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28-32
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TEXT AND NOTES
Fire Ill the

Agni is the supreme deity in the
It is spoken of as the immortal
amongst mortals agniramrito nidhiiyi
4. 4; yo am.ri.ta ril-iivii lwl-ii,
l , 77. 1; idam jye>tirmnritam. martyesu) ,
the deathless light amongst those who are
bound to tlie, the ever.lastiog proter.tor of the
Law amongst those who are J>rone to perish.
In many hymns this special and divine feature
<.>f Aggi As a matter of faet. the
gross material body is mortal and porishah].,
ann the divine Principl" that resides within
the body is Agoi or Fire of Life. To the Vetiic
seer!') the divine nature of Agni is the most pa
tent act. Agt1i, as \\'e see i.t, is horn of the
sticks or fuel. That is tloe manifestation of
Agni on the material plaue. Energy becomes
manifest only through matter. Therefore <:aeh
Agni has a physical ho<l)'' that i its fuel; when
the fud burn6 Agni 1-w.eomes So
t he Fiery Energy within the body, its Life
called Pt8J,ta, js becoming every day.
This Agni is threefold; it has three mothers,
three hirths, three stations; its triple nature
is apoken of in terms <>f its haviur:; three bro-
thers. This symbolism is amply elaborated.
but not difficult to be understood. is the
unique principle behind all this uu.iversal ma-
oi{estatioo which we see in three forms, viz.
plants. animals aucl mt>n. Organic ]i_fe is found
only on these thrr.e planes. This constitutes a
basic trinity. viz. Matter Life Mind, which in
Vetl i<: terminology r.orrespond to the three di -
visious of the wor.ld, viz.. terre terrestrial.
atmospheric. and celesti.a I. These are not spa-
tial conceptions, but planes of r...onseiousness.
The principles wh.ieh govern these functions
arc named as Agni , Viiyu anti A<litya. Hasi-
ally there is one Agni , which becomes divided
as three ( ek(l eviignir bahudhii samiddha(t, J'.tv.
28
Vlll , 58, 2). All three are essential for mani-
festation : Agni as the terrestrial deity repre-
sents the principle of Matter, the Five Ele-
ments (Bhutas); as the atmospheric deity the
prineiplo of Life (Pnir.ta) ; aud as the cele><tial
tleity the principle of mind (Manas).
These three aspects or principles mnst com-
bine for the manifestation o organ.ic beiugs.
All the t-hree together. The three Bro-
thers form a commou team, called Ekata-Dvito-
1'rita, or elsewhere as Suchi, Pilvaka, Pava-
rnii na. Thei r combined appellation is Va.isvli-
nara. which literally signifies the unified
:tspect in which coexist the three Naras or ener-
gising e8sential for manifestation:
a for t>Xample. within the human bo<ly the
fire i,.. termec1 Vai6vanara wltich
t he food that is eaten and theo starts
a chemical chain for l:onverting the grotis tnass
into of various kinds , inclu(]ine:
hloo<l anti its resulting sheaths like
hones, marrow, an<l ultimately the grey matter
of the brain aod the seeti <>r germ which con-
tinues the progeujtivo pro<'.ess. The
fnoctional pro<.es of Agni is tlescrihe<l as a
Yajiia, in which the God or the of
Energy transforms the principle of matt.er, the
latter being called Soma. Agni is the eater
of fooil , (Annatla) ami Soma is " tbc food ,
The nnion of Agni and Soma, of
A nna anti Annlida, of Y osb and V risha
(Male-Female), i.e. of Energy ani! Matter , or
Heaven anti Earth (Dyaviiprithivl) means the
eomple1e rotation of the wheel, or the
process of life called yajfia.
All manifestation of A.,oni or Energy at a
point and within a system is Yajia. The crea-
tion on tbe cosmic plane is Universal Sacrifice
( Vir<'it, Yajiia) in wltich the Creator offers
himself as the Ahuti. (offering). It is r.alred a
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Sorvahuta l' ajiia in the (X, 90. 8-9).
