Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

Original Sanskrit Texts on the Origin and History of the People of India, their Religion and Institutions v5.c46: Section XIIIa. Agni

Original Sanskrit Texts on the Origin and History of the People of India, their Religion and Institutions v5.c46

Language
English

Contents

Section XIIIa. Agni

v5.c46.2

Agni is the god of fire, the Ignis of the Latins,³¹² the Ogni of the Slavonians. He is one of the most prominent deities of the Rig-veda, as the hymns addresed to him far exceed in number those which are devoted to the celebration of any other divinity, with the sole exception of Indra.

v5.c46.3

³¹² On the worship of fire among the Greeks and Romans see the volume of M. Fustel de Coulanges, entitled "La Cité Antique," pp. 21 ff.

v5.c46.4

(1) *His functions.

v5.c46.5.1

Agni is not, like the Greek Hephaistos, or the Latin Vulcan, the artificer of the gods (an office which, as we shall presently see, is in the Veda assigned to Tvashtṛi), but derives his principal importance from his connection with the ceremonial of sacrifice. He is an immortal (*amṛita, amartya*) i. 44, 6; i. 58, 1; ii. 10, 1, 2; iii. 2, 11; iii. 3, 1; iii. 11, 2; iii. 27, 5, 7; vi. 9, 4; vii. 4, 4; viii. 60, 11; x. 79, 1, who has taken up his abode among mortals as their guest (*atithi*), i. 44, 4; i. 58, 6; ii. 4, 1; iii. 2, 2; iv. 1, 20; v. 1, 8; v. 8. 2; v. 18, 1; vi. 2, 7; vi. 15, 1, 4; vii. 8, 4; viii. 73, 1; x. 1, 5; x. 91, 2; x. 92, 1. He is the domestic priest, *purohita, ṛitvij, hotṛi, brahman*, who wakes with the dawn (*usharbudh*), or even before the dawn (*ushasaḥ purohitam*) i. 1, 1; i. 12, 1; i. 13, 1, 4; i. 26, 7; i. 36, 3, 5; i. 44, 7, 12; i. 45, 7; i. 58, 1, 6; i. 60, 4; i. 68, 4, (7); i. 76, 2, 4; i. 127, 1; i. 141, 12; i. 149, 4, 5; ii. 5, 1; ii. 6, 6; ii. 9, 1; iii. 7, 9; iii. 10, 2, 7; iii. 11, 1; iii. 14, 1; iii. 19, 1; iv. 1, 8; v. 11, 2; v. 26, 7; vi. 15, 1, 4, 16; vi. 16, 1; vii. 7, 5; vii. 10, 5; vii. 11, 1; vii. 16, 5, 12; viii. 44, 6; viii. 49, 1; ix. 66, 20;³¹³ x. 1, 6; x.

v5.c46.5.2

92, 2, appointed both by men and gods, who concentrates in his own person, and exercises in a higher sense, all the various sacrificial offices which the Indian ritual assigned to a number of different human functionaries, the *adhvaryu*, *hotṛi*, *potṛi*, *neshṭṛi*, *praśāstṛi*, etc. (i. 94, 6; ii. 1, 2; ii. 5, 2 ff.; iv. 9, 3, 4; x. 2, 1 (*piprīhi devān uśato yavishṭha vidvān ṛitūn ṛitupate yajeha* | *ye daivyāḥ ṛitvijas tebhir Agne tvam hotṝinām asi āyajishthaḥ* | “satiate and worship here the longing gods, o most youthful deity, knowing the proper seasons, and along with the divine priests, for thou, Agni, art the most adorable of hotṛis”); x. 91, 8–11 (*Agniṁ hotāram paribhūtamam matim*, “Agni, the wise; the most eminent of hotṛis.” He is a sage, the divinest among sages (*asuro vipaśchitām*, iii, 3, 4), intimately acquainted with all the forms of worship, the wise director, the successful accomplisher, and the protector, of all ceremonies, who enables men to serve the gods in a correct and acceptable manner, in cases where this would be beyond their own unaided skill, i. 1, 4 (*Agne yaṁ yajnam adhvaraṁ viśvataḥ paribhūr asi* | *sa id deveshu gachhati* | “Agni, that sacrifice which thou encompassest on every side goes to the gods”); i. 31, 1 (*tvam Agne prathamo Angirāḥ ṛishir devo devānām abhavaḥ śivaḥ sakhā* | “Agni, thou art the first rishi Angiras, a god, the auspicious friend of gods”); iii. 3, 3 (*vidathasya sādhanam* | “The accomplisher of the ceremony”); iii.

v5.c46.5.3

21, 3 (*ṛishiḥ śreshṭhaḥ samidhyase yajnasya prāvitā bhava* | “Thou art lighted, a most eminent rishi; protect the sacrifice”); iii. 27, 2 (*vipaśchitaṁ yajnasya sādhanam* | 7. *Purastād eti māyayā vidathāni prachodayan* | 2. “The sage, the accomplisher of the sacrifice. 7. He goes before, by his wondrous power promoting the ceremonies”); vi. 14, 2 (*vedhastamaḥ ṛishiḥ*); vii. 4, 4 (*kavir akavishu prachetāḥ* | “Wise among the foolish; and intelligent”); x. 2, 4 (*yad vo vayam pramināma vratāni vidushām devāḥ avidushṭarāsaḥ* | *Agnis tad viśvam ā pṛiṇāti vidvān yebhir devān ṛitubhiḥ kalpayāti* | 5. *Yat pākatrā manasā dīnadakshāḥ na yajnasya manvate martyāsaḥ* | *Agnis tad hotā kratuvid vijānan yajishṭho devān ṛituśo yajāti* | 4. “Agni, knowing what seasons to assign to the gods, rectifies all those mistakes which we ignorant men commit against your prescriptions, o ye most wise gods. 5. Those matters relating to the sacrifice which we mortals of feeble intellects, with our imperfect comprehension, do not understand, may Agni, the venerated priest who knows all these points, adjust, and worship the gods at the proper time"); x. 91, 3 (*Agne kaviḥ kāvyena asi viśvavit*). To him the attention of the worshippers is turned, as men's eyes are to the sun, v. 1, 4 (*Agnim achha devayatām manāṁsi chakshūṁshi iva sūrye saṁ charanti*). He is the father, king, ruler, banner, or outward manifestation,³¹⁴ and superintendent of sacrifices and religious duties (*ketuṁ yajnānām* |

v5.c46.5.4

*pitā yajnānām* | *ketur adhvarāṇām* | *rājānam adhvarasya* | *adhyakshaṁ dharmaṇām imam* | *īśe yo viśvasyāḥ devavīteḥ*, iii. 3, 3, 4; iii. 10, 4; iii. 11, 2; iv. 3, 1; vi. 2, 3; viii. 43, 24; x. 1, 5; x. 6, 3). He is also the religious leader or priest of the gods (*sadyo jāto vi amimīta yajnam Agnir devānām abhavat purogāḥ* | *Agnir devo devānām abhavat purohitaḥ*, x. 110, 11; x. 150, 4. He is a swift (*raghupatvā*,³¹⁵ x. 6, 4) messenger, moving between heaven and earth, commissioned both by gods³¹⁶ and by men to maintain their mutual communications, to announce to the immortals the hymns, and to convey to them the oblations, of their worshippers, or to bring them down from the sky to the place of sacrifice (*sa devān ā iha vakshati* | *Agniṁ dūtaṁ vṛiṇīmahe* | *imam ū su tvam asmākaṁ saniṁ gāyatraṁ navyāṁsam Agne deveshu pravochaḥ* | *devāsas tvā Varuṇo Mitro Aryamā saṁ dūtam pratnam indhate* | *dūto viśām asi* | *patir hi adhvarāṇām Agne dūto viśām asi* | *yad devānām mitramahaḥ purohito 'ntaro yāsi dūtyam* | *tvāṁ dūtam aratiṁ havyavāhaṁ devāḥ akṛiṇvann amṛitasya nābhim* | *imaṁ no yajnam amṛiteshu dhehi* | *antar īyase arushā yujāno yushmāṁś cha devān viśaḥ ā cha martān* | *tvām Agne samidhānaṁ yavishṭhya devāḥ dūtaṁ chakrire havyavāhanam* | *tvāṁ viśve sajoshasaḥ devāso dūtam akrata* | *tvām dūtam Agne amṛitaṁ yuge yuge dadhire *pāyum ugrañ devāsaś cha martāsaś cha jāgriviñ vibhuñ viśpatiñ namasā ni shedire | devān ā sādayad iha |

