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Rigveda · Maṇḍala 1

Rigveda Maṇḍala 1, Sūkta 21: The Twin Pillars of Might and Purity

📜 6 Verses

Act 1

Act I: Invoking the Dual Sovereigns of the Soma

Verses 1, 2, 3

Verse 1

इ॒हेंद्रा॒ग्नी उप॑ ह्वये॒ तयो॒रित्स्तोम॑मुश्मसि । ता सोमं॑ सोम॒पात॑मा ॥

ihéndrāgnī́ úpa hvaye táyorítstómamuśmasi ǀ tā́ sómam somapā́tamā ǁ

Verse 2

ता य॒ज्ञेषु॒ प्र शं॑सतेंद्रा॒ग्नी शुं॑भता नरः । ता गा॑य॒त्रेषु॑ गायत ॥

tā́ yajñéṣu prá śaṃsatendrāgnī́ śumbhatā naraḥ ǀ tā́ gāyatréṣu gāyata ǁ

Verse 3

ता मि॒त्रस्य॒ प्रश॑स्तय इंद्रा॒ग्नी ता ह॑वामहे । सो॒म॒पा सोम॑पीतये ॥

tā́ mitrásya práśastaya indrāgnī́ tā́ havāmahe ǀ somapā́ sómapītaye ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

In these opening verses, the Ṛṣi extends an urgent and affectionate invitation to two of the most formidable deities of the Vedic pantheon: Indra, the lord of heroic force and luminous expansion, and Agni, the divine will and priest of the hearth, addressed here in a unified dual compound as Indrāgnī. The sacrificer does not merely offer a ritual; he yearns for an intimate communion, declaring that they desire the praise-song above all else. This is a call rooted in the daily rhythm of the altar where the pressed Soma—the essence of heightened spiritual joy and vitality—is extracted. The poetry moves from a simple invitation to an aesthetic and communal celebration. The Ṛṣi urges the wise participants, the naras, to amplify and adorn this divine praise within the sacred enclosures of the ritual and through the meters of the Gāyatrī. This underscores the ancient Vedic view that human speech, when properly chanted and metered, possesses an inherent magnetic power that draws down the celestial forces. Indra and Agni are invoked not as distant lords, but as intimate companions of truth (mitrasya praśastaye), the ultimate drinkers and protectors of the blissful Soma juice.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 1: Here I call upon Indra and Agni together; we truly desire their song of praise, for they are the supreme drinkers of the pressed Soma.

Verse 2: Proclaim them well in the sacrifices, O heroes, adorn them, and sing their praises in the Gāyatrī meters!

Verse 3: As the auspicious declaration of Mitra, we invoke these two, Indra and Agni, drinkers of Soma, to drink the pressed draught.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

The translation closely follows Sāyaṇa's ritualistic commentary, which identifies the dual deity Indrāgnī as presiding over the morning pressing of the Soma. The spiritual undertone highlighted here—that human speech and meter act as an active invocation of divine faculties—draws from Sri Aurobindo's psychological interpretation of the Rigveda, where Indra represents the divine mind and Agni the inner flame of aspiration.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 1

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
इह	iha	here, in this place
इन्द्राग्नी	indrāgnī	Indra and Agni (dual vocative)
उप ह्वये	upa hvaye	I invoke near, I call upon
सोमपातमा	somapātamā	supreme drinkers of Soma

Verse 2

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
यज्ञेषु	yajñeṣu	in the sacrifices/rites
प्र शंसत	pra śaṃsata	proclaim forth, praise
शुम्भत	śumbhata	adorn, beautify
गायत्रेषु	gāyatreṣu	in the Gāyatrī hymns/meters

Verse 3

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
मित्रस्य	mitrasya	of Mitra (friendship/harmony)
प्रशस्तये	praśastaye	for the praise/manifestation
हवामहे	havāmahe	we invoke, call upon
सोमपीतये	somapītaye	for the drinking of Soma

🧠

Memory Hook

Imagine two towering mountain peaks bathed in golden sunlight—one of striking blue thunder (Indra) and one of crackling red flame (Agni)—responding immediately to the sweet aroma of flowing nectar.

