Rig Veda

Text & Audio

MAṆḌALA 1

Sūkta 94

2. Audio

▪   by South Indian brahmins
▪   by Sri Shyama Sundara Sharma and Sri Satya Krishna Bhatta. Recorded by © 2012 Sriranga Digital Software Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

1. September 1917¹

The Vedic Fire

1. This is the omniscient who knows the law of our being and is sufficient to his works; let us build the song of his truth by our thought and make it as if a chariot on which he shall mount. When he dwells with us, then a happy wisdom becomes ours. With him for friend we cannot come to harm.

2. Whosoever makes him his priest of the sacrifice, reaches the perfection that is the fruit of his striving, a home on a height of being where there is no warring and no enemies; he confirms in himself an ample energy; he is safe in his strength, evil cannot lay its hand upon him.

3. This is the fire of our sacrifice! May we have strength to kindle it to its height, may it perfect our thoughts. In this all that we give must be thrown that it may become a food for the gods; this shall bring to us the godheads of the infinite consciousness who are our desire.

4. Let us gather fuel for it, let us prepare for it offerings, let us make ourselves conscious of the jointings of its times and its seasons. It shall so perfect our thoughts that they shall extend our being and create for us a larger life.

5. This is the guardian of the world and its peoples, the shepherd of all these herds; all that is born moves by his rays and is compelled by his flame, both the two-footed and the four-footed creatures. This is the rich and great thought-awakening of the Dawn within.

6. This is the priest who guides the march of the sacrifice, the first and ancient who calls to the gods and gives the offerings; his is the command and his the purification; from his birth he stands in front, the vicar of our sacrifice. He knows all the works of this divine priesthood, for he is the Thinker who increases in us.

7. The faces of this God are everywhere and he fronts all things perfectly; he has the eye and the vision: when we see him from afar, yet he seems near to us, so brilliantly he shines across the gulfs. He sees beyond the darkness of our night, for his vision is divine.

8. O you godheads, let our chariot be always in front, let our clear and strong word overcome all that thinks the falsehood. O you godheads, know for us, know in us that Truth, increase the speech that finds and utters it.

9. With blows that slay cast from our path, O thou Flame, the powers that stammer in the speech and stumble in the thought, the devourers of our power and our knowledge who leap at us from near and shoot at us from afar. Make the path of the sacrifice a clear and happy journeying.

10. Thou hast bright red horses for thy chariot, O Will divine, who are driven by the storm-wind of thy passion; thou roarest like a bull, thou rushest upon the forests of life, on its pleasant trees that encumber thy path, with the smoke of thy passion in which there is the thought and the sight.

11. At the noise of thy coming even they that wing in the skies are afraid, when thy eaters of the pasture go abroad in their haste. So thou makest clear thy path to thy kingdom that thy chariots may run towards it easily.

12. This dread and tumult of thee, is it not the wonderful and exceeding wrath of the gods of the Life rushing down on us to found here the purity of the Infinite, the harmony of the Lover? Be gracious, O thou fierce Fire, let their minds be again sweet to us and pleasant.

13. God art thou of the gods, for thou art the lover and friend; richest art thou of the masters of the Treasure, the founders of the home, for thou art very bright and pleasant in the pilgrimage and the sacrifice. Very wide and far-extending is the peace of thy beatitudes; may that be the home of our abiding!

14. That is the bliss of him and the happiness; for then is this Will very gracious and joy-giving when in its own divine house, lit into its high and perfect flame, it is adored by our thoughts and satisfied with the wine of our delight. Then it lavishes its deliciousness, then it returns in treasure and substance all that we have given into its hands.

15. O thou infinite and indivisible Being, it is thou ever that formest the sinless universalities of the spirit by our sacrifice; thou compellest and inspirest thy favourites by thy happy and luminous forcefulness, by the fruitful riches of thy joy. Among them may we be numbered.

16. Thou art the knower of felicity and the increaser here of our life and advancer of our being! Thou art the godhead!

2. 1913²

Hymns of Kutsa Angirasa 1.94 – 98 .. 101 – 115 A Critical Edition, with Notes & Translation, establishing the symbolic and Vedantic meaning of the Rigveda.

I Text.

