Rig Veda 5.2.4: Mandala 5, Sukta 2, Mantra 4
Sukta 5.2
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
क्षेत्रादपश्यं सनुतश्चरन्तं सुमद्यूथं न पुरु शोभमानम् । न ता अगृभ्रन्नजनिष्ट हि षः पलिक्नीरिद्युवतयो भवन्ति ॥
kṣétrād apaśyaṃ sanutáś cárantaṃ su-mád yū́thaṃ ná purú śóbh amā́nam | ná tā́ agṛ́bhran ájaniṣṭa hí ṣáḥ palíknīr íd yuvatáyo bhavanti ||
Từ cánh đồng ta thấy Người tiến bước theo lối xưa—như một đàn vui mừng, rực rỡ muôn vẻ. Họ không nắm bắt được Người—quả thật Người không sinh ra vì họ. Cả những kẻ tóc bạc cũng hóa trẻ lại: nhờ sự hiện diện của Người, các năng lực hao mòn được đổi mới thành tuổi xuân.
Word by Word
- क्षेत्रात्
- from the field/groundNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचनRole ApādānaRoot क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अपश्यम्
- I sawVerbलुङ् (अorist), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole Kartā (वक्ता-कर्तृ) / मुख्यक्रियाRoot √पश् (दृश्) ‘to see’
- सनुतः
- from of old; in due course/alongIndeclinableअव्यय (तसिल्-प्रकारः), अर्थे ‘प्राचीनतः/अनुक्रमेण’Role Adhikaraṇa (क्रियाविशेषण) / देश-काल-प्रकारRoot सनु (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक; ‘from of old/along’)
- चरन्तम्
- moving, roamingVerb (participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (अपश्यम् इत्यस्य) / विशेष्यRoot √चर् ‘to move, roam’
- सुमत्
- well-endowed; goodAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (चरन्तम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Karma (विशेषणरूपेण)Root सु- + मत् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘having good…’)
- यूथम्
- a troop, herdNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (अपश्यम्) / उपमान-आधारRoot यूथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-निपातRoot न (अव्यय)
- पुरु
- much, manyAdjective (indeclinable use)अव्ययीभाव/अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; ‘बहु’Role Adhikaraṇa (प्रकार) / विशेषणRoot पुरु (अव्यय/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- शोभमानम्
- shining, splendidVerb (participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (चरन्तम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Karma (विशेषणरूपेण)Root √शुभ्/शोभ् ‘to shine, be splendid’
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेध-निपातRoot न (अव्यय)
- ताः
- those (fem.), theyPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (अगृभ्रन् इत्यस्य)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अगृभ्रन्
- they seized/caughtVerbलुङ् (अorist), तृतीयपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole मुख्यक्रियाRoot √ग्रह् ‘to seize’
- अजनिष्ट
- was born; aroseVerbलुङ् (अorist), तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole मुख्यक्रियाRoot √जन् ‘to be born, arise’
- हि
- for, indeedIndeclinableनिपात (हेतु/प्रमाण)Root हि (अव्यय)
- षः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (वैदिक रूप ‘षः’ = ‘सः’)Role Kartā (अजनिष्ट इत्यस्य)Root स (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पलिक्नीः
- grey-haired women; old womenNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (भवन्ति इत्यस्य)Root पलिक्नी (प्रातिपदिक; वैदिक)
- इत्
- even, indeedIndeclinableनिपात (एव/अपि-बलार्थ) वैदिकRoot इत्/इद् (अव्यय; emphatic particle)
- युवतयः
- young womenNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (भवन्ति इत्यस्य) / पलिक्नीः इत्यस्य विधेयRoot युवति (प्रातिपदिक)
- भवन्ति
- become; areVerbलट् (present), तृतीयपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole मुख्यक्रियाRoot √भू ‘to be, become’
Sandhi Notes
- पाठे ‘क्षेत्रा॑दपश्यं’ = क्षेत्रात् + अपश्यम् (त् + अ → द्)
- ‘सनु॒तश्चर॑न्तम्’ = सनुतः + चरन्तम् (विसर्गस्य लोपः/सन्धिः)
- ‘सुमद्यू॒थं’ इति संहितायां सुमत् + यूथम् (त् + य् → द्य्)
- ‘न ता अ॑गृभ्र॒न्नज॑निष्ट’ = न + ताः + अगृभ्रन् + अजनिष्ट (न् + अ → न्न)
- ‘हि षः’ वैदिकः: षः = सः
- ‘पलि॑क्नी॒रिद्यु॑व॒तयो॑’ = पलिक्नीः + इत् + युवतयः (ः + इ → रि; ‘इद्/इत्’ निपातः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The seer beholds “him” moving from the field, shining like a joyful herd. The women/old ones cannot seize him; by his presence the grey-haired become young again.
Inner meaning
Agni as the inner Flame of conscious Will is seen arising from the kṣetra (the prepared ground of nature and the body-life-field) and moving onward (carantam) as a luminous collective power (yūtha). The forces that try to appropriate or limit the Flame (“they did not seize him”) fail because this Fire is not born for the lower claim; rather, his coming renews worn-out faculties—old habits, fatigued vital energies, and dulled perceptions—into youth (yuvatayaḥ).
Universal truth
When the psychic fire of aspiration and truth-will is kindled in the ‘field’ of life, it cannot be possessed by egoic powers; it rejuvenates the whole being, turning exhaustion into fresh capacity and renewing perception and action.
Themes
Rejuvenation, Luminous herd, Unseizable divine movement
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.1, RV 5.2, RV 5.3, RV 5.4
Family tradition
Ātreya seers noted for hymns of inner illumination and the discovery/release of light; Atri’s vision often turns the ritual fire into a psychological power of awakening.
Significance
Atri represents the seeing mind that recovers the hidden sun of truth; here, the seer witnesses Agni’s renewing advance through the human field.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Carant (the moving one), Śobhamāna (the shining), Jātavedas (knower of births, implicit), Hota (priest within, contextual in the hymn)
- Related deities
- Indra, Soma, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine; the power that carries the offering upward and brings the gods’ increase downward; awakener of light in the worlds.
Inner power
Psychic will and discerning flame that purifies, renews, and leads the inner yajña.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnihotra / general Agni-stotra usage within soma-sacrifice sequences (hymnic invocation)
क्षेत्रा॑दपश्यं सनु॒तश्चर॑न्तं सु॒मद्यू॒थं न पु॒रु शोभ॑मानम् । न ता अ॑गृभ्र॒न्नज॑निष्ट॒ हि षः पलि॑क्नी॒रिद्यु॑व॒तयो॑ भवन्ति ॥
क्षेत्रा॑त् । अ॒प॒श्य॒म् । स॒नु॒तरिति॑ । चर॑न्तम् । सु॒ऽमत् । यू॒थम् । न । पु॒रु । शोभ॑मानम् । न । ताः । अ॒गृ॒भ्र॒न् । अज॑निष्ट । हि । सः । पलि॑क्नीः । इत् । यु॒व॒तयः॑ । भ॒व॒न्ति॒ ॥
kṣetrāt | apaśyam | sanutariti | carantam | su-mat | yūtham | na | puru | śobhamānam | na | tāḥ | agṛbhran | ajaniṣṭa | hi | saḥ | paliknīḥ | it | yuvatayaḥ | bhavanti
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables (with Vedic variations)
Forward-driving, expansive cadence suited to movement and unveiling
Builds a sense of onward surge and renewal; supports visualization of the flame’s progressive action through the being.
- क्षेत्रात् (kṣetrāt)
- Literal: from the field. Symbolic: from the prepared ground of embodied nature; the life-field where the inner sacrifice is arranged
- चरन्तम् (carantam)
- Literal: moving, going onward. Symbolic: progressive action of the will-flame through the parts of the being
- यूथम् (yūtham)
- Literal: herd, troop. Symbolic: a collective rush of luminous powers (rays/impulses of truth) moving together
- शोभमानम् (śobhamānam)
- Literal: shining, splendid. Symbolic: radiant manifestation of awakened consciousness
- अगृभ्रन् (agṛbhran)
- Literal: they seized (not). Symbolic: lower forces cannot capture/appropriate the divine impulse
- अजनिष्ट (ajaniṣṭa)
- Literal: was born. Symbolic: the true Fire is not produced by ego or desire-nature
- पलिक्नीः (paliknīḥ)
- Literal: grey-haired women/aged ones. Symbolic: worn-out powers, fatigued faculties, old habits of nature
- युवतयः (yuvatayaḥ)
- Literal: young women. Symbolic: renewed energies and fresh capacities in mind-life-body
Verse of renewal: used to affirm rejuvenation of energies through Agni; conceptually aligned to rites of rekindling and re-consecration.
At kindling/strengthening of the sacred fire; also as praise during offerings
Recitation while tending fire and offering ghee; affirming Agni’s victorious, unseizable nature
Use as a morning renewal mantra: invoke inner rejuvenation when fatigued, depressed, or stuck in old patterns.
yū́tha- ‘herd’ (collective) often used for rays/cows symbolically: a plurality of luminous powers. paliknī́- ‘grey-haired’ indicates decay/age; the transformation to yuvatí- ‘young’ (from yuva) encodes renewal—Agni as rejuvenator of faculties. sanutáś suggests ‘along, onward’ (continuative), emphasizing progressive inner movement.
Renewal of faculties (old becomes young), Irresistibility of true manifestation (cannot be seized by the unready), Progressive advance (sanutaś carantam)
Agni’s ‘moving onward’ signifies Ṛta’s progressive unfolding in the human instrument.
The Fire is ‘not born for them’—truth-will is not a product of the lower nature.
Re-creation/renewal: the old becomes young through the descending presence of the divine flame.
Vedantic-psychological reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap): Agni as psychic being and evolutionary will.
dawn-to-morning (suggested by renewal/youth motif)
The ‘field’ is the embodied nature; the ‘shining herd’ are rays/forces of awakened consciousness moving together under Agni’s lead.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The unstoppable movement of the shining ‘herd’ and the miracle of rejuvenation: the old become young. Psychologically, when Agni’s luminous force begins to move, decayed habit-energies are re-formed into fresh capacities; obstruction cannot ‘seize’ the true fire.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- yuva- ‘young’ is securely PIE *h₂yeu̯h₁- ‘young’ (cf. Latin iuvenis). The hymn’s symbolic contrast of old/young uses an inherited IE opposition to express renewal of life-force.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi reports a transformative vision: Agni’s movement is not merely observed but understood as a law of inner change. The devatā is presented as the agent that converts senescence of consciousness into youth—an experiential promise for the practitioner.
Invoke Agni moving through the ‘field’ of the body; feel worn-out parts becoming young by contact with the flame of aspiration.
maṇipūra (fire/will) with support to anāhata (renewal/joy)
moderate nāḍī-śodhana 6–6 with a gentle inner ‘heat’ awareness at the navel
From tamasic fatigue to sattvic brightness and forward drive
Before work/practice, sit 5 minutes: visualize a small golden flame in the navel rising through the spine; repeat the mantra 11 times, ending with silent receptivity to renewal.
Triṣṭubh recitation with Vedic accents per pada: maintain udatta peaks on accented syllables (e.g., kṣétrād, ápaśyam, púru, śóbh-), with anudatta lows and svarita falls as marked in saṃhitā.
Chant by pāda; lightly lift pitch on udatta, let svarita glide down; keep sandhi clear at pāda breaks.
kṣ in kṣetrād: crisp ‘k’ + ‘ṣ’ cluster, śobhamānam: ‘śo-bha’ clear, avoid ‘sho’ flattening, paliknīr: keep long ī, and retroflex ṇ if present in your recension, yuvatayaḥ: ‘yu-va-ta-yaḥ’ with final visarga audible but soft
bright, forward, slightly ascending energy; not heavy
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