{"id":851,"date":"2013-07-13T01:30:48","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=851"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:30:48","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:30:48","slug":"08-agni-and-the-truth-vol-10-the-secret-of-the-veda-volume-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/01-sabcl\/10-the-secret-of-the-veda-volume-10\/08-agni-and-the-truth-vol-10-the-secret-of-the-veda-volume-10","title":{"rendered":"-08_Agni and the Truth.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n

\n
\nC<\/font>HAPTER <\/font><\/p>\n

VI <\/font><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

\n
\nAgni and the Truth <\/font><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nT<\/font>HE <\/font><\/p>\n

<\/b>Rig-veda is one in all its parts. Which-
\never of its ten Mandalas we choose, we find the same substance,
\nthe same ideas, the same images, the same phrases. The Rishis
\nare the seers of a single truth and use in its expression a common
\nlanguage. They differ in temperament and personality; some
\nare inclined to a more rich, subtle and profound use of Vedic
\nsymbolism; others give voice to their spiritual experience in a
\nbarer and simpler diction, with less fertility of thought, richness
\nof poetical image or depth and fullness of suggestion. Often the
\nsongs of one seer vary in their manner, range from the utmost
\nsimplicity to the most curious richness. Or there are risings and
\nfallings in the same hymn; it proceeds from the most ordinary
\nconventions of the general symbol of sacrifice to a movement of
\npacked and complex thought. Some of the Suktas are plain and
\nalmost modern in their language; others baffle us at first by their
\nsemblance of antique obscurity. But these differences of manner
\ntake nothing from the unity of spiritual experience, nor are they
\ncomplicated by any variation of the fixed terms and the common
\nformulae. In the deep and mystic style of Dirghatamas Auchathya as in the melodious lucidity of Medhatithi Kanwa, in the
\npuissant and energetic hymns of Vishwamitra as in Vasishtha’s
\neven harmonies we have the same firm foundation of knowledge
\nand the same scrupulous adherence to the sacred conventions of
\nthe Initiates.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nFrom this peculiarity of the Vedic compositions it results
\nthat the method of interpretation which I have described can be
\nequally well illustrated from a number of scattered Suktas selected from the ten Mandalas or from any small block of hymns by
\na single Rishi. If my purpose were to establish beyond all possibility of objection the interpretation which I am now offering,
\na much more detailed and considerable work would be necessary. <\/font> <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 54<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nA critical scrutiny covering the whole of the ten Mandalas
\nwould be indispensable. To justify, for instance, the idea I attach
\nto the Vedic term ṛtam,<\/i> the Truth, or my explanation of the
\nsymbol of the Cow of Light, I should have to cite all passages of
\nany importance in which the idea of the Truth or the image of the
\nCow are introduced and establish my thesis by an examination
\nof their sense and context. Or if I wish to prove that Indra in
\nthe Veda is really in his psychological functions the master of
\nluminous mind typified by dyauḥ,<\/i> or Heaven, with its three
\nshining realms, rocanā,<\/i> I should have to examine similarly
\nthe hymns addressed to Indra and the passages in which there is
\na clear mention of the Vedic system of worlds. Nor could this
\nbe sufficient, so intertwined and interdependent are the notions
\nof the Veda, without some scrutiny of the other Gods and of
\nother important psychological terms connected with the idea of
\nthe Truth and of the mental illumination through which man
\narrives at it. I recognise the necessity of such a work of justification and hope to follow it out in other studies on the Vedic
\nTruth, on the Gods of the Veda and on Vedic symbols. But a
\nlabour of this scope would be beyond the range of the present
\nwork, which is confined merely to an illustration of my method
\nand to a brief statement of the results of my theory.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nIn order to illustrate the method I propose to take the first
\neleven Suktas of the first Mandala and to show how some of the
\ncentral ideas of a psychological interpretation arise out of certain important
\npassages or single hymns and how the surrounding context of the passages and the general thought of the hymns
\nassume an entirely new appearance in the light of this profounder
\nthinking.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe Sanhita of the Rig-veda, as we possess it, is arranged in
\nten books or Mandalas. A double principle is observed in the
\narrangement. Six of the Mandalas are given each to the hymns of
\na single Rishi or family of Rishis. Thus the second is devoted
\nchiefly to the Suktas of the Rishi Gritsamada, the third and the
\nseventh similarly to the great names of Vishwamitra and Vasishtha respectively, the fourth to Vamadeva, the sixth to Bharadwaja. The fifth is occupied by the hymns of the house of Atri.
