Vedic Literature > Rig Veda > Introductory Hymns > Adoration of Agni
Hymn 1.1: The first hymn to Agni
Adoration of Agni
Rishi: Madhuchchhandah Vaishvamitrah
This hymn describes some principal characteristics of the God Agni, clearly one of the most prominent Gods in the Vedic hymns. A careful study of this hymn exposes us to the secret of the RV. In addition, the composers of the Vedic texts, like RV or Upanishads, have used the first hymn (or a phrase of the first mantra in the shorter Upanishads) to set the tone for the theme underlying the entire text.
The first step in the Yoga practiced by the seers of the RV is the development of the will power which gives an intimation of the higher realms. In the RV the God Agni is the Seer-Will who lights up the flame of the will in the yajamana, human aspirant, and leads him/her to the attainment of Supreme Beatitude.
To understand the nature of RV, there is no better beginning than the first hymn. In the Indian spiritual tradition the meditation and japa of the first hymn is the beginning for understanding the secret.
It is a hymn of nine verses in the Gayatri metre. It is made of three parts each of eight syllables. rishi is Madhuchchhandas, belonging to the lineage of the sage Vishvamitra. I will give the paraphrase of each verse:
I adore Agni placed in front, the deva of the yajna, the invoker or the summoner in the yajna and the carrier of felicities.
Agni, adored by the ancient seers, is also adorable to the later ones. He brings here the devas.
The treasure obtained from Agni is full of strength, calmness, happiness and other felicities, increasing day by day, not subject to dwindling like ordinary wealth.
Only the yajna which is guarded by Agni on all sides reaches the devas.
Endowed with the capacity to invoke supernormal powers of vision and audition in the human aspirants, wise and firm of will, Agni can make the other cosmic powers, devas, manifest in the aspirant.
Agni's special Truth is his power of conferring auspicious happiness, bhadra, which averts Falsehood.
We approach you day by day, in the night and in the light, carrying our surrender by our thought.
The (vast) Truth is the own home of Agni. There he increases for the human aspirant and protects him/her.
O Agni, cling to us like a father to the son; be of easy access to us.
This hymn, which employs very little symbolism, contains the seeds of the Bhakti tradition, particularly in the ninth and seventh verses. Agni is not a mere flame or even the deity of flame. He is a special aspect of the Divine whom the rishi loves with intensity comparable to the supreme Bhakti described in later devotional literature. The development of a personal relationship with the Divine is one of the key ideas of Bhakti Yoga and in the ninth verse. Agni is approached as if he were a father, son, spouse, friend and so on.
The seventh verse indicates that the rishis were familiar with the techniques of meditation, i.e., directing the thoughts. The idea of surrender, developed later in the Bhakti literature, is already present here. Here we see the mingling of Knowledge and Bhakti.
The first verse merits careful attention. There is no mention of the ritual performed by human priests on behalf of a human patron. Agni carries out all the functions of the priests which are mainly psychological in character. If we study all the verses in RV where the word kindling' occurs, we see that the kindling of Agni is not done by human beings but by the Gods themselves, often by the pair, Mitra and Varuna. Thus, the yajna in RV is not a mere rite. RV uses ritualistic words to describe spiritual practices and experiences.
The third verse clearly indicates that the opulence bestowed upon us by Agni increases day by day and thus it is non-physical.
The fourth verse regards yajna as a pilgrimage which takes the inner being of the aspirant to the secret divinity inside.
The fifth verse clearly declares that Agni is the power of Divine Will endowed with wisdom and vision.
The sixth verse reveals the special truth of Agni. He bestows the auspicious happiness, bhadra, which discriminates between Truth and Falsehood. This interpretation of bhadra is inescapable if we study all the verses involving the word bhadra namely (5.82.4), (5.82.5), (4.19.20), (5.1.10), (10.25.1), (10.104.9) etc.
This sukta contains several key words of the Rig Veda such as satyah, Truth, rtam, Right, rtvijam, the one who performs the yajna in the right order and at the right time, hotaram, the summoner or the priest of call, rishi, the seer, rayi, internal and external felicity, adhvara, the journey or the pilgrimage of yajna, kavi, the seer, kratu, the divine will, bhadra, auspicious happiness, good, vardhamanam, increasing, sve dame, own home, etc. A proper understanding of these words goes a long way in understanding the coherency of the entire Rig Veda.
MANTRA (1.1.1): LEADS THE YAJNA
Agni I adore, placed in front,
God of yajna, rtvik, summoner,
Who activates the dormant ecstasies excellently.
agnim ile purohitam
Agni, I adore, placed in front, yajnasya devam rtvijam;
of yajna, God, rtvik priest, hotaram ratna dhatamam
summoner, ecstasies, founds excellently.
Details:
The purport of this important mantra is:
I aspire intensely for Agni, the adorable, the leader who carries out the yajna. He does and gets done the yajna in due season. He, as the summoner, is capable of bringing the Gods to the yajna performed here. He establishes in the aspirant excellent felicities.
We also see in this sukta, composed several millennia earlier, the seeds of the later Vedantic thought. For instance, in the yajna, Agni is himself the priest and Agni is also the deity called for. He actively helps the human aspirant in the march toward perfection. We see here the idea of worshipping the spirit by spirit', later developed extensively as the Yoga of Knowledge. For instance, in the Bhagavad Gita (4.24), it is stated that, Brahman, the supreme principle, is the offering in yajna, Brahman is the sacrificial fire, Brahman is the thing offered ...'
agni: It is derived from ang which indicates a strong and luminous movement.
ile: Indicates an act of adoration, aspiration, etc.
purohitam: These are two words meaning placed in front'. It is incorrect to equate it with the modern or classical purohit, a person who directs the performance of rituals. Even in the times of the epic Ramayana, purohit meant the spiritual director of the king who not only advised the king on both temporal and spiritual matters, but also went ahead of the king in the procession (leader or placed in front) when he wanted to meet other kings. (Ramayana, Balakanda, 69.4,5). In the esoteric sense, Agni is the Divine Will in a person who has come up front and leads him/her towards the higher goals. Agni as the Divine Will is mentioned explicitly in (1.1.5) to be discussed presently.
yajnasya devam: Lord of the yajna. Yajna is the collaborative activity between the human aspirant and the cosmic powers, occurring both in the subtle body of a person and the cosmos. It is the offering of all works and gains to the divinity inside. Through the right yajna a person can achieve perfection in all actions. A rite or ceremony is the physical symbol of this inner yajna. Agni is the Divine Will in a person who prompts him/her to do all the actions in a spirit of offering, churn the Delight out of all actions and offer it to the Gods. Agni makes the aspirant participate in the inner yajna, even if the person is unconscious of the divine presence in his/her surface activities.
One school of traditionalists, mimamsakas, claim that yajna is nothing but ritual and characterize Rig Veda Samhita and other Veda Samhitas as part of Karma-Kanda, the ritual-book. However, out of the 1024 hymns in RV Samhita, not even one hymn gives details of any physical rite. There are only words like yajna, adhvara, yaja, present in the text.
rtvik: rtu in the Veda is the Order of the Truth, its arranged law, time, and circumstance. Agni is the representative priest who sacrifices according to the law, order, and season of the rtam.
hotaram: summoner or priest of call, one who invites all the Gods to the yajna in progress; hotr and its variants occur more than 200 times in RV. The traditional commentaries identify this word with the special priest, hotr, who offers havis, the libation. One of the meanings of the root hu in hotr is to cry or shout. The proper translation of hotr is summoner. Agni is the first God who helps the seeker on his/her outward journey by calling or summoning the other Gods or Powers for help in their respective ways.
ratnadhatamam: ratna in Veda means happiness or ecstasy.
Rathnadha means one who bears the happiness. The suffix tam means excellent. The happiness is the fruit of the offerings of the rishi or the aspirant in the yajna and Agni establishes the happiness in him/her.
Only in later Sanskrit does ratna mean jewels or wealth. The commentators, who view the yajna as a ritual of propitiation to the deities, think of this word as donor of the cows and horses'.
MANTRA (1.1.2): ANCIENT AND MODERN SEERS
Agni, adored by the ancient seers,
Is adored by the new sages too;
He brings the Gods here.
agnih purvebhih rshibhih Agni, ancient, seers,
idyo nutanaih uta adorable, new seers, too,
sa devan eha vakshati. he, Gods, here, brings.
Details:
Rishi: the seer, one who has found the divine Word of the supra-intellectual, supra-mental spiritual Truth expressed in the form of rik, the mantric verse. The person is not an intellectual composer of the hymn, but the seer drashta of the Eternal Truth; the impersonal knowledge comes to him/her vibrating out of the Infinite. Since the person has the complete inner knowledge, he/she can guide the world humanly as God guides it divinely.
purvebhih: ancient. It is impossible to determine the age of these seers, who are labeled ancient by the Seer Madhuchchhandas. The phrase indicates that the worship of Agni had a long tradition. The reference to the ancient and modern seers' is in other hymns like (8.11.10).
iha: here. The word is often misinterpreted to mean the vedic altar in the house of the rishi. iha means our world, this earth or in the esoteric interpretation, the inner body of the sacrificer.
a + vakshati: brings. The function indicated here is a continuation of the one indicated in the epithet hotr in (1.1.1); Agni brings the Gods located in heaven to a location on earth which is the body of the human aspirant.
