The Awakening of the Divine Priest: Invoking Agni's Supreme Office

📜 5 Verses

Act 1

Act I: Seeking the Ultimate Approach and Invocation

Verses 1, 2

Verse 1

का त॒ उपे॑ति॒र्मन॑सो॒ वरा॑य॒ भुव॑दग्ने॒ शंत॑मा॒ का म॑नी॒षा । को वा॑ य॒ज्ञैः परि॒ दक्षं॑ त आप॒ केन॑ वा ते॒ मन॑सा दाशेम ॥

kā́ ta úpetirmánaso várāya bhúvadagne śáṃtamā kā́ manīṣā́ ǀ kó vā yajñáiḥ pári dákṣam ta āpa kéna vā te mánasā dāśema ǁ

Verse 2

एह्य॑ग्न इ॒ह होता॒ नि षी॒दाद॑ब्धः॒ सु पु॑रए॒ता भ॑वा नः । अव॑तां त्वा॒ रोद॑सी विश्वमि॒न्वे यजा॑ म॒हे सौ॑मन॒साय॑ दे॒वान् ॥

éhyagna ihá hótā ní ṣīdā́dabdhaḥ sú puraetā́ bhavā naḥ ǀ ávatām tvā ródasī viśvaminvé yájā mahé saumanasā́ya devā́n ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

We step into the quiet, potent atmosphere of the sacrificial dawn where the Ṛṣi confronts Agni with profound existential questions. 'What shall be our approach, most pleasing to the mind? What prayer will reach your supreme height?' These opening verses are not mere mechanical inquiries; they are an intimate dialogue with the divine flame who bridges human consciousness and cosmic order. The seeker wonders how mortal offerings can truly comprehend and grasp the divine skill (dakṣa) of Agni. In the second verse, the tone shifts from questioning to an urgent, heartfelt invitation. The Ṛṣi calls upon Agni to come forward, take his seat as the divine Hotṛ priest, and become an unassailable leader of the path. The dual worlds (Heaven and Earth, Rodasī) are beseeched to protect and embrace this flame, enabling the mortal to worship the gods with a heart filled with pure harmony and auspicious joy (saumanasa).

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 1: What movement of our mind shall serve as your supreme approach, O Agni, and what prayer shall be most pleasing? Who among us with our offerings has fully grasped your divine skill, or with what mindset might we truly bestow our devotion upon you?

Verse 2: Come hither, O Agni, and take your seat as our officiating priest here; be our infallible leader, blazing brightly before us. May Heaven and Earth, embracing all things, guard you, so that we may sacrifice to the gods for the sake of supreme well-being.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

The translation closely follows traditional Sayana commentary regarding ritual mechanics, while incorporating Aurobindo's psychological reading of 'manīṣā' as inspired thought and 'dakṣa' as divine discernment.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 1

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
उपेतिः	upetiḥ	approach, coming near
मनीषा	manīṣā	thought, prayer, inspired understanding
दक्षम्	dakṣam	skill, ability, right capacity
दाशेम	dāśema	may we offer worship or homage

Verse 2

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
होता	hotā	invoker, sacrificial priest
अदब्धः	adabdhaḥ	unhurt, infallible, unbroken
पुरएता	puraetā	leader, one who goes before
रोदसी	rodasī	the two worlds, heaven and earth

🧠

Memory Hook

Picture a traveler standing at a mountain pass, asking the wise guide (Agni) for the safest, most harmonious path forward before stepping into the radiant light.

Act 2

Act II: Guardian of the Rite and Host to the Gods

Verses 3, 4, 5

Verse 3

प्र सु विश्वा॑न्र॒क्षसो॒ धक्ष्य॑ग्ने॒ भवा॑ य॒ज्ञाना॑मभिशस्ति॒पावा॑ । अथा व॑ह॒ सोम॑पतिं॒ हरि॑भ्यामाति॒थ्यम॑स्मै चकृमा सु॒दाव्ने॑ ॥

prá sú víśvānrakṣáso dhákṣyagne bhávā yajñā́nāmabhiśastipā́vā ǀ áthā́ vaha sómapatim háribhyāmātithyámasmai cakṛmā sudā́vne ǁ

Verse 4

प्र॒जाव॑ता॒ वच॑सा॒ वह्नि॑रा॒सा च॑ हु॒वे नि च॑ सत्सी॒ह दे॒वैः । वेषि॑ हो॒त्रमु॒त पो॒त्रं य॑जत्र बो॒धि प्र॑यंतर्जनित॒र्वसू॑नां ॥

prajā́vatā vácasā váhnirāsā́ ca huvé ní ca satsīhá deváiḥ ǀ véṣi hotrámutá potrám yajatra bodhí prayantarjanitarvásūnām ǁ

Verse 5

यथा॒ विप्र॑स्य॒ मनु॑षो ह॒विर्भि॑र्दे॒वाँ अय॑जः क॒विभिः॑ क॒विः सन् । ए॒वा हो॑तः सत्यतर॒ त्वम॒द्याग्ने॑ मं॒द्रया॑ जु॒ह्वा॑ यजस्व ॥

yáthā víprasya mánuṣo havírbhirdevā́m̐ áyajaḥ kavíbhiḥ kavíḥ sán ǀ evā́ hotaḥ satyatara tvámadyā́gne mandráyā juhvā́ yajasva ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

Having welcomed Agni to the seat of sacrifice, the Ṛṣi charges him with a fierce defensive duty: burn away all hostile, obscuring forces (rakṣas) and stand firm as the guardian against spiritual calumny and falsehood. Once the sacred space is purified, Agni is implored to bring forth the Lord of Soma, harnessed by his radiant steeds, to receive the proper hospitality prepared by the generous mortal. The Sūkta deepens as the poet invokes Agni with a prayer born of 'progeny-rich speech' (prajāvatā vacasā), calling upon him to sit among the gathered divinities. Agni is recognized as the master of diverse ritual functions—performing the roles of Hotṛ and Potṛ with supreme mastery. Finally, the Ṛṣi draws a parallel between the ancient, wise seers and the present moment: just as Agni once brought the gods to the oblations of ancient enlightened sages, so too must he perform this luminous service today, using his sweet, delightful tongue (juhvā) as the conveyor of sacrifice.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 3: Burn down completely all dark and hostile powers, O Agni, and become the protector of our sacrifices against malice. Then bring hither the Lord of Soma upon your twin steeds, for we have prepared the sacred guest-offering for you, the generous giver.

Verse 4: With vibrant, life-bearing speech and through my mouth, I invoke you, the divine carrier; sit down here together with the gods. You execute the offices of Hotṛ and Potṛ, O adorable one; awaken, O creator and sustainer of all treasures!

Verse 5: Even as you once caused the gods to partake in the oblations of the enlightened human sage, being yourself a seer among seers, even so now, O truthful Hotṛ, perform the sacrifice today with your sweet, delightful tongue, O Agni!