South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c12.s2.20

c12.s2.20

Agni, the lord of the south-east quarter, is also one of the AGNI. Vēdic gods and perhaps the most prominent of them. As the carrier of offerings to the various other gods in heaven, he plays an important part in the Srauta sacrifices and in the Smārta ceremonials, where fire oblations are essential. Every Brāhmana house-holder, strictly so called, is required to maintain the sacred fire in his house without quenching it and to offer oblations regularly three times a day, along with his usual prayers to Gāyatrī. Agni, as an image, is represented to be an old man; he is the oldest of the gods and a counter-part of the Sun on earth. He has a red body, two heads, six eyes, seven arms, seven tongues, four horns and three legs.