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Rigveda · Maṇḍala 1

The Refrain of Splendor: The Gotama Sūkta to Agni

📜 5 Verses

Act 1

The Call of the Gotamas and the Radiance of the Knower

Verses 1, 2

Verse 1

अ॒भि त्वा॒ गोत॑मा गि॒रा जात॑वेदो॒ विच॑र्षणे । द्यु॒म्नैर॒भि प्र णो॑नुमः ॥

abhí tvā gótamā girā́ jā́tavedo vícarṣaṇe ǀ dyumnáirabhí prá ṇonumaḥ ǁ

Verse 2

तमु॑ त्वा॒ गोत॑मो गि॒रा रा॒यस्का॑मो दुवस्यति । द्यु॒म्नैर॒भि प्र णो॑नुमः ॥

támu tvā gótamo girā́ rāyáskāmo duvasyati ǀ dyumnáirabhí prá ṇonumaḥ ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

In these opening verses, the seers of the Gotama family step forward to invoke Agni, the divine flame who knows all that has been born and created (Jātavedas). They do not offer a silent prayer; rather, they awaken the presence of the deity with a magnificent song (girā), resounding with praise and illuminated by divine wealth (dyumnaiḥ). The refrain itself—dyumnair abhi pra nonumaḥ—acts as a rhythmic heartbeat uniting the entire hymn, symbolizing the continuous, upward-surging wave of human adoration crashing against the shores of the divine. Gotama, driven by a deep inner thirst for spiritual and material illumination (rāyaskāma), actively woos and attends to the divine fire (duvasyati). This is no transactional worship, but an intimate, reverent tending of the inner light. The seer recognizes that Agni is not just a physical flame on the altar, but vīcarṣaṇe—the observer and overseer of all moving, conscious human lives, watching over our struggles and spiritual yearnings with a discerning eye.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 1: O Jātavedas, Knower of all births, O observer of all things, the Gotamas praise you with our song; with radiant splendors we continuously acclaim you.

Verse 2: Him indeed, O Agni, does Gotama attend with his song, desiring the wealth of illumination; with radiant splendors we continuously acclaim you.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

The translation follows the traditional ritualistic and spiritual readings where 'dyumnaiḥ' represents both physical light and the radiant spiritual energy of the chant. Sāyaṇa views 'rāyaskāmaḥ' as seeking material and heavenly boons, while Aurobindo's psychological lens sees it as the seeker desiring the wealth of divine consciousness.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 1

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
अभि	abhí	towards, upon, in the direction of
त्वा	tvā	thee
गोतमाः	gótamāḥ	the Gotamas (the clan of seers)
गिरा	girā́	with song, with voice or utterance
जातवेदः	jā́tavedaḥ	O Jātavedas (Knower of all created beings or wealth)
विचर्षणे	vícarṣaṇe	O overseer of men, all-observant
द्युम्नैः	dyumnáiḥ	with radiances, lights, or divine opulences
नोनुमः	ṇonumaḥ	we laud repeatedly, we acclaim

Verse 2

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
तुम्	tam	him
गोतमः	gótamaḥ	Gotama (the individual seer speaking)
रायस्कामः	rā́yaḥ-kāmaḥ	desiring wealth or spiritual riches
दुवस्यति	duvasyati	serves, honors, worships

🧠

Memory Hook

Imagine a choir of sages gathered around a towering bonfire in the dark, throwing handfuls of glowing embers into the air as they chant a rhythmic, unstoppable chorus that echoes across the valleys.

Act 2

The Angirasa Heritage and the Slaying of Dasyus

Verses 3, 4

Verse 3

तमु॑ त्वा वाज॒सात॑ममंगिर॒स्वद्ध॑वामहे । द्यु॒म्नैर॒भि प्र णो॑नुमः ॥

támu tvā vājasā́tamamaṅgirasváddhavāmahe ǀ dyumnáirabhí prá ṇonumaḥ ǁ

Verse 4

तमु॑ त्वा वृत्र॒हंत॑मं॒ यो दस्यूँ॑रवधूनु॒षे । द्यु॒म्नैर॒भि प्र णो॑नुमः ॥

támu tvā vṛtrahántamam yó dásyūm̐ravadhūnuṣé ǀ dyumnáirabhí prá ṇonumaḥ ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