Who is the P u.rusha or Prajiipati of this cosmic
yajfia? It is Agni, Infinite Nature, the Cosmic
Energy with it$ inherent active principle, i.e.
Aditi and Daksha together.
There is a dear 8p:ubology of cause and ef.
feet, both iuterdependent in the ani" princi
pium or ab intra stage uf the r.osmos. Aditi
the Mother and Daksba (the symbol of acth-e
sacrifice or progenition) is her Son. From an
other point o view Daksha (as the dormant
pr.inciplo of preceding active maoifestation) is
the Father and Aditi is his daughter X.
72. 4-5).
As noted above the single principle of
Energy differentiated as Maller, L.ife
and There are the three births of Agni,
his three dear stations , three Mothers. Agni
is therefore called l ryarnbaka (l,lv. VII, 59.
12), which is alw an epithet of Rudra, be-
cause Agni and Rudra are identical according
to the universall)' accepted statement of t he
(Agrri.r rai Rudra!t, Satapatha V,
3. I. 10, VI. 1. 3. 10; TaQ._)ya XII. 4. 24;
Taittiriya I. 1. 5. 8-9, 1. ). 6. 6. , I. 1. 8. 4)
and also the enunciation of the ( IT. 1.
6, dgne RLulra() . As a roatler of fact,
the am:ient eytmologists and exegetes had good
reasou to speak o Agni as Rudra. Rudra is
the principle of " hunger (asarriiyii), or in
simtlle terms l< as6imilatiou n that penades
each living system confined or active within
it& DyavaPrithivi, or tl1e two valves of an or
ganism. A fanciful etymology for Rudra is
given, viz. the principle of Life ( Madhya
PrtiQa, also called l ndlua, or esoterically lmlra)
when it is awakenec:t or acti,ated, weep . ., ancl
therefore is called rudra (from the root rut/,
" to weep '' Satapatha VI . 1. 3. 10). Tbe im
plication is quite valicJ. It means that the
sleeping nueleus of " l ife , the slumbering
" child within each " seed >> becomes activo
anrl immerliately it cries for << foorl '> to sustain
itself. When tl;e cater i$ awakened, food must
b.. given; that starts the process of assimila-
tion and elimination, which is the elementary
feature of life. This nucleus is Agni, who cries
for Sorna (cf. l_{v. V. 44. 15, Agni is awaken
ed, to him Soma offen; itself as a friend to
reside in a <.ommon <.fwelling). Agni with Soma
becomes quiet for a time, until its hungry tem
per is stir-red again. This is the auspicious
fonn of Agni called Siva . Its opposite is the
awful or dire form ( Rutlra or Ghora) ; when
Agni is without Soma or food it becomes the
all-consuming fire that dries up the living con-
tents and burns the oody. Soma is the nectar
or elixiT o life and Ru.!ra is propitiated with
the ever flowing drops of Soma. Rudta is also
called ln<.f.ra whose most favourite hobby is to
quaff potions of Soma juk.e. Soma is the op
posite principle of Agui; the former the watery
principle or moisture and the latter the fiery
principle or heat (yad vai yajnasya
wdagnc")'arit. .. yadvii yajiiasya tal sau-
mymit, Satapatha Ill . 2 . 3. 9-10).
" Siiirya in htlaven is a form of Agni: I ho-
nour as the face of lofty Agni in heaven the
bright and holy light of Siirya" ( ).tv. l. 73. 8).
< Agni in this (world) , Indra and Vayn in the
middle, Siirya in heaven, are here to be rec.:o-
gnized as the three deitiC$. Owing to the ma-
jesty of these (deities) different name$ are ap
plied (to each of them); (the diversity of na
rues) hero appears in this and that (sphere)
acc<rrding to the d.ivision of their respeetive
spheres .. This is a manifestation of their power
( vibh;u.i), that their names are various. The
poets, however, in their formulas say that these
(deities) have a mutual origin (<myonyayonilci)
(i.e. their becoming in earth or heaven is a
birtl1 from one another). Of what is and has
been and is to he, and of what. moves and is
stationary, - of all this some reganl the Sun
alone to be the origin and the cause of disso-
lution. Both of what is not and what is (aM
la.St;ha satakhaiva) , this source is (really)
Prajiipati , as (being) this eternal Brahma
which is at once imperishable and
the object of speech ( viichyam). He (the Sun),
having divided himself into three, abides in
theRe w<>rld.s, calli1Jg all the gods in due or der
111 rest in bis rays. This (being) which, in the
form of fire., abides in three fom,. in the w<>rlds
that have come into being, the seers adore
with songs as manifested under three names ".
