Elements of Hindu Iconography v4.c33.s2: Agni

Elements of Hindu Iconography v4.c33.s2

Language: English

Agni

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Agni was also a very important deity in the Vēdic age and with Indra and Sūrya formed the Triad of that period. As with Indra this principal deity came, in course of time, to occupy a very minor place in the Hindu Pantheon. He was the most adorable to all *hōtris*, he it was who knew the proper seasons to worship the gods with oblations, he was the medium through whom the gods received their share of offerings and he was believed to be concealing himself in waters or plants. He was the lord of the house, the resplendent guest of the house and is friendly to man. He was also a terror to the *rākshasas* and *yātudhānas*, whom he crushed between his iron teeth. His birth is accounted for in various ways. He is said to have been brought down from the sky, generated by Indra between two clouds, by Dyaus and in the waters. He has a triple existence, namely, as fire on earth, as lightning in the atmosphere and as the sun in the sky and that the sun entered into him at night and emerged out of him at dawn. Agni was actually generated in the Vēdic age by the rubbing of one piece of wood with another vigorously: the lower piece was called the araṇi and the child thus born, that is, the fire, was found to consume its own mother, the wood. The description of Agni as he was conceived by the Vēdic bards is that he had two heads, four horns, three feet and seven arms.

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Later on Agni is identified definitely with Rudra and Śiva and is therefore considered to be the father of Kārttikēya. He becomes the destroyer among the later trinity and he is also considered to be capable of conferring blessings upon humanity; truly does Agni (fire) destroy everything if not handled properly and is therefore a source of damage to man; also he is an excellent friend of man conferring the boon of removing all obnoxious matter, perishing or decaying matter by burning them down and rendering the surroundings of human dwellings clean and healthy. At present Agni occupies a minor position as the medium or agency for conveying the offerings, made through him, to gods. His wife is Svāhā.

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We have a fine description of Agni of the later period given in the Harivaṃśa. There he is represented as draped in black clothes, has the smoke for his standard and head-gear and carries a flaming

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spear. His chariot is drawn by horses of red colour and the winds are the wheels of his chariot. He has a ram as his pet animal and he is more often shown as riding this animal instead of in a chariot as described above. The following is the *Āgamic* description of Agni:

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Agni should be of red colour, with four arms and three eyes and the hair or *jaṭā* of the head which should also be of red colour, standing on end and forming a sort of *prabhāmaṇḍala*. He should be seated upon a ram. The front two hands should be held in the *varada* and *abhaya* poses, while in the back right hand there should be the *sruk* and in the back left hand the *śakti*. If he is represented as having only two arms, they should carry the *sruk* and *śakti* respectively. According to another authority, Agni should be of the colour of molten gold or the red colour of the rising sun and be clad in red garments; he should have also moustaches and a *yajñopavīta*. In his hands he should keep the *akṣamālā* and the *kamaṇḍalu*. Where he is represented as possessing four arms, the *Viṣṇudharmōttara* states, he should carry in his right hands the flames of fire (*jvālās*) and the *triśūla* and in one of the left hands the *akṣamālā*, while the remaining left hand should be embracing his wife Svāhā. It also adds that Agni should have four sharp tusks and that his chariot should be drawn by four parrots and that the banner on it should be the smoke (*dhūmaketu*). The driver of the chariot of Agni is Vāyu. His consort Svāhā should be clothed in red garments, be smeared with *kuṅkuma* (saffron paste) and be adorned with *mātra* (?) and be carrying a *ratna-pātra* in her hand (that is, a vessel containing gems or one set with gems).

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According to a third authority the colour of Agni should be yellow like that of Brahmā and he should also be represented like Brahmā with golden coloured *jaṭās* and eyes of yellow colour: he is to be carrying in his hands the *akṣamālā* and the *śaktiyāyudha* and be seated upon a seat known as the *arddha-candrāsana*.

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Two illustrations of the figure of Agni are given on Pls. CLII and figure 2, CLIII. The first figure is found in the Śiva temple at Kaṇḍiyūr in Travancore. It has two heads which are of the goat, seven arms and three legs. Of the seven arms four are on the right side and three on the left. The second figure belongs to the Śiva temple at Chidambaram and is almost similar to the first figure. Instead of the faces being those of goats, as in the first figure, they are human in this case and a bull (not a ram as required by the *āgamas*) is sculptured behind Agni as his vehicle.

Linked texts (2)

Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa — Sanskrit
Harivaṃśa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit