7/20/2014 Lord Agni, the First God in the Vedas

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Agni is the first word of the first prayer of the first Veda. Lord Agni is the

revered Fire God and accepter of sacrifices of the ancient world and even

today. He is also the divine messenger of the gods between different

worlds. He bridges humankind and heavenly orders - so all the sacrifices

are made to him in order to go to numerous deities in the cosmos. He has

the ability to transfer offerings across existences and is the link between

heaven and earth.

The brother of Lord Indra is ever young and immortal, being lit and re-lit

every day. His name itself literally means fire – Ignis (Latin) and Agni

(Sanskrit). He is equivalently said to be the fire of the colossal sun and

countless stars, of powerful lightning and of the hearth that men light for

worship. While other gods exist faraway in different realms and have

personified representation on earth, he is the one who remains closest to

man in an elemental form. In fact the Fire God is the contact point of all

gods and he is said to encompass them as the circumference of a great

wheel, with each god being a spoke.

In the sacred Rig Veda he is sometimes addressed as Lord Rudra, who is

regarded by scholars to be a precursor of Lord Shiva. Though the Guardian

of the South East has no major sect in modern Hindu practices (except a

handful of Agnihotri Brahmins), he is invoked in all religious ceremonies

and pujas. Alongside Lord Indra and Lord Varuna, he is a part of the three

supreme Vedic gods who once ruled the roost. Gradually across centuries

without losing his esteemed standing he successfully transitioned into the

complex tiered Hindu pantheon of deities.

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In most scriptures, Lord Agni is described as a ruddy-faced and double

headed divine being. While one face is benevolent and marks immortality,

the other face is malevolent and denotes the mysterious symbol of life.

His hair is his most amazing feature as it stands on end like fiery glowing

flames. His dark eyes peer through against his flushed red skin. The Fire

God wears a spectacular garland of beautiful fruit. Some accounts say that

he has three tongues while others say seven. Lord Agni has three legs

and seven arms and his vahana or vehicle is his prized ram. Flames of fire

shoot out from his mouth and seven streams of glory emanate from his

body.

According to one of the famous hymns from the Rig Veda, Lord Indra and

the other gods were summoned to kill the Rakshas who were flesh eaters

or Kravyads. Agni was a Kravyad himself whose flames consumed dead

bodies. While the other gods were baffled by the demons, Agni devoured

his enemies by producing two iron tusks. He further heatd up his seven

streams and drove them through the hearts of the Rakshasas. Another

famous tale is how he even overcame his brother the Lord of Thunder and

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Rain to burn down the Khandava forest in order to regain his strength.

Similar to Lord Indra’s origin, there are several versions of the story of the

birth of Lord Agni. Some accounts say that he is the son of the Sky God

Dyaus and Earth Mother Prithvi. Others claim that he is the son of Brahma

and is thus called called Abhimani. He is also said to be the son of

Kashyapa and Aditi. So he is an Aditya just like Lord Indra. Later day

scriptures attribute his origin to Angiras, the king of Pitris (the fathers of

mankind) and there are many hymns dedicated to this form of the Fire

God.

The swift messenger of divine and earthly communication is known by

many appellations. The most prominent ones include Vahni (burnt

sacrifice), Chhagaratha (he who rides the ram), Saptajihva (7 tongued

one), Dhananjaya (who conquers riches), Vitihotra (he who purifies the

worshipper), Jivalana (the one who burns) and dhumketu (whose symbol

is smoke) amongst others. He is believed to be a great sage and the

most divine one of all. He is the protector of all ceremonies so whether

marriage or death, his presence is a must. He enables mortals to justly

serve the gods in the proper manner and which they cannot do without

him in the process of puja. He even joins earth-visiting gods and shares

the reverence that they receive in temples, homes and shrines. According

to the Vishnu Purana he married Swaha, by whom he has three sons –

Pavaka, Pavamana and Suchi. Hence, when offerings are made to Agni,

Swaha’s name is always taken while reciting ‘Om Namaha Swaha’.

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7/20/2014 Lord Agni, the First God in the Vedas

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Lord Agni’s dwelling place is the most fascinating and unique. He dwells

in every abode and lives with every worshipful family that light a fire, a

lamp or an incense flame. This supreme mediator between god and man is

thus also known as the Lord of the House and blesses those who absorb

the sacred warmth of his fire. He is also a welcoming entity for other gods

as he sustains lamps during various Indian festivals and greets gods as

they enter the homes of mortals.

Praying to Lord Agni ensures several lifelong benefits including success

and material wealth. He nourishes those who offer food and protect

worshippers from enemies. In fact he is present in all phases of mortal

life – when diyas are lit honoring birth, during birthdays when lamps or

candles on cakes are lit, and prayers during the coming of age

ceremonies. Of course the Fire Lord presides over Hindu weddings as the

holy union happens during the seven pheras (the bride and groom encircle

the fire seven times) before being pronounced man and wife. Lord Agni is

said to help man tide over calamities and also forgive sinners by showing

them the light and guiding them in inner reflection. At funerals, at the

time of cremation the Fire God warms the immortal part of the deceased,

and in his most auspicious form accompanies souls on their journey to the

7/20/2014 Lord Agni, the First God in the Vedas

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arunachalaJun 16 2014 03:02 AM

sekharsdr@gmail.com Jun 16 2014 08:59 AM

subbarayulu.k Jun 16 2014 11:44 AM

ramanathan Jun 16 2014 12:55 PM

gyandeo persad Jun 16 2014 01:56 PM

heavens.

Thus Lord Agni is invoked for all temporal good – wealth, food and

liberation.

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Author's

Name:

Radha Pukan

12 Comments

Nice and useful information Sir, thank you..

Sir,

Nice & Educative.

Expect many more like this from VEDAS.Thank you very much sir

This is interesting and unknown info,thanks!!

Sita Ram,

The Swaha Chaleesa is the only chaleesa compiled out of India and dedicated to

Swaha Devi, the consort of Agni. There is also the Swaha Artee which was written by

the same person, Pt. Gyandeo Persad. There is also an orthodox Hindu organisation

called Swaha Inc. inTrinidad. Thanks for the info on Agni devata,now all must know the

importance of Swaha Devi.

To recieve a copy of the Swaha Chaleesa and Swaha Artee please contact me.

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