MANTRA (1.1.3): ENDOWS INNER PLENITUDE
By Agni one enjoys an inner plenitude
That increases day by day,
Glorious and full of hero-power.
agnina rayim ashnavat By Agni, inner felicity, enjoys,
poshameva divedive; increasing, day by day,
yashasam viravattamam. glorious, full of hero power.
Details:
rayim: indicates inner plenitude or felicity. Only an inner treasure can have the descriptor increases day by day'. Yashas is an adjective to the treasure indicating glory. The inner treasure is endowed with a force so powerful that it enables the human to overcome the obstacles, caused by adverse powers, that prevent the enjoyment of bliss. The aspirant obtains this treasure by the grace of Agni who summons other Gods and makes way for the manifestation of their powers in man.
vira: the hero, power which battles the assaults of ignorance and falsehood. S translates it as a son.
yashasam: conquering glory. It is derived from yash, to strive. S translates it as, fame coming from charities'.
MANTRA (1.1.4): YAJNA AS A JOURNEY
O Agni, the yajna-pilgrimage
That is surrounded by you on all sides,
That alone reaches the Gods.
agne yam yajnam adhvaram Agni, that, yajna, path,
vishvatah paribhuhasi on every side, surrounding, are,
sa it deveshu gachchhati. that, alone, to the Gods, goes.
Details:
yajnam-advaram: yajna-pilgrimage. Agni gives the path of ascent to the rishi or the aspirant. The yajna or sacrifice is viewed in the Veda as a pilgrimage or a sacred journey that begins with our material body, the destination being svar, which is the heaven or the habitation of the Gods. The concept of svar has a counterpart in the inner body of the yajamana. The human aspirant joyously gives all he has in the yajna to attain the condition, svar. In such an endeavor there will always be adverse forces which can be overcome only by Agni who insures that the endeavor to reach the inner world of Gods will be successful. So in the esoteric interpretation, the word adhvara has a fixed meaning of journey or pilgrimage throughout the Veda. Agni is said to be the guide or charioteer of this journey in (1.44.2). In the traditional commentaries however, the word has multiple meanings such as journey, free from harm, free of killing, etc.
adhva: path; ra: to give.
MANTRA (1.1.5): AGNI IS SEER-WILL
Agni, the summoner, the seer-will, a God,
Who is true and has the power of granting super-normal powers of audition to the aspirant,
May he come with the Gods.
agnirhota kavikratu Agni, summoner, seer-will,
satyahchitra shravastamah true, variegated, rich auditions,
devo devebhihagamat a God, Gods, come.
Details:
kavi: seer. This key word with its variants occurs more than two hundred fifty times. Kavi in classical Sanskrit means a poet, but in the Veda it denotes a Seer, one who sees beyond the realm of senses, kranta-darshi. Kavi is open to the action of facilities of inspiration, intuition, revelation and audition. This meaning is consistent with the meanings of related words like akavi or kavya. Akavi occurs in RV (7.4.4) where it can only mean, one without vision', the prefix a' denoting negation. The word kavya occurs about fifty times in the RV and the generally held meaning, literary composition' is inappropriate. The correct meaning for kavya is seer-wisdom, the wisdom revealed by supraphysical visions or auditions. For instance, RV (10.87.21) reads, protect us by thy seer-wisdom, kavyena, O seer, O king'. An ordinary literary composition or poetry is not endowed with any power of protection. RV (4.3.16) states, nivachana kavaye kavyani', seer wisdoms that utter their inner meaning to the seer.' Only the supraphysical seer-wisdom has the power of protection and the secret inner meaning.
kratuh: It is explained by ritualists as intelligence, act or sacrifice. In the esoteric interpretation, it is given the fixed meaning of unshakable or a determined conscious force capable of execution'. Kratuhis the will associated with wisdom or vision and the force which makes its execution possible. The related word sukratum occurs about ten times in the RV and it means strong of will' as in RV (8.19.3). In addition, the word kratuh occurs in the Upanishads. For instance, in the Shandilya Vidya of the Chandogya Upanishad (III.14), there is the phrase sa kratum kurvita' which is interpreted by the great commentator Sri Shankara as, he should make the resolve or he should make up his will'.
kavikratuh: This word, which occurs about ten times in the RV as an epithet for the deity Agni, has the meaning seer-will'. Thus Agni is the Divine Will who has not only the vision of suprasensible realms, but is also endowed with the force to manifest that vision of perfection in the worlds within us and without. Since the knowledge comes by Truth-Consciousness, there is no possibility either of misapplication or error in Agni's actions.
satyah: Truth of the Divine Being or True in knowledge. This word and its variants occur about two hundred times. This word has been discussed already in the introduction.
shravas: fame or power of suprasensual audition or hearing. The word chitra indicates an infinite variety and tamah indicates excellence. Thus satyash-chitra-shravas-tamah means that Agni whose audition is suprasensible and is of many types can make the seeker hear wonderful audition. Obviously Agni can be contacted by lauds and chants. Recall that the first mantra began with the phrase agnim ile, adore Agni.' If Agni were a mere physical fire, contacting him through chanting would not make much sense.
MANTRA (1.1.6): THE TRUTH OF AGNI
O dear Agni, the auspicious happiness bhadra
That you shall create for the giver,
Is the truth of you alone, O Angiras.
yat anga dashushe tvam
that, brilliant, to the giver, you,
agne bhadram karishyasi;
Agni, auspicious happiness, shall do,
tavet tat satyam angirah.
you alone, that, truth, O Angira.
Details:
anga, angiras: These epithets of Agni indicate the quality of pre-eminence, flaming or glowing.
dashushe: giver. The person who performs the yajna gives offerings and hence is called the, giver'. He gives not only material gifts but also the result of his actions and enjoyments to the appropriate cosmic powers. yajna is an arrangement for the distribution of the activities.
bhadra: It is a key word in the Veda. Griffith translates it as blessings. According to S it signifies wealth in the form of progeny, animals, etc. Bhadra and its variants occur more than one hundred times in the RV and its precise meaning can be grasped by studying all these mantras. Such a study has been done in the commentary of Sri Kapali Sastry (CWKS, Vol.4). The present mantra says that bhadra is the auspicious happiness that Agni creates for the sacrificer or the human aspirant and that is the Truth of Agni alone. What could that truth be? In many mantras, bhadra is used as something exalted connected with Truth in contradistinction to the evil and calamities associated with false knowledge. For instance, RV (5.82.5) declares, O Savitr, send far away all calamities, send us only what is bhadra, good'. Bhadra is used as a power of Satya, Truth, which opposes all the misfortunes arising out of evil and false knowledge signified by the deity nirriti. In RV (10.164.2), bhadra is used to ward off the effects of evil dream, bhadra or auspicious happiness do they elect'. Bhadra is used as an adjective to signify Agni's own home: vast, great and happy, bhadra, is thy house of refuge RV (5.1.10)'. Bhadra is frequently used as an adjective for mind, Send us a happy mind, bhadram mano' RV (10.25.1). This mantra, RV (1.1.6), says that this bhadra, is Agni's truth alone. Bhadra confers both happiness and spiritual Good and hence is called here as auspicious happiness. Note that what is pleasing may not necessarily bring us near to the Spirit. Recall the distinction made in Katha Upanishad (1.2.2) between shreyas, the good and preyas, the pleasing, which yields only momentary happiness. Bhadra has the same connotation as shreyas.
MANTRA (1.1.7): OBEISANCE BY THOUGHT
To you, O Agni, day by day,
In the night and in the light,
We approach carrying our obeisance by our thought.
upa tva agne divedive
to, thee, Agni, day by day,
doshavastahdhiya vayam;
night and day, by the thought, we,
namo bharanta emasi.
Obeisance, carrying, we approach.
Details:
The purport is that the means to seek Agni is through spiritual practice which is rooted in meditation; a meditation that continues under all conditions, those of illumination or otherwise. Note that the ritual or rite is not mentioned, clearly indicating the esoteric nature of the yajna. The adoration of Agni and the constant meditation on him, while engaged in all activities, is the definitive sign of contact with Agni.
dhiya: plural of dhi, meaning thought, understanding or intelligence. This corresponds to the later word buddhi. It is given a variety of meanings like, water', work', sacrifice', food', thought', etc., by S. But its natural interpretation given here fits in all the verses of Veda where it occurs.
nama: obeisance or a spirit of self-surrender. Nama indicates that obeisance is not a physical act, but an act of thought, i.e., we are asked to be in a state of continuous meditation under all conditions. S translates it as food most of the time. It occurs more than 250 times in the RV.
upa + emasi: upemasi, approach; I have indicated the meaning of emasi as approach above for convenience. This meaning is obtained by attaching the prefix upa. This pattern occurs in many hymns.
