Agni

Agni (Sanskrit: अग्नि Agni) is the Rig Vedic deity of fire and the conveyor of sacrifices to the gods. He is also a god of divine knowledge, who leads man to the gods. He was one of the most important of the Vedic gods. Agni has three forms: 'fire', 'lightning' and 'the Sun'.

Agni is the drying agent which neither wets nor moistens anything. The word Agni is derived from three verbs – from 'going', from 'shining or burning', and from 'leading'; the letter "a" (अ) is from root "i" which means 'to go', the letter "g" (ग्) is from the root "añj" meaning 'to shine' or "dah" meaning 'to burn', and the last letter is by itself the root "nī" (नी) which means 'to lead'. It is often said that the fire-god is called अग्नि (Agni) because he is अग्रणी (Agrani), the forward leader who is the ever awake disseminator of knowledge and the first principle of thought which manifests as Speech; it is carried at the front in all ritualistic undertakings (Yajnas).

Agni is the personification of the sacrificial fire. He is associated with Vedic sacrifice, taking offerings to the other world in his fire. He is the priest of the gods, and the god of the priests. Through yajna he carries the oblations to the gods, to ensure the continuance of conditions favourable to mankind. No god is approachable without the medium of Agni, and no divinity is without the presence of Agni.

Agni is the essence of the knowledge of Existence. The Vedic Rishis held Agni to be responsible for the manifestation of gods for the mortal beings, who then come to know them and worship them by the mind. They pray for Agni, which is the essence of the knowledge of existence, to increase its own strength or power, which is within all human beings, to enable them to cultivate strong conviction and belief, without which there cannot develop a meaningful faith and deep devotion to support a dedicated mind. With Agni's increase ignorance and all delusions are wholly destroyed, without nescience to be taken for granted, and the human form assumed by Brahman is erased from the mind.

Agni symbolizes the soul; it is the power of change that cannot be limited or overcome. Light, heat, colour and energy are merely its outer attributes; inwardly, Agni impels consciousness, perception and discernment.

Agni denotes the natural element fire, the supernatural deity symbolized by fire and the inner natural will aspiring for the highest knowledge. Heat, combustion and energy is the realm of Agni which symbolizes the transformation of the gross to the subtle; Agni is the life-giving energy. Agnibija is the consciousness of tapas (proto-cosmic energy); Agni (the energizing principle); the sun, representing the Reality (Brahman) and the Truth (Satya), is Rta, the order, the organizing principle of everything that is.

Agni, who is addressed as Atithi ('guest'), is also called जातवेदसम्, meaning "the one who knows all things that are born, created or produced." He is the god of will-power, united with wisdom. The Vedic people knew human will-power to be a feeble projection of this power which they believed could be strengthened by the Rig Vedic chants to Agni.

Agni as the immortal guest is the witness of all actions, supremely powerful, all consuming and irresistible but who commands all earthly and heavenly riches i.e. all temporal good.

Agni is the receiver, holder and distributor of energy, who leads the devatas to victory in their battles against the asuras, and confers wealth of various kinds to the performers of yajnas. Born in the human aspirant he awakens the gods, and burns the opposing foes, the demons.

Agni is the god of fire and sacrifice, of divine knowledge, and is also associated with water. Agni, identified with energy and action, is the first emanation and the sacred spark hidden within all beings.

In Hindu scriptures, Agni is depicted with two or seven hands, two heads and three legs. One head marks immortality, and the other marks an unknown symbol of life. He rides a ram or a chariot harnessed by fiery horses. Agni is represented as red and two-faced, suggesting both his destructive and beneficent qualities, and with black eyes and hair, three legs and seven arms. He rides a ram, or a chariot pulled by goats or, more rarely, parrots.

Agni has two mothers, or has two parts of the fire drill used to start the fire. He has ten servant maids, the fingers of the man who is lighting the fire or the ten undisclosed powers that nourish Agni.

Seven rays of light emanate from his body. One of his names is Saptajihva, "the one having seven tongues". He has seven fiery tongues with which he licks the sacrificial butter.

The ancient seers divided Agni into three parts – gārhapatya (for general domestic usage), āhavaniya (for inviting and welcoming a personage or deity) and dakshinagni (for fighting against all evil). Yāska states that his predecessor Sākapuṇi regarded the threefold existence of Agni as being in earth, air and heaven as stated by the Rig Veda, but a Brāhmana considered the third manifestation to be the Sun.

Agni and rituals

Vedic rituals all involve Agni. Agni is present in many phases of life such as honouring of a birth (diva lamp), prayers (diva lamp), at weddings (the yajna where the bride and groom circle the fire seven times) and at death (cremation). The Agnihotra is the "sacrificial fire". Agnihotra is believed to free the yajmāna (the performer of the yajna) from evil and death, both signified by Agni. Prajapati had to create milk as food for the hungry Agni and perform the first act of Agnihotra to avoid death and preserve his own existence. The Agnihotris once maintained a perpetual fire in their homes. This ritual ceremony was conducted on important and auspicious occasions. In many homes prayers are still offered to Agni. Hindus consider it as the duty of a man to perform Agnihotra. The main offering is milk, and at the end, the sacrificer offers four water oblations, to the gods, to father and the fathers, to the seven seers and to Agni on earth. The priest invokes Agni through Agni in his sacrificial form; the sacrificial form of Agni is the Sun which shining brightly appears to all men. The priest also invokes Vayu which is Agni’s own greatness. Therefore, Agni as the deity is treated differently from Agni, the messenger who carries oblations to the gods. The sacrificial form of Agni is Aditya and Vayu.

During Vedic times, Pasuyajña, animal sacrifices to propitiate Agni, were frequently made. The animal to be sacrificed was tied to an octagonal wooden stake called yupa, be it a he-goat, a horse or a bull. The entire ceremony was supervised and coordinated by anadhvaryu, because this ritual called for the completeness of the sacrifice to meet the demands of the liturgical rules. Niruddha-pasubandhayajna involving immolation of a he-goat was an obligatory rite performed once in six months or once a year with the aid of six priests to appease Indra and Agni, with Surya and Prajapati as deities.

