Rig Veda 2.8.3: Mandala 2, Sukta 8, Mantra 3
Sukta 2.8
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
य उ श्रिया दमेष्वा दोषोषसि प्रशस्यते । यस्य व्रतं न मीयते ॥
yá u oṃ́ íti śriyā́ dameṣv ā́ doṣóṣasi praśasyáte | yásya vratáṃ ná mī́yate ||
Đấng với quang huy của mình được ca tụng trong các mái nhà vào đêm và lúc bình minh; đấng có thệ luật (vrata) không hề suy giảm—Agni, kiên định trong nhịp điệu của ṛta (trật tự Chân lý).
Word by Word
- यः
- who (he)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- उ
- indeed, surelyIndeclinableनिपातः (अव्ययम्)Root उ (निपात)
- श्रिया
- by/with splendor, prosperityNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot श्री- (स्त्रीलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक)
- दमेṣu
- in the houses, in the home(s)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot दम- (पुंलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards, untoIndeclinableउपसर्गः (गत्यर्थकः)Root आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- दोषा-उषसि
- at night-and-dawn (i.e., in the night and at dawn)Noun (dual compound-like coordination)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, द्विवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot दोषा- (स्त्री) + उषस्- (स्त्री)
- प्रशस्यते
- is praisedVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root √शंस् (स्तुतौ) + प्र
- यस्य
- whosePronounपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive relation)Root यद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- व्रतम्
- vow, ordinance, fixed lawNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot व्रत- (नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक-अव्ययम्Root न (निषेध-निपात)
- मीयते
- is measured; is limitedVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root √मा (माने/मितौ; here ‘to be measured/limited’)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: दमे॒ष्वा → दमेṣu + आ (visarga/ṣv sandhi with following ā)
- दो॒षोषसि॑ → दोषा + उषसि (o from ā+u; treated as dual locative ‘night and dawn’). Accent marks retained as in Saṃhitā
- pada-forms given without explicit accent notation
The meaning
Outer meaning
Agni is praised with splendour in the homes at night and at dawn; his working-law (vrata) does not diminish.
Inner meaning
Agni’s śrī (splendour) is not intermittent; it can be invoked both in ‘night’ (inner obscurity, inertia, doubt) and at ‘dawn’ (awakening illumination). In the psychological reading, ‘homes’ (dameṣu) are the settled parts of our nature—mind, life, body—where the fire must be established, not only in rare exaltations. His vrata is the unwavering law of right action and progressive transformation: when the will is truly divine, it does not tire, bargain, or diminish; it keeps the rhythm of ṛta through alternating phases of darkness and light.
Universal truth
A stable inner discipline and truth-aligned will can be maintained through both low and luminous periods; continuity is itself a sign of the deeper power.
Themes
Agni praised night and dawn, inexhaustible law, domestic inner altar, cyclic time mastered
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada (Bhārgava)
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu / Bhārgava
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 2.1, Rig Veda 2.3, Rig Veda 2.4, Rig Veda 2.5, Rig Veda 2.6, Rig Veda 2.7, Rig Veda 2.8, Rig Veda 2.9
Family tradition
Bhārgava hymns repeatedly establish Agni in the human ‘home’ as priest and protector, stressing continuity of the inner sacrifice across changing states.
Significance
The seer’s emphasis here is on perseverance: the divine Will is constant through the alternation of darkness and dawn, making spiritual life a stable rhythm rather than a sporadic experience.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Śrīmān (possessing splendour; implied by śriyā), Praśasya (praiseworthy), Avyaya-vrata (whose law does not wane; sense)
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Sūrya, Indra
Cosmic role
Fire as domestic and cosmic priest; maintains continuity of sacrifice; sustains the cycle of night/dawn as a rhythm of renewal.
Inner power
Steady tapas and ethical-spiritual law (vrata) that keeps aspiration alive in all conditions.
