Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Playing with Fire!
All life, in its myriad variety, is sustained by the Five Elements—Earth,
Atmosphere, Water, Fire and the Wind. The absence of even one of these would
make life, as we know it, impossible to live. If there is no Earth, where do
you stand or sleep? Without air, can you breathe at all? And the skies are the
residence of the Sun and the Moon, which sustain life forms everywhere.
Needless to say, Water is an extremely essential input to life, its absence
spelling doom, as many of Chennaiites must have felt in months past. And Fire
is perhaps the most essential component of life-saving equipment that the Lord
has blessed us with, be it for cooking or warming oneself against biting cold.
It is the last-mentioned element that we shall be looking at in some detail in
this piece.
The importance of Fire, or “Agni”, as it is called affectionately by the
Shruti, is chronicled quite elaborately in the Vedas, with more than two
hundred Sooktas in its praise. It would be no exaggeration to term Fire as
among the most important of the Vedic Pantheon of Deities. Two of the four
Vedas begin with eulogies to Agni. The very first hymn of the hoary Rig Veda is
devoted to this mighty bull among deities—“Agnim eedE PurOhitam Yagyasya dEvam
Ritvijam” says the first verse, exhorting us to pay obeisance to Agni as the
leader and the deity of all sacrifices. This is no mere flash in the pan, for
we find the venerated Sama Veda too devoting its very first verse to this fiery
god—“agna AyAhi veetaye, griNAnO havya dAtayE”.
What is the reason for the extremely high pedestal on which the Shruti places
the FireGod? Why should this august body of unauthored wisdom devote litany
after elaborate litany to this element? Though the other four elements are no
less in importance, we find the Vedas almost obsessive in
their focus on Fire. The reasons are not far to seek. It is Agni, which makes
Sacrifices, the various Yagas and Yagyas, possible. As we know, everything has
its roots in Yagyam--all Creation came out of a Yagyam performed at the Cosmic
Beginning, as described by the Purusha Suktam.
Yagyas are indispensable for the sustenance of mankind—“YagyE sarvam
pratishtthitam”—And Agni is indispensable for the performance of Yagyas. Is it
any wonder then that the Shruti waxes eloquent in praise of this sine qua non
of Sacrifices?
What exactly does the word “Agni” mean? A study of the etymology reveals the
profound regard the Shruti has for Fire, for the Fire God is termed a “Leader”,
(“agram nayati, iti Agni:”) one who leads us forward to better things, to
better worlds, through the performance of Yagyas. Agni is also termed
“Purohitam”, (refer the opening verse of Rig Veda) one who knows well what is
good for us and instructs us accordingly. Due to his indispensability in the
household, Agni is also called the Master of the House—“Griha pati:” (“Agnim
grihapatim abhisamvasaana:”). Because he carries the offerings meant for
various other deities (since propitiation of all deities is done by offerings
in fire with intonation of “Svaahaa”), he is known too as a venerated Emissary,
a “Doota” (“Agnim dootam vriNeemahE”). It is to Agni that we pray for leading
us on a safe and comfortable path, in this minefield of Samsara—“AgnE naya
supathA rAyE asmAn”. It is to this Fire God that we pray time and agai
n for everything—“bhooyishtthAm tE nama uktim vidhEma”. Due to Ghee (clarified
butter) being his staple food, Agni is also known as “Ghrita nirNik”, “Ghrita
mukha:”, “Ghrita kEsa:” etc. Because he leaves everything he touches black, he
is known as “KrishnavartmA” .Due to his indispensability to life, Agni is
glorified as the very creator of beings—“Agni: prajaanaam prajanayitaa”. When
he carries offerings to Devas, he is known as “Havya vaahana:” and when the
recipients are Pitru devataas, he is called “Kavya vaahana:”
The Aruna Prasnam of the Taittiriya Aranyakam enumerates another set of eight
haloed names of this blazing deity—“Agni”, “JAtavEdA, SahOjA, Ajiraaprabhu:,
Vaisvaanara: Naryaapasa:, Panktiraadhasa: and Visarpa:”.
