The Fire God

In almost every Indian function, the fire or Agni plays a critical and central role.

Even in the Vedas, the Ring, which is considered the first among the Vedas, begins with Agni neelay purohitam-it is Agni which gives riches to human beings.

According to senior priests, Agni is the go-between or the interpreter carrying the prayers from earth to the heavens and bringing the fruits of the puja back to the humans. Being a visible identity, he is believed to be the representative of all the Devas.

But why the intense faith in the power i\of Agni? This could perhaps be attributed to the early reliance of man on the power of fire. From the very earliest times, fire had the ability to provide warmth and security as well as inspire a feeling of awe. To mankind it was perhaps the greatest discovery and gave him supremacy over other animals. With this background, the fire is worshipped in many cultures around the world. From the Greek Goddess Vesta to Kagutsuchi-no-kami the Japanese God of fire, the worship is almost universal. The Greeks tell the tale of Prometheus who stole fire from the Gods and gave it to the men. The Indian tribes of Brazil tell the story of a young man called Botoque who was abandoned in the forest and adopted by a jaguar. The jaguar was believed to be the Master of fire and so the Indian are cooked meat for the first time at the jaguar's home. Botoque fled at the first opportunity and carried a sample of grilled meat to his fellow Indians. They heard his tale and took away the fire from the jaguar's home. The tale goes that the jaguar renounced cooked meat ever since and now the reflection of the fire can be seen in its eyes.

According to Indian mythology, Agni is believed to be thrice born-in heaven as the sun, in the atmosphere as lightning and on earth as fire. Being omnipresent in the universe, Agni is involved as both a celestial ddity as well as a domestic spirit.

The belief is that Agni has 7 tongues each with a special name, to feed upon the offerings such as clarified butter which are fed to the fire. Swaha is believed to be the wife of Agni and all offerings are made to him with the chant Swaha.

But perhaps the greatest tribute to Agni is the ability to purify all objects. There is a story to this belief. Sage Brigu one day abducted a young girl who was betrothed to an asura. The asuras, knowing Agni had access to all places on earth and beyond, requested his help in the matter. Agni, being truthful, told the asuras her whereabouts. Bhrigu was angry with Agni. However when Agni convinced him that he was obliged to speak the truth Brighu granted him the dispensation of being able to purify everything. It is this role of Agni that is worshipped for today. He is the purifier who is thus a central fingure at all solemn ceremonies.

But no matter what the myth and tales the fact remains that fire has been a critical factor in the development of man and is worshipped in many forms all over the world. In India, no worship or prayer is complete without Agni-The Fire God.