Rig Veda 5.1.2: Mandala 5, Sukta 1, Mantra 2
Sukta 5.1
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अबोधि होता यजथाय देवानूर्ध्वो अग्निः सुमनाः प्रातरस्थात् । समिद्धस्य रुशददर्शि पाजो महान्देवस्तमसो निरमोचि ॥
ábodhi hótā yajáthāya devā́n ūrdhvó agníḥ sumánāḥ prā́tar asthāt | samiddhásya rúśad adarśi pā́jo mahā́n devás támāso nír amoci ||
پیش کرنے والا دیوتاؤں کی قربانی کے لیے جاگ اٹھا؛ اگنی، سیدھا اور خوش ذہن، صبح کے وقت کھڑا ہوا۔ روشن کیے گئے کی چمکتی ہوئی طاقت دکھائی دیتی ہے - وہ خدا بزرگ ہے جو اندھیرے سے آزاد ہوا۔
Word by Word
- अबोधि
- awoke; was awakenedVerbलुङ् (अorist), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot √बुध्
- होता
- the Hotṛ-priest (invoker)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot होतृ (√हु) प्रातिपदिक
- यजथाय
- for the sacrifice/act of worshipNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot यजथ (√यज्) प्रातिपदिक
- देवान्
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot देव प्रातिपदिक
- ऊर्ध्वः
- upright; risingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (विशेषण)Root ऊर्ध्व प्रातिपदिक
- अग्निः
- Agni (fire-god)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot अग्नि प्रातिपदिक
- सुमनाः
- well-disposed; benevolentAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (विशेषण)Root सुमनस् प्रातिपदिक
- प्रातर्
- in the morningIndeclinableकालवाचक अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot प्रातर् अव्यय
- अस्थात्
- stood up; aroseVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot √स्था
- समिद्धस्य
- of the kindled (one)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole SambandhaRoot समिद्ध (सम्+√इध्) प्रातिपदिक
- रुशत्
- shining; brightAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः)Role Karma (दर्शनस्य)Root रुशत् प्रातिपदिक
- अदर्शि
- appeared; was seenVerbलुङ् (अorist), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot √दृश्
- पाजः
- radiance; brilliance; strengthNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot पाजस् प्रातिपदिक
- महान्
- greatAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (विशेषण)Root महत् प्रातिपदिक
- देवः
- the god (Agni)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot देव प्रातिपदिक
- तमसः
- from darknessNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचनRole ApādānaRoot तमस् प्रातिपदिक
- निः
- out; forthIndeclinableउपसर्गRoot निः अव्यय (उपसर्ग)
- अमोचि
- was released; broke freeVerbलुङ् (अorist), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (कर्मणि/मध्यार्थे)Root √मुच्
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अबोधि | होता | यजथाय | देवान् | ऊर्ध्वः | अग्निः | सुमनाः | प्रातर् | अस्थात् || समिद्धस्य | रुशत् | अदर्शि | पाजः | महान् | देवः | तमसः | निः | अमोचि || प्रमुख-सन्धयः: देवान् + ऊर्ध्वः → देवानूर्ध्वः (न् + ऊ → नू)
- प्रातर् + अस्थात् → प्रातरस्थात् (र् + अ → र)
- महान् + देवः → महान्देवः (न् + द → न्द)
- निः + अमोचि → निरमोचि (विसर्गस्य रादेशः स्वरादौ)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Hotṛ awakens for the gods’ sacrifice; Agni stands upright at dawn, glad-minded. The kindled one’s shining might is seen; the great god is released from darkness.
Inner meaning
The inner priest (hotā) awakens: the capacity in us that offers all movements to the Divine. Agni stands ‘upright’—the will becomes aligned and ascendant at the moment of awakening (prātar). When aspiration is truly kindled, its luminous power becomes visible in consciousness; a great divine Presence emerges as the being is freed from tamas (inertia, obscurity).
Universal truth
Right offering transforms life: when will is upright and joyful, light becomes evident and darkness loses its hold. Liberation begins as a shift from unconscious habit to conscious consecration.
Themes
Agni as Hotṛ, Emergence from darkness, Morning awakening, Sacrificial mediation
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.5, RV 7.6, RV 7.7
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha’s line stresses Agni as the ordained mediator of ṛta—awakening the sacrificial consciousness at dawn and releasing the seeker from tamas.
Significance
As seer of harmony and right order, Vasiṣṭha frames awakening as a disciplined consecration: the inner Hotṛ stands up and the divine force becomes ‘seen’ (adarśi) as lived experience.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (as Hotā)
- Epithets
- Hotā, Sumānasa (glad-minded), Urdhva, Mahān Deva
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Sūrya, Indra
Cosmic role
Summoner of the gods (higher powers) into the human field; dispeller of darkness through kindled light.
Inner power
Consecrating intelligence and will that makes the divine forces active in daily life.