v5.c46.5.5

dūto devānām asi martyānām antar mahāñś charasi rochanena yañ tvā devāḥ dadhire havyavāham puruspṛiho mānushāso yajatram* | i. 12, 1, 2, 4, 8; i. 27, 4; i. 36, 3, 4, 5; i. 44, 2, 3, 5, 9, 12; i. 58, 1; i. 74, 4, 7; i. 188, 1; ii. 6, 6, 7; ii. 9, 2; ii. 10, 6; iii. 5, 2; iii. 6, 5; iii. 9, 8; iii. 11, 2; iii. 17, 4; iii. 21, 1, 5; iv. 1, 8; iv. 2, 3; iv. 7, 8; iv. 8, 2, 4; v. 8, 6; v. 21, 3; vi. 15, 8–10; vii. 11, 4; vii. 16, 4; vii. 17, 6; viii. 19, 21; viii. 23, 18, 19; viii. 39, 1, 9; viii. 44, 3; x. 4, 2; x. 46, 10; x. 91, 11; x. 122, 7). Being acquainted with the innermost recesses of the sky (iv. 8, 2. *Sa hi veda vasu-dhitim mahān ārodhanañ divaḥ | sa devān ā iha vakshati* | 4. *Sa hotā sa id u dūtyañ chikitvān antar īyate* |), he is well fitted to act as the herald of men to summon the gods to the sacrifices instituted in their honour. He comes with them seated on the same car (iii. 4, 11; vii. 11, 1, *ā viśvebhiḥ sarathañ yāhi devaiḥ*), or in advance of them (*ā devānām agrayāvā iha yātu* | x. 70, 2); and shares in the reverence and adoration which they receive (i. 36, 4; ii. 2, 1). He brings Varuṇa to the ceremony, Indra from the sky, the Maruts from the air (x. 70, 11, *ā Agne vaha Varuṇam ishṭaye naḥ Indrañ divo Maruto antarikshāt*). He makes the oblations fragrant, x. 15, 12 = Vāj. S. xix. 66 (*Tvam Agne īḷito jātavedo avāḍ havyāni surabhīni kṛitvī*). Without him the gods experience no satisfaction (vii. 11, 1, *na ṛite tvad amṛitāḥ mādayante*).

v5.c46.5.6

He himself offers them worship (vii. 11, 3; viii. 91, 16; x. 7, 6). He is sometimes described as the mouth and the tongue through which both gods and men participate in the sacrifices (ii. 1, 13. *tvām Agne ādityāsaḥ āsyañ tvāñ jihvām śuchayaś chakrire kave* | 14. *Tve Agne viśve amṛitāsaḥ adruhaḥ āsā devāḥ havir adanti āhutam | tvayā martāsaḥ svadante āsutim*). He is elsewhere asked to eat the offerings himself (iii. 21, 1 ff.; iii. 28, 1-6. *Agne vīhi puroḷāsam āhutam*), and invited to drink the soma-juice (i. 14, 10; i. 19, 9; i. 21, 1, 3. *Viśvebhiḥ somyam madhu Agne Indreṇa Vāyunā piba*).

v5.c46.6

³¹³ In this verse he is called a rishi, as well as a priest, common to the five races (*pānchajanyaḥ purohitaḥ*).

v5.c46.7

³¹⁴ His father begot him (*janitā tvā jajāna*) to be the revelation and brilliant banner of all sacrifices. With the phrase, *janitā tvā jajāna*, compare the expressions in x. 20, 9, also relating to Agni, and in iv. 17, 4, relating to Indra.

v5.c46.8

³¹⁵ Compare the *raghuvartanīm ratham* of the Aśvins, R.V. viii. 9, 8.