1.94.1. स्तोमम्. The hymn of praise is the central note of the Rigveda. Praise and prayer are the two outward expressions (गीः) of the soul founded on the heart, which awaken the consciousness there (प्रचेतयन्ति) to the force or the presence of the god. They establish the god in the heart and increase him there, सादयति बर्हिषि, वर्धयति. The word स्तोम is from the root स्तु which means to set or be set firmly, closely or solidly; from this original sense there come the senses to pile, accumulate, erect, raise, of स्तूप् with its noun स्तूपः which means a heap, pile, monument or pyre and also strength, power; the significance, to stop or stupefy of स्तुभ् and स्तुंभ् with the noun स्तोभः obstruction, a stop, a pause. From स्तु or स्तुच् we have स्तुकः a bunch of hair, braid or knot, स्तुका in the same sense, but also meaning the hip or thigh and स्तोकः a drop or small quantity collected, hence little, short, few. स्तोमः itself has the sense of mass, collection, group; स्तोमं means the head, riches, wealth, grain; स्तवकः means a cluster of flowers or bouquet, as well as praise. The root can mean also to push (स्तुभः & स्तुनकः a goat, स्तुंभ् to expel, स्तोभः disrespect, spurning contumely). The significance hymn, praise, eulogy belonging to the verb and its nouns स्तुति, स्तोम, स्तोत्रं, स्तवः as also to स्तुभ् and its noun स्तुभः (cf स्तुच् to be pleased, propitious) must come by transition from the same original force as all the other derivatives. Stoma is, therefore, the praise which supports, the praise which nourishes & increases or the praise which impels and gives force. It was, in other words, to the Vedic Rishis that which establishes & increases the god, supports him and gives him force for effective action. But the literal meaning must have been support and from this sense the idea of laudation, praise must in the first instance have risen. That the etymological sense must have been present to the mind of the singer is shown by the verb महेम and the simile रथमिव. The hymn is to be strongly compacted, a real erection, stoma or stupa, on which Agni is to take his seat as in a chariot. Cf other families of this root. The same meanings will be found to persist. स्तक् , स्तनः, स्तंभ् , स्तंभः, स्तंम् , स्तंबः, स्तिभिः, स्तिम् , स्तिमित, स्तृ to spread, cover, strew, स्था, स्थानं, स्थूणा, स्थूल.

अर्हते. The word अर्हत् t is generally taken to mean worthy or deserving, from the later and derived sense of the root अर्ह् , to deserve, to owe, which replaced the earlier & simpler senses in classical Sanscrit. “Let us forge strongly a hymn for Agni who deserves it” will make a good grammatical sense, but very poor poetry & no philosophical significance. The Buddhist Arhat certainly did not mean merely a deserving person; it meant one extremely exalted, or one who had risen high above the world. Agni, the high exalted, meaning ultimately one of those who dwell in the Parardha, will be a more probable, as well as a more forcible rendering. See Rt ar in the Aryan Word Book.

सं महेम. I am certain the word here must mean to make great in the sense of “to compact, to construct laboriously or solidly”, with something of the force of the Latin moliri. From the idea to make strong or great, such a sense would naturally arise; the idea of strong or laborious action, work or construction is characteristic of the M roots and no other sense will go so well with रथमिव. Otherwise we must translate “Let us strengthen the hymn with or by the intellect,” ie let us put our minds to it to give it greater force; but this is a good sense by itself, but it leaves रथमिव in the air. One does not strengthen a chariot with the intellect or indeed by any other means [unless] it is ramshackle or broken down, which cannot be the Rishi’s meaning. For the construction of a chariot with the mind for the tool of the worker, cf Rigveda 1.20, Medhatithi’s hymn to the Ribhus, the heavenly artificers, य इंद्राय वचोयुजा ततक्षुर्मनसा हरी .. तक्षन्नासत्याभ्यां परिज्मानं सुखं रथं, “who fashioned, by the mind, yoked to speech, for Indra his yoke of steeds, and fashioned for the Aswins a spacious car of ease.”

प्रमतिः. Throughout the Veda I take प्रमतिः in its simple and obvious etymological sense of प्रज्ञा, mental knowledge. The Greek & Latin sense of प्र, beforehand, need not be premised of the Sanscrit particle. The force of प्र in प्रमतिः and प्रज्ञा comes from the idea of the object of knowledge standing before the mind & the mind moving out to embrace it in its scope.

Translation.

This hymn for the Exalted One to whom Knowledge appeareth let us construct with the intellect as if it were a chariot (for him); for auspicious is his mind of thought to us in the assembly. O Agni, (secure) in thy friendship may we come not to harm.

1.94.2. आयजसे etc. The Atmanepada expresses the vague and general idea of inner action applied to any ends of the soul. The yajna of the Veda is the yoga of the soul or of any of its faculties, mental, spiritual, vital or bodily, its preparing and bringing into action for growth towards peace, perfection, plenty (vajas), joy, strength, immortal godhead. The Yajamana, for whom Agni is the agent of the yajnic action, the hota, perfects himself in these things, sadhati; he gets his habitation, firmly establishes himself in the objects of the Yoga or in some state of the soul which is the object of the Yoga, ksheti, holds & confirms for himself the full Yogic force, suviryam, increases & prospers, tutava, and is guarded by Agni from all evil, internal or external, anhati.

साधति. We see the early use of the word which has played so great a part in the spiritual thought and practice of India ever since. Sadhaka, the yogic seeker of perfection, sadhana, his spiritual effort & discipline, siddhi, his success and attainment whether in particular faculty or general soul-condition, sadhu, the man in his state of perfection, remain to this day current & familiar words in our vernaculars and colour the thoughts of a nation.

