Rig Veda 8.39.1: Mandala 8, Sukta 39, Mantra 1
Sukta 8.39
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Raudra (fury)
अग्निमस्तोष्यृग्मियमग्निमीळा यजध्यै । अग्निर्देवाँ अनक्तु न उभे हि विदथे कविरन्तश्चरति दूत्यं नभन्तामन्यके समे ॥
agním astoṣi ṛgmíyam agním īḷā́ yajádhyai | agnír devā́n anaktu na ubhé hí vidáthe kavír antáś cárati dūtyám nabhantām anyaké samé ||
Ta đã tán dương Agni, bậc tiên tri của thánh ca; ta thờ kính Agni, đấng đáng được phụng tế trong yajña. Nguyện Agni xức dầu và đặt các Deva trên chúng ta, khiến các Ngài hiện diện cùng ta; vì trong cả hai hội chúng, Ngài—thi sĩ—vận hành ở bên trong như sứ giả: nguyện các thế lực đối nghịch bị xua đi sang cõi khác.
Word by Word
- अग्निम्
- Agni (as object)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अग्नि-
- अस्तोषि
- praisedVerbलुङ् (aorist); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root स्तु (√स्तु) / स्तो (Vedic aorist of √स्तु)
- ऋग्मियम्
- hymn-worthy, praised with ṛksAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (अग्निम् विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेषण)Root ऋग्मिय- (from ऋच्/ऋक् ‘hymn’)
- अग्निम्
- AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अग्नि-
- ईळा
- I invoke/praiseVerbलट्; उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Vedic injunctive/indicative usage)Role (क्रिया)Root ईळ (√ईळ्/√ईड् ‘to praise, invoke’)
- यजध्यै
- to worship/sacrificeVerbतुमर्थे दैवत्य-प्रयोगः: infinitive (Vedic -ध्यै); एकवचनRole प्रयोजन (उद्देश्य)Root यज् (√यज्)
- अग्निः
- AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अग्नि-
- देवान्
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot देव-
- अनक्तु
- may (he) anointVerbलोट्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root नञ्ज्/नक्त् (√नञ्ज्/√नक्त् ‘to anoint, smear’)
- नः
- for us/ourPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी; बहुवचन (enclitic)Role सम्प्रदान/सम्बन्ध (contextual)Root अस्मद्-
- उभे
- bothAdjective/Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; द्विवचन (विदथे इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role अधिकरण/कर्म (contextual)Root उभ-
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपातRole (सम्बन्धक)Root हि
- विदथे
- in the assembly/ritual gatheringNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचन (Vedic locative; ‘at the vidatha’)Role अधिकरणRoot विदथ-
- कविः
- the seer/poetNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अग्नेः विशेषणम्)Root कवि-
- अन्तः
- withinIndeclinable (adverb) / Noun-stem used adverbiallyअव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगःRole अधिकरण (स्थान)Root अन्तर्
- चरति
- moves, goes aboutVerbलट्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root चर् (√चर्)
- दूत्यम्
- messengership, missionNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot दूत्य- (from दूत ‘messenger’)
- नभन्ताम्
- let them strive/press on (Vedic)Verbलोट्; तृतीयपुरुष; बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद/परस्मैपद (Vedic variant; here imperative plural)Role (क्रिया)Root नभ् (√नभ् ‘to burst forth/shine?’ Vedic; also read as √नम्/√भम् in some traditions)
- अन्यके
- in another (place/way)Adjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचन (समे इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role अधिकरणRoot अन्यक- (from अन्य ‘other’ with -क)
- समे
- in the same level/place; in the encounterNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot सम-
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (principal): अग्निमस्तोष्यृग्मियम् → अग्निम् + अस्तोषि + ऋग्मियम् (final -म् + initial vowel; Vedic orthography shows coalescence)
- अग्निमीळा → अग्निम् + ईळा
- यजध्यै kept as Vedic infinitive in -ध्यै
- अग्निर्देवान् → अग्निः + देवान् (visarga before voiced consonant)
- उभे हि → no change
- कविरन्तश्चरति → कविः + अन्तः + चरति (visarga loss before vowel; अन्तः + चरति gives अन्तश्चरति)
- दूत्यं१ नभन्तामन्यके → दूत्यम् + नभन्ताम् + अन्यके (anusvāra/stop assimilation not marked in Saṃhitā spelling)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The poet magnifies and worships Agni; asks Agni to anoint the gods upon us. Agni moves as an inner messenger in both assemblies; may opposing powers be driven away elsewhere.