As the hymn progresses, the Ṛṣi connects his lineage and practice to the ancient primordial seers, the Angirasas. By invoking Agni 'as an Angirasa' (aṅgirasavat), the poet taps into an unbroken lineage of fire-seers who first discovered how to draw the hidden light out of darkness. Agni is further praised as vājasātama—the supreme conqueror and bestower of vigor, strength, and plenitude. Verse 4 introduces a martial and psychological depth: Agni is vṛtrahantama, the greatest slayer of Vṛtra (the enclosing obstacle/resistance), and the one who shakes off and scatters the Dasyus (the dark, withholding forces of ignorance). The fire within is not merely comforting; it is a fierce, transformative force that shatters inner inertia and clears the path for the seeker's spiritual evolution.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 3: Him indeed do we invoke like the Angirasas, as the supreme bestower of vigor; with radiant splendors we continuously acclaim you.

Verse 4: Him indeed do you invoke as the supreme slayer of Vṛtra, who shakes off the Dasyus; with radiant splendors we continuously acclaim you.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

Sāyaṇa interprets 'Dasyus' as physical hostile tribes opposing Vedic sacrifices, whereas esoteric interpreters see Vṛtra and the Dasyus as psychological barriers—ignorance, sloth, and mental darkness—which the inner fire burns away.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 3

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
वाजसातमम्	vājasā́tamam	most productive of prize, vigor, or wealth
अङ्गिरस्वत्	aṅgirasavát	like the Angirasas (ancient seer-ancestors)
हवामहे	havāmahe	we invoke, we call upon

Verse 4

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
वृत्रहन्तमम्	vṛtrahántamam	the most mighty slayer of Vṛtra (obstacle/resistance)
यः	yáḥ	who
दस्यून्	dásyūn	the Dasyus (enemies of light, hostile powers)
अवधूनुषे	avadhūnuṣé	thou shakers down, agitatest, or disperses

🧠

Memory Hook

Picture a mighty blacksmith forging weapons of light, striking the anvil so hard that all the shadows and clinging cobwebs of the workshop are blown away in an instant.

Act 3

The Honey-Sweet Word of the Rahūgaṇas

Verses 5

Verse 5

अवो॑चाम॒ रहू॑गणा अ॒ग्नये॒ मधु॑म॒द्वचः॑ । द्यु॒म्नैर॒भि प्र णो॑नुमः ॥

ávocāma ráhūgaṇā agnáye mádhumadvácaḥ ǀ dyumnáirabhí prá ṇonumaḥ ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

The hymn culminates in a personal and clan signature. The Rahūgaṇas—a branch or alternative name associated with the Gotama seers—declare that they have spoken a 'honey-sweet word' (madhumad vacaḥ) to Agni. This honey-sweet speech represents the refined, purified essence of human expression, distilled through devotion and meditative clarity. Even in this final verse, the powerful refrain anchors the hymn, reminding us that no matter how sweet or elevated the human word becomes, it must continually return to the dynamic praise of the divine flame, looping back in an endless spiral of sacred utterance.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 5: We, the Rahūgaṇas, have spoken a honey-sweet word to Agni; with radiant splendors we continuously acclaim you.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

The term 'Rahūgaṇa' highlights the rich interconnected genealogy of Ṛgvedic seers. Commentators note that 'madhumat vacaḥ' signifies speech that is not only pleasing to hear but possesses the transformative sweetness of divine truth (ṛta).

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 5

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
अवोचाम	ávocāma	we have spoken, uttered
रहूगणाः	ráhūgaṇāḥ	the Rahūgaṇas (a sub-clan of the Gotamas)
अग्नये	agnáye	to Agni (the divine fire)
मधुमत	mádhumat	honey-sweet, full of sweetness or delight
वचः	vácaḥ	word, speech, hymn

🧠

Memory Hook

Visualize a comb of wild forest honey dripping golden nectar directly into the leaping flames of a sacred hearth, sweetening the fire with the purest essence of the heart.