अनर्वा. The exact sense of अनर्वा has, I think, been missed; it is “not fighting” & hence sometimes “without an enemy”, not अन् + अर्वन् , an enemy. The root अर् expresses excellence, force or preeminence of any kind, whether (1) in being, state & position, (2) in action, (3) in movement, (4) in light & splendour. From (1) we have the idea of excellence, virtue, nobility, lordship, honour, lifting, leading, height in अर्य, आर्य, अर्घ, अर्च् , अर्ह. The Tamil aran, aram (virtue), the Greek ἄριστος, αἴρω, ἄρχω, ἄρχομαι, ἀρετή, ὄρος a mountain; from (2) the sense fight, slay or hurt, oppress, in अर् , अर्व् , अर्ब् , अर्द् , अरि, Ares, अराति, arma, अररः, and plough, work, row, propel in अर् , aro, arvum, ἀρόω, ἄροτρον, ἄρουρα, अरित्रं , अरर्यति; from (3) the sense of swift motion in अर, अर्व् .

The idea in anarvā kṣeti is that the sadhaka for whom Agni, master of pure tapas, works out all the actions of the Yoga, the inner sacrifice, gets firm establishment in the siddhi (sādhati) and dwells established in it (kṣeti) without any need of fighting; Agni destroys all the inimical forces, the amivas, and prevents by his protection (avas) farther attack.

क्षेति. क्षय and क्षेति are technical words of the Vedic Yoga. क्षय is established dwelling or habitation in a fixed condition of consciousness or that condition so fixed and inhabited. क्षेति describes such an established condition. Cf such phrases as उरु क्षयाय चक्रिरे, they make the Vast (mahat) their habitation. 1.36.8.

सुवीर्यं. The word virya in the Veda, derived from वी to open, expand, display, open into full vigour, includes in the forms वृ, वीर etc the idea of excellence, full or superior force etc. Hence the later idea of strength, energy or heroism. दधते means here to hold firmly. सुवीर्य , the thing held firmly by this sadhaka, is usually in the Veda the fullness of force, knowledge & being-manifestation, sat-tapas, on any plane of the being, although sometimes the idea of knowledge is almost suppressed in the more general and radical idea of manifestation, sometimes it predominates & almost conceals the idea of force. Sometimes both are combined equally. Ila, for instance, in 1.40.4, is described as devī sūnṛtā [1.140.3] & iḷām suvīrām, supratūrtim anehasam, clear & strong (suvira) going swiftly forward (supraturti) but not hurtful by excessive force (anehasam). There is here no reference to knowledge. The idea is that of a safe & seated fullness of forceful being.

तूताव. Again the idea of strength, vigour, always contained in the root tū where it keeps its radical force. So far as the context of the single line goes, it is quite possible & appropriate to take the word in the sense “he attains safety”, cf Lat. tutus, tueor etc, but it is more likely to be “he attains vigour” or “is in full force, prospers”.

अश्नोति. अश् is the Greek ἔχω. It means to have, possess, & so to enjoy, to eat. This instance of its use shows how these meanings developed out of each other. “Evil cannot have him or hold him, cannot possess him” with a strong trace of the idea of enjoying & devouring.

अंहतिः. अंह् like अह् means to put out force against, so to attack, hurt, kill, wound. अंहति means defect, flaw, sin, evil, calamity. It means here evil with the special idea of defect or flaw in the siddhi.

Translation.

For whom thou, O Agni, workest at the Yoga, he attains fulfilment, he sits established free from enemies, who finds the full force of being; he flourishes and evil cannot enjoy possession of him. O Agni, secure in thy friendship may we come not to harm.

1.94.3. शकेम with the accusative means “May we be equal to, able to bear”. It is the dharana-samarthya, the power to hold the force, delight or vast expansion pouring into the system without either suffering injury or letting the flood escape from the system by exhaustion of or rejection from the latter, — it is this Yogic fitness of the adhara or receptacle that is indicated in shakema twa samidham.

समिधं. From idh to attain fullness, increase, flourish & sam expressing completeness.

साधया धियस् . Perfect the movements or faculties of the understanding. The plural is constantly used in this sense. Dhi is the discerning mind which holds and places perceptions. They are to be perfected so that they may hold & place rightly the knowledge that streams in when Agni or pure tapas increases in the system.

हविराहुतं. The offering cast. Havis in the Veda is anything spiritual, mental, vital or material offered to the gods so as to strengthen them each in their proper activity. The base of the Vedic system is this idea of the interchange of offices between god & man, man surrendering his inner & outer gains to the gods so that they by their activity in him & his concerns may repay him, as is their habit, a thousandfold.