It is another measure of greatness of this deity that his worship is stipulated
as a daily duty (“nitya karma”) for everyone. “Agnihotram” and “OupAsanam” are
supposed to be performed twice a day, in the morning and evening, just like
Sandhyavandanam. And the beneficial effects of this Agnihotram were
demonstrated for all to see, during the Bhopal gas disaster, when only the
family, in whose house Agnihotram was performed, remained unaffected by
poisonous fumes of the Union Carbide Pesticides plant, when thousands of others
perished. Times have come to such a pass that this daily duty of “Oupasanam” is
performed these days, only as a prelude to some other major Vaidika karma such
as a Marriage, Seemantonnayanam or Shraddham. Time was, when this Agnihotram
was performed by a large number of vaidikas, who used to preserve the Agni in
pots of chaff, never to be extinguished till their last breath. The importance
attached to Fire Worship can be fathomed from the fact that this i
s compulsory for all men from age eight onwards, when they undergo
“Upanayanam”. From the day they adorn themselves with the Sacred Thread and
become Brahmachaaris, boys are supposed to perform “Samidaadaanam” twice daily.
Upon marriage, they take on the duties of “Agnihotram” and “Oupaasanam”, to be
performed by every man till life leaves his body. Interestingly, SanyAsis are
exempted from Agni Kaaryam—the moment they don the ochre robes, they are
relieved of any duties to the sacrificial fire.
Another little-known piece of information—every bride, before becoming the wife
of a man, is offered to Agni, says the Mantra Prasnam—“Soma: prathamo vivide,
Gandharvo vivida uttara: triteeyo Agnishte pati: tureeyaste manushyajaa:”.
Thus, according to this mantra, all married ladies would have to call
themselves, “Mrs. Agni”, irrespective of other appellations they may sport.
In the order of Creation, Agni is the third to emerge, the first being
Atmosphere, says the Shruti—“Atmana Akaasa: sambhoota:, Akaasaat Vaayu:, Vaayo:
Agni:”. Only from Fire did the other two elements, Earth and Water, came into
being—“Agne: Aapa:, Adbhya: Prithivi”. The Purusha Sukta ascribes exalted
origins to Agni—right from the Lord’s face (mouth)—“Mukhaat Indrascha
Agnischa”.
Apart from being one of the five basic elements, Agni is also acclaimed to be
the hidden essence of Water—“na apsu mootra pureesham kuryaat--guhyo vaa esha:
Agni: iti vadanta:”. The very same Shruti tells us that birds do not stay on
earth in the night, because it appears to burn in the night. Thus, Agni’s
influence extends over the other elements too.
Devas were readying themselves for their one of their frequent battles with
Asuras. The question arose as to which Deity was to be propitiated first, to
ensure victory in the ensuing encounter. Agni, the Leader, declared boldly,
“Worship Me first!”. And wonder of wonders, other Deities, who were quite
egoistic, did not dispute Agni’s claim and, recognising his supremacy, were
quite content to be worshipped next. The Devas worshipped Agni first (Soma,
Savita and Vayu later) and, as a result, emerged victorious, says the Prathama
Ashtakam—“sa: Agni: abraveet, maam agre yajata,…te Agnina mukhena asuraan
ajayan:” Since he burned down Rakshasas, Agni is also known as
“Rakshoghna:”—“Agnaye Rakshoghne svaahaa!”
Agni’s primacy is on display throughout the Shruti. He is the lord of the very
first star too, among the twenty-seven. The Krittika aphorism has Agni as its
devata—“Krittikaa nakshatram Agni: devata”. Vedas recognise Krittika as the
first nakshatram, contrary to our practice of counting Asvini first. Why then
is Asvini allowed to usurp Krittika’s place as the first among stars? The
Shruti itself tells us the reason—because deeds done under this star are likely
to burn down the doer’s household, people prefer to relegate Krittika to the
third place—“Agni nakshatram iti apachaayayanti, Grihaan ha daahuko bhavati”.