\nIn each of these Mandalas the Suktas addressed to Agni are first<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

 
\nPage \u2013 55<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\ncollected together and followed by those of which Indra is the
\ndeity; the invocations of other Gods, Brihaspati, Surya, the
\nRibhus, Usha, etc. close the Mandala. A whole book, the ninth,
\nis given to a single God, Soma. The first, eighth and tenth
\nMandalas are collections of Suktas by various Rishis, but the
\nhymns of each seer are ordinarily placed together in the order of
\ntheir deities, Agni leading, Indra following, the other Gods
\nsucceeding. Thus the first Mandala opens with ten hymns of the
\nseer Madhuchchhandas, son of Vishwamitra, and an eleventh
\nascribed to Jetri, son of Madhuchchhandas. This last Sukta,
\nhowever, is identical in style, manner and spirit with the ten that
\nprecede it and they can all be taken together as a single block of
\nhymns one in intention and diction.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nA certain principle of thought-development also has not
\nbeen absent from the arrangement of these Vedic hymns. The
\nopening Mandala seems to have been so designed that the general
\nthought of the Veda in its various elements should gradually
\nunroll itself under the cover of the established symbols by the
\nvoices of a certain number of Rishis who almost all rank high as
\nthinkers and sacred singers and are, some of them, among the
\nmost famous names of Vedic tradition. Nor can it be by accident that the tenth or closing Mandala gives us, with an even
\ngreater miscellaneity of authors, the last developments of the
\nthought of the Veda and some of the most modern in language
\nof its Suktas. It is here that we find the Sacrifice of the Purusha
\nand the great Hymn of the Creation. It is here also that modern
\nscholars think they discover the first origins of the Vedantic
\nphilosophy, the Brahmavada.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nIn any case, the hymns of the son and grandson of Vishwamitra with which the Rig-veda opens strike admirably the first
\nessential notes of the Vedic harmony. The first hymn, addressed
\nto Agni, suggests the central conception of the Truth which is
\nconfirmed in the second and third Suktas invoking Indra in company with other gods. In the remaining eight hymns with Indra
\nas the sole deity, except for one which he shares with the Maruts,
\nwe find the symbols of the Soma and the Cow, the obstructor
\nVritra and the great role played by Indra in leading man to the
\nLight and overthrowing the barriers to<\/b> his progress. These<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 56<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nhymns are therefore of crucial importance to the psychological
\ninterpretation of the Veda.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThere are four verses in the Hymn to Agni, the fifth to the
\neighth in which the psychological sense comes out with a great
\nforce and clearness, escaping from the veil of the symbol.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nAgnir hotā kavikratuḥ, śatyascitraśravastamaḥ,<\/i><\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\ndevo devebhir āgamat. <\/i><\/font><\/p>\n

\nYad anga dāśuṣe tvam, agne bhadram kariṣyasi,<\/i><\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\ntavet tat satyam angiraḥ. <\/i><\/font><\/p>\n

\nUpa tvāgne divedive, doṣāvastar dhiyā vayam,<\/i><\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nnamo bharanta emasi. <\/i><\/font><\/p>\n

\nRājantam adhvarāṇām, gopām ṛtasya dīdivim,<\/i><\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nvardhamānam sve dame.<\/i><\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nIn this passage we have a series of terms plainly bearing or
\nobviously capable of a psychological sense and giving their
\ncolour to the whole context. Sayana, however, insists on a
\npurely ritual interpretation and it is interesting to see how he
\narrives at it. In the first phrase we have the word kavi<\/i> meaning