अदन्ति. The gods eat or enjoy the offering cast into Agni, into the pure tapas. In other words, speaking psychologically, all the faculties are strengthened by the surrender of actions, thoughts, feelings into the hands of the pure energy which distributes them to the proper centres.

आदित्यान् .. तान् हि. Hi is here simply emphatic, not causal & the tan refers back to देवा of the last line. The Adityas, sons of Aditi, the infinite existence in the paravat, parardha or higher being of man & the world.

उश्मसि. The word is from the root उश् and must therefore mean “desire, wish, yearning out, aspiration”. But these words do not exactly express the Vedic idea. It is that state of the Yogin when existence reaches out after an effect or a fulfilment (lipsa); there is no corresponding word in English. The gods are often represented as ushatas, when they are called to the sacrifice. It is the movement towards a stronger existence or activity which we are conscious of in the faculties when the system has been brought into a fit state for the sacrificial action.

Translation.

May we have power to bear thee in the fullness of thy increase; perfect the faculties of our understanding; in thee when the offering is cast, it is enjoyed by the gods. Do thou bring hither those sons of Infinite Being in the self-extending aspiration of the soul. O Agni, secure in thy friendship may we come not to harm.

1.94.4. भरामेध्मं कृणवामा हवींषि ते. May we bring or may we load on the altar the fuel of thy burning — idhma, that by which thou increasest, may we make the offerings to thee. The idea of the inner sacrifice in the Veda is that what we possess, mentally, vitally, physically etc, our dhanani, have all to be offered to the divine force, Agni, to grow in us by devouring it. This is the idhma. To him who thus makes, havinshi, offerings to Agni, he returns tenfold the strength & joy that is given him, for, as Madhuchchhanda says in the first hymn of this Mandala, that is his satyam, his truth or vow to do good to the giver. In other words, whatever we surrender to the Divine Force, it returns to us in an increased wealth, in viryam, sahas, posha etc. Te with both इध्मं & हवींषि.

चितयन्तः. The word may mean either to pile up (cf चिता) or become aware of, take into cognizance (cf चित्तं). पर्वणापर्वणा. The word is from the root पृ, to fill, by gunation and the addition of the compound suffix वण. पर्व & पर्वन् are the brother forms. In the sense of holy day पर्वन् must have originally meant either the same as पूर्णिमा or else a filling up day, a connecting day; so it means also the connecting joint. पर्व in the sense of chapter means a “completed” part. In 1.9.1. the expression सोमपर्वभिः must mean with the fullnesses of the nectar. चितयन्तः must certainly mean heaping here, and पर्वणापर्वणा describes the offerings that are heaped on the altar. Does it mean then “Heaping up all our inner possessions alike, complete and incomplete, perfected and imperfected”?

जीवातवे. For increase of life, of vitality & perhaps length of days — a frequent prayer of the Vedic Rishis who followed unhesitatingly the rule of the Isha Upanishad, jijivishech chhatam samah.

प्रतरं swiftly, or else forcibly.

साधया धियो. The same prayer as in the third verse. There is no reason to interpret धियो otherwise than faculties of धी, the discerning mind. As every Yogin knows, length of life can be assured by liberation of the mental movements from the sanskaras of disease and death.

Translation.

May we heap the fuel of thee and make the offerings heaping them up both complete and incomplete; forcefully for the life perfect the faculties of our understanding; O Agni, secure in thy friendship may we come not to harm.

1.94.5. He is the protector of the peoples, by his drivings all living beings range whether the two-footed or the four-footed; thou art the various perception of the Dawn, mighty art thou; O Agni, secure in thy friendship may we come to no harm.

विशां ie the various kinds of creatures. From वि to come into being, appear, be born.

अक्तुभिः. From अज् to act forcibly, work, drive. Gr. ἄγω & Latin ago. Aktu must therefore mean either workings, cf ago, I act, or drivings, cf ἄγω, I drive; and, since the verb is चरन्ति, the latter must be accepted. Agni is the Master of Tapas or World-force. It is by the drivings, the impulsions of that Force that all creatures move.

चित्रः. The word has the sense of various, but with the idea of curiousness or richness, from चि meaning to divide & to accumulate. It is the Greek ποιϰίλος.

प्रकेतः. केतः is perception, प्रकेतः perception going forward to the object that presents itself. In Usha, the Dawn of Knowledge, Being or Joy objects of experience present themselves and Agni as Force that is Awareness dwells on all of them & knows them minutely & perfectly. He is not only Force of Action but also Force of Knowledge, jatavedas.

महान् . There is an evident reference to महन् , the ideal knowledge. It is because Agni is great with the wideness of Mahas or vijnana, ideal knowledge, that he is chitra, so rich & various in his perception in the prajnana, mental knowledge.

1.94.6. Thou art the Adhwaryu and the Hota also from of old, the controller & purifier of beings, the Purohita; thou knowest, O wise one, all the functions of the Ritwik & (by that knowledge) increasest; O Agni, secure in thy friendship, may we come not to harm.