v5.c46.9

³¹⁶ Taitt. Sanh. ii. 5, 8, 5. *Agnir devānām dūtaḥ āsīd Uśanā Kāvyo 'surāṇām* | "Agni was the messenger of the gods Kāvya Uśanas of the asuras." Ibid. ii. 5, 11, 8. *Agnir devānām dūtaḥ āsīd Daivyo 'surāṇām* | "Agni was the messsenger of the gods, Daivya of the Asuras." Taitt. Br. ii. 4, 1, 6. *ā tantum Agnir divyam tatāna* | *tvaṁ nas tantur uta setur Agne* | *tvam panthāḥ bhavasi devayānaḥ* | *tvayā Agne prishṭhaṁ vayam āruhema* | *atha devaiḥ sadhamādam madema* | "Agni stretched out the celestial bond; thou art our bond and our bridge, o Agni; thou art the path leading to the gods. By thee may we ascend to the summit of heaven, and live in hilarity among the gods."

v5.c46.10

The 51st hymn of the tenth book contains a dialogue between Agni and the other gods, in which they give utterance to their desire that he would come forth from his dark place of concealment in the waters and the plants, and seek to persuade him to appear and convey to them the customary oblations (verse 5: *ehi manur devayur yajnakāmo aran-kṛitya tamasi ksheshi Agne | sugān pathaḥ kṛiṇuhi devayānān vaha hav-* *yāni sumanasyamānaḥ*). After he has expressed the grounds of his reluctance and apprehension (verses 4, 6),³¹⁷ he is induced by the promise of long life and a share in the sacrifice to accede to their request (verse 6. *Kurmas te āyur ajaram̃ yad Agne yathā yukto jātavedo na rishyāḥ | atha vahāsi sumanasyamāno bhāgam̃ devebhyo havishaḥ sujāta*). In the next following hymn (the 52nd) Agni proclaims himself the master of the ceremonies, declares himself ready to obey the commands of the gods, solicits a share in the sacrifice for himself, and asks how and by what path he can bring them the oblations (verse 1. *Viśve devāḥ śāstana mā yathā iha hotā vṛito manavai yan nishadya | pra me brūta bhāgadheyam̃ yathā vo yena pathā havyaṁ vo vahāni |* 2. *Ahaṁ hotā ni asīdaṁ yajīyān viśve maruto mā junanti*). Agni is the lord, protector, and leader of the people, *viśpati*, *viśāṁ gopā*, *viśām puraetā* (i. 12, 2; i. 26, 7; i. 31, 11; i. 96, 4; ii. 1, 8; iii. 11, 5); the king or monarch of men (*rājā kṛishṭīnām asi mānushīnām | rājānam | samrājama charshanīnām | viśām rājanam |* i. 59, 5; ii. 1, 8; iii. 10, 1; v. 4, 1; vi. 7, 1; vii. 8, 1; viii. 43, 24). He is also the lord of the house, *gṛihapati*, dwelling in every abode (*yaḥ pancha charshanīr abhi ni shasāda dame dame kavir gṛihapatir yuvā |* i. 12, 6; i. 36, 5; i. 60, 4; v. 8, 2; vii. 15, 2). He is a brilliant guest in every house; dwells in every wood like a bird; friendly to mankind, he despises no man; kindly disposed to the people, he lives in the midst of every family, x. 91, 2 (*sa darśa-taśrīr atithir gṛihe gṛihe vane vane śiśriye takvavīr iva* | *janaṁ janaṁ janyo nātīmanyate viśaḥ a ksheti viśyo viśāṁ viśam*). He is a father, mother, brother, son, kinsman, and friend (*ā hi sma sūnave pitā āpir yajati āpaye sakhā sakhye vareṇyaḥ* | *tvam pitā 'si nas tvaṁ vayaskṛit tava jāmayo vayam* | *tvaṁ jāmir janānām Agne mitro asi priyaḥ* | *sakhā sakhībhyaḥ īḍyaḥ* | *tvām Agne pitaram ishṭibhir narāḥ tvāṁ bhrātrāya śamyā tanūrucham* | *tvam putro bhavasi yas te 'vidhat* | *pitā mātā sadam in mānushānām* | *Agne bhrātaḥ* | *Agnim manye pitaram Agnim āpim Agnim bhrātaram sadam it sakhāyam* | i. 26, 3; i. 31, 10, 14, 16; i. 75, 4; i. 161, 1; ii. 1, 9; vi. 1, 5; v. 4, 2; viii. 43, 16; viii. 64, 16; x. 7, 3); and some of his worshippers claim with him a hereditary friendship (i. 71, 10. *Mā no Agne sakhyā pitryāṇi pra marshishṭhāḥ*). He drives away and destroys Rakshases or Asuras (*bādhasva dvisho rakshaso amīvāḥ* | *pra Agnaye viśvaśuche dhiyamdhe asuraghne* | *Agniḥ rakshāṁsi sedhati* | iii. 15, 1; vii. 13, 1; vii. 15, 10; viii. 23, 13; viii. 43, 26; x. 87, 1; x. 187, 3). In hymn x. 87, he is invoked to protect the sacrifice (verse 9. *tīkshṇena Agne chakshushā raksha yajnam*), and to consume the Rakshases and Yātudhānas with his iron teeth and by the most terrible manifestations of his fury (verse 2. *Ayodaṁshṭro archishā yātudhānān upa spṛiśa jātavedaḥ samiddhaḥ* | verse 5. *Agne tvachaṁ yātudhanasya bhindhi hiṁsrā 'śanir harasā hantu enam* | verse 14. *Parā śṛiṇīhi tapasā yātudhānān parā 'gne raksho harasā śṛiṇīhi* |).