( Brihad iJevatii , I. 61-71) .
Agni, Vayu and Siirya are spoken of as th ree
different manifestations of one Essenw (Almii)
which is the Soul of the Universal Divinity,
the P rajapati (Atm.(i sarv<cin deasya, Nirukta
VH, 4: Britltaddevata 1, 73).
In the svmbolism of tlte ritual tlte essent.ial
single F ir; variously becomes the Garhupatya,
the Dakshil)ii and the JllJavartiya. This triple
division correspon(ls to the basic trinity of
Matter Life and Mind, or Earth Atmosph ere
and Heaven, or Mother Chiltl aml Father, and
so on. These are the three truths and the th ree
births of Agui JV, I. 7). With reference
to these triple forms, the question is raised:
How many are the Agnis? How many are the
Suns? X, 88-18).
Agni is explained iu tenus of the doctTine
29
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of Heat (aush(F) generateol by the two Op
positc clashing forces (called in the language
of ritual as upani.iu and ant.aryiim.(l, or which
i-. the same thing as Prii.rJa and Apana). What
it prooluced by this fric.tion is the Divine Heat
or Temperature (devtuo.ShrJya), and he is verily
P u.rusha (Mait. Up. ll, 6); what is Pu.rusha
i the same as Agni (atha yai< pu
ruslwl. so' gn.i.r vaisviinarai<, Up. n. 6).
The Mahabharata also refers to this principle
of boat or temperature ( iishma) which can be
traced :ll< a chain action, always produced from
pre<.eding heat, and at every stage called Agni
(.ltra))'akaparvan, 21L 4). In the Brihadde.
vatli it. is called Agraja 1'apa.s or Primeval Heat
(11. 53). It is called the mighty Akshara
Brahma, of which a single SJ>ark is our Sun
and millions and billiors of such stars existed
in that Primal Heat of inconceivable intensity.
That was the abhidlw tapas or the Agni in the
beginning of tbe cosmos. That cosmic fire and
this small fire in the Jajiia - both are the
result of friction (sahasai< sunu(1, J.'tv. Ill. 25,
5). Manifest Agni is a force produ.,ed by the
interaction of opposite ,:iz. tl1e two
or the two parents, the two sticks of
siugle drill.
Agni's origin from the ..... at.ers is often re
ferred to. He is the'' Son of Waters" (Apiim
Napiit.). Agui is also the embryo ( garbha)
of the waters ( I:U. 5. 3.; Ill . 1. 12-13); he
i ki.1tdled in the waters (X. 45. 1), he is a
bull who has grown io the lap of the waters
(X. 8. 1). The notion of Agni in the waters
i< prominent throughout the Vellas (Macdo
uell , Vedic Mythology, p. 92) . The symbolism
is explicit with reference to the lightning fire
produced in the clouds. But there is a deeper
o:osmic meaning also. Waters is Apa(
i explained in the Satapatha as " that which
was all-pervasive >> ( yacd cipnot tasmad apai<).
This refers to the primorolial form of matter
distributed evenly throughout, and which is
symbolism as <ipai< in tlu' Vedas as well as the
PuriiJ)as. This is the Primordial P rakriti in
which the Creator lays his germ (apa eva sasa-
rjiidmt tiisu bijam-avii.<rijat, Manu I. 8). The
Self-Existent Prajiipati represents the eternal
rnale principle (bijaprada pitii) and the l ufi.
nite Universal Nature (calletl Mahat., Mahad
Brahma, Pradhiina l'rakriti., Aditi, etc.) is the
female principle which is fertilized by the seed
of the Fatl1er. The female is the Mother, the
Waters, also called Nara. The male Prajpati
is Agni and the female is Soma or Waters. The
latter is fecundated by the male principle of
A;mi , . i.e. Heat and Motion, ar1d is r.orlVerted
30
into the Colden Egg, HirarJyagarbha or Hira
Q-yii(c(ia. The fertilised ovum is the Golden
Germ, since the seed that fertilises is spoken
of as golden , the principle of motion
quickening the egg.