अध्वर्यु. We find here the names of different priestly functions in the sacrifice applied to Agni, the master of Tapas. He is usually spoken of as the Hota, he who offers the sacrifice, and often as the Purohita, he who stands in front as the personal representative of the sacrificer. In 1.1.1. he is spoken of in addition as the Ritwik — देवमृत्विजं . ऋत्विक् is usually derived from ऋतु + इज् and supposed to mean one who sacrifices in season. But this would apply equally to every priest in the sacrifice. The names Purohita, Hota, Brahma, Udgata etc all apply to particular functions & bear that function on their face. It must be the same with Adhwaryu & Ritwik. ऋत्विक् is either from ऋतु + इज् in the sense of one who knows the laws, rules or rituals of the sacrifice; or from ऋत् + विज् in the sense of Knower of truth, Knower of the law. Both the इ roots & the वि family bear the significance of knowledge. In the former the sense is comparatively rare & has been handed over to other verbs expressing motion, गम् in its compounds & या; but we still have ईक्ष् & ईष् in the sense of seeing, & the goddess इळा in the Vedas is the power of Revelation. Similarly अध्वर्यु from अध्वर was originally the priest especially in charge of the materials of the oblation. प्रशास्ता and पोता also refer to sacrificial functions, the direction by controlling word of the ritual and the purification of the offerings. We can see how these functions are all combined in Agni. He is the hota, for Tapas is the chief agent both of action and of surrender to the divine power. He is adhwaryu, because he is dravinoda, it is Tapas which supplies all forms in the Universe & all forces and maintains them. He is prashasta; tapas controls & directs the actions of all creatures. He is pota, is pavaka; tapas of Chit supplies the knowledge & moral force which purify. He is purohita; Tapas is the agent of all our activity, which stands in front for the Purusha & does his works. He is ritwik; as jatavedas, tapas of Chit knows & arranges all action in its proper place and season.

जनुषा. From जन् , as मनुष् from मन् . All things born, all creatures: the accusative after प्रशास्ता and पोता. The word shows that Kutsa is regarding all world-existence as one great sacrifice to the divine powers.

आर्त्विज्या. Accusative after विद्वान् . The functions of knowledge which are the basis of action.

धीर. From धा to hold & arrange. Connected with धी, the mind as that which holds & arranges stuff of knowledge. Dhira indicates a steady & discerning knowledge. By this steady & discerning frame of mind tapas or pure force increases in the soul (पुष्यसि).

1.94.7. Thou who art everywhere in thy beauty and hast vision, discerning afar, shinest exceedingly like the lightning, thou seest, O god, beyond the darkness of the night. O Agni, secure in thy friendship may we come not to harm.

सुप्रतीकः. With a beautiful face. सदृङ् . With the sight of the higher vision, drishti. प्रतीक is that which faces or confronts — so a face or figure. Agni as divine Tapas is everywhere, a thing of beauty & delight behind all being in activity. Agni as force of knowledge is like a flash of lightning brilliantly illuminating everything, speeding to the utmost distance, flashing through & beyond the thickness of the night.

अंधस् . The अ roots signify intrinsically general existence, being. अंध् , अद् , अध् , the dental combinations give the idea of firm consistency, substantial existence & easily come to give such meanings as density, gross existence, matter, food. We have from अद् , अन्नं in the sense of gross matter, as well as अदिति, Existence; from अध् a lost अध्स् matter, food, still found in Greek ἔθος, ἦθος, pasture (अध्स् , आध्स्), hence the lower or material world, अध्वर, the material oblation, material, the material existence; from अंध् , अन्ध blind (originally thick, dark), a अन्धस् thickness, thick darkness, food, matter.

1.94.8. May ours, O ye gods, be the pristine delight of him who expresses (the nectar), may strong self-expression be with us; that word do ye know & in that word increase. O Agni, secure in thy friendship, may we come to no harm.

