Agni.. the Jathaveda

Agni.. the Jathaveda

उद्दीप्यस्व जातवेदोऽपघ्नन्निऋतिम् मम।

पशूग्ंश्च मह्यमावह जीवनम् च दिशो दिश॥२।२०

मा नो हिग्ंसीज्जातवेदो गामश्वम् पुरुषम् जगत्।

अबिभ्रदग्न आगहि श्रिया मा परिपातय॥२।२१

महानरायणोपनिषद् तैत्तिरीय आरण्यके (कृष्णयजुर्वेदीय)

uddīpyasva jātavedo'paghnanniṛtim mama|

paśūgṁśca mahyamāvaha jīvanam ca diśo diśa||2|20

mā no higṁsījjātavedo gāmaśvam puruṣam jagat|

abibhradagna āgahi śriyā mā paripātaya||2|21

mahānarāyaṇopaniṣad taittireeya aarayanakam Krishna Yajurvedam

This is a mantram found Krishna Yajurvedam.. Taittireeya Aranyakam and in Mahanarayanopanishat..

The greatness of Fire as the source of welfare and destroyer of maladies when it is benevolent to us and the impossible power of destruction the same fire can wield on us when it is in rampage was understood with great awe and reverence by the Vedic man..

Hence the prayer.

Holy Fire Jaathaveda, may you shine for ever with brilliance.

May your intensity wipe away all my sins and blemishes.

Oh fire, bestow on me large number of cattle..

Oh fire, provide me with living space in all directions.

Oh Agni, please do not cause any destruction to cattle, horses and human beings occupying the whole earth..

Oh Agni, Please manifest yourself before me without holding in your hands any weapons of destruction..

Oh Agni, provide me with abundance of wealth..

Agni or fire was considered as the most respected deities of our Vedic Culture.. His importance is that He is both a deity who is worshipped and also is the messenger or intermediary for all the offering and prayers we offer to the Gods..

In domestic and huge sacrificial yajnas all the oblations or aahurtis are offered in fire.. And the materials offered and prayer made are carried dutifully by Agni to the respective Gods..

When offerings are made to Gods, its is through the medium of his consort Swaahaa.. or Swaahaa devi.

In our body, Agni is variously stated as residing in the Jadara or stomach as jaadaragni who digests the food we consume and convert them into necessary ingredients considered essential for the survival and existence of our bodies.. When we take food, we offer it as aahutis to the five Pranas.. Praanaaya Swaahaa, Apaanaaya Swahaa, Vyaanaaya Swaahaa, Udaanaaya Swaahaa and Samaanaaya Swaahaa and also to the Supreme being..

When we take food. We make the offer through the six invocations to Swaahaa s above, proving that even eating is considered as a yajna offered to fire..

It is also seen in Vedas that Agni is situated in our Words or capacity to speak..

अग्निर्मे वाचि श्रितः वाग हृदये हृदयं मयि अहं अमृते अमृतं ब्रह्मणि .... Agni is situated in my Vaak, Vaak finds its way to my heart which is floating in nectar and that immortal nectar or amrutham is the supreme Brahman itself.

The foremost human being created by Gods is Agni

There is a mention in Rigvedam that the male human being created on earth was Agni and the first female was aak or word.. and the human race which was nurtured affectionately from them had the same qualities of those two primordial parents. So vaak or word and agni are closed connected and the entire human race inherits both these in their bodies.

त्वामग्ने प्रथममायुमायवे देवा आकृण्वन्नहुषस्य विश्पतिम्॥ इळामकृण्वन्न्हुषस्य शासनीम् पितुर्यत् पुत्रो ममकस्य जायते॥ ऋग्वेदम् १ ३२ ११

tvāmagne prathamamāyumāyave devā ākṛṇvannahuṣasya viśpatim|| iḻāmakṛṇvannhuṣasya śāsanīm pituryat putro mamakasya jāyate|| ṛgvedam 1 32 11

( Agni, you were created as the leader and controller of the earthly human beings, for their own benefit, and Ilaa or Vaanee was created as the female counterpart controlling the earthly beings ..Therefore the human beings grow in their race according to the original parentage of Agni and Vaak.)

Agni is the ultimate source of protection and purity for all while they are working or while they are worshipping other deities too.