Agni in Rigveda

Agni is the chief terrestrial deity personified by the sacrificial fire which is the centre of the ritual poetry of the Rig Veda. The earth enveloped in darkness and the sky, become visible when Agni is born; the acquisition of fire by man is regarded as a gift of the gods. Agni is only compared and not identified with the Sun.

Agni is second only to Indra in the power and importance attributed to him in Vedic mythology, with 218 out of 1,028 hymns of the Rigveda dedicated to him. With Varuna and Indra he is one of the supreme gods in the Rig Veda.

Agni is the first word of the first hymn of the Rig Veda (Sukta I.i.1) revealed to Rishi Madhuchchandah Vaishvamitah in Gāyatri metre. This mantra is a prayer to Agni:

I aspire intensely for Agni, the adorable, the leader who carries out the yajna; who does and gets done the yajna in due season, who is the summoning priest capable of bringing the gods to the yajna performed here, and the one who establishes excellent felicities in the aspirants.

In the Rig Veda (I.95.2), a Rishi prays - दशेमं त्वष्टुर्जनयन्त गर्भम - for the ten eternal powers to bless Tvashtr (the supreme mind which creates all things) with the birth of Agni, which is a reference to the ten undisclosed powers that nourish Agni.

The Rig Veda often says that Agni arises from water or dwells in the waters; the Vedic sage says that Agni manifesting in the waters and seated in the lap of the winding waters, flaming upward, increases; and that Agni was born by the prowess of Tvashtr (Rig Veda I.95.5). He may have originally been the same as Apam Napat, the supreme god of creation, who is also sometimes described as fire arising from water. This is the important physiological phenomenon in any living body, which in a natural explanation may have referred to flames from natural gas or oil seepages surfacing through water, or as the seven rays or seven bands of light of a rainbow.

Agni is the Rishi ('hymn-seer') of Sukta X.124 of the Rig Veda, and along with Indra and Surya makes up the Vedic triad of deities.

Other Rig-Vedic names, epithets or aspects of Agni include Matarishvan, Jatavedas, or Bharata.

Agni is Abhimāni, from Sanskrit: abhi (towards) + man (the verbal root man 'to think', 'reflect upon') meaning dignified, proud; longing for, thinking. Agni is the 'Mystic Fire', who leads man on the journey to God. Agni is worshipped as the symbol of piety and purity; as expression of two kinds of energy i.e. light and heat, he is the symbol of life and activity. Agni-rahasya, "the secret of fire," is the key to all knowledge because Agni is the power of inner and outer illumination.

Agni is also called Arka, "water," the accessory to worship, and the cause of fire that covers all food which covers all life (Yajurveda V.vii.5). Rishi Tritapti (Rig Veda X.v.3), in a mantra in praise of Agni, refers to the bearers of water, the most subtle and the most refined aspects of manifestations. In a subsequent mantra he says that in the conditions prevalent prior to the formation of water, Agni, which was the first visible manifestation of the Un-manifested, was the giver and the taker, both, because as energy it had transformed into matter, beginning with water.

A sage of the Rig Veda (Sukta IV.iii.11) states that the Sun became visible when Agni was born.

The sage of the Atharvaveda (Sukta 19.55.3) prays to the fire for happiness and peace, for a happy temperament, resolve and good health, for strength and mental contentment, and as the ladder to spirituality. The sage also states that Agnihotra destroys enemies.

The Rig Veda does not make a direct reference to animal sacrifice, but in Rig Veda mantra VIII.43.11] which is addressed to Agni, rishi Virupa Angirasa invites all devout to pray to Agni, who is called ukshānna and vaśānna, that is, the eater of bulls (uksha) and barren cows (vaśā).

Agni has two forms: Jataveda and Kravyada:

• Jātaveda is invoked to burn and carry the offerings (except flesh) to the respective Gods, in which case Agni is light identified with knowledge and with Brahman. In the Jātaveda form, "He who knows all creatures", Agni acts as the divine model for the sacrificial priest. He is the messenger who carries the oblation from humans to the gods, bringing the Gods to sacrifice, and interceding between gods and humans (Rig Veda I.26.3). When Agni is pleased, the gods are generous. Agni represents the cultivated, cooked and cultured aspects of Vedic ritual. Together with Soma, Agni is invoked in the Rig Veda more than any other gods. Jataveda (Sanskrit: जातवेद, IAST: jātaveda, "He who knows all creatures") is a term used in Rig Veda and is an epithet for Agni, that is, fire-god. In some references, the term has also been used as an epithet of Shiva. The meaning of Jataveda has been explained in the following five ways: (1) Knowledge of all the created beings (2) Knowledge of all creatures or everything existent (3) Being known by all created things (4) Knowledge of the Vedas as representing the ultimate riches and wealth (5) Knowledge of the Vedas as the ultimate and the absolute source of wisdom. In some references, the term Jataveda has been used to personify the one who has produced the Vedas. According to some scholars, its real meaning and significance has been lost in antiquity.

• Kravyād is invoked to burn the flesh (corpses and animal parts) in the Pitri-yajna for which purpose Agni is obtained from the rays of the Sun. Kravyād (क्रव्याद) is the form of Agni which eats corpses, the fire of the funeral pyre; the fire that eats corpses can eat everything. This is the impure form which is much feared. In this form, after one’s death and at the time of cremation, Agni heats up and burns the body only, the body which is the impure human condition (SB 2.2.4.8).

Agni in Upanishads

Pippalāda, the sage of the Prashna Upanishad, merely highlights the एकायुः (Ekayu, the Sole person) status of Agni when he tells Kābandhi Katayāna – " That very one, Surya who is Aditya, rises up who is Prana and Agni, who is identified with all creatures and who is possessed of all fame.”

The Isha Upanishad focuses on the tradition of Agni as the Divine Will and action. The sage of this Upanishad surrenders the lower egoistic human nature, and prays to Agni to guide and lead him to That (Brahman), the establishment, origin, and refuge of all that is (Isha Upanishad.18).

In the Kena Upanishad, Agni reveals his identity as the heat energy and the ever-burning flame of the conscious force in matter, that makes up the entire world. The gods sent first Agni to find out the nature of Brahman, which means it is Agni that releases the energy which is latent in all beings. Moreover, the sage of the Kena Upanishad refers to the functional differentiation and specialization of body parts, on which account the life-stream progresses, when he speaks of Agni becoming the speech and entering the mouth, and Vayu becoming breath and entering the nostrils.