MANTRA (1.1.8): AGNI'S OWN HOME
Agni reigns over pilgrim-yajnas,
He is the luminous guardian of truth,
His power of manifestation is increasing in his own home.
rajantam adhvaranam
master, pilgrim-yajnas,
gopam rtasya didivim;
guardian, of the truth, luminous,
vardhamanam sve dame.
increasing, own, home.
Details:
This mantra affirms the association between Agni and Truth mentioned earlier in mantras RV (1.1.5) and RV (1.1.6).
sve dame: Agni's own Home. It is not the altar of the ritual fire as the ritualists and the moderns claim. Agni's abode is characterised in RV (1.75.5) and other verses of RV, and also in Atharva Veda (12.1.1) by three phrases: Absolute Truth, satyam, Truth in action or manifestation, rtam, and Vast, brhat. Every aspect of manifestation in this universe and others are characterised by a truth, all of which are included in the word rtam. This abode has absolutely no limitations of any sort, physical, psychological, etc. Hence, it is characterised as Vast. In this verse, Agni is described as the guardian of the Truth in manifestation. In RV (1.12. 7), Agni is described as him whose law of being is Truth', satyadharmanam.
Wilson, following S, gives the following explanation for sve dame: the chamber in which the fire worship is performed and in which the fire increases by the oblations poured upon it'.
rtam: Truth in action. The eternal law of cosmos is only one aspect of the truth. It is the Truth in manifestation, the projection of the absolute Truth, satya, into the plane of time and space. It is the Truth of divine being both in seeing, hearing and conscious action without any touch of falsehood. This word occurs more than 500 times.
vardhamanam: increasing. Agni is described as increasing in his own home. Clearly the physical flame cannot increase forever, even by consuming all the ghee. The phrase Agni increasing in his own home' implies that Agni's power, both physical and psychological, increases in all aspects of manifestation including human beings.
rajantam: king. Only by means of the path, adhvara of the yajna, Agni takes the human aspirant to the home of Truth, the plane of the Vast. Thus, Agni is described as the king of these paths. Agni himself carries out the sacrifice or yajna because he wants to establish the supreme Truth in the yajamana.
MANTRA (1.1.9): AGNI AS FATHER
As a father onto his son,
Be of easy access to us;
Cling to us so that we can maintain our happy state.
sa nahpiteva sunave
you, our, like a father, a son,
agne supayano bhava;
Agni, easy of access, be,
sachasva nahsvastaye.
cling, to us, for our happy state.
Details:
The human aspirant prays to Agni like a son appealing to a loving father, with the hope that Agni would eliminate all false consciousness, the basis of misery. This is the profound Truth of Agni mentioned earlier in RV (1.1.6). The seed of the yoga of devotion elaborated in later texts like Bhagawad Gita, Bhagavatam and other puranas, is evident here.
svasti: the good or happy state. It is similar to the word bhadra discussed earlier in RV (1.1.6).
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Vedic Literature > Rig Veda > Word to word meaning > Introductory Hymns > Indra, vayu, Mitra
The devas Vayu, Mitra-Varuna, Ashvins and All-Gods: their functions
The hymns of the Rig Veda Samhita have been arranged so that the first three or four hymns serve as an introduction to the entire text. These hymns introduce briefly the goal of the Vedic sages and the role of the various devas or deities. We have already discussed in Volume 1 the role of devas Agni and Indra. Recall that Agni is the seer-will and Indra is the lord of the Divine Mind.
The detailed steps in the yajna occurring in our subtle bodies are mentioned in several mantras such as (1.84.18).
Hymns 13 and 14 also briefly describe the functions of the various deities. Hymn 13 has already been considered in Volume 1. Hymn 14 will be considered here.
Hymn 1 indicates the goal of the yajna namely the attainment of Truth and the gain of supreme beatitude. Hymns 2, 3 and others deal with the work of deities Vayu, Indra. Ashvins, Mitra, Varuna, and Sarasvati and the collectivity of All-Gods, in culturing the body and the mind of man so that it is fit to bear the pressure of the work of Agni and accept the supreme Delight, Soma.
Vayu is the lord of life energies, inspirer of the Breath or the dynamic energy called Prana. He is also known as matarishvan since he breathes or acts shva in the midregion matari. He supports the organisation of the nerve channels and the chakras mentioned in tantrik books and their activities in human beings which are the support of the mental energies. Vayu works in conjunction with Indra. Hence there is a subhymn jointly to Indra-Vayu since Indra, being the lord of mental activities, actively supports the work of Vayu as the following mantra (5.7.6) states: Him the mortal man must come to know as one who holds the multitude of his desires so that he may establish in him all; He takes the taste of all foods and builds a house for the being.' The house is the life-sheath or pranamaya kosha of man. Its counterpart in the macrocosm is the midregion antariksha.
Mitra and Varuna
Hymn 2 has a subhymn addressed to them
After the birth of the seer-will, Agni, in the seeker, Indra and Vayu have been prayed to come with the luminous and sustaining thought.
But in the manifestation of truth-consciousness, rta-chit, there are two obstructions. The first one is the obstruction in the seeker yajamana caused by his inability to discriminate between Truth and Falsehood, good and evil. Varuna is the God of the Vast and purity who destroys all evil. The second obstacle is the disharmony in the yajamana which strikes at the well-coordinated activities of the intelligence and thus causes futility in its operations. The God Mitra brings about the state of harmony and benevolence, consequent to the establishment of purity by Varuna.
Varuna is the God of all infinities, the ocean, space etc. His characteristic is vastness brhat which does not allow for any narrowness. According to the Vedic sages, all impurities are caused by narrowness, narrow outlook such as limiting the benefits to a limited circle of friends etc. Varuna removes all the impurities.
Ashvins
Hymn 3 has a subhymn to Ashvins, the twin-deities.
The name Ashvins is derived from ash, energy, which is also the root for ashva, horse, a symbol of strength, energy and life force. They are described in the Veda as full of capacity for enjoyment and drinkers of the honey of Soma. They are known for their speed. Their primary function is to effect action and enjoyment; they are performers of action with luminous and energetic understanding. They hold in the mentality the delight of life by a special thought power or power of understanding. They ferry the human seeker yajamana across all obscurities. They are also divine physicians who cure humans of ailments, physical, vital and mental.
Since both Vayu and Ashvins deal with life-force, it is important to distinguish their roles in the inner sacrifice. In the second hymn the God Vayu is declared as one who collects and makes ready the steeds representing the powers of life. The Ashvins are called to mount the steeds of life-power and harness them so that they can speedily accept the Soma, sap of delight which is being prepared by the yajamana. The Ashvins preside over the energies relating to the sacrifice and are instruments for the execution of the sacrifice. They are called upon "to take joy in our words' (mantra 2) because they have the ability to make speech one in nature with thought abounding with the strength. They are known for rendering any activity fruitful.
Vishve devah or the collectivity of All-Gods
Hymn 3 has a subhymn to the Vishve-devah
Vishve devahmeans the assembly or collectively of all the Gods. When the human seeker yajamana sets forth on his inner journey or sacrifice, every God is called upon to perform a particular task namely, the life-substance is prepared by Ashvins, mental substance is processed by Indra, etc. It is not possible to list all the functions of all the deities individually. All the Gods, mentioned or not mentioned, known or unknown, are invited to the inner yajna and support it so that the inner sacrifice is completed. Hence the reference is to the collectivity of the Gods. The goal of the yajna is the attainment of Truth-consciousness.
Hymn 2: Vayu, Indra, Mitra and Varuna
Rishi: Madhuchchhandas Vaishvamitrah
This hymn is made up of three subhymns addressed to the deities Vayu and Mitra-Varuna, each having three riks.
We will summarise the purport of hymn 2.
In the first subhymn, the Soma or the delight of existence is activated by the acts of yajamana and it is purified by the declaration, "It is not mine'. To receive the Soma, the delight of existence in the nervous regions or vital being of man. The lord of the vital being, Vayu, is lauded in the first three riks.
Then comes the preparation of the mental plane for which Indra and Vayu are jointly lauded.
The third subhymn deals with culturing of the mental being so that the rta, the manifestation of Truth, can take place. For this Mitra and Varuna, who are capable of establishing luminous intelligence in our subtle bodies are lauded.
Subhymn to Vayu: (1.2.1)-(1.2.3)
MANTRA (1.2.1): HANDSOME VAYU
Vayu, handsome, come.
The Soma is purified and ready.
Drink it; hear our call.
vayo a yahi darshateme
Vayu, ., come, handsome,
soma arankrtah;
Soma, purified,
tesham pahi shrudhi havam.
them, drink, hear, call.
Details:
Vayu is lauded as handsome because he endows humans with a harmonious development of nervous energies which renders their physical and vital bodies beautiful.