\na seer and, even if we take kratu<\/i> to mean work of the sacrifice,
\nwe shall have as a result, "Agni, the priest whose work or rite is
\nthat of the seer", a turn which at once gives a symbolic character
\nto the sacrifice and is in itself sufficient to serve as the seed of a
\ndeeper understanding of the Veda. Sayana feels that he has to
\nturn the difficulty at any cost and therefore he gets rid of the
\nsense of seer for kavi<\/i> and gives it another and unusual significance. He then explains that Agni is satya,<\/i> true, because he
\nbrings about the true fruit of the sacrifice. Śravas<\/i> Sayana renders
\n"fame", Agni has an exceedingly various renown. It would have
\nbeen surely better to take the word in the sense of wealth so as
\nto avoid the incoherency of this last rendering. We shall then
\nhave this result for the fifth verse, "Agni the priest, active in the
\nritual, who is true (in its fruit) \u2014 for his is the most varied wealth,
\n\u2014let him come, a god with the gods."<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nTo the sixth Rik the commentator gives a very awkward
\nand abrupt construction and trivial turn of thought which
\nbreaks entirely the flow of the verse. "That good (in the shape<\/font>
\n<\/font> <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 57<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nof varied wealth) which thou shalt effect for the giver, thine is
\nthat. This is true, O  Angiras", that is to say, there can be no
\ndoubt about this fact, for if Agni does good to the giver by providing him with wealth, he in turn will perform fresh sacrifices to
\nAgni, and thus the good of the sacrificer becomes the good of the
\ngod. Here again it would be better to render, "The good that thou wilt do
\nfor the giver, that is that truth of thee, O  Angiras",
\nfor we thus get at once a simpler sense and construction and an
\nexplanation of the epithet, satya,<\/i> true, as applied to the god of
\nthe sacrificial fire. This is the truth of Agni that to the giver of
\nthe sacrifice he surely gives good in return.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe seventh verse offers no difficulty to
\nthe ritualistic interpretation except the curious phrase, "we come bearing<\/i>
\nthe prostration". Sayana explains that bearing here means simply doing
\nand he renders, "To thee day by day we, by night and by day,
\ncome with the thought performing the prostration." In the eighth
\nverse he takes ṛtasya<\/i> in the sense of truth and explains it as the
\ntrue fruit of the ritual. "To thee shining, the protector of the
\nsacrifices, manifesting always their truth (that is, their inevitable
\nfruit), increasing in thy own house." Again, it would be simpler
\nand better to take ṛtam<\/i> in the sense of sacrifice and to render,
\n"To thee shining out in the sacrifices, protector of the rite, ever
\nluminous, increasing in thy own house." The "own house"
\nof Agni, says the commentator, is the place of sacrifice and this
\nis indeed called frequently enough in Sanskrit, "the house of
\nAgni".<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nWe see, therefore, that with a little managing we can work
\nout a purely ritual sense quite empty of thought even for a
\npassage which at first sight offers a considerable wealth of psychological significance. Nevertheless, however ingeniously it
\nis effected, flaws and cracks remain which betray the artificiality
\nof the work. We have had to throw overboard the plain sense of
\nkavi<\/i> which adheres to it throughout the Veda and foist in an
\nunreal rendering. We have either to divorce the two words
\nsatya<\/i> and ṛta<\/i> which are closely associated in the Veda or to give
\na forced sense to ṛta.<\/i> And throughout we have avoided the natural suggestions pressed on us by the language of the Rishi.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nLet us now follow instead the opposite principle and give<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 58<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\ntheir full psychological value to the words of the inspired text.