The protective role of fire in work need no explanation.

From lighting and heating of the environment, making implements and tools, giving shapes to products .. in short in whatever work one engages in fire plays a major part..

We cannot prepare food without fire, all of us know..

But in worship and penance, the protective influence of fire is very significant..

Great sages do penance in the middle of Panchaagni.. or five kundas of fire built around them. The presence of fire gives them determination and perseverence too..

While doing protective placement of Gods around the body parts… called nyaasam before chanting great mantras, Agni is placed all over and around us..

In Lagunyasam for Rudrajapam.. we finally say..

ततो बहिः सर्वतोऽग्निर्ज्वालामालापरिवृतस्तिष्ठतु॥॥मां रक्षन्तु

tato bahiḥ sarvato'gnirjvālāmālāparivṛtastiṣṭhatu |||ṁāṁ rakṣantu

Then above all, may Agni with his huge garlands of flames stand guard all about me.. and may He protect me..

Agni Krithika and Karthikeya

The Puranas give a lot of connection and proximity between Agni, the six star collection Krittika ( Pleiades in western astronomy) which is the birth Star Krithigaa and Skanda, the Six headed God and Son of Shiva.

In fact even though we start counting the stars from Ashvathi, the Vedas start that count from Krithika..

The Vedic mantra invoking Krittikaa is as follows

अग्निर्न्नः पातु कृत्तिकाः। नक्षत्रंदेवमिन्द्रियं। इदमासाँविचक्षणं। हविरासञ्जुहोतन। यस्य भान्ति रश्मयोयस्य केतवः। यस्येमा विश्वा भुवनानि सर्वा। सकृत्तिकाभिरभिसँव्वसानः। अग्निर्न्नो देवसूविते दधातु। अग्नये स्वाहाः। कृत्तिकाभ्यः स्वाहाः। अंबा...यै स्वाहाः। दुलायै स्वाहाः। नितन्त्यै स्वाहाः। भ्रयन्त्यै स्वाहाः। मेघयन्त्यै स्वाहाः। वर्षयन्त्यै स्वाहाः। चुपुणिकायै स्वाहाः।

May the Agni manifesting as presiding deitye of star Krittika protect us.. This group of Stars is the supreme among the Gods. These are the most powerful stars. Let us offer them havis. The rays of the stars and the flames of the fire shine forth. The whole universe belong to them. The Agni who is for ever residing in this hexad of stars may give us the blessedness and grace of all God..

My Offering to Agni...

My offerings to Ambaa, Dulaa, Nithanthi, Bhrayanthi, Meghayanti, Varshayanti and Chupunika.

And Agni is treated as the foster father of Subramania.. During Daksha Yaaga, Sati the Consort of Lord Shiva immolated herself and subsequently took avatar as Uma the Parvathi.. But after the death of Sati Shiva had become a recluse and was doing penance.. Demons Soorapadma, Tharaka etc defeated the Devas on the strength of boons received from Brahma.. The boon was that only a Son of Shiva could defeat the demons. Shiva was in no mood to marry and therefore the Gods sent Kamadeva to disturb the penance of Shiva . Meanwhile Sati the Dakshayani, who was reborn as the daughter of Himavan.. the Uma Parvathi, was doing penance to gain Shankara the Shiva as her husband.. Kamadeva sent his flowery arrows to disturb Shiva from his penance, while Uma was present.. He succeeded in disturbing the concentration of the Lord, but the Lord was angry and opened His third eye.. of Fire and Kamadeva was burnt to ashes.. ( Here too we can see the work of Agni too)

But vital force of Shiva which could shape itself into a Son was impossible of being conceived by any being.. Once Shiva gave his power through his third eye and the concentrated energy in the form of flames just started burning the whole universe. Then Lord Shiva Directed Agni to carry these flames, six in number coming out of the five faces of Shiva.. Vamadeva, Tatpurusha, Sadyojatha, Aghora, and Eaashana and his own Jnaanadhristi, to a place where they would grow.. With great difficulty Agni carried them to a lake in Ganga.. called Sharavana, full of Darbha grasses, and left them in the lake.. Ganga, with great difficulty, bore the heat and ultimately the six flames shaped themselves into six beautiful children.. But when the children were born, there was no one to nurse them.. So the six Krithika mothers were summoned and they took care of the six boys.. Once Shiva and Uma were visiting the lake when Parvathi saw the attractive boys being nursed by Six Karthika mothers.. Uma embraced the boys all together and the children all fused into one.. and thus was born the Lord of Lord Karthikeya.. the commander in Chief of Gods..who annihilated Soorapadma Tharaka, etc. later on.. In honour of the service rendered by the Fire God Agni, he was given the status of foster father or Lord Shanmugha, and Krithika stars got the status of mothers of the Lord, who takes pride in being called Karhikeya and the star Krithika is dearest Him.

Numero Uno in Vedas.. the first recorded mantram in Rigveda

The first mantram in the first Mandalam of Rigvedam starts with the praise of Agni.. It is believed that Vedas start with that mantram..

अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवम् ऋत्विजं होतारं रत्न धातमम्

agnimīḻe purohitaṁ yajñasya devam ṛtvijaṁ hotāraṁ ratna dhātamam

1 -1-1 of Rigvedam.

We do not know whether this is the first Vedic Mantram uttered by man.. But it is placed as the first Mantram, in the First of the Vedas, namely Rigvedam.. as it has come to us..

This mantram is in praise of The God of Fire Agnideva

The worshipper is acutely conscious of the supremacy of the most potent force of nature that is manifest near him

He treats fire as the Primordial priest, who leads the mortals safely ahead in spiritual and temporal Life.(Purohita)

Of course, Agni is one of the deities who is offered His share in Yajnams by way of ghee and cooked grain and other offerings.. in addition Agni acts as the carrier of the offerings made to other Gods

Ritvik The official in the yajna who looks after the procedural aspects.

Hotaaram.. The official in the Yajna who invokes and invites the presence of deities who are being worshipped.

Ratnadhaatamam.. Repository of wealth.. and Agni is capable of making His worshippers too rich in wealth..

So the Plain meaning is

I worship Agni who is the priest, the one who leads us from the front, who is the deity subject matter of a ritual, a yajna who is the one who makes the formal invocations in the yajna who is the source, storehouse and the bestower of all wealth, gems, precious stones etc

The importance of Agni can be easily judged by the various names with which he is famous.. A few of them are discussed below..

1 अग्नि Agni the one who leads.. one who goes forward.

2 वैश्वानरः vaishvanara The universal man.. or the male power of the universe.. the mover of the universe, the one who is universally present in human race

3 वह्निः Vahni travels with wind.. carried by wind or vice versa

4 धनंजय DhananjayaH The one who wins wealth (for us), the one who has vanquished wealth in the sense he is superior to all wealth.

5 विधिहोता Vitihotraa The receptacle or place where offers and aahutis in yajnas and homas are given.

6 कृपीतयोनि Krupeetayoni…. The one who keeps water in the womb or the one who is born out of waters womb.. Vedas talk of Agner aapaH.. water came from fire.. agnim yaa garbham dadhire taa na aapah.. the waters who carried water in their womb.. agnir vaa apaam aayatanam..

7 ज्वलन Jvalana… The one who shines with bright flames

8. जातेवेदा Jaatavedaah The one from whom or through who all the Vedas and knowledge were born

9 तनूनपात् Tanoonapaat The one whose presence in beings keep them from physical fall.. keep them erect and operational.. as He provided the energy which keeps everyone alive and active.

10 रोहिताश्व RohitaashvaH… The one who is having or is riding red horses.. There is also a story that Agni took the form of a horse to help Uttanga in winning over the Serpent King Takshaka .. The Badavaagni found in the innards of sea is also supposed to be in the form of a horse..

11.हिरण्यरेताः HiranyaretaaH The one who is having molten gold as semen or retas .. It is believed that the precious metal gold is coming from Agni.

12 सप्तार्चिः Saptaarchi.. The one who is having seven flames. The names of the seven flames are Kali, Karala, Manojawa, Sulohita, Sudumravarna, Spulingini, Visvadara are his seven tongues/ flames.

13 सर्वदेवमुखः SarvadevamukhaH Who is the face or mouth of all the Gods.. The havirbhaagam for all Gods are offered through his mouth..