Inner meaning
Agni is praised as ṛgmiyam—seer/knower in the hymn: the divine Will that is itself the inspired intelligence in our aspiration. To ‘anoint the gods upon us’ is to establish the divine powers (clarity, strength, harmony, joy) in our nature. Agni moves ‘within’ as dūta, the messenger between human and divine parts of being, active in both ‘assemblies’—inner and outer, or the mortal and the luminous planes. The closing refrain is a psychological exorcism: forces of obstruction and division are to be displaced from the consciousness-field into a non-operative domain.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress requires an inner fire that both offers upward and brings down divine powers; when this mediator is awake, opposing tendencies lose their foothold.
Themes
Agni as messenger, Invocation, Consecration/anointing, Protection/banishment of obstacles
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.39.2, Rig Veda 8.39.3
Significance
The hymn-sequence reads like a compact yoga of Agni: praise → installation of gods → inner word in the body → offering of thought; the refrain indicates a consistent battle against obstruction.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- kavi (poet-seer), dūta (messenger), yajadhya (worthy of worship), pūrvya (ancient, in 8.39.3)
- Related deities
- Indra (as allied illumination), Soma (as resultant delight), Vivasvat (solar source, explicit in 8.39.3)
Cosmic role
Priest of the sacrifice, carrier of offerings, awakener of the gods, mediator between worlds.
Inner power
Psychic fire that translates aspiration into effective offering and brings divine powers into embodied life.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni praise and consecration within offerings; also apotropaic (driving away hostile powers).
अ॒ग्निम॑स्तोष्यृ॒ग्मिय॑म॒ग्निमी॒ळा य॒जध्यै॑ । अ॒ग्निर्दे॒वाँ अ॑नक्तु न उ॒भे हि वि॒दथे॑ क॒विर॒न्तश्चर॑ति दू॒त्यं१॒॑ नभ॑न्तामन्य॒के स॑मे ॥
अ॒ग्निम् । अ॒स्तो॒षि॒ । ऋ॒ग्मिय॑म् । अ॒ग्निम् । ई॒ळा । य॒जध्यै॑ । अ॒ग्निः । दे॒वान् । अ॒न॒क्तु॒ । नः॒ । उ॒भे इति॑ । हि । वि॒दथे॒ इति॑ । क॒विः । अ॒न्तरिति॑ । चर॑ति । दू॒त्य॑म् । नभ॑न्ताम् । अ॒न्य॒के । स॒मे॒ ॥
agnim | astoṣi | ṛgmiyam | agnim | īḷā | yajadhyai | agniḥ | devān | anaktu | naḥ | ubhe iti | hi | vidatheiti | kaviḥ | antariti | carati | dūtyam | nabhantām | anyake | same
Appears as a multi-part verse with an extended closing refrain; not a simple 3- or 4-pāda standard in the provided lineation.
Expansive and incantatory; the repeated closing phrase acts as a percussive banishing cadence.
Builds intensity through praise and petition, then seals the field with a firm ‘sending-away’ refrain.