\nKratu<\/i> means in Sanskrit work or action and especially work in
\nthe sense of the sacrifice; but it means also power or strength
\n(the Greek kratos)<\/i> effective of action. Psychologically this power
\neffective of action is the will. The word may also mean mind or
\nintellect and Sayana admits thought or knowledge as a possible
\nsense for kratu. Śravas<\/i> means literally hearing and from this
\nprimary significance is derived its secondary sense, "fame". But,
\npsychologically, the idea of hearing leads up in Sanskrit to
\nanother sense which we find in śravaṇa, śruti, śruta, \u2014<\/i> revealed
\nknowledge, the knowledge which comes by inspiration. Dṛṣṭi<\/i> and
\nśruti,<\/i> sight and hearing, revelation and inspiration are the two
\nchief powers of that supra-mental faculty which belongs to the
\nold Vedic idea of the Truth, the ṛtam.<\/i> The word śravas<\/i> is not
\nrecognised by the lexicographers in this sense, but it is accepted
\nin the sense of a hymn, \u2014 the inspired word of the Veda. This
\nindicates clearly that at one time it conveyed the idea of inspiration or of something inspired, whether word or knowledge. This
\nsignificance, then, we are entitled to give it, provisionally at least,
\nin the present passage; for the other sense of fame is entirely
\nincoherent and meaningless in the context. Again the word
\nnamas<\/i> is also capable of a psychological sense; for it means literally
\n"bending down" and is applied to the act of adoring submission to the deity rendered physically by the prostration of the
\nbody. When therefore the Rishi speaks of "bearing obeisance
\nto Agni by the thought" we can hardly doubt that he gives to
\nnamas<\/i> the psychological sense of the inward prostration, the act
\nof submission or surrender to the deity.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nWe get then this rendering of the four verses:\u2014<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n"May Agni, priest of the offering whose will towards action
\nis that of the seer, who is true, most rich in varied inspiration,
\ncome, a god with the gods.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n"The good that thou wilt create for the giver, that is that
\ntruth of thee, O  Angiras.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n"To thee day by day, O  Agni, in the night and in the light,
\nwe by the thought come bearing our submission, \u2014<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n"To thee who shinest out from the sacrifices (or, who<\/font>
\n<\/font> <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 59<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\ngovernest the sacrifices), guardian of the Truth and its illumination, increasing in thy own home."<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe defect of the translation is that we have had to employ
\none and the same word for satyam<\/i> and ṛtam<\/i> whereas, as we see
\nin the formula satyam ṛtam bṛhat,<\/i> there was a distinction in the
\nVedic mind between the precise significances of the two words.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nWho, then, is this god Agni to whom language of so mystic
\na fervour is addressed, to whom functions so vast and profound
\nare ascribed ? Who is this guardian of the Truth, who is in his act its
\nillumination, whose will in the act is the will of a seer possessed of a divine wisdom governing his richly varied inspiration ? What is the Truth that he guards ? And what is this good
\nthat he creates for the giver who comes always to him in thought
\nday and night bearing as his sacrifice submission and self-surrender? Is it gold and horses and cattle that he brings or is
\nit some diviner riches ?<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nIt is not the sacrificial Fire that is capable of these functions,
\nnor can it be any material flame or principle of physical heat and light. Yet
\nthroughout the symbol of the sacrificial Fire is maintained. It is evident that
\nwe are in the presence of a mystic symbolism to which the fire, the sacrifice, the priest are only outward
\nfigures of a deeper teaching and yet figures which it was thought
\nnecessary to maintain and to hold constantly in front.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nIn the early Vedantic teaching of the Upanishads we come
\nacross a conception of the Truth which is often expressed by
\nformulas taken from the hymns of the Veda, such as the expression already quoted, satyam ṛtam bṛhat, \u2014<\/i> the truth, the right,
\nthe vast. This Truth is spoken of in the Veda as a path
\nleading to felicity, leading to immortality. In the Upanishads
\nalso it is by the path of the Truth that the sage or seer, Rishi or
\nKavi, passes beyond. He passes out of the falsehood, out of the mortal state
\ninto an immortal existence. We have the right therefore to assume that the same conception is in question in both
\nVeda and Vedanta.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThis psychological conception is that of a truth which is
\ntruth of divine essence, not truth of mortal sensation and appearance. It is satyam,<\/i> truth of being; it is in its action rtam,<\/i> right,<\/font>
\n<\/font> <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 60<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\n\u2014<\/i> truth of divine being regulating right activity both of mind and
\n.body; it is bṛhat,<\/i> the universal truth proceeding direct and un-
\ndeformed out of the Infinite. The consciousness that corresponds
\nto it is also infinite, bṛhat,<\/i> large as opposed to the consciousness
\nof the sense-mind which is founded upon limitation. The one is
\ndescribed as bhūmā,<\/i> the large, the other as alpa,<\/i> the little. Another
\nname for this supramental or Truth-Consciousness is Mahas
\nwhich also means the great, the vast. And as for the facts of sensation and appearance which are full of falsehoods (anṛtam,<\/i> not-truth or wrong application of the satyam<\/i> in mental and bodily
\nactivity), we have for instruments the senses, the sense-mind
\n(mafias)<\/i> and the intellect working upon their evidence, so for the
\nTruth-Consciousness there are corresponding faculties, \u2014 dṛṣṭi,
\nśruti, viveka,<\/i> the direct vision of the truth, the direct hearing of its
\nword, the direct discrimination of the right. Whoever is in possession of this Truth-Consciousness or open to the action of these
\nfaculties, is the Rishi or Kavi, sage or seer. It is these conceptions
\nof the truth, satyam<\/i> and rtam,<\/i> that we have to apply in this
\nopening hymn of the Veda.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nAgni in the Veda is always presented in the double aspect of
\nforce and light. He is the divine power that builds up the worlds, a power which
\nacts always with a perfect knowledge, for it is
\njātavedas,<\/i> knower of all births, viśvāni vayunāni vidvān, \u2014<\/i> it
\nknows all manifestations or phenomena or it possesses all forms
\nand activities of the divine wisdom. Moreover it is repeatedly
\nsaid that the gods have established Agni as the immortal in
\nmortals, the divine power in man, the energy of fulfilment
\nthrough which they do their work in him. It is this work which is
\nsymbolised by the sacrifice.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPsychologically, then, we may take Agni to be the divine will
\nperfectly inspired by divine Wisdom, and indeed one with it,
\nwhich is the active or effective power of the Truth-Consciousness.
