver.
Proto-Vedāntic / Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: ascent through planes; Agni as psychic guide.
unspecified
unspecified
Thunder = awakening shock; luminous spaces = illumined mind; fire = will that expands and carries the journey.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni’s cosmic expansion and pervasion: he spreads into luminous regions with thunderous resonance and follows the wide realms, sustaining them—fire as both purifier and cosmic supporter.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √ruc ‘shine’ belongs to an inherited light-lexicon (cf. Latin rutilus in a related semantic sphere though not direct; broader PIE light vocabulary is prominent in Vedic). pṛthu ‘broad’ aligns with PIE *pl̥th₂us ‘broad’ (cf. Greek platys, English flat in the broad semantic family).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi contemplates Agni not only as altar-flame but as a universal power whose purification yields wideness and ordered pervasion. The devotee’s stance is one of alignment: by invoking this expansive purifier, the human consciousness is invited to move from narrow limitation into broad luminous realms.
Invoke the inner Fire to expand awareness and sustain right effort through all life-fields.
Maṇipūra (will-fire) with ascent toward Ājñā (luminous mind)
Steady ujjāyī-like breath; on exhale feel ‘spreading’ (śvitāna) through the body; short pause to sense rocanā (clarity).
Energized clarity; progressive widening.
Begin with a brief concentration at the navel (will), then imagine a column of light rising to the brow; repeat the mantra to stabilize the ‘onward movement’ in daily action.
Use Vedic udātta/anudātta/svarita as per śākhā tradition; if unavailable, chant with a gentle rise on key verbs (śvitānaḥ, anuyāti) and settle on cadence endings.
Emphasize: śvitānaḥ, tanyatuḥ, rocanasthā, yaviṣṭhaḥ, pāvakaḥ, anuyāti.
śvi- is ‘shvi’ (palatal ś) not ‘svi’, ro-ca-na-sthā: keep short ‘a’ in rocanā; sthā with clear aspirate, pāvakaḥ: long ā, anuyāti: anu-yā-ti with long yā
Bright, steady, slightly forceful (like a controlled ‘thunder’), ending in supportive calm.
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.