Soma: It is the delight of existence, nanda, whose home is rta-chit, Truth-consciousness. Soma juice which is produced from the Soma-creeper in the rituals is only an external symbol of the eternal Soma. The Soma as essence of Delight, the rasa, is hidden in the sense objects and sense experiences, in the plants and growths of the earth-nature. By his actions, the sacrificer extracts the rasa or the Delight in the experience of the sense objects, purifies them and offers them to the Gods. Purification means divesting these actions or experiences from any personal claim. This purified Soma is the food of the Gods. Indra and other Gods are energised by this Soma and conquer the realms of inconscience controlled by the titans who cover the knowledge. We may recall the Bhagavad Gita verse (15-13) "Becoming the Godhead of Soma, full of rasa (the sap in the earth-mother), I nourish all the plants and herbs.' The classic book on ancient Indian herbs is the Sushruta Samhita and it describes twenty-four varieties of the Soma plant in its Chapter 27. But nowhere is its intoxicating property mentioned [CWKS, vol. 4, p. 169]. It is only the modern imaginative minds who assume that Soma is an intoxicating beverage and that the seers, intoxicated with the Soma drink, laud the deity. Even a casual perusal of all the hymns on Soma will indicate its symbolic character.
We will quote here a verse on Soma from RV (10.85.3):
One thinks one has drunk the Soma, After one has crushed the herb;
None ever drank of the Soma, Known to the men of wisdom
Another quotation from RV (8.79.2):
He clothes the naked, doctors the sick, By his grace, the blind see and the lame walk.
arankrtah: the word alam or aram has 2 meanings: a sense of enough and a sense of decoration or purification. In this context, purifying is appropriate i.e., divesting it of all personal claims.
shrudhi: hear; The Gods are not abstract entities but are concrete personalities who hear our calls made through the chants and render the appropriate help.
MANTRA (1.2.2): KNOWERS OF THE CHANT OF LIGHT
O Vayu, the lovers laud you with their chants
Turning to you,
They, the Soma-pressers and the knowers of light.
vaya ukthebhir jarante
Vayu, by their lauds, (they) praise,
tvam achchha jaritarah
you, turning to, singers,
sutasoma aharvidah.
Soma-releasers, knowers of the light.
Details:
uktebhih: lauds, which have the power of manifesting the particular God in the seeker yajamana.
jaritarah: a synonym of a singer who pines for the deity. This usage is common in RV.
sutasoma: Persons who press or release the Soma; the rasa or delight in all objects or growths of earth is released by actions done in a spirit of dedication. Without action, Soma is not released. The ritualists translate the phrase as those who crush the Soma-herb.
aharvida: knowers of the Day or Light, ahah. This phrase clearly indicates the esoteric character of Soma. Anybody can press the Soma-herb. But only the illumined persons know how to release the concealed Delight in nature.
MANTRA (1.2.3): VAYU ACCEPTS SOMA THROUGH THE MANTRA
O Vayu, your filling stream of speech,
Moves towards the giver,
Widening to drink the Soma.
vayo tava praprnchathi dhena
Vayu, your, filling, speech,
jigati dashushe;
goes, to the giver,
uruchi somapitaye.
expanding, for drinking the Soma.
Details:
Even though the chant is coming out of the mouth of the giver or yajamana, it is inspired by the God Vayu who himself is moving towards the giver to drink the Soma prepared by the yajamana. Thus the mantra recitation invokes the Gods and also simultaneously serves as the medium through which the Gods accept the offering in the inner sacrifice.
dhena: it is a synonym of speech. But it retains the sense of flow having nourishing properties. In the esoteric sense, the meaning of a nourishing stream of speech is valid throughout the Rig Veda whereas ritualists translate it in various ways in different places as speech, women, river, etc.
Subhymn to Indra-Vayu: (1.2.4)-(1.2.6)
This hymn deals with the preparation of the mental plane for the manifestation and play of the Truth-consciousness. The deity Indra is the lord of the divine mind which has many planes in it including the sense-mind, i.e., the aspect of mind that interacts with the five senses of touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. The word Indra is derived from indriya, sense. The activity of Vayu who represents life energies is not complete without the sanction of the God of the mind. It is said that Indra is the charioteer of Vayu. The Mundaka Upanishad (2.2.8) says "manomaya pranasharira neta' mind leads the body of life-energies, prana'. This indicates the guidance by Indra and the sharing of Soma by the life-force embodied in physical nervous organism.
MANTRA (1.2.4): GIFTS TO THE SEEKER
O Indra-Vayu, here are the Soma pressings;
Come with your satisfying things;
The gladdening Somas desire you.
indravayu ime suta
Indra and Vayu, these (Soma), pressed out,
upa prayobhih agatam;
., pleasing (gifts), come;
indavo vam ushanti hi.
gladdening, you both, desire, .,
Details:
When Indra and Vayu come to accept the Somas which eagerly await their partakers, they also come with gifts, prayobhih, things or glories that are pleasing to the yajamana. A continual exchange between the Gods and man is a characteristic feature of the Veda.
upa + a + gatam: upagatam, come.
MANTRA (1.2.5): BECOME CONSCIOUS
O Vayu and Indra, become conscious of the Soma pressings;
O rich in plenitude,
You both approach us speedily.
vayavindrah cha chetathah
Vayu Indra, and, know,
sutanam vajinivasu;
the pressed Soma, plenitude of wealth,
tava yatam upa dravat.
you both, approach, ., speedily.
Details:
The earlier mantra states that the "Somas desire you (the Gods).' This mantra states "become conscious of the Soma.'
vajinivasu: Plenitude of wealth, plenty of all types of wealth, like physical wealth, health, emotional felicities, mental abilities etc. In the esoteric interpretation, vaja means always fullness or plenitude of objects such as food, wealth or qualities like strength, glories, etc.
vasu is always taken as wealth namely spiritual, material, aesthetic, etc.
For ritualists like S, vaja has ten or more different meanings, including food, battle etc.
upa + yatam: upayatam, come.
MANTRA (1.2.6): PERFECT GIFT OF THE SOMA
O Vayu and Indra, the Soma presser is ready
With the perfected gift; come soon,
Along with the right intelligence, O leaders.
vayavindrah cha sunvata
Vayu Indra, and Soma presser,
ayatam upa nishkrtam;
come, ., fully accomplished or perfected,
makshu ittha dhiya nara.
soon, thus, with intelligence, leaders.
Details:
When the Soma is accepted both by Vayu and Indra as co-partners, the Soma flows both in the life-body and mind-body of the seeker yajamana and there commences the play of the consciousness of Immortality in the mortal. This activity is fully accomplished or perfected as declared in the mantra.
dhi: thought or intelligence. It is roughly equivalent to buddhi, the discriminating mind of the Upanishads.
nishkrtam: fully accomplished.
Subhymn to Mitra and Varuna: (1.2.7)-(1.2.9)
It deals with the accomplishment of the activity of rta, the Truth in the mental being by which the intellect shall be cultured and the activity rendered ample. This subhymn is addressed to the Gods, Mitra and Varuna, whose roles have been clarified earlier in section.
MANTRA (1.2.7): PURIFIED UNDERSTANDING
I call Mitra of purified understanding and
Varuna who destroys our hurters,
Together effecting a clear and luminous intelligence.
mitram huve putadaksham
Mitra, I call, with purified understanding,
varunam cha rishadasam;
Varuna, and, destroyer of hurters,
dhiyam ghrtachim sadhanta.
intelligence, luminous, effecting.
Details:
daksham: understanding. Even though its usual meaning is strength, still it is the strength or skill in understanding, i.e., an intelligence which discriminates between good and bad, truth and falsehood, etc.
ghrtachim: luminous. The root ghr has also a sense of flow from which its common meaning of ghee or clarified butter is derived. In this mantra, it is the adjective of dhi, sustaining thought or intelligence and hence can take only the meaning of luminous. Throughout the Veda in the esoteric interpretation, this word ghrta has this fixed meaning of clarity, mental offering of light.
MANTRA (1.2.8): INCREASERS OF TRUTH
Mitra and Varuna, increasers of truth and
In touch with truth
Enjoy a vast will-power by the truth.
rtena mitravaruna
by the truth, Mitra and Varuna,
vrtavrdha vrtasprsha;
increase the truth, touch the truth;
kratum brhantam ashathe.
will-power, vast, pervade or enjoy.
Details:
Mitra and Varuna are called increasers of Truth since they effect the manifestation of Truth. Since their habitation is in the Truth-world, they are said to be in touch with the Truth. They enjoy a vast will-power to effectuate the manifestation of Truth.
rta: Right or Truth. It is a keyword in the Rig Veda. Its distinction from satya which is also translated as Truth should be noted. Satya stands for absolute Truth; rta stands for Truth in manifestation, Truth as it manifests in this and other worlds. rta is translated also as Truth-Law and Right. rta-chit is Truth-consciousness.
kratu: power of will accompanied by wisdom which effectuates action as discussed earlier in RV(1.1.5).
brhant: vast, an adjective of kratum.
MANTRA (1.2.9): THE DISCRIMINATION IN ACTIVITY
Mitra and Varuna, seers,
Born in many ways and dwelling in wideness ,
They uphold the discriminating intellect in activity.
kavi no mitravaruna
seer, our, Mitra and Varuna,
tuvijata urukshaya;
born in many, dwelling in wideness,
daksham dadhate apasam.
skill of discrimination, uphold, effecting action.