The Kena Upanishad says that Agni was the first to discover Brahman's nature, limits and identity. The Vedic gods manifest themselves in man, and assume the appearance of human limitations. 'Knowledge', 'faith' and 'works', these three, because of their connection with human faculties, are not without their respective limitations, and it is the mortal body harbouring within it the individual self and the Universal Self that remains bound by limitations.

The Katha Upanishad tells how Yama taught Nachiketa the secrets of the fire that leads to heaven, and what bricks were required to build the altar.

The Chandogya Upanishad describes the Panchagni Vidya, the meditation on the five fires. It explains the interconnectivity of everything that exists, with creation as a kind of sacrifice. Each manifestation, the microcosm, is a manifestation of Prakrti, the macrocosm.

In the Mundaka Upanishad (I.ii.1-5) it is said that Agni, here meant the Āhavaniya Fire, has seven tongues or flames – Kālī ('black'), Karālī ('terrible'), Manojava ('speedy as the mind'), Sulohita ('very red'), Sudhumravarna ('coloured like thick smoke'), Sphulingini ('emitting sparks') and Vishwaruchi ('having the fuel as the Sun' – तस्मादग्निः समिधो यस्य सूर्यः (II.i.5)).

Agni in Brahmanas

Shatapatha Brahmana (SB 6.1.1.1) tells us that Prajapati was generated through the tapas of the rishis (equated with the non-existent of the Beginning), thereafter, through his own tapas Prajapati generated all the gods and all the creatures. He also generated Agni as the sacrificial fire and as the second self having wearied himself his glow and essence of him heated up and developed Agni (SB 10.6.5.2). Ritually Agni, as the altar built by the sacrifice, reconstitutes Prajapati.

Shatapatha Brahmana (SB 3.1.3.18) tells us that Agnihotra should be performed by the performer knowing that he will gain the strength and victories gained by Agni who conquered the earth, Vayu, the air and Surya, the sky, with whom he shares the world; and the same text further tells us that the Agnihotra, doubtless, is the Sun.

The Shatapatha Brahmana (VI.ii.1.2-3) speaks about the five animals or sacrificial victims, man, bull, horse, ram and he-goat, which Agni enters and becomes. The same text explains that it is Agni who is sacrificed as animal victim (SB XIII.ii.7.13).

The Shatapatha Brahmana and the Aitareya Brahmana speak of Tura Kāvasheya, the teacher of the Agni-rahasya doctrine, who built a fire-altar to the gods at Karoti. He was the purohit of Janamejaya, son of Parikshit, to whom the Mahabharata was recited. Tura Kavasheya had received this knowledge from Prajapati who had in his own turn received it from the self-existent Brahman. This knowledge finally teaches that the Ashvamedha is the yonder shining sun, which is Agni, which is Brahman; the year is his body; Agni is Arka and the worlds are his bodies; and both Arka and Ashvamedha combine to become one deity, Death, knowing this one conquers Death.

The Brahmana tells us that "the mind saw itself as thirty-six thousand; it saw the adorable fires as belonging to itself, lighted up by the mind, and conceived as identical with the mental modes."

Agni-rahasya, "the secret of fire," is the esoteric interpretation of the fire-altars. The fire-altars are re-interpreted as symbolic representations of the mind, and its connection the Absolute reality. In these interpretations, various meanings are stringed together, to reach a new understanding.

The terrestrial world, the air, the sky and the sun are spoken of as the fire-altars, with all things on and in them as various bricks, making up the whole of Agni. The tenth book of the Shatapatha Brahmana says that the fire-altar is the mind, and that the mind is prior to breath (Prana) and speech (Vac). It also describes the benefits of the Vājapeya and the Rājasūya sacrifices, identifies the person residing in the sun with the person residing in the right eye, and proclaims the meditation on Brahman as the Mind.

Badarayana and Jaimini both agree that the fires of the mind and speech of Agni-rahasya are not parts of any concrete ritual, but refer to conceptual fires, which are meditations, which are not subservient to rites.

There are thirty-six thousand mano-vrittis or 'mental modes', one for each day of life spanning one hundred years, which correlates to the mind-generated bricks of the altar. The fire is lighted up by the mind itself, thus establishing mental connection to the prescribed Vedic ritual acts or rites.

The Kanva Satpatha Brahmanam (SB.IV.i.iv.11) calls Agni "wisdom" and Rishi Bharadavaja Barhaspatya, in a mantra addressed to Agni Vaishvanara calls Agni "the mind swiftest among (all) those that fly."

Rishi Praskanva states that Agni represents great learning and enlightening wisdom, which ought to be sought, located and humbly approached. Agni excites Buddhi (reason and intellect), the perceiving and the determining factor, and by illuminating the mind it makes one understand and comprehend the truth – प्रचेतसोऽग्ने देवाँ इह द्रवत् (Rig Veda I.xliv.7).

