Rig Veda 2.1.8: Mandala 2, Sukta 1, Mantra 8
Sukta 2.1
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
त्वामग्ने दम आ विश्पतिं विशस्त्वां राजानं सुविदत्रमृञ्जते । त्वं विश्वानि स्वनीक पत्यसे त्वं सहस्राणि शता दश प्रति ॥
tvām agne dame ā viśpátiṃ víśas tvā́ṃ rājā́naṃ suvidátram ṛñjate | tvaṃ víśvāni svanīka patyase tvaṃ sahásrāṇi śatá daśá práti ||
اے اگنی، گھر میں لوگ تجھے قبیلے کے آقا کے طور پر آگے بڑھاتے ہیں، درست بصیرت لانے والے بادشاہ کی طرح۔ تو تمام روشن طاقتوں اور منظم جماعتوں پر حکمرانی کرتا ہے؛ تو ہزاروں، سینکڑوں اور دس گنا حرکتوں کا سامنا کرتے ہوئے ان پر قابو پاتا ہے۔
Word by Word
- त्वाम्
- you (as object)Pronounद्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- दमे
- in the house/homeNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचनRole अधिकारणRoot दम (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards, hitherIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRoot आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- विश्पतिम्
- lord of the clan/settlementNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot विश्पति (प्रातिपदिक; विश् + पति)
- विशः
- the clans/peoplesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot विश् (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वाम्
- youPronounद्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot युष्मद्
- राजानम्
- kingNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुविदत्रम्
- good giver/bestowerAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (राजानम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्मRoot सुविदत्र (प्रातिपदिक; सु- + विदत्र)
- ऋञ्जते
- they arrange/prepare (for), they set upVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRoot ऋञ्ज् (धातु; ‘to set in order, to make ready, to adorn’)
- त्वम्
- youPronounप्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद्
- विश्वानि
- all (things), everythingAdjective/Substantiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वनीक
- O fair-faced/bright-visaged oneAdjective (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot स्वनीक (प्रातिपदिक; सु- + अनीक)
- पत्यसे
- you rule/are lord overVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot पत्/पति (धातु-आधारित; denominative from पति ‘to be lord/master’)
- त्वम्
- youPronounप्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद्
- सहस्राणि
- thousandsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- शता
- hundredsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot शत (प्रातिपदिक)
- दश
- tensNumeralअव्ययवत् (द्वितीया-समर्थ्ये गणना)Role कर्मRoot दश (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
- प्रति
- towards; in return; eachIndeclinableअव्ययRoot प्रति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविच्छेद): त्वाम् अग्ने दमे आ विश्पतिम् विशः त्वाम् राजानम् सुविदत्रम् ऋञ्जते । त्वम् विश्वानि स्वनीक पत्यसे त्वम् सहस्राणि शता दश प्रति ॥ 1) त्वाम॑ग्ने → त्वाम् + अग्ने (म् + अ → म् अ; संहितायां ‘मग्ने’). 2) दम॒ आ → दमे + आ (सप्तमी ‘दमे’ + निपात ‘आ’; संहितायां ‘दम आ’). 3) विश॒स्त्वाम् → विशः + त्वाम् (ः + त् → स्त्). 4) राजा॑नं सुवि॒दत्र॑म् → राजानम् + सुविदत्रम् (अनुस्वार/मकार-सम्पर्कः). 5) स्वनीक पत्यसे: ‘स्वनीक’ सम्बोधन, ‘पत्यसे’ तिङन्तम् (आत्मनेपद). 6) श॒ता दश॒ प्रति॑: संख्यापदानि समुच्चयेन
- ‘प्रति’ अव्ययम्। (स्वरचिह्नाः संहितापाठानुसारं; पदपाठे सामान्यतः उदात्त/अनुदात्त-चिह्न-भेदः दृश्यते।)
The meaning
Outer meaning
In the dwelling, the clans install Agni as the lord of the settlement and as king who brings good finding/discernment; he rules all shining hosts and stands facing the thousand-, hundred-, and ten-fold movements.