The Mahat Prakriti is also called Viraj or
the Universal Cow, the Kiimadugha Dhenu
(Cosmic Cow) fertilizAi by the Primeval Bull
Mahiideva, l ndra, Agni), i. e.
as the sprinkler of life-germ. lie is
called Nariiyat,Ja in the Vedic and Puranic ter
miuology. The I'urusha Sukta of the J:tig:veda
i a glorification of the NarAyaQa Purusba who
creates the Viriij and then enters its wom.b to
he rehom as tltis cosm06 (tato virii<./ajiiyata
viriijo adhi purusha(, X. 90. 5). Here
there arc two aspects of Purusha, the one re.
ferred to as the Absolute (Sahasra-Sirsha Pu
rusha) (X. 90. l) and the other as Mahima
Purusha or the relative principle, the latter
being t he universal Viraj producing the cos-
mos. The cosmos is tlte yajiia in which Prajii
pati himself was tied to the stake as the sa
erificial victim, aud the cosmos in its ''arious
aspects is his dismembered limbs, but all in
tcgrated hy the hr<>oding spirit of the Creator,
who is the unifying Tltroad Spirit (antaryami
.<utriitmii), i.e. the principle of Heat or Agni
permea ti.ng to its farthest extent the Waters
ol Creation. Agni is the primeval principle
of motion that manifests itself against the sub
stratum of rest and e<1uilibrium that is sym
bolised as the still ocean or Waters. The crea
tive Principle, or Narayal)a P urusha' sleeps,
as it were, in the womb of the. ocean and crea-
tion is tbis awakening. This ocean is of a dual
vspect., an ocean of pure water ancl an
o milk. Pure water symbolises the preceding
stage prior to creation, or before the fecunda
tion of the Cow bv the Bull . When tbe cow
is fertilised hy the male parental seed, the
or,ean is turned into an ocean of milk ll
(ksluira-samudra) . It is symbolised by the
mi.xing of milk with Soma in the sacrificial
ritual. Creation is in fact the conversion of
water into milk, and this is the miracle
wrought into the body of the mother or the
cow becoming fertilised by the seed of the
father or the bull. The symbolism is capable
of being very much elaborated, but the basic
idea of tlte two opposite principles of Agni and
Soma mingling in complete unison or fllBing
into one like the germinal seed.s of the two
parents, is unmistakable. It is the chemistry
of the <-.ow that converts water into milk, but
she is able to do so only when sbe has received
the seed of the hull. The seed is Agni that
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enters the womh or the waters of Soma and
quickens it . The mot her in the cow takes
abotlt a year to become ready with the calf
and the milk in her teats. The milk is the
miraculous )ife-giviug principle that fee<ls tloe
" child ". What is tbe distinction between
milk and water? This question is basic and
significant and the answer should be clearly
understood. Milk is water whitened by the
globules of butter that now float in it in mi-
outest form and become manifest on chur.uiug
Gh.rita or clari.fied buner. This Ghrita. is
the new element that enters into tbe pure
waters of the female secretion, and just as the
male seed that <tuickens the cow is Agni , so
also Ghrita is spoken of as Agoi ( Agneywn vai
Ghrilam, Satapatha VII. 4. I. 41, Iaittiriya
Br. I. l. 9. 6. etc.). 1 we pour water on the
fire in the altar, the fire is extinguished, but
butter kindles the fire, and hence it has been
said that Ghrita or hotter is the r.oncrete fonn
of Fire kindled in the sacrifice ( etad vai. pra-
tyakshiid yaii.a-rilpari yad ghritam, Satapa
tha, XII. 8. 2. 15). Chrita is therefore taken
as the symbol of ferti lising seed ( retaJ.t-siktir
vai ghritam, Kaushttaki Rrab. 16. 5; reto vai
ghrit<Im, Satapatha IX. 2. 3. 44; Yajurveda
XVII. 79) . Universal nature is the cosmic cow;
universe is her milk; tl1e life-principle is the
butter in that milk, cal led prislwd ajya in the
J.tigveda : From the Sarvahuta yaina of the
Creator, tbe quickening principle of Him, that
i tl1e seed which he deposited as Father in the
womb of the Viriij, the Moth er, was" dripping
fat which drop by was ejaculated and
r.ollecte<l in a mass to permeate the entire ooean
of water and change it into one of mi.lk. This
" dripping fat " is Ag11i, and one may con
ceive of the principle of cosmic heat becom.ing
manifest as a spark and gathering into a con-
flagration like that in our Sun, and millions
of such charged centres. It is symbolically
put as prishad iiham, J.tv. X. 90.