Agni in Puranas

1. Agni was descended from Vishnu in this order: Vishnu-Brahma-Angiras-Brihaspati-Agni. We come across several contradictory statements in the Puranas regarding the birth of Agni. There is some real difficulty, therefore, in tracing correctly the true genealogy of Agni. The one given above is based on statements in Bhagavata and Mahabharata. Angiras is one of the six mind-born sons of Brahma. Angiras married Shraddha and got four daughters and two sons. Brihaspati was one of the sons and Utatthya was the other. The daughters were Sinivali, Kuhu, Raka and Anumati. Brihaspati married Candramasi and got six divine sons. Of these Samyu, the eldest, married Satya and Agni was born to Samyu of Satya.
2. Agni One of the Ashta-dik-palakas. (Ashta = eight, dik = zone, palaka = guardian ). The Devi Bhagavata states in its 8^th Chapter that Agni is one of the eight guards posted at the eight different zones to protect the universe. Indra guards the east; Agni, the southeast; Yama the south; Nirruti, the southwest; Varuna, the west; Vayu, the northwest; Kubera, the North and Siva, the northeast. The place where Agni sits on guard is known as Tejovati.
3. Agni One of the five elements. The universe is believed to be composed of five elements of which Agni is one. The other four are Water, Earth, Ether and Air.
4. The story of how Agni gave a Maya Sita (Phantom Sita) to Sri Rama: During their exile in the forests Rama and Lakshmana were for some time living in an Ashram built on the shores of the ocean. One day Agni disguised as a Brahmin approached them and said "O, Sri Rama, you are born to kill the demon Ravana and save the world from his atrocities. Sita is going to be a cause for that. Time is not far for you to finish this duty of yours. Ravana is soon to come and kidnap your wife, Sita. You must, therefore, allow me to play a trick on Ravana. Entrust Sita with me and I shall keep her safe. In her place here you can keep a Maya Sita (Phantom Sita) which will be a live replica of your real wife. In the end when you take back Sita after killing Ravana you will be compelled to throw your wife into the fire to test her chastity. At that time I will take back the replica and give you back your real wife". Sri Rama was very much pleased to hear this. Agni then, by his Yogic powers created a Phantom Sita and gave her to him. Rama kept this as a secret even from Lakshmana. In the great Rama-Ravana battle Ravana was killed and then respecting public opinion and wishing to establish in public the purity of his queen Sri Rama put her into the fire. At that moment Agni took back the replica and gave back the real Sita to Sri Rama. Sita thus came out from the fire unscathed. Later, on the advice of Rama and Agni, the Phantom Sita went to the sacred place Puskara and started doing tapas (penance) there. After doing tapas for a long period of three lakhs of divine years this Phantom Sita became known as Svargalaksml. It was this Svargalaksmi that later on in the Dvapara Yuga came out from the Yajna Kunda of King Panchala as Panchali and became the consort of the Pandavas. Vedavati, daughter of Kusadhvaja in Kritayuga, Sita, daughter of Janaka in the Treta Yuga, and Panchali, daughter of Drupada in Dvapara Yuga are one and the same person. On account of this she is known as Yrihaayani also. (Chapter 9 of Devi Bhagavata).
5. The story of how Agni got indigestion: In olden times there was a bold and mighty King called Svetaki. He conducted several different types of Yajnas. Afflicted by the unending dense smoke in the Yajna hall all the ascetics left the place and went their way. Undaunted by this, Svetaki started another twelve-year sacrifice in which not a single sage took part. The sages rebuked him and said if he wanted to conduct a sacrifice again he could invite Sudras to help him. Enraged by this insult Svetaki went to Kailasa and did fierce penance. Lord Siva appeared before him and gave him Durvasas as a priest for his Yajna. For twelve years sage Durvasas performed the Yajna pouring into the mouth of Agni through the sacrificial pit unlimited materials of food. Agni was overfed and he got indigestion. He lost all appetite for food, became weak and the brilliance of his face faded. (Chapter 235, Adi Parva, Mahabharata).
6. The story of how Agni burnt the big forest, Khandava: When the indigestion continued without abate for some time Agni approached Brahma and asked for a cure. Brahma declared that his indigestion would be cured if Agni could burn the huge forest, Khandava, the abode of the enemies of the Devas. Agni immediately started consuming the forest. But the inhabitants of the forest soon quenched the fire. Disappointed Agni went to Brahma again and the latter advised him to wait for some time till the advent of Nara-Narayanas to that forest. They would then help Agni to burn the forest. Agni waited for the time to come. At that time the Pandavas were living in Indraprastha with Sri Krishna. When the heat became unbearable there Arjuna and Krishna came to the banks of river Yamuna. Hearing about the arrival of Krishna and Arjuna who were none but the incarnations of Narayana and Nara, Agni disguised as a Brahmin approached them and requested them to help him to burn the Khandava forest. Agni added that any attempt of his to burn the forest was always foiled by Indra who would send a heavy downpour of rain to quench the fire because Taksaka, an intimate friend of Indra, was living there. To gain his end Agni gave Arjuna an arrow-case which would never be empty, a chariot bearing a monkey flag, four white horses adorned with gold chains and also the famous Gandlva bow. To Sri Krishna he gave the cakrayudha or the divine wheel-weapon. (All these military equipment were once given to Agni by Varuna. ) When all these were given to them Krishna and Arjuna got ready to help Agni to burn the forest. Agni started burning the forest, Indra at once sent a heavy downpour of rain and Arjuna created a canopy of arrows above the forest preventing the rains from falling on the forest. Agni carried on his work undisturbed, the forest was burnt and Agni was cured of his indigestion. (Shlokas 233 to 239, Adi Parva, Mahabharata).
7. Agni falls in love: As an inaugural procedure to the great Rajasuya which Dharmaputra performed at Indraprastha his four brothers Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva conducted a victory march to the four different sides of the kingdom. Sahadeva who turned south conquered many kings including Dantavaktra and Bhismaka and reached a country called Mahismatipura. There he had to encounter a powerful king called Nila. Before long there broke a fire in his camp. Disheartened, Sahadeva prayed to the God, Agni, for help. It was then that Sahadeva came to know about the ties between Agni and Nila. "King Nila had a beautiful daughter named Sudarshana. Once when she was talking to her father after having entered the Agni-hotra Agni fell in love with her. From that day onwards Agni became dreamy about the beautiful lips of Sudarshana. It reached a stage when Agni would burn only if it was blown by the lips of Sudarshana. This ended in Agni marrying Sudarshana. After the marriage Agni lived in the palace of his father-in-law, King Nila, as a useful ally. It was at this time that Sahadeva came to conquer Nila. But Agni knew that for the proper conduct of the Rajasuya of Dharmaputra his father-in-law had to surrender to Sahadeva and so advised his father-in-law to do so. What appeared to be a difficult problem was thus easily solved. (Chapter 31, Sabha Parva, Mahabharata) .