Inner meaning
The aspirant establishes the psychic Fire (Agni) in the inner “home” (dama) as the organizing sovereign of the being (viśpati, rājā). From that central flame arises su-vidatra—right discrimination and sure finding of the true path. Agni governs the luminous faculties and ordered energies (svanīka), and he meets and masters the many-graded impulsions of life-force and mind (ten/hundred/thousand movements), turning them toward the forward sacrifice.
Universal truth
When the divine Will is enthroned at the center of life, it becomes the kingly power of discernment that harmonizes and directs all forces—small and vast—toward an ordered, luminous evolution.
Themes
Agni-as-king, inner governance of faculties, ordering of powers, luminous formations, mastery over multiplicity
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada Bhārgava
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu (Bhārgava)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.1, RV 2.2, RV 2.3, RV 2.4
Family tradition
Maṇḍala 2 is traditionally associated with the Bhārgavas; hymns emphasize Agni as the inner priest-king establishing the sacrifice in the human being.
Significance
Gṛtsamada’s vision repeatedly enthrones Agni as the conscious leader (purohita) of the inner offering—an early, clear psychology of yoga where right discernment and ordered force arise from the awakened flame.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- viśpati (lord of the clan), rājā (king), suvidatra (bringer of right finding), svanīka (luminous-faced)
- Related deities
- Indra (illumined mind), Soma (bliss), Uṣas (awakening), Bṛhaspati (word/illumination)
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine; carrier of offerings; organizer of the cosmic and social order through sacrifice.
Inner power
Divine Will and aspiration that unifies the parts of the being, illumines discernment, and disciplines the multiplicity of impulses into a single forward movement.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnihotra / general Agni-stotra within Soma and non-Soma contexts
त्वाम॑ग्ने॒ दम॒ आ वि॒श्पतिं॒ विश॒स्त्वां राजा॑नं सुवि॒दत्र॑मृञ्जते । त्वं विश्वा॑नि स्वनीक पत्यसे॒ त्वं स॒हस्रा॑णि श॒ता दश॒ प्रति॑ ॥
त्वाम् । अ॒ग्ने॒ । दमे॑ । आ । वि॒श्पति॑म् । विशः॑ । त्वाम् । राजा॑नम् । सु॒ऽवि॒दत्र॑म् । ऋ॒ञ्ज॒ते॒ । त्वम् । विश्वा॑नि । सु॒ऽअ॒नी॒क॒ । प॒त्य॒से॒ । त्वम् । स॒हस्रा॑णि । श॒ता । दश॑ । प्रति॑ ॥
tvām | agne | dame | ā | viśpatim | viśaḥ | tvām | rājānam | su-vidatram | ṛñjate | tvam | viśvāni | su-anīka | patyase | tvam | sahasrāṇi | śatā | daśa | prati
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Forward-driving, declarative cadence suited to sovereignty and governance themes.
Builds inner firmness and command; supports installing Agni as central ruler and stabilizes scattered energies.
- दमे (dame)
- Literal: in the house/home. Symbolic: the inner dwelling of consciousness; the embodied field where the sacrifice is established
- विश्पतिम् (viśpatiṃ)
- Literal: lord of the clan/settlement. Symbolic: the governing power that arranges the parts of the being into a unified order
- राजानम् (rājānam)
- Literal: king. Symbolic: sovereign inner ruler—Agni as master of direction and command
- सुविदत्रम् (suvidatram)
- Literal: good finding; right discernment. Symbolic: true discrimination (viveka-like) that finds the right offering and right movement
- स्वनीक (svanīka)
- Literal: with bright/own radiance; shining-faced. Symbolic: luminous powers of mind and soul; clarity and splendour in the faculties
- पत्यसे (patyase)
- Literal: you rule/are lord. Symbolic: the Fire’s mastery over energies when it is made central
- सहस्राणि शता दश (sahasrāṇi śatā daśa)
- Literal: thousands, hundreds, tens. Symbolic: graded multiplicities of impulses, thoughts, desires, activities—micro to macro movements to be governed
Agni praise used in household and śrauta contexts as an invocation/establishment of the Hotṛ-fire; broadly applicable to Agnyādheya and Soma rites as opening laud (stuti) to kindle the inner and outer fire.
