Prayer of the Day

Prayer from Rig Veda

ऋषि    :    वैश्वामित्रॊ मधुच्छन्दा
दॆवता    :    अग्निः
छन्दस्    :    गायत्रि

ॐ

अ॒ग्निमी॑ळॆ पु॒रॊहि॑तं य॒ज्ञस्य॑ दॆ॒वमृ॒त्विज॑म् ।
हॊता॑रं रत्न॒धात॑मम् ॥ १.१.१ ॥

ॐ

Mantra as Romanized text

 
RuShi    :    vaishvAmitrO madhuchChandA
Aspect Hailed:    agniH
Chandas    :    gAyatri

Om

agnimILE purOhitaM yaj~jasya dEvamRutvijam |
hOtAraM ratnadhAtamam || 1.1.1 ||

( agnim ILE purOhitaM yaj~jasya dEvam Rutvijam |
hOtAraM ratna dhAtamam ||  )

Om

Meaning of the Prayer Mantra:

 Praise the Fire (aspect of God), the Foremost, the Divine of the worship,
the Priest, the Invoker, the Giver of wealth!

 Notes: 

1. ILE - praise; purOhita - foremost; Rutvija - priest; hOtA - invoker.

2. This is the first hymn of the Rig Veda. 

3.  purOhitaM 
Foremost. Agni is the direct and foremost aspect that the worshipper
through Vedic path contacts first.

4.  yaj~jasya dEvam 
Agni aspect is the one essential for the Vedic worship. Hence, the Divine of worship.

5.  Rutvijam 
God is also the priest. The Divine shows us to worship.
c.f. ஐயாறதனில் சைவனாகியும் - திருவாசகம்

6.  ratna dhAtamam 
Giver of prosperity. God gives Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.
Here the Artha (prosperity) is referred.

7. The Agni as the aspect or representation of God is to be worshipped here.
c.f. எரிபெ ருக்குவர் அவ்வெரி ஈசன 
துருவ ருக்கம தாவ துணர்கிலார் 
அரிய யற்கரி யானை அயர்த்துப்போய் 
நரிவி ருத்தம தாகுவர் நாடரே - திருநாவுக்கரசு சுவாமிகள்