- ऋग्मियम् (ṛgmiyam)
- Literal: hymn-worthy/related to ṛc. Symbolic: Agni as the inspired seer-force within the mantra, the intelligence in aspiration
- ईळा (īḻā)
- Literal: I adore/praise. Symbolic: reverent turning of the being toward the divine Presence
- यजध्यै (yajadhyai)
- Literal: to be worshipped/sacrificed to. Symbolic: that which is to be served by inner offering (yajña as yoga)
- अनक्तु (anaktu)
- Literal: may he anoint/smear. Symbolic: may Agni establish and ‘consecrate’ divine qualities in us
- उभे विदथे (ubhe vidathe)
- Literal: in both assemblies/rites. Symbolic: in both planes—inner/outer, human/divine—Agni operates as mediator
- दूत्यं (dūtyam)
- Literal: messengership. Symbolic: the bridging function between aspiration and descent
- नभन्ताम् अन्यके समे (nabhantām anyake same)
- Literal: let them be driven away into another place/level. Symbolic: banishment of hostile formations to a non-influential plane
Agni-stotra style opening for yajña; applicable wherever Agni is installed as hotṛ and dūta, especially in soma rites (Agnīṣṭoma sequences) and general havis offerings.
At the kindling/praise of Agni and when establishing protective boundaries around the rite.
Stotra/praise; invitation for divine powers to ‘sit’ on the sacrificer; banishing obstacles.
Use as a protective opening for meditation space: kindle inner fire, invite higher qualities, consciously release intrusive thoughts/forces ‘to another plane’.
astoṣi: 1sg perfect of √stu ‘praise’. īḷā: 1sg of √īḷ ‘invoke’. yajadhyai: infinitive (dative/artham) of √yaj ‘to worship/sacrifice’. anaktu: optative/imperative sense from √añj ‘anoint’, a ritual verb extended psychologically as ‘to empower/prepare’. dūtya: noun from dūta ‘messenger’, from √dū (to send/dispatch) in semantic tradition; Agni as mediator. vidatha: archaic term for ritual assembly/dispensation; linked to √vid ‘know’ (as ‘occasion of knowing/ordering’), though etymology debated—functionally denotes ordered rite/meeting.
Ṛta via right-formulated hymn (ṛc), Mediation between worlds (antarikṣa-function of Agni as link), Protection/exclusion of hostile forces
Agni’s correct mediation in ‘both assemblies’ maintains ṛta between planes.
The kavi within perceives true intention and corrects deviation in the offering.
Installation of gods in the human field—microcosmic creation of a divine order within embodied life.
Vedic yoga of inner sacrifice (Aurobindo): yajña as transformation of nature via Agni.
Fire = tapas/will; anointing = saturation of nature with divine vibration; messenger = channel between higher and lower consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as dūta (messenger) moving between the two assemblies/worlds, carrying offerings and returning divine powers. The expulsion formula (‘let them go to another plane’) frames the perennial mythic opposition: the rite establishes the domain of the gods by excluding obstructers.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- agní- ~ Latin ignis shows inherited fire-deity lexeme. The figure of the ‘poet’ (kavi) and ‘messenger’ (dūta) reflects Indo-European poetics where the hymn itself is an efficacious act; formulaic optatives/imperatives (anaktu, nabhantām) show archaic performative speech.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi offers completed praise (astoṣi) and ongoing adoration (īḷā), asking Agni to ‘anoint’ the gods upon the human collective (naḥ). The reciprocity: right speech enables Agni’s mediation; Agni in turn makes the divine presence operative and pushes away inner/outer adversaries.
Kindle the psychic fire; invite higher qualities to occupy the mind-life-body; expel intrusive formations.
Maṇipūra (fire/will) with support to Anāhata (consecration ‘upon us’).
Kapalabhāti light (if suitable) 30–60 strokes, then slow breathing while chanting the refrain as a clearing command.
Forceful clarity and protected stillness after catharsis.
On ‘agnim īḻā’, feel reverence; on ‘devān anaktu naḥ’, imagine divine qualities descending like warm gold; on the refrain, exhale and release all resistance outward and away.
Rigvedic accents as marked; treat the long closing refrain as a steady, emphatic cadence without rushing.
Keep clear caesuras after yajadhyai | and after dūtyam |; give the refrain a slightly lower settling pitch to ‘seal’ the banishment.
īḻā: retroflex ḻ (Vedic) approximated carefully; avoid plain ‘la’., devām̐: nasalization before the pause., vidathe: articulate dh as voiced aspirate; do not harden to ‘t’., nabhantām: keep bh voiced aspirate.
Firm, priestly, with a strong concluding release on the refrain.
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