v5.c46.11

³¹⁷ Verse 6 is as follows: *Agneḥ pūrve bhrātaro artham etam rathīvādhvānam anu āvarīvuh | tasmād bhiyā Varuṇa dūram āyam gauro na kshepnor avije jyāyāḥ |* "Agni's former brothers have sought this goal, as a charioteer passes along a road. But fearing this journey, o Varuṇa, I went to a distant place, and trembled like a wild bull which quakes at the sound of the huntsman's bowstring." It is clear from verse 7, that Agni means that his brothers had never returned, and that he fears a similar fate. The following passage of the Tait. Sanh., ii. 6, 6, 1, seems to be founded on this verse: *Agnes trayo jyāyām̃so bhrātaraḥ āsan | te devebhyo havyaṁ vahantaḥ prāmīyanta | so 'gnir abibhed itthaṁ vāva sya ārtim ārishyati iti sa nilāyata | so 'paḥ praviśat | tam̃ devatāḥ praisham aichhan | tam matsyaḥ prābravīt | tam aśapad "dhiyādhiyā tvā vadhyāsur yo mā prāvochaḥ" iti | tasmād matsyaṁ dhiyādhiyā ghnanti | śaptaḥ hi | tam anvavindan | tam abruvann "upa naḥ āvarttasva havyaṁ no vaha" iti | so 'bravīd "varaṁ vṛinai yad eva gṛihītasya āhutasya bahiḥparidhi skandāt tan me bhrātṝiṇām bhāgadheyam asad" iti |* "Agni had three elder brothers, who died while carrying oblations to the gods. Agni feared lest he should incur the same fate, and accordingly he disappeared, and entered into the waters. The gods sought to discover him. A fish pointed him out. Agni cursed the fish,—'Since thou hast pointed me out, may men slay thee

v5.c46.12

(2) *Agni's births, and triple existence.