14 वायुसखा Vaayusakhaa.. The friend of the wind.. The fire becomes fully operative when there is abundant oxygen supply..

There are many more names, all given on the basis of the attributes of the Fire but the list is too lenghthy..

The idea of waters carrying Agni in their womb is seen in the following mantram.

हिरण्यवर्णाः शुचयः पावकाः यासु जातः कश्यपो यास्विन्द्रः अग्निं या गर्भं दधिरे विरूपाः ता नः आपः शगंस्योना भवन्तु

hiraṇyavarṇāḥ śucayaḥ pāvakāḥ yāsu jātaḥ kaśyapo yāsvindraḥ agniṁ yā garbhaṁ dadhire virūpāḥ tā naḥ āpaḥ śagṁsyonā bhavantu

Today is the World Water day..

A quote from PavamanaSooktham.. Krishna Yajurvedam

May the waters

which are of sparkling colour

which are by nature pure

which are capable of purifying everything

in which the father of Devas, Kashyapa was born

in which Indra the leader of Gods was born

who carries fire in its womb and delivered it

who have no specific shape,

may those waters

bless us with peace and welfare..

Note

------

waters carrying fire in their womb... We have seen the marsh gas fire eruption... the plants and vegetation decay under water and produce methane which bubbles up the surface of the waters and catches fire.. This gives the impression that water is giving birth to fire..(Will o the wisp)

There is a story of Badava agni.. in Hindu Lore..

Once fire broke out from the third eye of Lord Shankara, and the world started burning to ashes ..

To avoid annihilation of the world by fire, Brahma under the Gracious instruction of the Lord Himself, converted this fire into a horse called Badava, and the horse was driven down to the bottom of the ocean and the God of the Ocean Varuna was asked to keep the horse restrained there..

The fire we use on earth came out from that horse, when he peeped out to see the land area..

Even by the standards of modern science water is the source of fire throu

Devi Durga and Agni

Devi Durga is paired with Agni in Vedas. The famous Durga Sooktham found in Krishna Yajurvedam describe the power of agni as well as the mother Goddess Durga..

Given below is a commentary on the entire sooktham

Durga Sooktham

जातवेदसे सुनवाम सोममरातीयतो निदहाति वेदः।

स नः पर्षदति दुर्गाणि विश्वा नावेव सिन्धुं दुरितात्यग्निः॥१॥

तामग्निवर्णां तपसा ज्वलन्तीं वैरोचनीं कर्मफलेषु जुष्टां।

दुर्गाम् देवी शरणमहं प्रपद्ये सुतरसि तरसे नमः॥२॥

अग्ने त्वम् पारया नव्यो अस्मान् स्वस्तिभिरति दुर्गाणि विश्वा।

पूश्च पृथ्वी बहुळा न उर्वी भवा तोकाय तनयाय शंयो॥३॥

विश्वानि नो दुर्गहा जातवेदः सिन्धुं न नावा दुरितातिपर्षि।

अग्ने अत्रिवन्मनसा गृणानोऽस्माकं बोध्यविता तनूनां॥४॥

पृतनाजितम् सहमानमुग्रमग्निम् हुवेमपरमात्सधस्थात्।

स नः पर्षदति दुर्गाणि विश्वा क्षामद्देवो अति दुरितात्यग्निः॥५॥

प्रत्नोषिकमीड्यो अध्वरेषु सनाच्च होता नव्यश्च सत्सि।

स्वं चाग्ने तनुवं पिप्रयस्वास्मभ्यं च सौभगमायजस्व॥६॥

गोभिर्जुष्टमयुजो निषिक्तं तवेन्द्र विष्णोरनुसंचरेम।

नाकस्य पृष्ठमभि संवसानो वैष्णवीं लोक इह मादयन्तां॥७॥

महानारायणोपनिषत् तैत्तरीयसम्हितायाम् दुर्गासूक्तं।

jātavedase sunavāma somamarātīyato nidahāti vedaḥ|

sa naḥ parṣadati durgāṇi viśvā nāveva sindhuṁ duritātyagniḥ ||1||

tāmagnivarṇāṁ tapasā jvalantīṁ vairocanīṁ karmaphaleṣu juṣṭāṁ|

durgām devī śaraṇamahaṁ prapadye sutarasi tarase namaḥ||2||

agne tvam pārayā navyo asmān svastibhirati durgāṇi viśvā|

pūśca pṛthvī bahuḻā na urvī bhavā tokāya tanayāya śaṁyo||3||

viśvāni no durgahā jātavedaḥ sindhuṁ na nāvā duritātiparṣi|

agne atrivanmanasā gṛṇāno'smākaṁ bodhyavitā tanūnāṁ||4||

pṛtanājita sahamānamugrmagni huvemaparamātsadhasthāt|

sa naḥ parṣadati durgāṇi viśvā kṣāmaddevo ati duritātyagniḥ||5||

pratnoṣikamīḍyo adhvareṣu sanācca hotā navyaśca satsi|

svaṁ cāgne tanuvaṁ piprayasvāsmabhyaṁ ca sauabhagamāyajasva||6||

gobhirjuṣṭamayujo niṣiktaṁ tavendra viṣṇoranusaṁcarema|

nākasya pṛṣṭhamabhi saṁvasāno vaiṣṇavīṁ loka iha mādayantāṁ||7||

mahānārāyaṇopaniṣat taittarīyasamhitāyām durgāsūktaṁ|

jātavedase sunavāma somamarātīyato nidahāti vedaḥ|

sa naḥ parṣadati durgāṇi viśvā nāveva sindhuṁ duritātyagniḥ ||1||

tāmagnivarṇāṁ tapasā jvalantīṁ vairocanīṁ karmaphaleṣu juṣṭāṁ|

durgām devī śaraṇamahaṁ prapadye sutarasi tarase namaḥ||2||

agne tvam pārayā navyo asmān svastibhirati durgāṇi viśvā|

pūśca pṛthvī bahuḻā na urvī bhavā tokāya tanayāya śaṁyo||3||

viśvāni no durgahā jātavedaḥ sindhuṁ na nāvā duritātiparṣi|

agne atrivanmanasā gṛṇāno'smākaṁ bodhyavitā tanūnāṁ||4||

pṛtanājita sahamānamagni huvemaparamātsadhasthāt|

sa naḥ parṣadati durgāṇi viśvā kṣāmaddevo ati duritātyagniḥ||5||

pratnoṣikamīḍyo adhvareṣu sanācca hotā navyaśca satsi|

svaṁ cāgne tanuvaṁ piprayasvāsmabhyaṁ ca sauabhagamāyajasva||6||

gobhirjuṣṭamayujo niṣiktaṁ tavendra viṣṇoranusaṁcarema|

nākasya pṛṣṭhamabhi saṁvasāno vaiṣṇavīṁ loka iha mādayantāṁ||7||

mahānārāyaṇopaniṣat taittarīyasamhitāyām durgāsūktaṁ|

"May we pay oblations of Soma juice to Jaataveda the fire. May the all-knowing Agni destroy all that is not in our favour. He, is the divine fire leads all through his energy and resplendence. While so leading us may He protect us by carrying us across all perils of life even as the captain of a ship leads his ship all through the vagaries of the weather. 1

I take refuge in Goddes Durga, who is having the lustre of fire, and is radiant with yogic penance, who is the Pover of the supreme being who manifests itself in many forms, who is manifesting herself in all actions and the results thereof O Mother Durga, You , the expert in showing good path and taking us through difficult terrains, may You be pleased to take us through the well of mundane existence, which we will not be able to cross by our own skills..2

Oh, Fire, you are worthy of all praise by us. With your happy methods, you may be pleased to take us beyond all difficulties. May our homes, towns and homeland become extensive and may our arable plots of land be ample and well nourished. May You be pleased to join us, our children, and their children all in joy together. 3

May lord Jataveda the Agni, who is the destroyer of all our sins and sorrows, be pleased to lead us away from all sins and troubles and protect us in the manner of one who leads people across the ocean in a boat without the passengers feeling any fear or difficulty. May Agni the Jataveda be pleased to protect our bodies, ever mindful of its safety, just like Sage Atri, who is always repeating in his mind that "May everyone be whole and happy" 4

