Agni is an essential element to sustain life and also aids in
physiological functions of the body. In Ayurveda, Agni is the first guardian of
health and manifests through ‘Jatharagni’, the digestive fire. Each time we eat,
we are in a sense making an offering to the digestive fire and these offerings
are transformed into nutrition or Prana for the body.
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Rigveda
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.
Sons
Agni is also appointed as one of the Ashta-digpals and is the guardian of the
South-East direction. His wife is Svaha and his sons are
- Pavak,
- Pavaman, and
- Shuchi,
- Electric fire,
- the fire produced by Friction, and
- the Solar fire respectively.
Form
Agni has three forms, namely
Ten different forms of Agni is recognised:
- fire,
- lightning and
- the Sun,
Ten different forms of Agni is recognised:
- Regular Fire,
- Sacrificial Fire produced from Arani or Idhma, which is by rubbing the fire-sticks,
- Initiation Fire at Upanayana ceremony of a child coming of age,
- Fire kept in the house for Domestic rituals,
- Fire spread by Lightening,
- Fire in the Sun,
- Southern Fire for ancestors,
- Funeral Fire used for cremation,
- Digestive Fire, Jatharagni, and the last but most potent of all
- Destructive Fire or Davagani which initiates the process of Maha-pralaya.
Sunday, July 2, 2017
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
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