8. How Emperor Sibi was tested by Agni: Once Agni and Indra thought of testing how strong and deep was the sense of charity in Emperor Sibi. Indra took the shape of a hawk and Agni that of a dove and the dove flew and dropped down into the lap of the Emperor who was at that time doing a yaga. The hungry hawk came chasing its prey and finding the dove in the lap of the Emperor said : "O King, is it proper on your part to withhold my food from me, and keep it in your lap ?" Hearing this Sibi replied: "This dove has sought refuge in me. It is my duty to give it protection. If it is only food you want I shall give you food." Sibi then offered many things including his kingdom to the hawk in return for the dove. But the hawk refused them all and finally agreed to accept an equal weight of flesh from the body of the Emperor. Sibi without any hesitation cut a portion of his thigh and weighed it against the dove in a scale. The dove weighed more and the Emperor started putting more and more flesh from his body to make the weight equal. But the dove always weighed more and at last the Emperor said he would weigh himself against the dove. As the weak and fleshless Emperor was about to get into the pan of the scale Agni and Indra emerged from the bodies of the dove and hawk and appeared before the Emperor. They blessed him and immediately took him to heaven. (Chapter 131, Vana Parva, Mahabharata).
9. Agni and the testicles of a goat: The occasion is when sage Vishvamitra is taking Rama and Lakshmana to the forests to give protection to the sages against the demons. They reached the place where Ahalya lay as a stone cursed by Gautama. Vishvamitra told them the story: "It was here that the great sage, Gautama, lived with his beautiful consort, Ahalya. Once Indra had an intercourse with her privately and Gautama coming to know of the misdeed cursed her and turned her into stone. By the curse of the same sage Indra lost his testicles. Greatly aggrieved by this loss Indra prayed to god Agni for help and on the advice of Agni the Devas removed the deformity by placing a goat's testicles instead." (Shlokas 48 & 49, Bala Kanda, Valmiki Ramayana).
10. How sage Bhrigu cursed Agni: Sage Bhrigu was living with his wife Puloma in his Ashram. Puloma became pregnant. One day when Bhrigu wanted to go out for a bath in the river he asked Agni to keep a watch over his pregnant wife. There was a demon by name Puloma who was once in love with Puloma. On this particular day Puloma entered the ashram to see his former love. When he entered the ashram Puloma saw Agni there burning with a brilliant flame in the fire-pit. Puloma said : "O God of fire, if I ask you a question you must give me an impartial reply. I was in love with this Puloma and I had accepted her as my wife spiritually. But, then, her father gave her to Bhrigu. Who, then, is the true owner of Puloma ?" Agni was afraid of Bhrigu. Yet he explained the position honestly. "It is true that Puloma has married Bhrigu. But he has not married her according to Vedic rites." Hearing this the demon changed himself into the shape of a swine and carried away Puloma. On the way Puloma delivered a male babe and it fell on the ground. The boy was named Cyavana. It was this boy that became later on the famous Cyavana Maharsi. Even at birth the boy was brilliant as the Sun to look at and Puloma, the demon, noticing the unusual brilliance of the child left the mother and child on the way and fled frightened. Puloma returned to the ashram carrying the child weeping profusely all the way and creating a lanchrymal river called Vadhusaras. As soon as she entered the ashram the angry sage asked "Who told Puloma that you are my wife ?" Puloma then told her husband all that happened there and Bhrigu called Agni and cursed him thus : "May you be a consumer of all things on this Earth". Greatly aggrieved Agni went away and hid himself. The absence of Agni created chaos in all the three worlds; Heaven, Earth and the Nether-world. A deputation of all the afflicted people waited upon Brahma and Brahma modified the curse and declared that all that Agni touched would become pure. Agni was consoled and he started his work as usual.
11. How Agni cursed frogs, birds and elephants: Many important events took place while Agni was underground cursed by Bhrigu. It was during that time that Parvati cursed all the Devas and the Devas were defeated by the Asuras (demons). The necessity of a warrior capable of defeating the asuras arose then. The idea of creating Lord Subrahmanya came up and Brahma said that only Agni could help them in this matter since Agni was the only one who escaped from the curse of ParvatI, being underground at the time of the curse. The Devas started a vigilant search but Agni was not to be found. Agni was then hiding inside the ocean. The ocean was getting hot and the animals living there found their life unbearable. Frogs went to the devas and told them where Agni was hiding. Enraged at this Agni cursed the frogs saying that they would never be able to find the taste of anything. Frogs went weeping to the devas who in turn blessed the frogs saying that they would acquire the ability to move about easily in any darkness. Agni changed his place of hiding and went and hid in a big banyan tree. An elephant going by that way found him out and informed the devas; knowing this Agni cursed the elephants saying that its tongue would go deep inside. But the devas blessed the elephants saying that the position of the tongue would never be a hindrance to free eating and that elephants would be able to eat anything and everything. Agni left the banyan tree and hid himself in the hollow of a Sami tree. A little bird living in that tree gave information to the devas and the devas found him out before he got time to leave the place. Agni cursed the bird saying that its tongue would always be curved inside and the devas blessed it saying that the curvature would help it to sing beautiful songs. Since Agni was found out from Sana tree this tree became sacred. Since this finding out of Agni after a long absence is like a re-birth of Agni the Puranas mention that Agni was born from the Sami tree. The Devas then requested Agni to help them to create a son capable of conquering the demons. (Chapter 85, Anusasana Parva, Mahabharata).
12. Birth of Subrahmanya: At that time Varuna performed a Yaga. All the Dikpalakas (zone guardians of the universe) including Siva participated in the Yaga. Seeing the beautiful wives of the sages Siva had emission. Taking the semen in his hand he put it into the fire. Agni carried it to Ganga and requested her to take it for conception. Though she at first refused she took it, became pregnant and finally delivered a male child whom she threw into the forest Saravana. It was this child who became known as Karthikeya or Subrahmanya later on. (Chapter 85, Anusasana Parva, Mahabharata). Kathasaritsagara gives another version of why Agni went and hid himself under the ocean. When Kama, the God of Love, was burnt to death by Siva, Parvati, Siva's wife, did not find a way to get a child for her from her husband. At last Brahma approached Siva and told him that the absence of Kama was making creation difficult. Siva then declared that thereafter Kama would find a place in the minds of all living beings including himself. Parvati and Siva immediately commenced a sexual life which went on incessantly for a hundred years without reaching the climax. The world was agitated and the universe stood on the verge of ruin. The Devas decided to send Agni to intervene But Agni was afraid of Siva and so went and hid himself under the ocean. (Chapter 6, Lavanakalambaka of Kathasaritsagara).
13. How Agni blessed Nala: While Nala was going to the wedding of Damayanti Indra, Agni, Varuna and Kala accosted him on his way and asked him to go as a messenger of theirs and advise Damayanti to marry one of them. Nala did so but Damayanti was adamant and said she would marry none other than Nala. So all the four gods appeared as Nala in the wedding hall. Damayanti who was confused prayed that she should be shown the real Nala. The gods then changed into their original forms and blessed Nala. Agni said he would come and help him the moment he wanted him. Thus Nala became a good cook and Nala Pachakam (Pachakam = cooking) became famous. Even now it is a synonym for good cooking. (Chapter 57, Vana Parva, Mahabharata)