We, assembling ourselves in the highest forum. invoke the fire God who is the highest leader of all among us and even beyond us. The Jataveda, the Agni, charges against and vanquishes all our enemies, with His fierce valour. May that fire God Jataveda be pleased to protect us and make our path bereft of all difficulties and wrongs that come by nature to us, and may He be pleased to wean us away from all that is perishable to lead us to immortality. 5

Oh Agni, the Jataveda, You are lauded in all sacrifices and in turn you bless us with happiness. In the place of sacrifice you abide as the person who performs the sacrifice, ancient and recent, and even as the place of sacrifice. Oh Agni, may You be pleased to recognize always as Your own kin and therefore be pleased to make us happy always. May you be pleased through your magnificence, to endow us with fortune coming from all sides. 6

Oh Agni, you are unconnected with sin and sorrow and destroy them wherever they manifest. You pervade all sacrifices in the shape of all that is present in the place of sacrifice. We serve you, Oh Agni, desirous of being blessed with good fortune of having a lot of cattle. May we, overflowing with blissful devotion to You, serve you without any interruption. May Gods in the highest region of Heaven share their happiness and delight of sharing devotion to Vishnu with me. May such shared worship bring delight and fortune to me on earth. 7"

Devi Durga in Vedas is worshiped as one with the God of fire. So every fire, every oblation that goes to the sacrificial fire ultimately is shared by Durga..And all our prayers to Agni the Jatavedaa goes to Devi Durga.

The Vedic hymn clearly indicate that the people of that period depended for their happy life on cattle and wide expanse of arable land.. Absence of rancour to anyone, and complete sense of happiness and peaceful co-existence, leaving themselves to the will of the benevolent God, who, they believed would lead them in the right path, was the hall-mark of the Vedic epoch.

Lakshmi and Agni

Shree Sooktham.. in praise of Goddess Lakshmi in its first two mantras actually requests Agni to bring the Goddess of Wealth to us, because Lakshmi and Agni are again thought as being paired..

हिरण्यवर्ण्णाम् हरिणीम् सुवर्णरजतस्रजां

चन्द्राम् हिरण्मयीं लक्ष्मीम् जातवेदो म आवह।

ताम् म आवह जातवेदो लक्ष्मीम् अनपगामिनीम्

यस्याम् हिरण्यम् विन्देयम् गाम् अश्वम् पुरुषानहम्।

hiraṇyavarṇṇām hariṇīm suvarṇarajatasrajāṁ

candrām hiraṇmayīṁ lakṣmīm jātavedo ma āvaha|

tām ma āvaha jātavedo lakṣmīm anapagāminīm

yasyām hiraṇyam vindeyam gām aśvam puruṣānaham|

O Lord Jathaveda, the Agni, please summon for me Laksmi who is of Golden Hue, attractive to the heart like a doe, who wears golden and multi coloured garlands, and who is having the resplendane of the moon, and who is adorned all over in gold.

Oh Jathaveda, the Agni, please summon for me Laksmi, who will not leave me ( though she is fickle by nature) so that I shall be blessed with bountyof Gold, Cattle, Horses and servants

General

In tantra, homam can be offered to agni invoking any Deity in it.. Ganapthy Homam,Chandika Homa, Sri Rudra Homam, Purushasooktha Homam, Sudarashana Homam.. Gayatree Homam, Vedarambha Homam, and so on

For a practicing Hindu the oblations to agni like Agnihotram and aupasanam are a must. Even for initiates or brahmacharis who cannot Aupasanam offering of Palasa Samiths to Agni as Samdhaadhaanam is prescribedl.

The brahmachari who performed Samidhaadhaanam prays..

“Oh Agni, Just as you burn with elan because of the samits offered by me please make me grow in longevity, natural effulgence, resourcefulness, intellect, with progenies, with supply of wealth in the shape of cattle, means for food and the grace of supreme..”

यथा त्वमग्ने समिधा समिद्ध्यस एवं माम् आयुषा वर्च्चसा सन्न्या मेधया प्रजया पशुभिर् ब्रह्मवर्चसेन अन्नाद्येन समेधय स्वाहाः॥

yathā tvamagne samidhā samiddhyasa evaṁ mām āyuṣā varccasā sannyā medhayā prajayā paśubhir brahmavarcasena annādyena samedhaya svāhāḥ||

When a couple are married, the husband kindles the fire of his hearth from the fire of his father..