Details:
Gods manifest themselves in many ways in the yajamana, in their own form or in their activities. The beginning of the manifestation of the power of a God in a human being is stated as the birth of that God in that person. The person, in whom the God is born, regards the God as his child. The power of the God in a human being is like a seed which grows into a complete plant. Just as a seed grows into a plant, the seed of the God is said to grow in the person. tuvi means many.
tuvijata: born in many ways:
kavi: always stands for a seer of extended vision which transcends the senses. kavi can be translated as a poet who hears or sees things beyond the range of the physical senses, as discussed earlier in RV(1.1.5).
daksham: see RV(1.2.7). urukshaya: uru means wide or spread out. The dwelling of the Gods is in the plane of brhat, vast. There is no narrowness or construction there.
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Vedic Literature > Rig Veda > Word to word meaning > Introductory Hymns > Ashvins, Indra
Hymn 3: Ashvins, Indra, All-Gods and Sarasvati
It contains four subhymns addressed to Ashvins, Indra, the All-Gods and the Goddess Sarasvati, each subhymn having three riks. In the last subhymn, a laudation on Sarasvati, "we have the clear and unmistakable indication of the Truth-consciousness as the goal of the sacrifice, the object of Soma-offering and the culmination of the work of the Ashvins, Indra and the All-Gods, in the vitality and the mind [Sri Aurobindo, SV].
Subhymn to Ashvins: (1.3.1)-(1.3.3)
MANTRA (1.3.1): SUPERB ENJOYERS
O Ashvins, executors of yajna,
Swift-footed, lords of bliss,
Much-enjoyers, take delight in the energies (of the yajna).
ashvina yajvaririsho
Ashvins, executors of yajna,
dravatpani shubhaspati;
swift-footed, lords of bliss,
purubhuja chanasyatam.
abundant enjoyers, enjoy.
Details:
The Ashvins are called upon to preside over the energies that impel the human and which are the instruments for the execution of the inner yajna.
MANTRA (1.3.2): MANIFOLD ACTION
O Ashvins, leaders effecting manifold action,
With the firm and brilliant intelligenve,
Take joy in my words of praise.
ashvina purudamsasa
Ashvins, of manifold action,
nara shaviraya dhiya;
leaders, along with strength,with intelligence,
dhishnya vanatam girah
upholders of the intellect, enjoy, words of praise.
Details:
The yajna occurring in our subtle bodies is complex involving numerous steps. Only Ashvin with their capacity for many sided action can preside over the yajna.
shaviraya dhiya: sustaining thought throbbing with strength.
MANTRA (1.3.3): RAPID MOVEMENT
O fulfillers of action, powers of rapid movement,
Come with fierce speed to our yajna where Soma is prepared;
And the seat is ready.
dasra yuvakavah suta
fulfillers of action, Soma, pressed,
nasatya vrkta barhishah;
of rapid movement, emptied, seat of yajna,
ayatam rudravartani.
come, whose course is fierce.
Details:
The purport of the subhymn is as follows: The seat of yajna is ready, the Soma is pressed and is potent. Ashvins should come in order to enjoy the Soma and the words of praise. Ashvins establish words in thought, give them a thought form, endow them with strength and accept them. They render activity fruitful speedily.
nasatya: of rapid movement; root is nas meaning movement. It is a common name for Ashvins.
yuvakava: Soma; root is yuva, potency.
vrktabarhishah: the seat of yajna emptied of all unholy material. barhi is the sacred seat of the yajna, altar in the outer ritual, the inner being in the esoteric interpretation. vrkta means emptying. The word indicates the readying of the inner being for the arrival of Gods by emptying all useless thoughts.
Subhymn to Indra: (1.3.4)-(1.3.6)
In this subhymn the seer desires the favour of Indra, the God of pure mentality, after obtaining the grace of Ashvins. For the performance of right action in the right place, entry into the domain of pure thought is indispensable. Hence Indra is prayed to. First of all, the Soma, the delight in action, has to be cleared of such impurities such as attachment, ill-will, etc. Indra is prayed to purify them with the subtle powers of thought. The seer prays Indra to accept the mantras, come to the rishi and to uphold and make others uphold the Delight in the Soma offerings.
MANTRA (1.3.4): PURIFIED DELIGHTS
Come, O Indra of manifold lustres;
Desiring you is this pressed Soma
Which is made pure by subtle powers and extended (in the outer consciousness).
indra yahi chitrabhano
Indra, come, of varied lustres,
suta ime tvayavah;
prepared, these, desiring you,
anvibhih tana putasah.
by subtle powers, extended, made pure.
Details:
Soma, the delight, released or pressed by our actions has psychological impurities such as attachment. Hence it has to be purified before being offered to Indra. The purification is done by the subtle powers of thought. Further they have to be extended so as to reach our outer physical consciousness. Similar ideas are in (9.26.1), (9.15.1), (9.15.2), (9.1.6), (9.1.7). Sayana's commentary is discussed in detail in CWKS, Vol. 4.
anvi: subtle. So S explains it in several other places, even though he translates it in this mantra as fingers.
tvayavah: desiring you; clearly the physical Soma juice pressed from a plant cannot desire. The symbolism of Soma is obvious.
MANTRA (1.3.5): LUMINOUS THINKERS MOVE INDRA
O Indra, impelled by the thought,
Moved by the illumined thinkers,
Come to the chants of mine, the Soma-presser.
indra yahi dhiyeshito
Indra, come, impelled by thought,
viprajutah sutavatah;
moved by the thinker, soma- presser,
upa brahmani vaghatah.
mantras, of the lauder come,
Details:
Indra is lauded to accept the mantras of the chanter who has prepared the Soma. Impelled by the illumined thought and its force, Indra comes to the mantras of the Seer.
vipra: illumined thinker.
brahmi: mantras. brahma in the Veda means only mantra. The puranic deity Brahma is not mentioned in Rig Veda.
vaghatam: lauder, one who expresses his soul thoughts in the form of vak, the potent speech.
MANTRA (1.3.6): HOLD THE DELIGHT FIRMLY
Come, O Indra, speedily with your steeds,
To my soul-thought (mantras);
Hold firm for us the delight in the Soma.
Indra yahi tutujana
Indra, come, most speedy,
upa brahmani harivah;
., mantras, along with the steeds,
sute dadhishva nashchanah.
Soma, hold firm, for us, happiness.
Details:
Ashvins establish the delight of Soma in the vital being and nervous systems sustained by the life-force Vayu. Now it is to be delivered to Indra in the mental heavens. He holds it firmly so that it permeates all the levels of the human mind.
hari: Indra's steeds. For its esoteric interpretation, see RV (l.6.2).
In section IV, there is also a subhymn to Ashvins as a part of hymn 30.
In the same section, there is a subhymn to the goddess of dawn Usha.
Subhymn to All - Gods: (1.3.7)-(1.3.9)
The yajna occurring in the subtle body involves numerous types of powers or devas. Some of the prominent ones are mentioned by name like Agni, Indra, Surya etc. But the cataloguing of all powers involved is not easy. However the role of all these devas, named or not named is important. Hence the name All-Gods represents the collectivity of all the Gods, mentioned specifically by name or not. The collectivity is called upon to apportion the Soma prepared by the seeker among all the devas according to their functions.
MANTRA (1.3.7): APPORTION THE SOMA
O upholders of activists, fosterers,
Come, O All-Gods,
You who apportion the Soma prepared by the giver.
omasah charshani dhrto
fosterers, doers or activists, upholders of,
vishve devasa agata;
all-Gods, ., come,
dashvamso dashushah sutam.
appropriate apportioners, of the giver, soma.
MANTRA (1.3.8): SPEEDING THE WATERS
O All-Gods, who shower the waters
Come to the Soma offering
Like cows to their place of rest.
vishvedevaso apturah
O all-Gods, who shower the waters,
sutama ganta turnayah;
to our Soma, come, hastening,
usra iva svasarani.
cows, like, cow-pens. all-Gods, showerers of the gifts (waters).
Details:
apturah: givers of waters. Waters include the gift of lustre, strength, enjoyments, etc., not merely rain. Another meaning is those who lead across the waters or oceans.
MANTRA (1.3.9): MOVING EVERYWHERE IN KNOWLEDGE
O all-Gods, neither exhausted nor treacherous,
Free moving in your forms of knowledge,
Take delight in this sacrifice as its upholders.
vishvedevaso asridha
all-Gods, unexhausted,
ehimayaso adruhah;
., one without treachery,
medham jushanta vahnayah.
sacrifice, do take delight, upholders.
Details:
A characteristic of Vedic Gods is that they never harm nor deceive those that are devoted or open to them. They fight only the titans or those under their influence. The stories in the puranas about Gods like Agni or Indra are inappropriate to describe the Vedic Gods, even though they have the same name. Many of the Gods of the puranas belong to the vital world, whereas the Vedic Gods reside in the world of Truth and Light.
The Gods are typal beings; hence they are never exhausted. They move freely as needed since they are endowed with an all-sided knowledge.
ehimayaso: endowed with an all-around intelligence capable of movement everywhere.
adruhah: without treachery.