रथः. It is evident that रथः here is not chariot, since there can [be] no meaning in praying to the gods for an old chariot; on the other hand ratha in v. 10, where the sense of a chariot is evident, clearly recalls the रथः of this verse. This passage is, therefore, an excellent indication of the symbolic nature of the divine chariots in the Veda. रथः may mean etymologically either swift motion, from which the sense, chariot, arises, or strong emotion esp. delight, ecstasy, cf रति, राति (pleasure, delight), रायः, राः (felicity), रः (love, desire), रंसु (delightful); रंज् , रक्त etc, रंगः, रागः, रजस् (rajoguna); रणः delight, joy; रस् , राम, रत etc; रस pleasure, taste, delight; रासलीला; रभस which still keeps in Bengali its original sense of ecstasy; रत्न & राधस् in the Veda have the same sense, as will be shown elsewhere. रक्षस् , राक्षस, the name रावणः had originally the same sense & meant indulgence in violent aggressive satisfaction of the impulses. Other common senses of the र root family are strong dazzling light, and loud thrilling or piercing sound. The root is a violent root, expressive of strong vibrations of all kinds in being but not of the most violent. The sense of Ananda seldom leaves it, the sense of force & vibration never. रथ has other meanings, eg reed, fighter & must have meant also fighting, etc, but “ecstasy, delight” and “chariot” are its common Vedic senses. This ratha or strong vibrating ananda is the chariot of Agni, the vehicle of the divine Tapas. For Tapas in the Vedic system descends through Ananda and it is in Ananda that it pours itself through the world. Therefore there is no action which has not as its basis some kind of pleasure, the stronger the delight, the greater the force of action, provided always that the system can bear the vibration. The Purva ratha may mean either full, supreme delight or the pristine delight of the soul before it is stained by imperfections, when it enjoys its Brahma-state avranam, unwounded. In any case, the sense is full or supreme delight.

सुन्वतो. Throughout the Veda in connection with the word सोम, the wine symbolic of the joy of immortality, the nectar or ichor that flows in the bodies of the gods in place of blood, the root सु is used in a double sense of production, distilling and of good, pleasure, happiness as in सु, सोम्य, सोमन् , सुवन etc. We find both senses in सोम, सूनुः, etc.

शंसो. Another fundamental word of Vedic psychology. The proper meaning of शस् is to cut, pierce; it is used of sharp, swift & trenchant motion, action, pressure, feeling etc. We have शश् to leap, शष् to hurt, injure, kill; शष्कुली the orifice of the ear; शस्प loss of intellect; शस् to cut, kill, destroy, शसनं, शस्ति, शस्त्रं etc; शास् to punish, hence to rule, govern, tame, subdue, to teach. From this fundamental sense came the idea of shooting out, piercing one’s way into appearance, like a plant; eg शस्य corn, grain; and so it came to mean expression, — expression in speech, praise etc, expression in being, self-expression, & from these last senses gave such meanings as शस्तं excellence, happiness, best, right; शस्तं the body. The nasal form शंस् had the same senses; to hurt, injure, revile; to praise, express, declare, show; etc. These roots also indicate wish, desire. The tradition of the old Vedic meaning “expression” of anything in the being, has been lost to tradition, but it still remains stamped on the Veda. It would be possible here to translate शंसो as praise and दुःशंसाँ; in the next verse as evil-speakers, especially in view of the तद् वचः in the second line of this shloka. The Rishi must then be supposed to say, “May I have the former or old delight, may our energetic praise (of Agni?) attain it; know that word of praise & increase by it. By blows, kill energetically the evil speakers and opponents & the devourers”, — a comprehensive massacre! It is not that these translations cannot be made, but that they make no coherent sense, have no inherent plausibility to make up for their random & rambling character & only succeed in making a mass of barbarous nonsense out of the Veda. The real sense is, “Give me the old perfect ecstasy; let there be with it an energetic or forceful expression of the divine being in me; do you, the gods, know that expression (that is to say, embrace it in your consciousness) & by it increase. All who oppose destroy & so make the path to the fulfilment of this inner yajna easy, swift & safe.” This is a coherent sense & well in touch with what comes before & what follows.

दूढ्यः is either a verbal adjective like कार्य from a root दूढ् or a nominal adjective from a noun दूढः. Its use twice in this passage is of a kind favourable to the nominal force. The root हू has as its common and characteristic force the idea of a violent, impetuous or troubling activity and taken in connection with रथः and जहि in the next verse we may suppose it to mean “forcible, impetuous, strong or overpowering”. It is a chanda and not a saumya ecstasy & expansion of being that Kutsa demands from Agni, one violently overcoming all Asuric opposition of the spiritual enemies of the Yoga.

वचो. The roots वच् and उच् as also उद् and वद् mean properly, expression, expansion like शंस्, for this is the fundamental object of the U family of roots, wide or widening but unfinished being. Hence the sense of high swelling in उद् and उच्चः, of dawning in व्युच्छ् , the idea of wish, yearning in उश् and other roots. If we suppose वचस् here to preserve its original sense, we shall get an appropriate & coherent meaning, “Know ye this expression and increase.” Take cognisance of the shansa referred to in the previous line and make it your own by this mental reception, enter into it & be nourished by it, increase in it.

1.94.9. Drive away with thy smitings impetuously those who are opposed to expansion, or such as from afar (stand) against me or all such as are devourers, then make an easy path for the sacrifice to express itself. O Agni, secure in thy friendship, may we come not to harm.

दुःशंसान् . This verse describes those Asuric forces which are opposed to our divine growth & manifestation. The दुःशंसाः are those who are identified with self-division & self-limitation, the sons of Diti who stand in the way of Aditi or infinite being & oppose the शंस referred to in the last verse.

