Rig Veda 1.78.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 78, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.78
- Rishi
- Gotama
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
तमु त्वा गोतमो गिरा रायस्कामो दुवस्यति । द्युम्नैरभि प्र णोनुमः ॥
tám u tvā́ gotámo girā́ rāyás-kāmo duvasyati | dyumnáir abhí prá ṇónumaḥ ||
اے اگنی، گوتم تجھے پریرت کلام سے پکارتا ہے، جو کائنات کی پوری ترقی کا خواہاں ہے۔ ہم تجھے روشن طاقتوں کے ساتھ اپنے اندر آگے بڑھنے کی ترغیب دیتے ہیں۔
Word by Word
- तम्
- him (that one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्म (स्तुत्य/आह्वेय-देवता)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- उ
- indeed / justIndeclinableनिपातः (अविकारी)Root उ (निपात)
- त्वा
- youPronounद्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्म (सम्बोधनार्थे/आह्वान-विषयः)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- गौतमः
- GautamaNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot गौतम (प्रातिपदिक; ऋषि-नाम)
- गिरा
- with a hymn / by speechNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्Role करणRoot गिर् (स्त्रीलिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक) अथवा गीरा/गिरा (वेद. रूप)
- रायस्कामः
- desiring wealthAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (गौतमः इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (कर्तुः विशेषणम्)Root रायस् (रे/धन) + काम (इच्छा) (समासः: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहि-भावः)
- दुवस्यति
- serves / worshipsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot दुवस्/दुवस्य (धातु; ‘सेवा/पूजा/उपासना’)
- द्यु॒म्नैः
- with splendors / with glorious powersNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया बहुवचनम्Role करणRoot द्यु॒म्न (नपुंसकलिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक)
- अभि
- towards / uponIndeclinableउपसर्गः/अव्ययम्Root अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- प्र
- forth / forwardIndeclinableउपसर्गः/अव्ययम्Root प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- नोनुमः
- we urge on / we impel / we press forwardVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट; वेद. प्रयोगः), परस्मैपदम्, उत्तमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot नु (धातु; ‘प्रेरणे/स्तुतौ’), पुनरुक्त-आवृत्तिः: नो-नु- (वेद. तीव्र/आवृत्ति-रूप)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धि-विग्रह): तम् उ त्वा गौतमः गिरा रायस्कामः दुवस्यति । द्युम्नैः अभि प्र नोनुमः ॥ 1) तमु॑ = तम् + उ (निपात-सन्धि; म् + उ → मु) 2) त्वा॒ गोत॑मो = त्वा + गौतमः (पद-सीमा; सन्धि-परिवर्तनं न) 3) गि॒रा रा॒यस्का॑मो = गिरा + रायस्कामः (पद-सीमा; सन्धि-परिवर्तनं न) 4) द्यु॒म्नैर॒भि = द्युम्नैः + अभि (विसर्ग-सन्धि: -ैः + अ- → -ैर् अ-; लेखे ‘द्युम्नैरभि’) 5) प्र णो॑नुमः = प्र + नोनुमः (पद-सीमा; सन्धि-परिवर्तनं न; ‘ण’ छन्दो/पदपाठ-प्रभावेण दर्शितम्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Gotama serves Agni with inspired speech, seeking rāyas (wealth/fullness). With dyumnas (luminous powers) the chanters urge Agni to move forward toward them/within them.
Inner meaning
The seer offers the soul’s articulate aspiration (girā) to the inner Fire (Agni), not for outer gain but for rā́yas as plenitude of being—light, force, joy, and right increase. The dyumnas are awakened illuminations and soul-powers that press the Divine Will to take the lead in the inner yajña, advancing in the field of consciousness and organising life around truth.
Universal truth
When aspiration becomes truthful speech and is supported by inner luminosity, the guiding will of consciousness awakens and progresses, bringing an integral fullness rather than fragmented acquisition.
Themes
devotional service (duvasyati), seeking plenitude, luminous impulsion
The seer
- Rishi
- Gotama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 1.76, RV 1.77, RV 1.78, RV 1.79
Family tradition
Āṅgirasa stream; Gotamas are famed for Agni-hymns and the psychology of the inner sacrifice.
Significance
Gotama’s vision emphasizes Agni as the conscious force that translates aspiration into effective transformation; the rishi’s ‘gir’ is a vehicle of inner opening and increase (rāyas).
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (Jātavedas implied)
- Epithets
- Jātavedas (knower of all births), purohita (inner priest, by function), dūta (messenger, by function)
- Related deities
- Indra, Soma, Uṣas, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine worlds; establishes the sacrifice and carries offerings to the gods.
Inner power
Kindles aspiration, purifies motives, and leads the progressive unfolding of consciousness toward fullness (rāyas).