Sub Hymn to Sarasvati (1.3.10)-(1.3.12)
Rishi: Madhuchchhandah Vaishvamitrah
Sarasvati in RV is the Goddess of inspiration or the Goddess of speech, V k, who gives the inspiration which manifests as poetry or inspired speech from the mouth of the ri hi.
MANTRA 1.3.10: SARASVATI, FULL OF OPULENCE
May the purifying Sarasvati,
With plentiful types of plenitudes and
Rich in the substance made by the thoughts, desire our yajna.
pavaka nah sarasvati
purifying, us, Sarasvati,
vajebhih vajinivati,
with various types of opulences, one with plenitude,
yajnam vashtu dhiya vasuh.
yajna, desire, thought, (rich in) substance.
Details:
The above translation and the word meanings imply that Sarasvati is a Goddess of knowledge or a Goddess of speech, Vak or Vag devata. By using only the first line, we can declare that Sarasvati is a river; Reading all the lines gives a different impression.
pavaka: purifier. The central idea of life and ourselves from which we start is a falsehood which contaminates everything. Sarasvat , the Goddess of speech and inspiration, is full of luminous plenitudes and rich in the substance by thought-movements. Sarasvat purifies us by inspiring in us the true inspiration as mentioned in the next mantra.
vaja: plenitude, plenty of opulences; discussed in (1.4.8) and (1.4.9).
dhiya: thought or intelligence everywhere in Veda;
The translation by Wilson, following S, is:
"May Sarasvati. the purifier, the bestower of food, the recompenser of worship with wealth, be attracted by our offered viands to rite'.
The meanings of the various words given by S are :
vajinivati: bestower of food
vajebhih: offered viands or offerings in the yajn a.
dhiya vasuh: who gives wealth vasuh in return for the act of worship, dhiya.
The variety of meanings offered by S for vaja mentioned here and in (1.4.8) and (1.4.9) and the meaning to dhi are to be noted. His aim was to get somehow or the other a ritualistic interpretation.
MANTRA 1.3.11: AWAKENER (IN CONSCIOUSNESS) OF RIGHT THOUGHTS
She, who is the impeller of auspicious truths
And the awakener of all happy thoughts,
May that Sarasvati uphold the yajna.
chodayitri sunrtanam
impeller, of auspicious truths,
chetanti sumatinam;
awakener in consciousness, of happy thoughts
yajnam dadhe sarasvati.
yajna, upholds or supports, Sarasvati.
Details:
sunrtanam: speech that is both pleasant and true. She nourishes the sacrifice which is the form of the surrender of all human activities as a result of which all human actions, words, feelings would follow in accord with the Truth. This is what is meant by the phrase awakener of right mental movements.
chetanti sumatinam: awakener of all the right mentalisings which aim at the welfare of all.
MANTRA 1.3.12: VAST FLOOD OF TRUTH
Sarasvati awakens the great flood (of truth)
By the perception of revelation (in the consciousness);
She illumines entirely all the thoughts;
maho arnah sarasvati
vast, ocean or flood, Sarasvati,
prachetayati ketuna
awakens, by the ray of knowledge or perception (of revelation),
dhiyo vishva virajati
with thoughts, all, illumines.
Details:
In the first mantra of the subhymn, she effects the purification by elimination of sin. In the second, she nourishes and upholds the sacrifice which is a form of surrender of all activities of man as a result of which all human actions are in accord with Truth (impelled to happy Truth, awakener to right mentalisings). At the end, she pours her own revelation, impelling the human with the illumination of arnam, the flood of Truth-consciousness.
The translation by Wilson, following S:
"Sarasvati makes manifest by her acts a mighty river and enlightens all understandings'. He interprets arnah as the river. He translates prachetayati as manifest, even though chetayati always means "to awaken in the consciousness'.
Thus S, regards Sarasvati in the first two verses as the goddess of speech and in the third as a river.
arnah: flood or sea, the vast movement of Truth or ritam. Sri Aurobindo has discussed at length the appearance of related words like samudra (ocean), urmih, (wave), etc., and has shown their psychological character. (SV ch. X).
ketu: ray, perception that reveals. This is a key in the Rig Veda and this meaning is fixed throughout. S assigns several different meanings to it including banner.
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Vedic Literature > Rig Veda > Word to word meaning > Introductory Hymns > Indra, giver of light
Hymn 1.4: The first hymn to Indra
Indra, giver of light
Rishi: Madhuchchhandas Vaishvamitrah
This sukta of ten verses is the first in the Rig Veda devoted entirely to Indra. Consequently it summarizes some of the key qualities of Indra, the Master of Luminous Mind. The rishi invokes Indra in the process of the offering of Soma for obtaining the growth of the Indra-power in the rishi or the human aspirant.
In the first Mantra the rishi calls Indra 'the fashioner of perfect forms' who is capable of effecting good mental movements or good actions and increasing them day by day. Indra is invoked every day.
Nourished and joyous by accepting the Soma, Indra, the Lord of Divine Mind showers his Rays of spiritual Light [Mantra 2].
In Mantra 3, the rishi prays to Indra, 'not to show beyond us.' This is a key idea of the Veda that every practitioner of yoga can only benefit from a teaching which is appropriate to his station in the many-tiered mountain of progress. Giving a teaching beyond the comprehension of the student is not beneficial. This teaching is the basis behind the concept of fitness of a candidate to study particular books, adhikara vada of later times.
In Mantra 4, the rishi addresses his own mind or a comrade worshipper and asks it or him to pass beyond the obstruction and question the Divine intelligence, Indra, to attain the right path already given to others.
In Mantra 5, he prays that the restrainers in the path of yoga themselves may assent to his progress to the next higher peak and say, 'you are competent to go higher strive on, entrusting the work to Indra'.
In the next mantra 6, the divine collaborators are prayed to bless the rishi in his endeavor.
In Mantra 7, the rishi calls himself Indra's friend, who carries forward Indra, the source of Delight.
Mantra 8, indicates two important acts of Indra, namely the destruction of the demonic force, Vrtra, the coverer, who holds up the divine energies from reaching the earth and the protection of the opulences of all the worshippers.
Mantra 9 calls upon Indra to enjoy the riches of the rishi.
The final Mantra declares Indra as a continent of bliss and a friend of man.
It should be noted that each verse is related to its successor and the hymn is not a jumble of disparate ideas, as alleged in the translations of modern indologists. We also give excerpts from the commentary of S indicating its shortcomings.
MANTRA (1.4.1): FASHIONER OF PERFECT FORMS
The fashioner of perfect forms,
Everyday we call you for the growth (of your powers in us),
Like a milker calls a well-yielding milch-cow.
surupa krtnumutaye
perfect forms, fashioner of, for increase,
sudhughamiva goduhe;
like a good milk-yielder, milker of cow
juhumasi dyavidyavi
we call, day by day.
Details:
The rishi prays for the growth of the powers of Indra such as the Divine intelligence in himself. The phrase used is utaye, to increase, which occurs frequently in the Veda. In other hymns, the rishi calls upon Indra to plant a seed of his power in himself (rishi), so that the seed continuously grows into a full-fledged plant of his power. Since the rishi carries in himself the seed of the Indra-power, Indra is said to be born in the rishi in many verses. For example, see (1.11.4) where the word ajayata, born, is used.
The illustration is important. The milker of the cow go is the caller or yajamana. Indra is the milch-cow being milked. The resultant milk serves to increase the spiritual knowledge or the Indra-power in the yajamana. The same type of illustration is used in several places. RV (8.1.10) states, 'Today I call the yielder of milk, Indra, the easily yielding milch-cow'. (Valakhilya 4.4) states, 'Like milkers of cow, we call you, desirous of hearing.' Some other relevant mantras are (8.1.10) and (8.54.3).
Also note that just as a cow will not yield milk without pressing its teats, Indra does not release the knowledge without effort. The laud indicates the effort.
Go stands for the animal cow as well as a Ray of spiritual Light. Similarly sudugham stands for milk and the product of knowledge.
utaye: it is derived from av, meaning increase everywhere, even though occasionally the meaning of protection is possible. The increase refers to the Indra-power of knowledge and not to any physical wealth. See (1.33.1) where it is stated, 'Indra increases our needed thought, pramati'.
surupakrtnu: krtnu means doer or craftsman. The phrase means the fashioner of perfect forms, particularly fashioner of perfect thought forms. Recall that Indra is the master of the Luminous Mind without the nervous obstructions characteristic of the human mind. Hence, Indra creates perfect thought forms which are later transformed into material objects. Even though this word occurs only once in RV, the idea occurs in several places in RV. For instance, consider (6.47.18): 'To every form, he has remained the counter-form: that is for us to face and see. Indra by his Maya powers (creative conscious powers) moves on endowed with many forms; for yoked are his thousand steeds'. This mantra is reproduced in the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (II.5) in the section on Madhu Vidya, the doctrine of the Delight. It declares that all Form is himself, Indra, his creation, a mould of his substance. He is the Divine counterpart of every form.
MANTRA (1.4.2): INDRA SHOWERS LIGHT
O Soma drinker, come to our Soma offerings;
Drink the Soma;
The increase in us of Indra in his rapture is indeed light- giving.
upa nah savana agahi
., our, Soma offerings, come,
somasya somapah piba;
Soma, O Soma-drinker, drink,
goda it revato madah
donor of knowledge or light, ., you who have increased, delight.