In ritual
Where it is used
Evening and morning fire praise (sandhyā-like rhythm in Vedic setting); domestic Agni invocations
य उ॑ श्रि॒या दमे॒ष्वा दो॒षोषसि॑ प्रश॒स्यते॑ । यस्य॑ व्र॒तं न मीय॑ते ॥
यः । ऊँ॒ इति॑ । श्रि॒या । दमे॑षु । आ । दो॒षा । उ॒षसि॑ । प्र॒ऽश॒स्यते॑ । यस्य॑ । व्र॒तम् । न । मीय॑ते ॥
yaḥ | oṃ iti | śriyā | dameṣu | ā | doṣā | uṣasi | pra-śasyate | yasya | vratam | na | mīyate
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3 pādas × ~8 syllables (likely; verify with full accentual syllabification)
even, cyclical, suited to daily repetition
creates a sense of dependable rhythm—useful for morning/evening recitation anchoring practice.
- श्रिया (śriyā)
- Literal: splendour, beauty, prosperity. Symbolic: luminous fullness of consciousness; harmony that accompanies awakened will
- दमेṣu (dameṣu)
- Literal: in the houses/homes. Symbolic: the domains of the being (mind-life-body) where the fire must live steadily
- दोषा (doṣā)
- Literal: night. Symbolic: periods of obscurity, tamas, subconscious pressure
- उषसि (uṣasi)
- Literal: at dawn. Symbolic: illumination, awakening, new opening of consciousness
- व्रतम् (vratam)
- Literal: vow, law, fixed working. Symbolic: the steadfast law of truth-force; reliable inner discipline of Agni’s action
- न मीयते (na mīyate)
- Literal: does not diminish/measure out less. Symbolic: does not wane under resistance; constant tapas
Daily fire-cult continuity: evening and morning tending of Agni; supports the idea of uninterrupted sacred work
nightfall and dawn; at rekindling/maintaining the household fire
praise and offering to sustain Agni through the cycle
recite at waking and before sleep to stabilize discipline; reflect: ‘my inner law does not diminish’.
from √ ‘to lean on, resort to, shine’ => splendour that supports and beautifies; not merely material luck. from √ ‘to choose/will; to restrain/cover’ develops as ‘chosen law/observance’—Agni’s fixed mode aligned with ṛta. from √ ‘to measure’ => limitation; ‘not measured’ implies inexhaustible and not curtailed by time (night/dawn).
vrata as divine law, continuity of ṛta through cycles, śrī as radiance of being
Night and dawn are movements of ṛta; Agni’s unwavering vrata maintains right order through the cycle.
Non-diminishing working-law indicates truth-force continuity beyond moods.
Daily renewal: dawn as recurring emergence of light from darkness.
integral psychological Vedism: cosmic cycles mirror inner states.
night and dawn
Night = subconscious obscurity; Dawn = illumination; Home = embodied nature; Fire = will that persists through both.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘ever-maintained fire’ across night and dawn: Agni persists through darkness into illumination. This encodes the inner continuity of the will-to-truth that does not diminish through alternating states of consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The temporal pairing ‘night/dawn’ is a classic archaic poetic dyad (liminal transition). The verb from √ (measure) as ‘limit’ reflects a deep IE conceptual metaphor: what is measured is bounded; the divine working is ‘unmeasured’ (not curtailed).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi testifies to Agni’s constant vrata: by praising him in both dark and light times, the sacrificer aligns personal rhythm with the god’s unwavering law, sustaining the reciprocal presence of Agni in the ‘homes’ (inner and outer).
continuity of aspiration through ‘night states’ and ‘dawn states’
anahata
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) while repeating mentally at dawn/night
steady, vigilant, quietly luminous
Use as a twice-daily anchor: at dawn, kindle; at night, maintain. Observe the same inner flame present in both clarity and heaviness; reaffirm a non-diminishing vrata (practice-rule).
Keep udātta prominence on śriyā, uṣasi, vratam (as per recensional accenting); maintain gentle svarita flow to evoke steadiness.
Slightly lengthen the cadence at ‘doṣoṣasi’ (night-and-dawn compound) to mark the cycle; finish ‘na mīyate’ with firm certainty.
ya u: separate yaḥ + u (sandhi feel), avoid swallowing u, śriyā: palatal ś, short ri, long ā, dameṣv ā: ṣv cluster; clear long ā, doṣoṣasi: retroflex ṣ; keep both o’s distinct, praśasyate: śa not sa; avoid ‘prashas’ flattening, mīyate: long ī, ya light
even, soothing, unwavering
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