v5.c46.13

Various, though not necessarily inconsistent, accounts are given in the hymns of the birth of Agni. Sometimes a divine origin is ascribed to him, while at other times his production, or at least his manifestation, is ascribed to the use of the ordinary human appliances. Thus he is said to have at first existed potentially but not actually in the sky, x. 5, 7 (quoted above in p. 51); to have been brought from the sky, or from afar, by Mātariśvan³¹⁸ (*ā anyaṁ* [*Agniṁ*] *divo Mata-* *riśvā jabhāra | sa jāyamānaḥ parame vyomani āvir Agnir abhavan Mātariśvane* | i. 60, 1; i. 93, 6; i. 143, 2; iii. 5, 10; iii. 9, 5; vi. 8, 4); to have been generated by Indra between two clouds or stones (*yo aśmanor antar agniṁ jajāna*, ii. 12, 3); to have been generated by Dyaus, x. 45, 8 (*Agnir amṛito abhavad vayobhir yad enaṁ Dyaur janayat suretāḥ*); to be the son of Dyaus and Pṛithivī, iii. 2, 2; iii. 25, 1 (*Agne Divaḥ sūnur asi prachetas tanā Pṛithivyāḥ uta viśvavedāḥ*); x. 1, 2; x. 2, 7 (*yaṁ tvā Dyāvāpṛithivī yaṁ tvā āpas Tvashtā yaṁ tvā suja nimā jajāna*); x. 140, 2; whom he magnified, or delighted, at [or by] his birth, iii. 3, 11 (*ubhā pitarā mahayann ajāyata Agnir Dyāvāpṛithivī bhūriretasā*). His production is also said to be due to the waters (x. 2, 7; x. 91, 6),³¹⁹ and to Tvaṣhṭṛi (i. 95, 2; x. 2, 7). He is elsewhere said to have been generated by the Dawns, vii. 78, 3 (*[Ushaso] ajījanan sūryaṁ Yajnaṁ Agnim*); by Indra and Vishṇu, vii. 99, 4 (*[Indrāviṣhṇū] uruṁ Yajnāya chathathur u lokaṁ janayanta Sūryam Ushasam Agnim*); generated or fashioned by the gods, vi. 7, 1 f. (*janayanta devāḥ*); viii. 91, 17 (*taṁ tvā 'jananta mātaraḥ kaviṁ devāso aṅgiraḥ*); x. 46, 9 (*devās tatakshur manave yajatram*); as a light to the Ārya, i. 59, 2 (*taṁ tvā devāso janayanta devaṁ vaiśvānara jyotir id āryāya*); or placed by the gods among the descendants of Manu, i. 36, 10; ii. 4, 3 (*Agniṁ devāso mānushīshu vikshu priyaṁ dhuḥ ksheshyanto na mitram*); vi. 16, 1; viii. 73, 2. Yet although the son, he is also the father of the gods, i. 69, 1 (*bhuvo devānām pitā putraḥ san*). In viii. 19, 33, the superiority of the Fire-god to all other fires is shewn by their being declared to be dependent on him like branches of a tree (*yasya te Agne anye agnayaḥ upakshito vayāḥ iva*); vii. 1, 14 (*sa id Agnir agnīn ati asti anyān*).

v5.c46.14

³¹⁸ In Böhtlingk and Roth's Lexicon, *s.v.* Mātariśvan is said (1) to denote a divine being, who, as the messenger of Vivasvat, brings down from heaven to the Bhṛigus Agni, who had before been concealed; and (2) to be a secret name of Agni; and it is remarked that the word cannot be certainly shewn by any text to be in the Vedic hymns, a synonyme of Vāyu. I add some observations on the same subject, which had been made at an earlier period by Professor Roth, in his illustrations of the Nirukta, p. 112, where he is elucidating R.V. vi. 8, 4 ("Mātariśvan, the messenger of Vivasvat, brought Agni Vaiśvānara from afar"): "The explanation of Mātariśvan as Vāyu" (which is given by Yāska) "cannot be justified by the Vedic texts, and rests only upon the etymology of the root *śvas*. The numerous passages where the word is mentioned in the Rig-veda exhibit it in two senses. Sometimes it denotes Agni himself, as in the texts i. 96, 3, 4; iii. 29, 4 (11 ?); x. 114, 1, etc.; at other times, the being who, as another Prometheus, fetches down from heaven, from the gods, the fire which had vanished from the earth, and brings it to the Bhṛigus, i. 60, 1; i. 93, 6; iii. 2, 13; iii. 5, 10; iii. 9, 5. To think of this bringer of fire as a man, as a sage of antiquity, who had laid hold of the lightning, and placed it on the altar and the hearth, is forbidden by those texts which speak of him as bringing it from heaven, not to mention other grounds. As Prometheus belongs to the superhuman class of Titans, and is only by this means enabled to fetch down the spark from heaven, so must Mātariśvan be reckoned as belonging to those races of demigods, who, in the Vedic legends, are sometimes represented as living in the society of the gods, and sometimes as dwelling upon earth. As he brings the fire to the Bhṛigus, it is said of these last, that they have communicated fire to men (*e.g*, in i. 58, 6), and Agni is called the son of Bhṛigu (*Bhṛigavāṇa*). Mātariśvan also must be reckoned as belonging to this half-divine race." . . . . "It may also be mentioned that the same function of bringing down fire is ascribed in one text (vi. 16, 13) to Atharvan, whose name is connected with fire, like that of Mātariśvan; and also that the sisters of Atharvan are called Mātariśvarīs in x. 120, 9." See my article on Manu in vol. xx. of the Journ. R.A.S., p. 416, note. In one place (vii. 15, 4) Agni is called the falcon of the sky (*divaḥ śyenāya*).