Details:
In the first mantra, the greatness of Indra is mentioned. Here he is invited to accept the Soma.
The God Indra's power in the human aspirant increases with the intake of Delight, signified by Soma. As a consequence, Indra showers the Rays of spiritual Light on the human aspirant. Spiritual commerce is occurring continuously between the yajamana and the God in the Veda.S translates the latter half as:'The intoxication of you, wealthy one, is cow giving'', i.e., Indra, getting intoxicated by the drink of Soma, gives away plenty of cows just as an intoxicated man gives away gifts easily.Soma is the Delight of existence and not a physical drink of intoxication. There is no mention of the intoxicating property of the Soma juice obtained from the Soma plants in all the standard yurvedic texts dealing with herbs. The intoxication is not physical, but spiritual and symbolic.RV itself refers to the mystical characteristics of Soma and declares that only the ignorant think of it as a mere herb. 'One thinks one has drunk the Soma after one has crushed the herb. None ever drank of the Soma known to the wise persons, (10.85.3).''
goda: the giver of go, spiritual knowledge or Light, not a mere giver of the cattle.
revatah: he who has increased. Indra's power in the yajamana increases as Indra accepts the Delight poured out by the caller.
MANTRA (1.4.3): SHOW NOT BEYOND US
Then may we know a little of your innermost right-thinkings;
Show not beyond us, come to us.
atha te antamanam vidyama sumatinam;
then, of your, innermost, may we know, of happy thinkings.
ma no ati khya agahi.
no, us, beyond, show, come.
Details:
vidyama: may we know. The human aspirant can never know all the thinkings of the God Indra. S/he is praying for Indra to reveal at least a small portion of his thoughts.
ma no ati khya: reveal thyself only as far as our vision permits. If you should show yourself beyond our limited capacity, we will not be able to see.
Sayana's translation: 'Do not show thyself to others, come to us alone'. It is not only grammatically inappropriate, as discussed in (CWKS, vol. 4, p. 69T), but gives a low opinion of the Vedic Seer which is unwarranted.
sumati: Vedic mati means thinking, including its emotional aspects. sumati is a Light in thought accompanied by gladness and kindness in the soul. Indra not merely dazzles us with his Light but is also a fashioner of right thought-formations.
MANTRA (1.4.4): ASK THE GOD OF CLEAR-SEEING MIND
Go far; the speedy and unharmed Indra of the
Clear-seeing mind is to be questioned,
Who brings the highest Good to your comrades.
parehi vigram astrtam indram
go beyond, speedy, unharmed, Indra,
prchchha vipashchitam;
question, clear -seeing,
yas te sakhibhya a varam.
who, to your, comrades, brings, the highest.
Details:
Note the systematic way in which the rishis approach Gods. The Gods are concrete powers who can be contacted and questioned systematically, obtaining from them the required answers. The Gods are not tardy or vague in their answers. They are speedy and have clear- seeing mind. They regard rishis as their comrades and bring them the highest Good.
Translation of Wilson who closely follows S: 'Come and question me (the singer) whether I have praised him (Indra) correctly or not.''
The impression of Indra conveyed by S is that of a petulant human being who becomes angry even if there is a slight variation in the praise.
vipashchitam: clear-seeing intelligence that can recognise the forces, favourable or otherwise in the inner yajna and take appropriate action. This phrase indicates that Indra is the lord of Divine Mind.
MANTRA (1.4.5): RESTRAINERS
May the Restrainers tell us,
'Strive on, even in other fields,
Reposing in Indra alone your activity.''
uta bruvantu no nido
besides, may tell, to us, restrainers,
nih anyatah chit arata;
., others, even, strive,
dadhana indra it duvah.
reposing, Indra, alone, activity.
Details:
Note the third line of the verse, '"eposing in Indra alone your activity'', indicates the seeds of the yoga of Karma or work, which was developed in detail in later scriptures like Bhagavad Gita.
nidah: A class of censurers in the path of yajna. They are the persons who pose obstructions in the path of yajna so that the yajamana may become more perfect in his actions. Unlike the titans, Vrtra or Vala, the nidahare not purveyors of falsehood, stealers of Light or revilers of the path of yajna. The nidahimpede the rishi in his journey by bringing to light the defects in his personality and declare, 'we will not allow you to go forward till you correct all these defects.' Only Indra can give the additional light or power which removes these defects.
nirarata: nih+ arata, strive.
MANTRA (1.4.6): COLLABORATORS
May the collaborators
Declare us entirely blessed, O achiever of action;
May we abide in Indra's peace and happiness.
uta nah subhagan arih
also, us, blessed, fighter,
vocheyuh dasma krshtayah;
may say, O achiever of action, strivers,
syama it indrasya sharmani.
may we abide, ., of Indra, in happiness.
Details:
Note the connection with the previous mantra which says, 'strive on, reposing in Indra your activity.' This mantra says, 'may we abide in Indra's peace and happiness.'
S translates the mantra as 'may even our enemies speak of us of having good wealth'', translating ari as enemy.
ari krshtayah: ari means one who fights (for us), capable of arana, fight. Typically it means yajamana or the seeker as in (1.9.10). Veda rarely has the meaning of enemy for ari. krshtayahmeans doers of actions. The two words together refer to the collectivity of powers or emanations of the Divine who help humans in their ascent. Hence the two words together have been translated as, 'collaborators.'
MANTRA (1.4.7): INDRA GIVES JOY TO A FRIEND
To the intense Indra bring the Soma,
The glory of yajna, blissful to the Gods,
Which carries forward (the power of) Indra, the friend who gives joy.
a im ashum ashave bhara
., this, Soma, to the intense Indra, bring,
yajnashriyam nrmadanam;
glory of yajna, blissful to the Gods,
patayan mandayat sakham.
carrying forward or making it go, giving joy, his friend.
Details:
Here the rishi who offers the inner sacrifice is also the companion to Indra and he carries forward, patayan, Indra. RV (1.4.10) explicitly states that Indra is the friend of the one who offers Soma and he carries him safely.
In the earlier two mantras, it is seen that the rishi has overcome his/her defects and the divine collaborators have blessed his yoga-journey. The quality of the Soma, the Delight of Existence, pressed by him in his actions is also much more intense than before and Indra is eager and intense to accept the Soma to give ecstasy to all.
nrmadanam: intoxicating to the Gods. nr or nara in Veda refers to both God and humans. The intoxication caused by Soma has nothing to do with the effect felt on imbibing alcoholic drinks. Recall the note in (1.4.2) on Soma. The all-pervading effects of the madhu or bliss of honey are described in other hymns of RV like (1.90) and the madhu vidya or the doctrine of honey in the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (2.5). The gradations of the effects of bliss are detailed in the Taittiriya Upanishad (2.8) from which we will reproduce the first few lines (Sri Aurobindo's translation).
'Let there be a young man, excellent and lovely in his youth, a great student; let him have fair manners, and a most firm heart and great strength of body and let all this wide earth be full of wealth for his enjoying. That is the measure of bliss of one human being'.
'Now a hundred and a hundred fold of the human measure of bliss is the one bliss of men that have become angels in heaven. This is the bliss of the Veda wise whose soul the blight of desire touches not''.
'A hundred and a hundred fold of this measure of angelic bliss is the one bliss of Gods that are angels in heaven. . . . '
a + im + ashum: emashum in the Sanskrit text.
a + bhara: bring.
MANTRA (1.4.8): VRTRA SLAYER
O Indra of a thousand activities, drinking this Soma
You become a slayer of the Vrtras
And protect the opulent in their opulences.
asya pitva shatakrato
of (Soma), drinking, Indra,
ghano vrtranam abhavah;
destroyer, of Vrtras, becomes,
pravo vajeshu vajinam.
protects excellently, in the riches, he who is rich.
Details:
vrtras: a family of demonic or evil forces. They cover the Truth with falsehood. They hold up the divine energies or waters from reaching the humans. They are enemies of persons doing the yajna.
The destruction of Vrtra is achieved by all the divine powers together, with Indra being the prominent one. In this action, Soma, the Delight of Existence, plays a key role. The delight enhances Indra's might and makes the killing possible.
RV (1.32) gives a detailed account of the symbolic battle between Indra and Vrtra. See also (1.4.9) and (1.7.5).
vaja: always indicates fullness or plenitude, plenty of all types of riches, especially the Rays of Spiritual Light, luminous Might, etc. It is closely related to the word rayi or radha, mentioned in RV (1.1.3). This word stands for all types of riches, physical as well as psychological or inner felicities like happiness, appreciation of beauty, good thoughts about others, absence of the six 'foes', like anger, greed, jealously, arrogance etc.
shatakratuh: Doer of thousand activities, a common epithet for Indra. Kratuhis will or action. Here action is appropriate.
MANTRA (1.4.9): WE ENRICH INDRA
You opulent in the opulences,
We enrich you again, O doer of a thousand activities ;
May we enjoy our riches guarded by you, O Indra.
tam tva vajeshu vajinam
you, of this kind, in the plenty, opulences,
vajayamah shatakrato;
(we) increase, doer of hundred deeds,
dhananam indra sataye.
of the riches, Indra, for the enjoyment.
