Study Guide to the Agni Āprī Sukta of Ṛgveda Mandala 2

🙏 Ṛṣi (Seer): Gṛtsamada🔥 Devatā (Deity): Agni🎵 Chandas (Meter): Triṣṭubh📜 2 Verses

Act 1

Act I: The Invocation of Agni and Narāśaṃsa

Verses 1, 2

Verse 1

िध॒यः प्र॑ेष्यामि म॒ध्वो अ॒ग्ने जु॒षाणो॑ या॒ह्युप॒ यज्ज्ञ॑म॒द्य । दे॒वान्दे॒वेषु॒ यज॑तो॒ यजा॑न॒ आ नो॑ गच्छ॒ त्रि॒बर्हिए॒ष्वनू॑दन् ॥

idhiyaḥ preṣyāmi madhvo agne juṣāṇo yāhyupa yajñam adya । devān deveṣu yajato yajāna ā no gaccha tribarhieṣu anūdan ॥

Verse 2

नरा॒शंसो॒ अभि॒ प्रि॒यो नो॑ अ॒स्मिन्त्सु॒म्ने यज्ञे॒ मधि॑नो मधू॒नाम् । उ॒त नो॑ वा॒चं सु॒दिना॑म॒कार्चीत्प्रा॒चीनो॒ मखः॑ प्र॒थमो॑ यजत्रः ॥

narāśaṃso abhi priyo no asminnt sumne yajñe madhino madhūnām । uta no vācaṃ sudinām akārcīt prācīno makhaḥ prathamo yajatraḥ ॥

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

In these opening verses of the Āprī hymn, the Ṛṣi Gṛtsamada establishes the foundation of the inner sacrifice. Agni is summoned as the divine priest who bridges the mortal seeker with cosmic realities. By offering sweetened prayers and invoking Narāśaṃsa—the praised of men—the aspirant purifies the faculties of speech and thought, preparing the inner altar for the descent of higher divine energies.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 1: I send forth honeyed prayers to Agni; may he come to the sacrifice and sit upon the threefold sacred grass.

Verse 2: May Narāśaṃsa sweeten our sacrifice and make our speech bright and auspicious.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

Sāyaṇa interprets these verses through the ritualistic lens of animal and soma sacrifices, whereas Sri Aurobindo views them psychologically, where Agni represents the ascending flame of aspiration and Narāśaṃsa represents the divine formation of human speech and action.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 1

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
अग्ने	agne	O Agni
जुषाणः	juṣāṇaḥ	enjoying, taking delight
बर्हिष्	barhiṣ	sacred grass seat

Verse 2

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
नराशंसः	narāśaṃsaḥ	praised of men (an epithet of Agni)
वाचम्	vācam	speech, voice
यजत्रः	yajatraḥ	worthy of worship

🧠

Memory Hook

Remember Act I as the 'Ignition of Sweet Speech', where Agni and Narāśaṃsa awaken the inner altar.