\nThis is the obvious sense of the word kavikratuh,<\/i> he whose active
\nwill or power of effectivity is that of the seer, \u2014 works, that is to
\nsay, with the knowledge which comes by the Truth-Consciousness
\nand in which there is no misapplication or error. The epithets
\nthat follow confirm this interpretation. Agni is satya,<\/i> true in his
\nbeing; perfect possession of his own truth and the essential truth<\/font>
\n<\/font> <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 61<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nof things gives him the power to apply it perfectly in all act and
\nmovement of force. He has both the satyam<\/i> and the ṛtam.<\/i> Moreover, he is citraśravastamaḥ;<\/i> from the ṛtam<\/i> there proceeds a fullness of richly luminous and varied inspirations which give the
\ncapacity for doing the perfect work. For all these are epithets of
\nAgni as the hotṛ,<\/i> the priest of the sacrifice, he who performs the
\noffering. Therefore it is the power of Agni to apply the Truth in
\nthe work (karma<\/i> or apas)<\/i> symbolised by the sacrifice, that makes
\nhim the object of human invocation. The importance of the
\nsacrificial fire in the outward ritual corresponds to the importance of this inward force of unified Light and Power in the in-
\nward rite by which there is communication and interchange
\nbetween the mortal and the Immortal. Agni is elsewhere frequently described as the envoy,
\ndūta,<\/i> the medium of that communication and interchange.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nWe see, then, in what capacity Agni is called to the sacrifice.
\n"Let him come, a god with the gods." The emphasis given to the
\nidea of divinity by this repetition, devo devebhiḥ,<\/i> becomes intelligible when we recall the standing description of Agni as the god
\nin human beings, the immortal in mortals, the divine guest. We
\nmay give the full psychological sense by translating, "Let him come, a
\ndivine power with the divine powers". For in the external sense of the Veda the Gods are universal powers of physical Nature personified; in any inner sense they must be universal
\npowers of Nature in her subjective activities. Will, Mind, etc.
\nBut in the Veda there is always a distinction between the ordinary
\nhuman or mental action of these puissances, manuṣvat,<\/i> and the
\ndivine. It is supposed that man by the right use of their mental
\naction in the inner sacrifice to the gods can convert them into
\ntheir true or divine nature, the mortal can become immortal.
\nThus the Ribhus, who were at first human beings or represented human faculties,
\nbecame divine and immortal powers by perfection in the work, sukṛtyayā,
\nsvapasyayā.<\/i> It is a continual self-offering of the human to the divine and a continual descent of
\nthe divine into the human which seems to be symbolised in the
\nsacrifice.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe state of immortality thus attained is conceived as a state
\nof felicity or bliss founded on a perfect Truth and Right, satyam<\/i><\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 62<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nrtam.<\/i> We must, I think, understand in this sense the verse that
\nfollows. "The good (happiness) which thou wilt create for the
\ngiver, that is that truth of thee, O  Agni." In other words, the
\nessence of this truth, which is the nature of Agni, is the freedom
\nfrom evil, the state of perfect good and happiness which the
\nrtam<\/i> carries in itself and which is sure to be created in the mortal
\nwhen he offers the sacrifice by the action of Agni as the divine
\npriest. Bhadram<\/i> means anything good, auspicious, happy and
\nby itself need not carry any deep significance. But we find it in.
