Lexicon

of Rig Veda

pṛtanāhava, effort of creation

The word occurs once in Rigveda (1.109.6) and is used together with the word “seeing men”, that is, seers and poets. Usually translated as a challenge to battle, etc. However, without rejecting such an external meaning, this double word has a completely different internal and real meaning. So, pṛtanā means effort, wrestling, competition, etc., while hava means offering, while the whole phrase means either the effort, the work of creating an offering-hymn, or the competition of poets to create the best poems.