8). The Suo is the calf of the Universal Cow
or Infinite Nature, anti also the Bull that fe-
cundates through its rays the Nature com-
prehended in the solar system or the vast
worlils that revolve round the Sun and are
held fast by it. The rays are the fertilisi ng
seetl, or alsa spoken of as the myriad fleet
cows which move in a l1 directions supplying
'the milk containing butter, i.e. the principle
of life with the two joint principles of Fire
and Water ( Agni-Soma) or Heat and Cold.
Ghrita is the primal seed of 'the cosmos, the
principle which quick<med its embryo, laid
ir>ta it by the Self-Existent Creator (Svayam-
bhii P rajapati). It is Prajapati Agoi perso-
nified, spoken of as a four-horned Bull (doa
tuiJ.Sriit-ga gaura, !;h . IX. 58. 2). The four
horns a re the four forms of Agni, viz. the
one transeentlent or ab intra, and
'the three which become manifest as the tluee
.Fires in the sacrif ice, explained above, which
symbolise the Trinity principle of cosmic crea
tion. IV. 58. 1-11 is a glorifica tion
of this mighty principle of n.niversal fecunda-
tion, tenned sc\erally as Agni, Siirya, .i\pal:>,
Gaval_l and Ghrita, who are all romombored
as the of the hymn. The universe de-
pends upon the power and might within th.c
sea, within the heart, within all life.
May we attain that sweetly-flavoured wave
of thine, brought, at this gathering, " over the
surface of the fl oods . (J.tv. IV, 58. 11).
The flowing of the ceaseless streams of
Ghrita, pure anti full of sweetnes6' (madlw
or soma) is the creative process of wsmic anti
ind.ividuated life (J.h. IV. 58. 10). That eter-
nal power was produced from the sacrifice of
Prajapati in which the Universe was t he of-
feri ng (sarvahuta )' aji.a), and the Ghrita the
complete form of Yajiia itself, its esoteric name
(l,k IV. 58. 2). This .Aguj is the primal Bull
( vrisht,bht.), the universal sprinkler , the im-
mortal principle that has entered the mortals
(mtdi.O tlw o martyan iivive5a, J.tv . . TV. 58. 3);
expresseil as bot!> Life and Mind. In <l ach
n'omh the generative principle is first coneeaf.
cd witl1 its quality of !\find, Lif e & Mutter
( Manas. Jliik). It is, so to say, the
boarde<l stock of the PaJ)is, which the Dcvas
d.iscover and make manifest. l rulra obtains
one viz. mind or manas . since l ndTa is
spoken of as nwnas'iin ( J.tv. U. 12. )). Surya
produces or makes manifest its second one
third share, viz. the principle of P ran.a or Life
(also cal.led Akshara). These two remain in-
visible and by their inherent powers produce
the Vena, the beautiful flowering principle
which ,sharply distinguishes the male and the
female and then by the law of depositing the
male germ iota the womb of the female (i.e.