At kindling and praising Agni as household and sacrificial lord; also adaptable to daily recitation at lamp/fire lighting.
Kindling, offering ghee, and invoking Agni as leader and protector of the rite.
Use at the start of meditation or work to consecrate the ‘inner home’ and align many tasks/impulses under one clear intention.
Key terms: viśpáti (viś + pati, 'clan/settlement' + 'lord', √pat 'to rule'); rājān (from *h₃rḗǵs family, PIE reg- 'to straighten/rule', cf. Latin rēx); su-vidátra (su- 'good' + √vid 'to know/find', with -tra instrument/result suffix: 'that which gives right finding/knowing'); anīká 'face/front; troop; radiance' (semantic bridge: 'front' → 'array' → 'shining formation'); patyase from √pat 'be master'. The numerical triad sahasra/śata/daśa functions as Vedic graded totalities rather than arithmetic only, indicating ordered magnitudes of force.
Ṛta (right order through the kingly will), Satyam-Ritam-Bṛhat (implicit: kingly ordering and vast graded plenitudes), inner yajña (psychological sacrifice within the 'dama')
Agni as king establishes ṛta within the multiplicity—ordering the many movements into a lawful progression.
Suvidatra as the power to ‘find’ the true and choose it in action.
Organization of multiplicity by a central conscious fire; emergence of luminous hosts from inner ignition.
Proto-Vedāntic and yogic psychology (Aurobindonian reading): evolution of consciousness through Agni-led sacrifice.
dawn or evening (domestic kindling times)
Hearth-fire becomes the psychic flame; radiance becomes illumined faculties; the ‘hosts’ are ordered powers of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as viśpáti/rājān: the enthronement of the Fire as sovereign of the inner 'clan' (the assembled powers of the being). The mythic action is not combat but installation—Agni is set in the home as ruler who orders multiplicity into ṛta.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- rājānam aligns with PIE *h₃rḗǵs / *reg- 'to straighten, rule' (Latin rēx, Gaulish rīx), supporting the semantic of right-ordering. pati (√pat) continues an Indo-European 'master/lord' formation (cf. Greek πόσις pósis 'husband/lord'). The verse’s appositional piling (tvām…viśpatim…rājānam…) is an inherited Indo-European poetic strategy of epithets to define divine function.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Reciprocity is expressed as installation and governance: the human collectivity (viśaḥ) 'arrays' Agni in the inner home, and Agni in return 'lords' over all luminous formations and meets the graded multiplicities (thousand/hundred/ten) with mastery. The exchange is thus: offering/establishment → divine ordering power and right discernment (suvidátra).
Enthrone the inner Fire as the sovereign intention that governs thoughts, desires, and actions.
maṇipūra (fire-center)
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana or steady ujjāyī to gather dispersed energies before chanting.
Collected, directive, luminous governance (will-led concentration).
Begin by sensing the ‘inner home’ in the chest/solar plexus; on each pāda, offer a layer of activity (ten/hundred/thousand) into a single aligned purpose under Agni.
Vedic accents as in śākala tradition: observe marked udātta on accented syllables (e.g., tvām, rājānam), with svarita following where indicated; keep anudātta low and steady.
Let udātta rise clearly on marked syllables; avoid flattening compound accents like su-vidatra, sva-nīka.
Keep ‘agne’ as a two-syllable call: ag-ne (not ag-ni)., Pronounce ‘viśpatiṃ’ with clear retroflex/ś: viś-pa-tiṃ., Maintain dental ‘t’ in ‘prati’ (not retroflex)., ‘svanīka’ as sva-nī-ka with long ī.
Steady, kingly, forward-driving; clear articulation over volume.
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