The Yaju: Samhita narrates another interesting tale about Agni. The Fire God
had three younger brothers, (“Agne: trayo jyaayaamso bhraatara aasan”) all the
four carrying out unfailingly their arduous job of carrying the offerings by
human beings to their respective celestial recipients. The three younger
brothers, due to the heavy workload and meagre returns, came to a bad end
ultimately. Demoralised by their fate, Agni decided not to function as a mere
carrier anymore and hid himself deep in the ocean. Denied of their diet of
sacrificial offering, Devas searched for the Fire God high and low. When they
entered the waters and enquired among marine inhabitants, the Fish gave away
Agni and revealed his hiding place. Angered at this, Agni cursed that Fish
should meet their end daily, being killed by fishermen who would catch them as
and when they wished. We see this happening till date. When Devas requested
Agni to resume his services, he agreed subject to the condition that al
l material, which fell outside the sacrificial fire, while being offered,
should reach his late brothers. Devas readily agreed and Agni too became the
divine carrier once more.
Management experts speak of having a “Fire in the Belly”, to describe an
unquenchable urge for achievement. They would be surprised to know that
everyone has fire in their belly—achievers as well as others. Shastras tell us
that it is the “Jaataraagni” or the digestive fires located in the intestines,
which enable assimilation of food and afford nutrition to the body. The Lord
says in the Gita that it is He Himself, who resides in beings as this
“Jaataraagni” and enables digestion of all kinds of food—
“aham Vaisvaanaro bhootvaa praaninam deham aasrita:
Praana apaana samaayukta: pachaami annam chatur vidham”.
The BrihadaaranyakaUpanishad too bears out this proposition of the Lord being
the Digestive Fire, without whose aid no food could be assimilated—
“ayam Agni: Vaisvaanaro yo yam anta: purushe yena idam annam pachyate”
If you wanted to see the Paramatma, where do you think you would find Him? The
Lord is to be found in the form of the sacrificial Fire, says Srimad
Bhagavatam—“Agnou tishtati vipraanaam”. All important events which require
witnessing, are done in front of the sacred fire—whether they be bonds of
matrimony or those of friendship. We are told that when Sri Rama and Sugreeva
sealed their agreement of friendship and mutual assistance, they did it with
the Fire as witness—“chakaara sakhyam Ramena preeta: chaiva Agni saakshikam”
What are the various types of Fire? At the time of marriage, the Fire with
which marriage rituals and Oupaasanam are performed first, is divided into two
(with the aid of a specific ritual known as “Agnyaadhaanam”). The first of
these Fires becomes the Grihyaagni, with which further Oupaasanam is performed
twice daily. The other part acquires the name “Shroutaagni”. This again is
divided into three categories—Gaarhapatyam (which is to be preserved without
ever going out) Dakshinam and Aahavaneeyam. It is these three that Sri
Tirumangai Mannan refers to as “Mutthee naanmarai iyvagai velvi”. One who
worships these two Agnis (Grihya and Shrouta) is himself known as an
“Aahitaagni”.
Forgetting that he is after all another creation of the Paramatma, Agni dares
to oppose Sri Krishna, in His encounter with Baanaasura and is thoroughly
vanquished, says Sri Nammazhwar—“Tiripuram chettravanum maganum pinnum Angium
por tulaya”. In the relative commentary, Sri Periyavaacchaan Pillai tells us
that Fire is of forty-nine categories, all of which met their nemesis in Sri
Krishna.
With all this, and after heaping all sorts of encomiums upon Agni, the Veda
Purusha lets the Fire God down with a bump, when he calls Agni the lowest of
all Gods and Vishnu, the highest—“Agni: avamo devataanam, Vishnu: parama:”.
While the supremacy ascribed to the Lord is understandable, why this rough
treatment to the Fire? Perhaps because he acts as a mere messenger, conveying
the offerings of human propitiators to their divine recipients?
All this is interesting, but how should we Prapannas, who have surrendered
ourselves to Sriman Narayana, regard the Fire God? Do we worship him as called
for in innumerable Veda vakyaas? Do we accord him the exalted status he
obviously enjoys among the Vedic Deities?
As people who have entrusted our fortunes here and in the higher worlds to the
Lord of all Lords, Sriman Narayana, we have no call to worship any other deity,
for whatever purpose. All the mantras addressed to Agni, Indra, Varuna and
other devas, which we use in our nitya karmas like Sandhyavandanam, are in fact
meant for the Lord, who is as much the Inner Dweller of these Devatas, as He is
of us. Hence, whenever we worship Agni in our nitya karmas, we do it with the
full recognition that Agni is the mere body of the Lord, as we too are, and the
prayers are in fact addressed to the Antaryaami of all beings.
This apart, Agni has an extremely close association with Emperuman. We find
that in the Ramavatara, the Lord could very well be said to owe His origins to
the (Putrakaameshti Yaga) fire, from which the Yaksha with the Paayasam
emerged, upon imbibing which Kousalya and other wives of Dasaratha gave birth
to the brothers Rama. Again, to demonstrate His closeness to Fire, we find Sri
Varadaraja emerging from the fires of the Asvamedha Yaga performed by Brahmaa
at Kanchi. To commemorate this, we can see Sri Varadan’s celestial countenance
still looking slightly scorched. Though no fire can really affect Emperuman, He
sports such a visage to remind devotees of the extents to which He would go, to
gladden their hearts.
Agni can boast of an extremely close association with Piratti too. For, when
She wanted to prove Herself to the whole world to be pure as driven snow, it is
Fire built on the shores of Lanka that She enters. Agni presents himself before
Sri Raghava and proudly proclaims Piratti to be the purest of pure. From that
day, Agni Pariksha or Ordeal through Fire, has come to be regarded as the
greatest test of one’s bona fides. Earlier too, Sita Piratti prays to Agni not
to hurt Hanuman, whose tail had been set afire by Rakshasas—“seeto bhava
Hanoomata”
The destructive potential of Agni is on full display, when Sri Hanuman sets
fire to Lanka, transferring the fire of sorrow raging in the mind of Sita Devi
to the city of Lanka, burning it down—“ya: shoka vahnim Janakaatmajaaya:
aadaaya tenaiva dadaaha Lankam”. With his burning tail, Maruti leaps over the
houses of Ravana’s courtiers, choosing with care the magnificent residences of
ministers and military commanders. With a mild swipe of his tail, Hanuman sets
fire to these residences, which crumble to mere embers in a matter of minutes,
due to the intensity of the heat. Paradoxically, Agni Bhagavan, who has no
effect on the Monkey God, rages with all the fury at his command while burning
down the Lankan houses. The list of victims reads like a Who’s Who of the
Lankan high society—Prahasta, MahApArsva, Vajradamshtra, Suka, SAraNa,
Indrajit, JambhumAli, SumAli, RashmikEtu, Suryashatru, HrisvakarNa, Damshtra,
ROmasa, Vidyutjihva, KumbhakarNa and so on. Amidst all this spree of
arson, Agni carefully spares the residence of Sri Vibhishana, venting his fury
instead on the splendorous palace of Ravana. From a glorious and teeming city
filled with beautiful mansions with towers studded with gems, pearls and
precious stones, roads and pathways full of rich adornments and valuable
vehicles, Lanka is transformed within seconds into a blazing inferno, with huge
tongues of fire leaping with facility from one beautiful building to another.
The raging fire is fuelled by strong winds fanning the flames and fuelling
their destructive potential. Viewed from the sky, Lanka resembles a huge
burning ground, with most of its dastardly inhabitants forming live fuel for
the raging fire. In the space of an hour, the entire city of magnificence and
incredible beauty is reduced to glowing embers and burnt cinders. Azhwars too
adulate the Lord for burning down arrogant Lanka—“Ilangai eri ezha chettra
villi”.
The influence of Agni in our lives is all-pervasive. Most of the forty
Samskaaraas or enabling processes that human beings are supposed to undergo,
are with the aid of Agni, be it Upanayanam, marriage or others. And when we
finally leave our mortal coils, it is again to the flames that the physical
remains are consigned. This act of cremation is held in high esteem and deemed
to be the final sacrifice or Ishti that the human being participates in. During
one’s lifetime, one is supposed to perform many Yagyams with differing
materials as “Ahuti” (food for fire). In this Antyeshti, it is the body itself
which is offered as sacrificial material.
Thus, from birth to death, our association with Agni is extremely close.
Paradoxically, this Holy Fire is more beneficial to us, the closer we get to
it, and tends to scorch us only if we stay away due to indolence or ignorance.
That is to say, the more we perform the rituals ordained upon us, the more Agni
protects us with all his might.
It would appear from all this that “Playing with fire” is indeed good.
Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
dasan, sadagopan
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