Hymns to the Mystic Fire

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RV I.77.1-2

Hymns of Gotama Rahugana

1) कथा दाशेम अग्नये का अस्मै देवजुष्टा उच्यते भामिने गीः ।
यो मर्त्येषु अमृतो ऋतावा होता यजिष्ठ इत् कृणोति देवान् ॥

कथा. This ancient form follows the analogy of सर्वथा, अन्यथा etc. Sayana thinks that कथा दाशेम is a confession of incompetence. This is possible but not necessary. The question may simply express the seeking, naturally with a sense of difficulty, for the right manner of giving and the sufficient word.

भामिने. भा is ज्योतिः, भाम is rather तेजः.

देवजुष्टा. S. सर्वैर्देवैः सेवितव्या वाक्. The gods have to be created by Agni in the mortal, therefore a revealing word is needed to which the cosmic deities will attach themselves, making it their dwelling-place, so that through its instrumentality Agni may create the corresponding godheads in the individual. गीः like

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शंसः is the word which expresses, which brings out, makes प्रशस्त what is unexpressed in the state of अशस्ति and therefore latent.

मर्त्येषु अमृतः. The usual description of Agni, the divine Will; he is the precondition of man's immortality, always present even in his mortality, always shining though smoke-obscured even in his state of night; it is this Will that wakened to greatness and clarity by the Dawn rises up heavenward and calls the gods to take their seat in the human soul that sacrifices to them.

ऋतावा. It is the Seer-Will and possesses the Truth, therefore it is the priest of the offering most powerful for sacrifice. In other words it will know the right way to sacrifice and find the right word for creating the Truth-powers.

कृणोति. S. हविर्भिर्युक्तान् करोत्येव. Prodigious! By what alchemy of the mind are we to find in the plain phrase "makes the gods", the meaning "makes them have the offering"? The mystic idea of the creation of the godheads in man is necessarily beyond the understanding of the ritualist; but what gymnastic feats are needed to wriggle out of the plain sense of a plain phrase!

Sayana's rendering.

How should we give to Agni, what praise that can be accepted by the gods is spoken to the shining one, who, Hotri immortal and possessed of sacrifice, a great sacrificer, dwelling in (among?) mortals makes the gods possessed of the offering?

Psychological rendering.

How shall we give unto the Flame? What word is spoken to the lord of fiery light to which the gods shall cleave, the Flame who immortal in mortals, possessed of the Truth, a priest of the offering most mighty indeed for sacrifice, forms the gods?

2) यो अध्वरेषु शंतम ऋतावा होता तमृ नमोभिरा कृणुध्वं ।
अग्निर्यद्वेर्मर्ताय देवान् स चा बोधाति मनसा यजाति ॥

शंतम ऋतावा. Always in Veda there is the same connection, the Truth is the way to the bliss, its cause, foundation, support; through Vijnana we arrive at Ananda.

आ कृणुध्वं. S. अभिमुखीकुरुत. आ भू & आ कृ have a special sense

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in Veda. आ भू is to become in, enter into another's being, to cast oneself into his, as the god manifests himself in the man, the man lifts his being into the divine consciousness. Cf I.56.2-3 where the phrase आभूषु is applied to those who ascend upon Indra, इंद्रमधि रोह तेजसा and range in that divine Mind as on an ocean, तं गुर्तयः .. परीणसः समुद्रं न संचरणे. आ कृ is the converse action of man bringing the godhead into him and forming it there in his human being.

नमोभिः. Agni is first to be brought into man and formed there, so that he may form the other godheads; it is true that he is already there, but veiled; he has to be brought in in his own divine form from the Truth, his own home. How is this to be done? by what manner of sacrifice? by what word? Simply by the sacrifice of submission, the word of adoration and surrender. He will do the rest.

वेः. S. गच्छति. It may mean "goes", "desires", "manifests". गतिप्रजननकांतिषु. This is the difficulty of fixing the sense of देववीति; we have to choose between "going to the gods" and "manifesting the gods" for the mortal.

बोधाति. S. जानाति or "wakes to the knowledge". This is the answer to the question in the first rik. The SeerWill once awake and formed in the man by submission and adoration of the human to the divine Will itself knows the godheads aright and sacrifices through the mind to them in the right manner of the Truth which he possesses and with its right word.

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