Rig Veda 5.13.3: Mandala 5, Sukta 13, Mantra 3
Sukta 5.13
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अग्निर्जुषत नो गिरो होता यो मानुषेष्वा । स यक्षद्दैव्यं जनम् ॥
agnír juṣata no gíro hótā yó mā́nuṣeṣv ā́ | sá yakṣad daívyam jánam ||
愿阿耆尼悦纳我们的言辞——他是在众人之中为祭司（hotṛ）的那一位。愿他行祭，使神圣的诸族（诸力）得以临近，进入我们的作为之域。
Word by Word
- अग्निः
- Agni (the fire-god)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अग्नि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- जुषत
- may he enjoy / may he be pleased withVerbलोट् (विधिलिङ्/आज्ञार्थे), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (वेदिक रूप)Role (क्रिया)Root √जुष् (सेवने/प्रीतौ)
- नः
- of us / ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (स्वामि-सम्बन्धः)Root अस्मद्- (सर्वनाम)
- गिरः
- hymns, songs, praisesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot गिर्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- होता
- the Hotṛ-priest (invoker)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अग्नेः विशेषण/अप्पोज़िशन)Root √हु (यज्ञे) → होतृ- (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (यः…सः-सम्बन्धे)Root यद्- (सर्वनाम)
- मानुषेषु
- among men / in human (beings)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot मानुष- (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards, hither; (prefix)Indeclinableउपसर्गः (आ-)Role (क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्ग)Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot तद्- (सर्वनाम)
- यक्षत्
- may he worship / may he sacrificeVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (वेदिक रूप)Role (क्रिया)Root √यज् (देवपूजासंगतिकरणदानेषु) / वेदिक √यक्ष्
- दैव्यं
- divineAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (जनम्-विशेषण)Root दैव्य- (देव- से तद्धित)
- जनम्
- the people/folk; (here) the divine race/hostNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot जन- (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अग्निः | जुषत | नः | गिरः | होता | यः | मानुषेषु | आ | सः | यक्षत् | दैव्यं | जनम् || संधि: (1) अग्निर्जुषत = अग्निः + जुषत (विसर्ग→र्, र्+ज् संयोग)
- (2) नो गिरो = नः + गिरः (विसर्ग-लोप/ओ-आदेशः प्रगृह्य-प्रवृत्तिः; संहितायां ‘नो’)
- (3) मानुषेष्वा = मानुषेषु + आ (उकारान्त + आ → ‘ष्वा’ रूप, उ→व् संयोग)
- (4) यक्षद्दैव्यं = यक्षत् + दैव्यं (त् + द् → द्द्, परसवर्ण-संधि/व्यञ्जन-संधि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May Agni accept our words, he who is the priest among human beings; may he sacrifice and bring near the divine people.
Inner meaning
Agni is invoked as the inner Hotṛ— the conscious will in the human instrument (mānuṣeṣu). When our speech (giraḥ) becomes true and offered, Agni ‘accepts’ it, i.e., takes it up as fuel. Then he performs the inner yajña: he calls and brings forward the daivya jana—divine powers (illumination, strength, harmony, joy) that can inhabit and work through our nature.
Universal truth
When speech and thought are sincerely offered to the inner fire, a higher order of forces can enter human life and transform action from within.
Themes
Agni as Hotṛ within, bringing devas, efficacy of speech
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 5.11, Rig Veda 5.12, Rig Veda 5.13.1-6
Family tradition
Ātri hymns frequently stress Agni as hotṛ and the entry of divine powers into the human field through right offering.
Significance
Atri’s gaze is practical-yogic: the divine is not distant; it is invited into ‘mānuṣeṣu’ through consecrated speech and awakened will.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- hotā (priest), juṣāṇa (accepting), mānuṣeṣu hotā (priest within humans)
- Related deities
- Viśve Devāḥ (divine collectives), Indra, Sarasvatī (inspiration/speech)
Cosmic role
Summoner of the gods; establisher of the sacrificial link; transformer of offerings into divine participation.
Inner power
Psychic fire that purifies speech, makes it effective, and organizes inner forces to host the divine powers.