13. Agni and Rambha: There was once a danava called Danu. He had two sons named Rambha and Karambha. They had no children and tormented by this they went to Panchanada and started doing penance. Rambha sat in the centre of Panchagni (five fires) and Karambha in water to do penance. Indra afraid of the severe and powerful tapas of the two took the form of a crocodile and killed Karambha who was doing penance in water by dragging him down to the water. Bereaved Rambha started to commit suicide by jumping into the fire. God Agni appeared before him then and asked him what he wanted. Rambha then said that he should get a son who would be famous as a warrior in all the three worlds. Agni agreed. Rambha on his way back saw a voluptuous she-buffalo and married her at Yaksa Kavata. They lived a happy married life and one day a he-buffalo envious of their life attacked Rambha and killed him. Grief-stricken Rambha's wife jumped into the funeral pyre and committed suicide. Then from the fire arose a demon named Mahisasura (Mahisa = Buffalo. Asura = Demon) . This buffalo-demon became a terror to all in the three worlds later on. (Chapter 5, Devi Bhagavata).
14. Difference of opinion between Agni and Angiras: Bhagavan Angiras did penance in his own ashram and became more brilliant than Agni. The whole world was submerged in his brilliance. Agni felt a bit depressed at this. Agni argued that it was not proper on the part of Brahma to give anybody else more brilliance than himself. So as a protest against this Agni disappeared from the world. Even Angiras was annoyed at Agni's disappearance and so he went and consoled Agni and took him to Brahma. Brahma declared that henceforth the world would recognize Agni as the father and Angiras as his son. Thus Agni got the first place in effulgence. This is a story told by sage Markandeya to Dharmaputra. (Chapter 217, Vana Parva, Mahabharata).
15. Agni and Mahabali: On their way to the forest sage Vishvamitra took Rama and Lakshmana to Siddhasrama. The sage explained to the princes the importance of that Ashram. He said: "Mahavisnu lived in this ashram for a number of years. It was at that time that the Emperor of the asuras (demons), Mahabali, son of Virocana, was ruling the world conquering even the devas. After having conquered all the three worlds Mahabali decided to conduct a yaga. A deputation of the Devas headed by Agni then waited upon Mahavisnu and Agni said: ''O Lord, Mahabali has commenced a yaga and before it is finished you should go to him and do something for the benefit of the devas". It was at this request of Agni that Mahavisnu took the form of Vamana and sent Mahabali to the nether-world. (Chapter 29, Balakanda, Valmiki Ramayana).
16. Agni and Nahusha: Repenting for his act of killing Vritra Indra unknown to anybody went and hid in a lotus in the Manasa Saras (Lake Manasa). Perplexed by the disappearance of their leader the devas brought Nahusa from the Earth and made him their leader. Nahusa became very proud and arrogant of his new position and tried to make Indrani his wife. Indrani went to Brihaspati for help. Brihaspati commanded Agni to go and find out Indra. Agni searched for him in forests, rivers and oceans. At last he went to Manasa Saras and searched among the lotuses. There he found Indra hiding in a lotus and Brihaspati was duly informed. Then Brihaspati gave Indrani some clever directions to kill Nahusa and Nahusa was killed. There is a story in Shanti Parva, Chapter 28, of how Agni took for himself a quarter of the sin which Indra acquired because of his killing Vritra, a Brahmin by birth. (Chapter 14, Udyoga Parva, Mahabharata).
17. Agni Deva and Karttaviryarjuna: After the great Kurukshetra battle the Pandavas went again to Kurukshetra along with Sri Krishna. On their way Krishna showed them the Parasuramahradas and narrated to them several stories of Rama. Reference to Agni comes when Krishna explains the reason why Parasurama cut off the thousand hands of Karttaviryarjuna. It was at the time when Karttaviryarjuna was ruling the three worlds by his might that Agni went and asked for alms from him. Karttavirya gave Agni mountains and forests for his food which Agni burnt and ate. In one of the forests was the ashram of sage Apava and that also was burnt. Enraged at this the sage cursed Karttavirya saying that his thousand hands would be cut off by Parasurama. Though the curse was not seriously minded by the King then, it so happened that before long Karttavirya had to encounter Parasurama in a battle when the children of the King stole a sacrificial cow belonging to Jamadagni, father of Parasurama. In the battle all the thousand hands of Karttaviryarjuna were cut off by Parasurama. (Chapter 43, Santi Parva, Mahabharata).
18. How Agni was duped: Once the wives of the Saptarsis (seven Saints) attended a yaga where Agni was also present. Agni fell in love with them but knowing it to be futile to make any attempt to fulfil his desire he went to the forests dejected. Svahadevi, daughter of Daksa was for a long time craving to marry Agni and she decided to take advantage of the opportunity thus offered. Disguising herself as the wife of Angiras, one of the seven saints, she approached Agni and said : "O Lord, I am Siva, wife of Angiras. We were all excited when you darted cupids' arrows against us and they have now selected me to come to you for fulfilling your desire". Agni believed her and took her as his consort. (Chapters 223 to 227 of Vana Parva, Mahabharata).
19. How Agni became a doctor. There was once a sage called Dattatreya who had a son called Nimi. Nimi had a son and he died after thousand years. The bereaved sage performed a Sraddha which was attended by all devas. The feast was so sumptuous that the devas got indigestion after that. Consulting Brahma Agni prescribed a remedy for their indigestion. He said: "whenever you take any food make me also a participant in that. If you do so you will never get indigestion". That is why a very small portion of any cooked food is first thrown into the fire before given for eating. This story is part of Bhisma's oration to Dharmaputra on the origin of Shraddha (The ceremony conducted on the anniversary of the death of a person by his son). (Chapter 92, Anusasana Parva, Mahabharata).
20. How Agni became a horse: There was once a preceptor named Aveda. He got a disciple named Uttanka. One day Aveda left his ashram for a distant place leaving his disciple in charge of the management of the ashram. The preceptor was absent fora longtime and his wife started making love to Uttanka. The dutiful disciple strongly objected to this. When Uttanka completed his course of study under Aveda he enquired what he should give to his preceptor. The preceptor directed him to his wife. The wife who bore a grudge against Uttanka resolved to tease him and said that he should go to King Pausya and beg of him the earrings worn by his wife. Uttanka started immediately and getting the earrings was coming back when on the way Taksaka wrested the ornament from him and went and hid in the nether-world. Uttanka followed Taksaka and there Agni in the form of a horse appeared before him and asked Uttanka what he wanted. He replied that he wanted to subdue all the serpents in the nether-world. Agni then advised him to blow through the nostrils of the horse. As he did so flames burst forth from all the openings of the horse making the netherworld hot and smoky. Taksaka was frightened and he at once gave back the earrings to Uttanka. Uttanka was again worried for he had very little time to carry the earrings to the preceptor in time. Here again Agni helped him by carrying him swiftly on his back to the ashram. When the preceptor and his wife found that Uttanka had carried out their wish they blessed him. (Chapter 3, Adi Parva, Mahabharata).
