surprisingly, also mentions that 'Agni dwells in the waters' and may even be born from it! This may appear confounding till we think of fire arising from lightening-strikes, natural gas surfacing through water, or even the under-water volcanic eruptions! Because of the same reason, the Persians called their fire god as Apam-Napat. The Vedic description is that of an immortal taking an abode with mortals as their guests. He is one who rises before dawn and attends to all sacrificial offices of Hindu rituals. He is the divinest among sages and intimately acquainted with all forms of worship and ceremonies. He enables humans to serve god in an acceptable manner which they could not perform
unaided. As a messenger he moves swiftly between earth and heaven. He is commissioned by both men and gods to maintain a mutual communication through hymns and convey to them oblations down from the sky to the sacrificial fires: Rig Veda 1.26.3. Thus oblations become fragrant without which the gods do not have satisfactory experience of the offering. When gods visit earth they are
accompanied by agni.
In Vedic hymns, Lord Agni is the Protector, King of Men; he dwells in every house. He shows no favoritism and despises none. Living in all homes, he is the silent witness and a mediator between the household and the gods. He participates in all auspicious and inauspicious occasions such as marriage and death. In the older hymns his abode is given to be in two pieces of wood, which rub together produce fire. Dry wood is supposed to be dead and it is remarkable that agni springs to life and consume the very forewood. A parallel is drawn when a child is born, and from that minute, he
‘consumes his parents.’
One of the hymns of the Rig Veda, Kravyad happens to be the demon causing havoc. He is a flesh eating Rakshasa. Indra and Visishtha are called upon to kill the demon.They approach agni. However Agni is also a consumer of flesh and in that he is also a rakshasa so agni takes a different character and represented under a form as hideous as the rakshasas. He sharpens his two iron tasks and puts the enemies into his mouth and devours them. He heats the edges of his shafts, and sends them into the hearts of the rakshasas, thus killing them.
unaided. As a messenger he moves swiftly between earth and heaven. He is commissioned by both men and gods to maintain a mutual communication through hymns and convey to them oblations down from the sky to the sacrificial fires: Rig Veda 1.26.3. Thus oblations become fragrant without which the gods do not have satisfactory experience of the offering. When gods visit earth they are
accompanied by agni.
In Vedic hymns, Lord Agni is the Protector, King of Men; he dwells in every house. He shows no favoritism and despises none. Living in all homes, he is the silent witness and a mediator between the household and the gods. He participates in all auspicious and inauspicious occasions such as marriage and death. In the older hymns his abode is given to be in two pieces of wood, which rub together produce fire. Dry wood is supposed to be dead and it is remarkable that agni springs to life and consume the very forewood. A parallel is drawn when a child is born, and from that minute, he
‘consumes his parents.’
One of the hymns of the Rig Veda, Kravyad happens to be the demon causing havoc. He is a flesh eating Rakshasa. Indra and Visishtha are called upon to kill the demon.They approach agni. However Agni is also a consumer of flesh and in that he is also a rakshasa so agni takes a different character and represented under a form as hideous as the rakshasas. He sharpens his two iron tasks and puts the enemies into his mouth and devours them. He heats the edges of his shafts, and sends them into the hearts of the rakshasas, thus killing them.
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