Details:
In the earlier verse (1.4.8), S explains vajinam as 'fighter in the fights'. The same word vaja which occurs three times in this verse, he translates in three ways, namely 'battle', 'strength', 'food'. This is a typical example of the deliberate inconsistency in the method of S. In this book vaja is explained as fullness, plenitude, plenty of everything.
vajayamah: (we) increase or enrich you; obviously a human being cannot enrich Indra who is a cosmic power. Whenever such phrases are used, they mean that the rishi strives to increase the degree of manifestation of Indra in the rishi's subtle body or increases the Indra-power within himself. The idea of gods increasing in humans occurs frequently in Veda.
sataye: for attainment of enjoyment and guarding what is attained.
MANTRA (1.4.10): INDRA AS FRIEND
He, in his vastness, is a continent of bliss.
He is the friend of the Soma-giver whom He carries safely through;
To that Indra raise the chant.
yo rayah avanih mahant
who, of wealth, earth or support, vast,
suparah sunvatah sakha;
reaches safe, Soma-presser, friend,
tasma indraya gayata.
to that, Indra, chant.
Details:
This mantra states explicitly that Indra is the friend of the Soma-offerer as declared earlier in (1.4.7).
rayahavanih: first word means inner wealth or bliss, the second means continent of support, a common name for earth. Together it is translated as a continent of bliss.
sakha: friend of Indra; Recall the phrase mandayat sakha in (1.4.7).
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Vedic Literature > Rig Veda > Word to word meaning > Introductory Hymns > Agni, All gods
Hymn 14: Agni, All-Gods, Soma and the Spouses
MANTRA (1.14.1): WELCOME TO AGNI
O Agni, to our praises and to our endeavour,
Come and drink the Soma;
Come to our yajna too along with the Gods.
ebhihr agne duvo giro
these (Gods), Agni, endeavour, praises,
vishvebhih somapitaye;
all, Soma, to drink,
devebhiryahi yakshi cha.
Gods, come, perform yajna and.
Details:
a + ebhih: aibhih,
a + yahi: come.
MANTRA (1.14.2): UNDERSTANDING
O Agni, men of intelligence call you;
O illumined one, they praise your understanding;
Come with the Gods.
a tva kanva ahushata
., you, intelligent persons, call,
grnanti vipra te dhiyah,
praise, O illumined one, your, understanding,
devebhih agna agahi.
with the Gods, Agni, come.
Details:
The call to Agni is made by persons who are endowed with understanding. Agni is asked to come in request to this call.
a+ahushata: to call.
kanva: followers of the sage Kanva, or men of understanding. In the Veda, every name of a rishi has an associated spiritual meaning which indicates the esoteric meaning of the attainments of the rishi and his followers.
MANTRA (1.14.3): WELCOME TO OTHER GODS
I call Indra-Vayu, Brhaspati,
Mitra and Agni, Pushan, Bhaga,
The host of Maruts and all (other) children of Aditi.
indra vayu brhaspatim
Indra and Vayu, Brhaspati,
mitragnim pushanam bhagam;
Mitra and Agni, Pushan, Bhaga;
adityanmarutam ganam.
children of Aditi, of Marut, hosts of,
Details:
Aditi represents the collectivity of all manifestation. All devas are her children, Adityas:
Brhaspati: lord of the vast, brhat. Closely connected to Brahmanaspati or Ganapati.
Bhaga: solar deity; also known as Bhaga Savitri, the deity who apportions the enjoyments among all.
MANTRA (1.14.4): SOMA SETTLES IN THE BODY
For your sake is carried the Soma,
Which is exhilarating and satisfying and
Whose drops are blissful, sweet and settle in the body.
pra vo bhriyanta indavo
., for your sake, carried, Soma,
matsara madayishnavah,
satisfying, exhilarating
drapsa madhvah chamu shadah.
drops of bliss, delicious, body or vessel, rest.
Details:
The Soma, essence of delight, is collected drop by drop, as it were, in the body of the rishi and offered to the Gods.
chamu: denotes vessel according to ritualists. In the esoteric sense it refers to the extended body (body-life-mind) of the sacrificer which collects the Soma drop by drop generated by the actions of the rishi. See the discussion on this word in the hymn 28 in the section IV of this volume.
MANTRA (1.14.5): OFFERINGS READY
The Kanvas adore you, desirous of growth,
With seats ready and the
Offerings adequate and pure.
ilate tvam avasyavah
adore, you (Agni), desirous of growth,
kanvaso vrktabarhishah;
of Kanva clan, with seats ready,
havishmanto arankrtah.
offerings ready, adequate (opulent).
Details:
arankrtah: discussed in (1.2.1). Here aram has both the meanings of enough or adequate and that of being purified psychologically, i.e. divesting it of personal claims.
MANTRA (1.14.6): LIFE POWERS BRING THE GODS
With luminous bodies which are yoked by the mind
The carriers bear you;
By them, you (Agni) bring the Gods to drink the Soma.
ghrtaprshtha manoyujo
luminous, surface, yoked by the mind,
ye tva vahanti vahnayah;
these, bear you, carriers,
a devan soma pitaye.
bring, Gods, Soma, drinking.
Details:
vahnayah: Carriers or the steeds. They denote the life powers. Clearly they cannot be the four legged animals since they are "yoked by the mind of the rishi'.
MANTRA (1.14.7): SPOUSES OF GODS
To the Gods who accept the yajna and increase the truth
Join their spouses, O Agni;
Make them drink the sweet Soma, O one with happy speech (tongue).
tan yajatran rtavrdho agne
they (Gods),who accept the yajna, truth, increasers, Agni,
patnivatas krdhi;
join with their spouses, make,
madhvah sujihva payaya.
sweet Soma, of happy tongue (speech), make them drink.
Details:
In the Veda, each God like Agni or Indra is referred to as a male and the power or shakti associated with each God is referred to as his spouse. A God like Indra can battle the demonic forces like like Vrtra only when he is empowered by his shakti or spouse. Agni is called upon, not only to bring the Gods to the yajna being performed, but also to unify the God with his spouse so that the empowered God may do the allotted work in the yajna.
MANTRA (1.14.8): GODS DRINK THE SOMA THROUGH AGNI
O Agni, may the Gods, the acceptors of yajna and hymn,
Drink the Soma with your speech
With the exclamation vashat.
ye yajatra ya idyahte
these, yajna-acceptors, these, to be praised, those
te pibantu jihvaya;
(Gods), drink, tongue or speech,
madhor agne vashat krti.
Soma, Agni, vashat, perform.
Details:
It is understood that the various Gods get their oblations or Soma through Agni. Here Gods are said to get their offerings via the speech of Agni whose outward symbol is the flame.
jihva: literally tongue. It denotes the speech of Agni in the form of flame.
vashat: exclamation made while making the offerings to Gods.
MANTRA (1.14.9): GODS WAKING AT DAWN
From the shining realms of Surya,
Let all the Gods, who wake at dawn,
Be brought here by the summoner, the wise one.
akim suryasya rochanad
., of Surya, the shining realm svar,
vishvandevan usharbudhah;
All-Gods, awake at dawn,
vipro hoteha vakshati.
the wise one, summoner here, may bring.
Details:
At the spiritual dawn when the time of manifestation of Truth-Light is near, the Gods get ready to manifest in the rishi.
MANTRA (1.14.10): ALL-GODS
O Agni, drink the Soma along with all the Gods,
With Indra and with Vayu;
Drink it along with the radiance of Mitra.
vishvebhih somyam madhu agna
all, of Soma, sweet, Agni,
indrena vayuna;
with Indra, with Vayu,
piba mitrasya dhamabhih.
drink, with Mitra, radiance or lustre of.
Details:
Mitra endows the happening with harmony.
MANTRA (1.14.11): AGNI CONDUCTS THE YAJNA
O Agni, the summoner, who is established by mantra,
You abide in our yajna;
You conduct our yajna,
tvam hota manurhito agne
you, summoner, established by mantra, Agni,
yajneshu sidasi;
in yajna, abides,
sa imam no adhvaram yaja.
such a person , this, our, yajna, conduct the yajna.
Details:
sa + imam: semam (in text).
manurhitam: established by mantra, discussed in(1.13.4). manu means mantra.
MANTRA (1.14.12): GODS INDICATED BY THEIR COLOURS
O God, yoke the glistening steeds to the car
Capable of carrying the Gods
And bring here the Gods with them.
yukshva hy arushi rathe
yoke, ., glistening, car,
harito deva rohitah;
capable of carrying, God, red,
tabhir devan iha vaha.
with these, Gods, here, bring.
Details:
The prayer is to bring the Gods Usha, Indra and Agni indicated, by the colours and powers, characteristic of their vehicles, listed below.
arushi: glistening, indicates the red hue of the dawn, Usha.
harito: capable of carrying, also indicates the yellow colour associated with Indra.
rohitah: steeds of Agni with the colour crimson-blue.