21. Agni becomes a messenger: Once there arose a misunderstanding between Brihaspati and Samvarttaka, sons of Angiras. Brihaspati went to Devaloka as priest while the other remained in the world as a mad saint. At that time a King called Marutta invited Brihaspati to officiate as priest for a Yajna of his. But Brihaspati refused to accept it. Narada saw Marutta in despair and told him thus: "You go to Kasi (Benares) and there at Puradvara place a dead body and wait there. Samvarttaka, Brihaspati’s brother will come and reprimand you. Without minding his scolding follow him and request him to become the chief priest for your Yaga. He will then ask you who advised you to do like this. Tell him that Narada did so and if he asks where he could find Narada do tell him that Narada is hiding inside Agni". Hearing this Marutta went to Kasi and did all as directed. Samvarttaka agreed to become the priest but wanted Marutta to bring some gold from Kailasa before that. Marutta brought that also and the Yajna started. Brihaspati when he came to know of all these developments became sorry for his refusal first and decided to become the priest of Marutta for his Yaga. It was Agni who carried this message of consent to King Marutta. Thus Marutta's Yajna was performed in a grand way. (Chapter 9, Ashvamedha Parva, Mahabharata).
22. Agni takes back the Gandiva: At the time of Khandava Dahana (burning of Khandava forest) Agni gave Arjuna the famous Gandiva bow which Varuna had given him. After the great Mahabharata battle Agni took back this bow from Arjuna. The Pandavas at the fag end of their life started on a pilgrimage to the south with their consort Panchali. Marching along slowly they reached the shores of Aruna Samudra (Aruna Ocean). Arjuna had with him then the Gandiva and also the arrow-case which never becomes empty. When they reached the shores of the ocean Agni blocked their way standing before them in the form of a huge mountain and said, "O Arjuna I am god Agni. It was I who gave this famous Gandiva bow to you. The bow belongs to Varuna. So please throw it into the ocean and proceed on your way". On hearing this Arjuna threw both the bow and the arrow-case into the ocean and continued the march. (Shlokas 33 to 43, Chapter 1, Mahaprasthanika Parva, Mahabharata).
23. Additional information about Agni, the God of fire.
    1. Svahadevi, wife of Agni, gave birth to three sons, named Daksinam, Garhapatyam and Ahavaniyam (Chapter 9, Devi Bhagavata).
    2. Agni, the God of fire, got three sons by his wife Svahadevi named Pavaka, Pavamana and Suci. These three sons had all together forty five sons. These forty five grandsons, three sons and Agni himself constitute the forty nine Fires mentioned in the Puranas (Angirasas).
    3. Nila, the monkey, is born of Agni. (Sarga 41, Chapter Kishkinda, Ramayana).
    4. Dhrstadyumna, the great archer, was born of Agni. (Shloka 126, Chapter 67, Adi Parva, Mahabharata).
    5. Subrahmanya was born as the son of Agni. (Chapter 225, Vana Parva, Mahabharata). Agni, the God of fire, loved all Prajapatis like his sons. (Chapter 85, Anusasana Parva, Mahabharata).
    6. The sage, Bhrigu, was born from Agni. (Shloka 8, Chapter 5, Adi Parva, Mahabharata).
    7. All Devatas are Agni himself. (Shloka 109, Chapter 85, Anusasana Parva, Mahabharata).
    8. God Agni loved God Skanda more than anybody else. (Chapter 226, Vana Parva, Mahabharata).
    9. At the time when Sri Rama after killing Ravana was putting Sita to a purity test by throwing her into the fire, Agni witnessed that Sita had done no wrong and was pure and chaste as before. (Shloka 28, Chapter 201, Vana Parva, Mahabharata) .
    10. In the beginning Brahma created the universe. There was no death then and the Earth became overcrowded. Brahma got worried and he sent fire from his body to burn all beings. The world was on the verge of extinction when Lord Siva intervened and requested Brahma to withdraw Agni and create the god of Death. (Chapter 52, Drona Parva. Mahabharata).
    11. Agni is one of the Ashta Vasus which are eight in number. The others are : Apa, Dhruva, Soma, Dharma, Anila, Pratyusa and Prabhasa. (Chapter 15, Visnu Purana).
    12. Suci, son of Agni, born of Svahadevi is Badavagni himself. (Chapter 20, Agni Purana).
    13. The God, Agni, uses a spear as his weapon and the vehicle he uses is a goat. (Chapter 51, Agni Purana).
    14. The sage, Agastya, converted the Visnu idol at the Kuttalam temple into one of Siva and when people around started an agitation Agastya sent forth flames of fire through his eyes. (Asura Kanda of Skanda Purana).
    15. Agni was born to Pururavas as a son named Jatavedas. (Chapter 14, Navama Skanda of Bhagavata).
    16. The Devas wanted help to clean their hands when oblated materials stuck to their hands and Agni created from water three sons named Ekata, Dvaita and Trita for this purpose. Of these Trita fell into a well while drawing water. Seeing him fall the demons closed the well but Trita broke the top and came out. (Sukta 52, Anuvaka 10, Mandala 1 of Rigveda).
    17. Once the earth looked like heaven because of the innumerable celestial beings who came to earth in search of Agni. (Sukta 65, Anuvaka 12, Mandala 1 of Rigveda)
    18. The Sun hands over his effulgence to Agni in the evening and takes it back from him in the morning. (A fact from Sruti Sukta 71, Anuvaka 12, Mandala 1 of Rigveda).
    19. For making fire for the sacrificial ceremony the sages use two Arani sticks (These are two pieces of wood, one upper and another lower, and fire is produced by attrition) . It is believed that the sages get the strength to produce fire from it through Vyana, one of the forms of Vayu (air). So Rigveda describes Agni as the son of Vayu. (Sukta 112/Anuvaka 16, Mandala 1).
    20. In the times of the Rigveda Agni was worshipped as a God. (Sukta 1, Anuvaka 1, Mandala 1, Rigveda).
    21. Lord Siva entered into an elaborate and long conjugal play for creating Subrahmanya. Hundred years went by and still the preliminaries never ended. The universe was on the verge of a collapse and so the devas decided to send Agni to put a stop to this libidinal play of Siva. But Agni was afraid of Siva and therefore absconded and hid himself in the ocean. The ocean became hot and the water-animals unable to bear the increasing heat went and informed the devas of Agni's hiding place. Agni cursed them all saying that all of them would go dumb. He then went to the Mandara mountain in the shape of an owl and hid there. But the devas went there also and picked him up. Agni then by his terrible heat stimulated Siva into action. Siva threw his semen into Agni and Agni poured it into Ganga and Ganga delivered a child which later on became Subrahmanya. (Tarariga 6, Lavanakalambaka of Kathasaritsagara) .