the Svadhii principle of the two Pitris) con
tinues the process of life in the form of tht<
fruit or its germ the seed . Life starts from
tl>e seed a.nd completes its circle in the seed,
which releases a fresh chai.o-action. The seed
or germ is Ghrita and Agni. The sacrifice or
Agni' s yajfia begins with tbe layi.ng of the seed
and the quickening of the foetus thereby, and
through a very complex process of changes and
differentiation ..-rought by the phases of time
unfoliling itself as the alwriitra, darsa-paur(tt<
31
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nuisa, chaturmruya, ayana and samvatsara, the
seed is again reproduced as the seed. It is
conceived of as one unified yajiia through a
succession of intermedi.ary yajiias as enume.
rated above. Each creative process unfolding
itself in time and gradually finding its comple
tion or fuliilment so as to be merged in the
next one is a yajiia. Day and night ( ahoratra
Agnilwtra), the two halves of the month
(Darsa Paun;wmasa) , the three seasons
(Spring, Summer and Autumn, the Chatur
masya or Fourmonthly sacrifices), the two
semesters (Ayaneshtis) and the year (Sariwat
sara yajiia) are the units of time, amongst
which the Saritvatsara offers the complete
example of the revolving wheel of time. In
each yajiia or creative process, there is a pasu
tied to its stake, viz. the organism that is being
produced, the << child or prajii, the manifest
form of Life and Mind through Matter.
This is the Pdubandha sacrifice which takes
one year and of which Purushamedha, Ativa.
medha and Gomedha are the three principal
forms. The year or Samvatsara in each crea.
tive process is a relative term signifying the
variant periods of time from a second to an
aeon in which the yajiia.s are completed. The
building of the complete fire altar, i.e. the
complete manifestation of life in the form of
a living tree animal or man is an integrated
process, elaborated as the ritual of the Agni
Chayana comprising the building of five altars
pafichachitika yajiia) corresponding to the five
elements of the five which together
make one Golden Reed >> vetasa,
l,{v. IV, 58. 5) viz. the body that takes form
and becomes manifest from the streams of
Ghrita or seed poured into the womb. The em.
bryo (garbha) is the five joined Golden Reed
and its complete development gives birth to
the Boy (kumara) who is called Chitra Sisu
32
(l,tv. X. 1. 2) which means both the Chitya
agni (the fire generated through successive al.
tars) and the roiracolous Chid i.e. Agni called
Adbhuta (l,{v. VI. 15. 2;
213. 2; MiirkaQ(Ieya PuriiJ)a 94. 7). This leads
us to the very important topic of Kuniiira Agni
who is the son of Rudra, or a manifestation
of Agni as Rudra, described at length in the
Satapatha Br. VI. 1. 3. 120 (chitasya nama
karoti ... chitrwu'imanain karoti chitrosili sar.
hi to him ( Agni) when
built up (chilD) he gives a name. He calls him
by the illame of Chitra (the Built .. up one, the
Miracolous one), saying, "Thou art Chitra ;
for Agoi is all the built up things. The mean
ing of this is not lifficult to seek. Wherever
we have a living organic substance it is the
result of Agni become manifest through the
gross material elements, which therefore is
called chita, i.e .grown or developed through
the yajiia, and hence the same born as Chitra
or the miraculous Boy, the Wonderful Hero
(Adbhuta KumAra; cf. mahadbhuta,
kaparvan 212. 5).
This miraculous Boy is the fire of Life that
at first. sleeps in the seed and then wakes up
by a quickening proceu that i& common to> the
plant, animal and human kingdoms. The awa-
kened nucleus is thrown into rhythmic vi
bration, a throbbing pulsation, a process of
exparu;ion and contraction (called samaiicha
naprasiiral}a, Satapatha Vlll. I . 4. 10). The
source of this tremor in the individuated cen-
tres of living organisms is the same as the
cosmic palpitation in the Sun. Both are ma.
nifesting the quiverings of a single Fire or
Energy, and both represent the birth of an
identical divine Child called VAmadeva, Manu,
Skanda and many other names.
V. S. Agrawala