v5.c46.15

³¹⁹ A.V. i. 33, 1. *Hiraṇyavarṇāḥ śuchayaḥ pāvakāḥ yāsu jātaḥ Savitā yāsu Agniḥ | yāḥ Agniṁ garbhaṁ dadhire suvarṇās tāḥ naḥ āpaḥ śaṁ syonāḥ bhavantu.*

v5.c46.16

Agni is in some passages represented as having a triple existence, by which may be intended his threefold manifestations, as the sun in heaven, as lightning in the atmosphere, and as ordinary fire in the earth, although the three appearances are elsewhere otherwise explained. In x. 88, we have the following verses:

v5.c46.17

6 (= Nir. vii. 27). *Mūrdhā bhuvo bhavati naktam Agnis tataḥ Sūryo jāyate prātar udyan* | *Sūktavākam prathamam ād id Agnim ād id havir ajanayanla devāḥ* | *sa eshāṁ yajno abhavat tanūpās taṁ Dyaur veda tam Pṛithivī tam āpaḥ* | 10 (= Nir. vii. 28). *Stomena hi divi devāso Agnim ajījanan śaktibhiḥ rodasiprām* | *tam ū akṛiṇvan tredhā bhuve kaṁ sa oshadhīḥ pachati viśvarūpāḥ* | 11 (= Nir. vii. 29). *Yaded enam adadhur yajniyāso divi devāḥ Sūryam āditeyam* | *yadā charishṇū mithunāv abhūtām ād it prāpaśyan bhuvanāni viśvā* |

v5.c46.18

“6. Agni is by night the head of the earth: then he is born as the Sun rising in the morning.³²⁰ 8. The gods produced first the hymn, then Agni, then the oblation. He was their protecting sacrifice: him Dyaus knows, him Pṛithivī, him the Waters. 10. With a hymn by their powers the gods generated Agni who fills the worlds: they formed him for a threefold existence: he ripens plants of every kind. 11 When

v5.c46.19

³²⁰ It appears from Professor Aufrecht's abstract of the contents of the Matsyapurāna that, in section 115, the sun is said to enter into Agni during the night, and Agni into the sun by day. Catalogue of Bodl. Sanskrit MSS., p. 41*a*. The Ait. Br. viii. 28, says: *ādityo vai astaṁ yann Agnim anupraviśati* | *so 'ntardhīyate* | .... *Agnir vai udvān Vāyum anupraviśati* | *so 'ntardhīyate* | .... *Vāyor Agnir jāyate prāṇād hi balād mathyamāno 'dhijāyate* | .... *Agner vai ādityo jāyate* | “The sun, when setting, enters into Agni and disappears.... Agni, when blowing upwards, enters Vāyu, and disappears.... Agni is produced from Vāyu, for when attrition is taking place, he is born from breath as force. The sun is produced from Agni.”

v5.c46.20

the adorable gods placed him, Sūrya the son of Aditi, in the sky, when the moving twins came into being, then they (the gods) beheld all creatures."