The synonyms:

अग्निर्वैश्वानरॊ वह्निः वीतिहॊत्रॊ धनंजयः। कृपितयॊनिर्ज्वलनॊ जातवॆदस्तनूनपात्॥

बर्हिश्शुश्मा कृष्णवर्त्मा सॊचिकॆशः उशर्भुधः। आश्रयासॊ बृहद्भानुः कृष्णौ पावकॊऽनलः॥

रॊहिताश्वॊ वायुसखः शिखावानासुसुक्शणिः। हिरण्यरॆतः हुतभुक् दहनॊ हव्यवाहनः।

सप्तार्चिर्दमुनः शुक्रश्चित्रभानुर्विभावसुः। शुचिरप्पितमौर्वस्तु बडवॊ बडवानलः॥

वह्नॆद्वर्यॊर्द्वायॊर्ज्वालकिला वर्चिर्हॆतिः शिखा स्त्रियां। त्रिषु स्फूलिंगॊग्निकणः क्षंतापः सज्वरः समौ॥

उल्कास्यान्निर्गता ज्वाला भूतिर्भासित भस्मानि। क्षरॊरक्शाच दावस्तु दहॊवनहुताशनः॥

Amarakosha

Agni is often identified with other gods:

• Varuna and Mitra: in the evening he becomes Varuna, when he rises in the morning he becomes Mitra.
• Indra: Agni is Indra's twin, and therefore a son of Dyaus Pita and Prthivi. Agni is also called Vishva-Vedāh, "dawn," which refers both to Indra, the Protector, and to the all-knowing Agni.
• Rudra: in the Rig Veda Agni is addressed as Rudra, bringing together two distinct but destructive aspects of nature, namely storm and fire. The Linga Purana tells us that a pillar of fire (stambha) appeared before Brahma and Vishnu. The Shiva-linga represents that pillar of fire which is Agni.
• Sarama, the Goddess of Intuition: in a hymn in praise of Agni, Rishi Parāśara Śāktya speaks of Saramā, the Goddess of Intuition, the forerunner of the dawn of Truth in the Human mind, who finds the Truth which is lost. It is Saramā who is a power of the Truth, whose cows are the rays of the dawn of illumination and who awakens man who finds Agni standing in the supreme seat and goal.
• Vayu and Soma: in the Vedas, Agni, Vayu and Soma or 'fire' (light and heat), 'air' (energy and action) and 'water', are the principal deities. Agni brings the subject and the object together and establishes a relation between the two (sambandha); Vāyu causes that relation to evolve (abhidheya), and whose activity Soma directs converting forms into pleasure that consciousness enjoys (prayojna). These three shaktis are involved in all material and spiritual vedic rituals.
• Vayu and Jala: Agni, Vayu and Jala are three of the three-fold eight fundamental qualities of intelligence, i.e. eight in terms of the value of consciousness, eight in terms of the devata quality of consciousness and eight in terms of the chhandas quality of consciousness.
• Diti: in a sukta addressed to Agni, Vamadeva calls Agni as Diti (दिति) which word is to be read as Aditi, the all devouring Death. Aditi is an ancient Rig Vedic deity; she is the divine mother of all Vedic gods and therefore, is the source of all things. Her womb, protected by Vishnu, is the navel of prithvi. Aditi means boundlessness.

Agni in Astrology

Jyotiśa, the study of astronomy and astrology, is one of the six vedangas or limbs of the Vedas. The first drekkana of Taurus and Virgo sign is ruled by Agni, and the 10th shashtiamsa (1/60th part of the sign) is the Agni-amsa. Persons born in fiery signs ruled by Agni are enthusiastic, energetic but accident prone. The 3rd nakshatra (constellation) beginning with Ashvinī is ruled by Agni.

Agni in Ayurveda

Agni is an important entity in Ayurveda. Agni is the fiery metabolic energy of digestion, allows assimilation of food while ridding the body of waste and toxins, and transforms dense physical matter into subtle forms of energy the body needs. Jathar-agni determines the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, Bhuta-agni determines the production of bile in the liver, Kloma-agni determines the production of sugar-digesting pancreatic enzymes and so forth. The nature and quality of these agnis depend on one’s dosha which can be – vata, pitta or kapha.

Agni is also known as Vaisvanara, food. Just as the illuminating power in the fire is a part of Agni’s own effulgence, even so the heating power in the foods digestive and appetizing power is also a part of Agni's energy or potency.