In ritual
Where it is used
Morning Agni kindling; invocation of Hotṛ in Soma/Agni rites
अबो॑धि॒ होता॑ य॒जथा॑य दे॒वानू॒र्ध्वो अ॒ग्निः सु॒मना॑: प्रा॒तर॑स्थात् । समि॑द्धस्य॒ रुश॑ददर्शि॒ पाजो॑ म॒हान्दे॒वस्तम॑सो॒ निर॑मोचि ॥
अबो॑धि । होता॑ । य॒जथा॑य । दे॒वान् । ऊ॒र्ध्वः । अ॒ग्निः । सु॒ऽमनाः॑ । प्रा॒तः । अ॒स्था॒त् । सम्ऽइ॑द्धस्य । रुश॑त् । अ॒द॒र्शि॒ । पाजः॑ । म॒हान् । दे॒वः । तम॑सः । निः । अ॒मो॒चि॒ ॥
abodhi | hotā | yajathāya | devān | ūrdhvaḥ | agniḥ | su-manāḥ | prātaḥ | asthāt | sam-iddhasya | ruśat | adarśi | pājaḥ | mahān | devaḥ | tamasaḥ | niḥ | amoci
44
4×11 (approx.)
Assertive, clarifying; like a declaration of readiness.
Creates a feeling of ‘standing up within’—postural and moral straightening; mind becomes wakeful.
- होता (hotā)
- Literal: offerer/priest. Symbolic: inner consecrating faculty that offers thoughts, feelings, actions
- यजथाय (yajathāya)
- Literal: for sacrifice/worship. Symbolic: for inner union through offering
- ऊर्ध्वः (ūrdhvaḥ)
- Literal: upright, upward. Symbolic: aligned aspiration; ascending will
- सुमनाः (sumanāḥ)
- Literal: good-minded, glad-hearted. Symbolic: harmonized psyche; consent and joy in the sadhana
- प्रातर् (prātar)
- Literal: in the morning. Symbolic: threshold of awakening; first opening of consciousness
- पाजः (pājaḥ)
- Literal: strength, brilliance, might. Symbolic: luminous force of will; effective spiritual power
- तमसः (tamasaḥ)
- Literal: from darkness. Symbolic: from ignorance, inertia, subconscient cover
Morning kindling and Hotṛ-function: establishing Agni as officiant for deva-yajña; opening movement of the rite.
At dawn or at the opening of a rite when the Hotṛ function is invoked
Ignition, recitation, calling the devas to the yajña
Recite when beginning work or practice: a short inner ‘alignment’ to act as an offering rather than from habit.
√sthā (asthāt) PIE *steh₂- ‘stand’ (Eng. stand). √dṛś (adarśi) PIE *derk- ‘see’ (Eng. to see is *sekʷ-; but ‘dark’ from *derk- shows semantic inversion; Greek δέρκομαι ‘see’). √muc (amoci) ‘release’ expresses liberation from tamas—psychologically, emergence of the divine will from obscurity into manifest power (pājas).
liberation from tamas (ignorance), manifestation of divine power (pājas), right offering (yajathā)
The upright Agni embodies ṛta—straightness and ascent as cosmic law in the psyche.
Truth manifests as ‘seen’ radiance (ruśad…adarśi) when the inner fire is kindled.
Emergence of light from darkness as daily cosmogony within the being.
Integral/psychological Veda: liberation as progressive unveiling of consciousness.
dawn
Morning corresponds to the first conscious opening; fire corresponds to awakened will; darkness corresponds to subconscient inertia.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘release from darkness’: Agni’s epiphany as the great god emerging from tamas. It is the recurring myth of light/fire breaking out of obscurity, enabling the sacrifice and the ascent.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- asthāt (√sthā) matches PIE *steh₂-; amoci (√muc) participates in an old IE pattern of ‘loosening/freeing’ verbs (exact PIE reconstruction debated), while the darkness/light polarity is a common IE poetic binary.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi recognizes Agni as the awakened Hotṛ: by invoking him for yajathā, the human side entrusts mediation to the divine priest-power; Agni reciprocally ‘stands’ and becomes visible as effective splendor (pājas).
Assume the stance of the inner Hotṛ: offer the day’s movements to the Divine Fire.
maṇipūra (will) and suṣumṇā ascent imagery (ūrdhva)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) to ‘kindle’ and stabilize; keep spine upright.
Wakeful, aligned, luminous—tamas thinning.
Chant once; sit upright; inwardly say: ‘Let all I do today be an offering’; notice where darkness (avoidance/inertia) loosens.
Follow Saṃhitā accents; emphasize udātta on key awakenings: ‘abó-dhi’, ‘hótā’, ‘ūrdhvó’.
Keep ‘ruśád adarśi’ crisp—do not smear consonant clusters; let pitch highlight ‘mahān devas’.
‘hotā’: long ‘ā’ sustained., ‘ūrdhvo’: long ‘ū’, clear retroflex ‘ḍh’ not dental., ‘sumanāḥ’: nasal ‘nā’ clean; visarga light at end., ‘nir amoci’: separate ‘nir’ + ‘amoci’ gently, no hard pause.
Clear, upright, slightly forceful (not harsh).
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