जहि is, in the usage of later Sanscrit, the imperative of हन् but in origin it is evidently the imperative of ज to slay, strike. अप जहि means to strike away, to drive off by blows from the path.

अंति. Greek ἀντί, against.

अत्रिणः. From अत् to eat, devour — the devourers. The दुःशंसाः oppose self-expression by entering the system & limiting it; those who oppose from far-off try to prevent the action of the शंसाः; the अत्रिणः go farther and seek to devour & destroy the शंस once gained. All these are enemies of the yajna.

यज्ञाय गृणते. This is an important passage for the sense of these two words. यज्ञ here is evidently the internal Yoga or tapas which is seeking with the help of the Gods who [are] fostered by its activities to express itself. गृ like many words used to mean “speech”, like शंस् , वच् & वद् means properly expression. Hence the easy confusion by which afterwards all these words were taken in the sense of “praise, prayer, speech”. If we take गृणते as “speaking”, we shall have to separate it from यज्ञाय with which it evidently goes and translate “a good path for the sacrifice for him who speaks”. Like all the ceremonialist interpretations it is highly awkward in expression & almost criminally feeble & disjointed. The idea is evidently of Yogic tapas in action expanding & moving to its goal over a path beset by hostile forces. Agni is to drive them from the path & make the शंस smooth & easy.

1.94.10. When thou hast yoked the rosy and scarlet-red to the car driven by the Wind, thy cry is like a bull’s; thou ravagest the forest-places of delight with thy flag of smoke, O Agni, secure in thy friendship may we not come to harm.

अरुषा. The rose-red horses of Agni are physically the red flames, psychically the movements of love. In the Yogic signs rose is the colour indicative of love, scarlet, the colour of physical passion, kama. When Tapas pours itself out in prema and kama, yokes there its steeds of speed & strength to the car of delight, then the cry of its force & joy is like a bull’s bellowing in the ananda of its strength.

वनिनः forest-places, understanding देशान् in the image; delightful things or persons in the fact imaged. The idea is that of Ananda enjoying the delight of love & beauty of all beautiful things & people with the full ecstatic force of the strong universal love & delight, आदिन्वसि, there is the idea in दि of breaking up to enjoy, ravaging with the soul’s kisses of love so as to enjoy every detail of the enjoyable.

धूमकेतुना. Ketu is perception or a means of perception, a badge, signal or flag. धूमः from धू to trouble, shake, agitate, be agitated, vehement, move excitedly or with gusts, meant not only smoke, incense, but also wind and passion (Gr. θυμός). From the sense of wind it came to mean prana as the seat of passion & desire. The Greek θυμός meant originally prana or the emotional mind, then the movements of the prana & chitta, passion, anger, feeling. For the same reason smoke is the sign in Yoga of the prana in the human system. The horses of love & kama are driven by Vata or Vayu, the force of prana, वातजूता; the signal of Agni’s enjoyment is the smoke or strong movement of prana in physical delight.

3. Circa 1913³

1.94.1 (a) अर्हते. S. पूग्याय Panini अर्ह् = पूजा, प्रशंसा

सं महेम. S. सम्यक् पूजितं कुर्मः!!

जातवेदसे. 3 senses

(b) संसदि. S. संभजने प्रमतिः. S. प्रकृष्टा बुद्धिः

1.94.2 साधति S. स्वाभिलषितं साधयति सुवीर्यं. S. takes = adjective — धनं understood cf 3 साधया धियः

अनर्वा S. शत्रुभिरप्रत्यृतः

(b) तूनर्वा. S. वृद्ध्यर्थः सौत्रो धातुः

1.94.3 शकेम. S. समिधं सम्यगिद्धं कर्तुं,— can it be सोढुं, धारयितुं?

1.94.4 चितयंतः making to know? or getting to know. S. त्वां प्रज्ञापयंतः

पर्वणापर्वणा. P.P. पर्वणाऽपर्वणा. S. प्रतिपक्षमावृत्ताभ्यां दर्शपूर्णमासाभ्यां ।

धियः. S. कर्माणि — why not “thoughts = hymns = prayers”, if it must be ritualistic.

1.94.5 S. takes गोपाः plural in agreement with जंतवः = जाता रश्मयः — and the rest separately supplying अक्तं = आश्लिष्टं with द्विपत् etc.

प्रकेतः. S. प्रदर्शयिता of everything hidden by Night, greater than Usha because all night, she only in the last part.

अक्तुभिः — drivings, impellings of the herdsmen गोपाः. S. अंजकै रश्मिभिः!!

चित्रः S. विचित्रदीप्तियुक्तः

1.94.6 अध्वर्युः Sayana takes each word in alternative senses, one the priest, ie he becomes the priest by dwelling in the priest, eg जाठररूपेण वागिंद्रियाधिष्ठातृत्वेन, and making him do his functions, the other a Nairukta sense.