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnihotra / evening-morning fire kindling; general Agni-invocation in Śrauta settings
तमु॑ त्वा॒ गोत॑मो गि॒रा रा॒यस्का॑मो दुवस्यति । द्यु॒म्नैर॒भि प्र णो॑नुमः ॥
तम् । ऊँ॒ इति॑ । त्वा॒ । गोत॑मः । गि॒रा । रा॒यःऽका॑मः । दु॒व॒स्य॒ति॒ । द्यु॒म्नैः । अ॒भि । प्र । नो॒नु॒मः॒ ॥
tam | oṃ iti | tvā | gotamaḥ | girā | rāyaḥ-kāmaḥ | duvasyati | dyumnaiḥ | abhi | pra | nonumaḥ
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3 pādas of 8 syllables
Compact, mantra-like, forward-driving cadence.
Quick ignition of attention; creates a focused ‘push’ (pra-ṇud) suitable for invoking inner movement.
- अग्नि (Agni)
- Literal: fire. Symbolic: divine will and the inner leader/priest of transformation
- गिरा (girā)
- Literal: with speech/hymn. Symbolic: mantric aspiration; inspired articulation of the soul
- रायःकामः (rāyaḥ-kāmaḥ)
- Literal: desiring wealth. Symbolic: seeking plenitude of being (light-force-joy), not mere possessions
- द्यु्म्नैः (dyumnaiḥ)
- Literal: with luminous powers/glories. Symbolic: illumined energies of the mind and soul that propel progress
- प्र णोनुमः (pra ṇonumaḥ)
- Literal: we impel/urge forward. Symbolic: active collaboration of the human will with the divine movement
Used as a service-formula to Agni for increase of rayi (prosperity/inner richness) in sacrificial sequences; adaptable across agniṣṭoma-style invocations.
At kindling and offering moments; also as a general stuti for invoking Agni’s forward action.
Recitation while offering ghee/oblations and establishing the fire as leader of the rite.
Use at the start of meditation or work to align speech and intention with a luminous, truthful will.
(rāyí): from √rā ‘to give, grant’ (and semantic field of ‘wealth, bounty’) → inwardly, the granted fullness/abundance of force and delight. : from √duv/√dū ‘to honour, serve’ (Vedic) → active attendance on the divine power, not mere praise. The refrain dyumnáir…ṇónumaḥ repeats the core action: luminous impulsion of Agni.
Rayi as plenitude (not merely material wealth), mantra as effective action (girā)
Agni is the executor of Ṛta—making the inner and outer life conform to right law through progressive purification.
Girā becomes satya-vāc when it expresses the soul’s true need; then Agni advances securely.
Increase (rāyas) as manifestation of hidden plenitude through awakened fire.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral-psychological reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap)
Fire = will-to-transform; light = awakened understanding that supports right action.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The seer’s service to the divine fire in exchange for rayi. Mythically: Agni, pleased by honour, grants abundance. Psychologically: when the will (Agni) is tended by disciplined speech and aspiration, it yields an inner wealth—capacity, clarity, and stable increase.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √rā ‘give’ participates in an Indo-European economy of ‘gift/return’ embedded in hymnic diction. √vid (implied by Jātavedas in the hymn-cycle) and dyu- (dyumná) are clear PIE inheritances (*weyd-, *dyeu-), showing the ancient linkage of knowledge with seeing/light.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi approaches as rāyás-kāmaḥ: desire is not grasping but directed aspiration. Through duvasyati (service/attendance), the human agency aligns with Agni’s agency; the refrain indicates collaboration—human luminous energies join the divine flame to push forward the work.
Invoke the inner fire to lead the day’s ‘inner sacrifice’: align speech, intention, and action.
maṇipūra (fire/will center)
gentle kapalabhati-like pulses or steady ujjāyī to ‘urge forward’ the inner flame (non-straining).
Collected, aspiring, luminous will.
Repeat while feeling a flame in the navel/heart; offer one habit of inertia into the fire; then sit in quiet brightness.
Vedic accenting with udatta on marked syllables (e.g., तमु॑, त्वा॒, गोत॑मो, रा॒यस्का॑मो, द्यु॒म्नैर॒भि, णो॑नुमः).
Keep the udatta slightly raised and clear; let svarita glide down; avoid flattening the cadence of Gāyatrī.
: keep short ‘a’ in tamu; tvā with clear long ā, : soft dental ‘t’, not retroflex, : pronounce ‘va’ clearly (du-va-sya-ti), : ‘dyu’ as ‘d’yū’; nasal ‘mn’ cluster lightly (dyum-naiḥ), : retroflex ṇ; ‘no-nu-maḥ’ with visarga audible
Bright, steady, slightly propulsive on ‘pra ṇonumaḥ’.
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