\nthe Veda used, like ṛtam,<\/i> in a special sense. It is described in
\none of the hymns (V.82.4,5) as the opposite of the evil dream
\n(duḥṣvapnyam),<\/i> the false consciousness of that which is not the
\nṛtam,<\/i> and of duritam,<\/i> false going, which means all evil and
\nsuffering. Bhadram<\/i> is therefore equivalent to suvitam,<\/i> right going,
\nwhich means all good and felicity belonging to the state of the
\nTruth, the ṛtam.<\/i> It is mayas,<\/i> the felicity, and the gods who re-
\npresent the Truth-Consciousness are described as mayobhuvaḥ,
\n<\/i>those who bring or carry in their being the felicity. Thus every
\npart of the Veda, if properly understood, throws light upon every
\nother part. It is only when we are misled by its veils that we find
\nin it an incoherence.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nIn the next verse there seems to be stated the condition of
\nthe effective sacrifice. It is the continual resort day by day, in the
\nnight and in the light, of the thought in the human being with
\nsubmission, adoration, self-surrender, to the divine Will and
\nWisdom represented by Agni. Night and Day, naktoṣāsā,<\/i> are
\nalso symbolical, like all the other gods in the Veda, and the sense
\nseems to be that in all states of consciousness, whether illumined
\nor obscure, there must be a constant submission and reference of
\nall activities to the divine control.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nFor whether by day or night Agni shines out in the sacrifices ; he is the guardian of the Truth, of the rtam<\/i> in man and
\ndefends it from the powers of darkness; he is its constant illumination burning up even in obscure and besieged states of the
\nmind. The ideas thus briefly indicated in the eighth verse are
\nconstantly found throughout the hymns to Agni in the Rig-veda.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nAgni is finally described as increasing in his own home.
\n<\/b>We
\n<\/b>can no longer be satisfied with the explanation of the own home<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 63<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nof Agni as the "fire-room" of the Vedic householder. We must
\nseek in the Veda itself for another interpretation and we find it
\nin the 75th hymn of the first Mandala.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nYajā no mitrāvaruṇā, yajā devān ṛtam bṛhat, <\/i><\/font><\/p>\n

\nagne yakṣi svam damam.<\/i> (1.75.5)<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n"Sacrifice for us to Mitra and Varuna, sacrifice to the gods,
\nto the Truth, the Vast; O  Agni, sacrifice to thy own home."<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nHere ṛtam bṛhat<\/i> and svam damam<\/i> seem to express the goal
\nof the sacrifice and this is perfectly in consonance with the
\nimagery of the Veda which frequently describes the sacrifice as
\ntravelling towards the gods and man himself as a traveller moving towards the
\ntruth, the light or the felicity. It is evident, therefore, that the Truth, the Vast and Agni’s own home are identical.
\nAgni and other gods are frequently spoken of as being born in
\nthe truth, dwelling in the wide or vast. The sense, then, will be in
\nour passage that Agni the divine will and power in man increases
\nin the Truth-Consciousness, its proper sphere, where false limitations are broken down, urau…anibādhe,<\/i> in the wide and the
\nlimitless.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThus in these four verses of the opening hymn of the Veda
\nwe get the first indications of the principal ideas of the Vedic
\nRishis, \u2014 the conception of a Truth-Consciousness supramental
\nand divine, the invocation of the gods as powers of the Truth to raise man out
\nof the falsehoods of the mortal mind, the attainment in and by this Truth of an immortal state of perfect good
\nand felicity and the inner sacrifice and offering of what one has
\nand is by the mortal to the Immortal as the means of the divine
\nconsummation. All the rest of Vedic thought in its spiritual
\naspects is grouped around these central conceptions.<\/font>
\n<\/font> <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 64<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CHAPTER VI Agni and the Truth   THE Rig-veda is one in all its parts. Which- ever of its ten Mandalas we choose, we find…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-10-the-secret-of-the-veda-volume-10","wpcat-17-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}