Act 2

Act II: The Shield Against Darkness and the Abode of Truth

Verses 4, 5, 6

Verse 4

उ॒ग्रा संता॑ हवामह॒ उपे॒दं सव॑नं सु॒तं । इं॒द्रा॒ग्नी एह ग॑च्छतां ॥

ugrā́ sántā havāmaha úpedám sávanam sutám ǀ indrāgnī́ éhá gacchatām ǁ

Verse 5

ता म॒हांता॒ सद॒स्पती॒ इंद्रा॑ग्नी॒ रक्ष॑ उब्जतं । अप्र॑जाः संत्व॒त्रिणः॑ ॥

tā́ mahā́ntā sádaspátī índrāgnī rákṣa ubjatam ǀ áprajāḥ santvatríṇaḥ ǁ

Verse 6

तेन॑ स॒त्येन॑ जागृत॒मधि॑ प्रचे॒तुने॑ प॒दे । इंद्रा॑ग्नी॒ शर्म॑ यच्छतं ॥

téna satyéna jāgṛtamádhi pracetúne padé ǀ índrāgnī śárma yacchatam ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

As the Sūkta progresses, the mood shifts from festive invitation to protective fortification. The Ṛṣi addresses the two deities as ugrā santā—fierce and mighty ones—imploring them to descend directly into the pressed offering (savanam sutam). They are hailed as sadaspatī, the lords of the sacred seat or gathering, who possess the sovereign authority to crush the dark forces of obstruction. The prayer becomes aggressively defensive: let the atriṇaḥ—the devouring, demoniac entities that prey upon human consciousness and ritual purity—be rendered aprajāḥ, barren and stripped of their destructive progeny. The final verse seals the hymn with a profound philosophical and ritual anchor. The Ṛṣi invokes the 'truth' (satyena) and the 'awakened, luminous plane' (pracetune pade) as the foundation upon which Indra and Agni must keep vigil. The word śarma is requested—not merely shelter, but a profound, blissful peace and security. Through this alignment with cosmic truth, the sacrificer secures both earthly safety and spiritual elevation, bridged by the grace of the dual gods.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 4: Fierce as they are, we call upon them to draw near to this pressed libation; may Indra and Agni come hither right now.

Verse 5: O great lords of the seat, Indra and Agni, crush and press down the rakṣas (evil forces); let the devourers be left without offspring!

Verse 6: By that truth, stay awake and watchful upon that luminous, conscious plane; O Indra and Agni, bestow upon us blissful shelter.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

Sāyaṇa interprets rakṣas and atriṇaḥ literally as nocturnal demons and flesh-eating entities that disrupt sacrifices. In deeper esoteric readings, such as those of the Yogic tradition, these figures symbolize inner psychological impurities, egoistic shadows, and mental oscillations that try to hijack spiritual clarity.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 4

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
उग्रा	ugrā	fierce, mighty, powerful
सवणम्	savanam	pressing of Soma, ritual session
सुतम्	sutam	extracted, pressed out
गच्छताम्	gacchatām	let them come, approach

Verse 5

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
महान्ता	mahāntā	the two great ones
सदस्पती	sadaspatī	lords of the seat/assembly
रक्षः	rakṣaḥ	demon, evil spirit, obstruction
उब्जतम्	ubjatam	crush down, push away
अत्रिणः	atriṇaḥ	devourers, malignant beings

Verse 6

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
सत्येन	satyena	by the truth, by reality
जागृटम्	jāgṛtam	be watchful, stay awake (dual)
प्रचेतुने	pracetune	on the wise, highly conscious
शर्म	śarma	shelter, refuge, bliss, peace

🧠

Memory Hook

Visualize two vigilant guardian sentinels standing at the gates of a sunlit fortress at night, their weapons flashing to drive away creeping shadows, ensuring utter safety within the sanctuary.