Nairukta sense. अध्वरस्य यागस्य नेता देवान्प्रति प्रेरयिता

होता N. देवानामाह्वाता

पूर्व्यः = मुख्यः in comparison with hota who is so in comparison with others.

प्रशास्ता. N. प्रकर्षेण सर्वेषां शिक्षकोऽसि

R. यद्वा होतर्यज पोतर्यजेत्यादिना प्रैषेण शास्तीति मैत्रावरुणः प्रशास्ता

पुरोहितः पुरस्तादागामिनि स्वर्गादौ हितोऽनुकूलाचरणः or सर्वेषु कर्मसु पूर्वस्यां दिशि आहवनीये स्थापितोऽसि. R. the Brahma — representative of Brihaspati — बृहस्पतिर्देवानां ब्रह्माहं मनुष्याणां (मंत्रांतरे)

पुष्यसि S. takes वर्धयसि — may it not be वर्धसे?

1.94.7 सुप्रतीकः S. शोभनांगः — rather well-fronting

सदृङ् S. विश्वतः सर्वस्मादन्यूनः सदृशो भवसि = समानः rather = सदृष्टिः

तळिद्. S. अन्तिकनामैतत्

1.94.8 पूर्वो. S. in front of others.

शंसः. S. शंसनीयमभिशापरूपं पापं. It is evident it means “utterance, mantra”

दुर्धियः S. takes evil-minded अनिष्टाचरणपरान्, but it is the opposite of सुधी and must mean either मिथ्याबुद्धिः (or सदोषबुद्धिः) or दुष्टकर्मा

(b) तद्. S. इदं मद्वाक्यं. Rather = तत्सत्यं

1.94.9 दुःशंसान् S. दुःखेन कीर्तनीयान् (b) यज्ञाय यज्ञपतये. It is the sacrifice that travels अध्वरो यज्ञः

1.94.10 S. अरुषा = रोचमानौ वातजूता. S. वातस्य वायोर्जूतं जवि वेग इव ययोः ॥

(b) धूमकेतुना. धूमः केतुः प्रज्ञापको यस्य पादृशेन रश्मिना

इन्वसि. व्याप्नोषि

1.94.11 उत. S. अपि — even the winged Gods. Rather “also” = even ते तावकेभ्यो S. all the wood for you and so for your chariots. The flames go first and make it easy for the chariots!!

तत्ते not सर्वमरण्यं तदा, but that goal of thine तत्सत्यं cf तत्ते भद्रं and Sayana’s note

1.94.12 धायसे. S. धारणायावस्थापनाय. From आ. S. understands भवतु and अयं = स्तोता. Rather it is अयं हेळः and धायसे अवयातां.

अवयातां S. अवस्ताद्गच्छतां that is in Antariksha below Swarga! it is rather descending

मृळ. S. सुखय सु S. प्रसन्नं

1.94.13 देवो देवानां. S. द्योतमानः सर्वेषां देवानां मित्रः वसुर्वसूनां. धनानां निवासयिता

अद्भुतः S. महान्. So in 12 अद्भुत इत्येतन्महन्नाम

सप्रथस्तमे. S. reads संप्रथस्तमे सर्वतः पृथुतमे

शर्मणि यज्ञगृहे

1.94.14 तत्ते भद्रं यत् [S.] त्वत्संबंधि तत्खललु भजनीयं । किं पुनस्तत् । जरसे सतूयस इति यदस्ति

स्वे दमे S. उत्तरवेदिलक्षणे निवासस्थाने । स्वो लोको यदुत्तरवेदीनाभिरिति श्रुतेः

(b) रत्नं रमणीयं कर्मफलं वा

1.94.15 सर्वताता. S. सर्वासु कर्मततिषु यद्वा सर्वेषु यज्ञेषु. Yaska सर्वाः स्तुतयो येषु यागेषु ।

अदिते अखंडनीय (b) भद्रेण भजनीयेन कल्याणेन

चोदयासि S. संयोजयसि

“He whom thou yokest with happy force, becomes wealthy; and let us be yoked with wealth accompanied by sons and grandsons.”

¹ Other Hymns. The Vedic Fire // CWSA.– Vol. 15.– The Secret of the Veda.– Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, 1998, pp. 568-573. 1-st published: Arya: A Philosophical Review. Monthly.– Vol.4, No 2 – September 1917, pp. 125-128.

Back

² CWSA.– Vol. 16.– Hymns to the Mystic Fire.– Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, 2013, pp. 141-145; 585-599. (Part 2; part 3 № 16).

Back

³ CWSA.– Vol. 14.– Vedic and Philological Studies.– Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, 2016, pp. 456-463. (Part 4 № 6).

Back

Please, start with Introduction
Without knowledge of some things, reading Rigveda will be unproductive. We strongly recommend that you begin your acquaintance with Rigveda by reading the Introduction.