In ritual
Where it is used
Hotṛ-invocation within Agni praise; suitable at the start of offerings when inviting devas
अ॒ग्निर्जु॑षत नो॒ गिरो॒ होता॒ यो मानु॑षे॒ष्वा । स य॑क्ष॒द्दैव्यं॒ जन॑म् ॥
अ॒ग्निः । जु॒ष॒त॒ । नः॒ । गिरः॑ । होता॑ । यः । मानु॑षेषु । आ । सः । य॒क्ष॒त् । दैव्य॑म् । जन॑म् ॥
agniḥ | juṣata | naḥ | giraḥ | hotā | yaḥ | mānuṣeṣu | ā | saḥ | yakṣat | daivyam | janam
24
3×8 (approx.)
invocatory and functional; a ‘calling’ rhythm suited to summoning
Encourages a sense of inner priesthood and welcoming descent; stabilizes speech into mantra.
- गिरः (giraḥ)
- Literal: words, songs. Symbolic: expressed thought-force; mantra-speech as offering
- जुषत (juṣata)
- Literal: may he enjoy/accept. Symbolic: inner fire takes up and assimilates the offering
- होता (hotā)
- Literal: sacrificing priest. Symbolic: the will that selects, offers, and mediates between lower and higher
- मानुषेषु (mānuṣeṣu)
- Literal: among humans. Symbolic: within the human nature—mind, life, body as field of yoga
- यक्षत् (yakṣat)
- Literal: may he sacrifice/worship. Symbolic: may he effect the inner exchange and consecration
- दैव्यं जनम् (daivyaṃ janam)
- Literal: divine people/folk. Symbolic: companies of divine powers (devas) entering the being
Hotṛ-oriented verse: asks Agni to accept speech and to conduct the offering that brings the devas into the rite.
Before/with oblations; when calling the devatās to the rite
Recite to ‘seat’ Agni as hotṛ and invite the divine host; accompany with ghee offering
Before speaking/teaching/important conversation: recite to consecrate speech so it becomes a channel for higher forces rather than ego-reaction.
juṣ- conveys ‘acceptance with delight’—a key criterion of successful mantra. hotṛ from √hu ‘to pour/offer’ (and ritual calling) indicates mediation. √yaj is the central sacrificial root; psychologically, it is disciplined exchange between human and divine. jana ‘people’ extends to ‘classes of gods/powers’ in Vedic idiom.
mantra acceptance (juṣ), mediation between human and divine, invitation of divine powers
Hotṛ-function is ṛta in action: right selection and offering, right invocation of powers.
True speech becomes the vehicle for divine presence.
Descent of ‘divine peoples’ into human nature—microcosmic embodiment of cosmic powers.
Vedic integral psychology: devas as functional powers of consciousness, not merely external gods.
Fire within humans = will/psychic heat; ‘divine peoples’ = higher faculties awakening and organizing the nature.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as the inner Hotṛ who ‘brings the gods’: the mythic mediation where fire carries offerings upward and returns divine presences. Psychologically, awakened will carries aspiration to higher powers and makes them active in the human field.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √yaj (sacrifice) is Indo-Iranian (cf. Avestan yasna). The priestly title hotṛ is part of inherited IE ritual vocabulary, reflecting a shared archaic institution of the ‘caller/offerer’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi offers giras (inspired speech) and asks for Agni’s ‘acceptance’; in return Agni performs the connecting work—he makes the divine powers present and operative.
Offer your speech into the inner fire: feel each word arise from a quiet heart-flame; invite higher qualities to ‘come near’ before action.
vishuddha (purification and truth of speech)
inhale: receive; exhale: offer a short phrase/prayer into the heart-fire
receptive silence with luminous speech emerging from it
Practice ‘speech-yajña’: speak less, speak truer. Before speaking, inwardly invoke Agni-hotṛ; after speaking, pause and feel whether the divine powers moved closer.
Maintain clear udatta peaks on key invocatory words (agniḥ, hotā, daivyaṃ); let svarita falls soften the cadence into the invitation.
Give weight to hotā and daivyaṃ janam; keep juṣata gentle—an asking, not commanding.
agniḥ: final ḥ light, juṣata: ṣ retroflex; short ‘u’, giro: roll/light tap ‘r’; long ‘o’, mānuṣeṣv ā: long ā in mā; ṣ retroflex in ṣe; keep sandhi to ‘ṣv’ clear, yakṣat: kṣ conjunct crisp
clear, priestly, slightly inward (as if chanting inside the chest)
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