This fire is to be kept burning as long as he lives and the maintenance of that fire is the joint duty of the husband and the wife..

The offering of oblations to fire should not be intterrupted in any way..

It is the duty of the wife to offer the oblation in the absence of the male at home..

The oblations are in the morning and the evening..

The funeral pyre of the man is finally lit from the aupasasna agni..

When the son of the family marries, he is given the fire from the fathers.. and thus the uniterrupted family chain, the prajaa tantu is maintained..

The domestic fire for cooking is also to be taken from this fire only..

So it is the duty of every householder to maintain the purity and sacredness of the fire .

Cooking without bath, cooking when impure, using fire of the hearth when in periods, are all not to be thought of..

We should never use dirty fuels or prohibited firewood while cooking.. Cooking is almost a yajna. We should prefer firewood ovens wherever possible..

While kindling fire for homams at home many a times we light Camphor.. This is not right. The fire has to be kindled from aupasana agni.. or if the kartha is brahmachari samidhaadhaanaa agni should be used.. We use the fire from our kitchen too and it is ideal because it is supposed that the fire too is maintained from the traditional Garhapatya agni kindled at the time of marriage of the head of the family.

We have to maintain absolute reverence while crossing the hearth, fireplace or a place where homas are conducted.

Wherever agni is seen, we have to move around it only in pradakshinam, or clockwise direction..

Agni is one of the Panchabhoothas.. The earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether..

We start our samskaras right from Garbhaadhaanam to Antyeshti through and in the presence of Agni.

Agni is the one who shows us the proper direction in life.

agne naya supathaa… अग्नॆ नय सुपथा रायॆ अस्मान् विश्वानि दॆव वयुनानि विद्वान् ।

युयॊध्यस्मज्जुहुराणमॆनो भूयिष्ठं तॆ नम उक्तिं विधॆम ॥

Agni can correct and pardon us for all our mistakes

anaajnaatam tadaajnaatam अनाज्ञातम् यदाज्ञातम् यज्ञस्य क्रियते मिथुः

अग्ने तदस्य कल्पय त्वम् हि वेत्थ यथातथम्॥

anājñātam yadājñātam yajñasya kriyate mithuḥ

agne tadasya kalpaya tvam hi vettha yathātatham||

Agni is the greatest uniter of human beings..

The Aikamatya Sooktham, the final Hymn in in Rigvedam Mandalma 10 is a prayer for unity among all human beings .

aikamatya sooktham

।।ऐकमत्यसूक्तम् ।।

ऊँ संसमिद्दुवसे वृषन्नग्ने विश्वान्नर्य आ

इळस्पदे समिद्ध्यसे स नो वसून्न्या भर ।।

संगच्छध्वं संवदध्वं संवो मनांसि जानतां

देवा भागं यथापूर्वे संजानाना उपासते ।।

समानो मन्त्रस्समितिस्समानी

समानं मनः सहचित्तमेषां ।।

समानं मन्त्रमभिमन्त्रये वः

समानेन वो हविषा जुहोमि ।।

समानी व आकूतिस्समानो हृदयानि वः

समानमस्तु वो मनो यथा वस्सुसहासति ।।

this mantram is from the concluding part of the tenth and final mandalam of rigvedam.. The idea of harmony and co operation among people is highlighted in the most sublime way

This mantram is chanted by all at the conclusion of every session of vedic recital..

BUT IT HAS A UNIVERSAL APPEAL TOO

YOU, mighty Agni, gather up all that is precious for (the use and benefit of) your friend(who I am).

Bring us all treasures as you are enkindled (by us) in the place of homa or sacrifice

Let you Assemble harmoniously , speak together (in nice words): let your minds be all of one accord (for a great common purpose),

As ancient Gods, unanimous and of amicable mind sit down to their appointed share in offerings of sacrifice.

The place where we all assemble is common, the right of opinion in the assembly is common

common are the minds of all here, so be their thoughts united in harmony.

A common purpose do I present before you for common accord ,

and worship the divinity with oblations commonly accepted by all .

May all that you resolve be the same, the decisions coming out of similar thoughts ,

and may your minds all work and decide with the same attitude and without disharmony .

United be the thoughts of all that all in the congregation may happily agree to think and work together...