v5.c46.21

According to Yāska (Nir. vii. 27) it is intended in verse 6 to represent the sun as identical with Agni ("*tataḥ sūryo jāyate prātar udyan*" *sa eva*). The same writer tells us (Nir. vii. 28) that according to his predecessor S'ākapūṇi the threefold existence of Agni, referred to in verse 8, is his abode on earth, in the atmosphere, and in heaven ("*tredhā*" *bhāvāya* "*prithivyām antarikshe divi*" *iti S'ākapūṇiḥ*), and adds that a Brāhmaṇa declares his third manifestation to be the Sun ("*yad asya divi tritīyaṁ tad asāv ādityaḥ*" *iti hi brāhmaṇam*). The constantly moving twins, mentioned in verse 11, are Ushas and the Sun according to Yāska (Nir. vii. 29. *Sarvadā sahachāriṇāv Ushāś cha Ādityaś cha*). Agni would thus be identified not only with Sūrya the celestial, but with Indra or Vāyu, the aerial or atmospheric deity, according to passages of the Nirukta vii. 5, already quoted in p. 8; and with Vishṇu, if we adopt the interpretation of that deity's three steps given by S'ākapūṇi in Nir. xii. 19, as expounded by the commentator Durgāchārya, viz. that Vishṇu abides on earth as terrestrial fire, in the atmosphere in the form of lightning, and in the sky as the Sun ("*Prithivyām antarikshe divi*" *iti S'ākapūṇiḥ* | *pārthivo 'gnir bhūtvā prithivyām yat kinchid asti tad vikramate tad adhitishṭhati* | *antarikshe vaidyutātmanā divi Sūryātmanā*).³²¹ In R. V. x. 45, 1, = Vāj. S. xii. 18, (see also verse 2) a threefold origin is ascribed to Agni, the first from the heaven, the second from us (*i.e.* apparently from the earth), and the third from the waters, which may mean the atmosphere³²² (*Divas pari prathamam jajne Agnir asmad dvitīyam pari jātavedāḥ* | *tritīyam apsu*).³²³ The same three abodes of Agni are perhaps referred to³²⁴ in x. 56, 1 = S. V. i. 65 (*idaṁ te ekam paraḥ u te ekam tritīyena jyotishā saṁ viśasva*). In iii. 26, 7 (= Vāj. S. xviii. 66), he is called *arkas tridhātuḥ*, a threefold light,³²⁵ in v. 4, 8 *trishadhastha* (according to Sāyaṇa = *trishu divyādishu sthāneshu sthita*), occupying three abodes, and in viii. 39, 8 *tripasthya*, having three homes. In i. 95, 3, he is said to have three births, one in the ocean, another in the sky, and a third in the waters (*trīṇi jānā pari-bhūshanti asya samudre ekam̃ divi ekam apsu*), which Sāyaṇa understands 1st of the submarine fire (*vaḍavānala*), 2nd of the sun, and 3rd of the lightning. He is elsewhere called *dvijanman*, having two births, i. 60, 1; i. 140, 2; i. 149, 2, 3, which Sāyaṇa explains either as born of the Heaven and Earth, or from two sticks, or because he has one birth from the sticks and a second when he is formally consecrated; but is said in one of these passages to dwell in the three lights (*abhi ... trī rochanāni ... asthāt*).

v5.c46.22

³²¹ Quoted in the 4th vol. of this work, p. 56.

v5.c46.23

³²² See above, p. 39, note 73. See Comm. on Vāj. S. xii. 18.

v5.c46.24

³²³ A.V. xii. 1, 20. *Agnir divaḥ ā tapati Agner devasya uru antariksham* | *Agnim martāsaḥ indhate havyavāhaṁ ghṛitapriyam* | "Agni glows from the sky; to Agni belongs the broad air; men kindle Agni, the bearer of oblations, the lover of butter." Compare A.V. xiii. 3, 21, and xviii. 4, 11.

v5.c46.25

³²⁴ So the Scholiast on the Sāma-veda understands the verse, as I learn from Professor Benfey's note to his translation, p. 216.

v5.c46.26

³²⁵ Compare A.V. viii. 39, 9.

v5.c46.27

In ii. 9, 3, two places of birth only are mentioned—an upper (*parame janman*), and a lower (*avare sadasthe*)—which Sāyaṇa interprets of the sky and the atmosphere; and in viii. 43, 28, in like manner, only two are alluded to, the celestial, and that in the waters (*yad Agne divijāḥ asi apsujāḥ vā*).

v5.c46.28

In x. 91, 6, as we have already seen, his generation is ascribed only to the waters, the mothers. (Compare iii. 1, 3; iii. 9, 4.)

v5.c46.29

In A. V. iv. 39, 2, the earth is said to be a cow, and Agni her calf (*Pṛithivī dhenus tasyāḥ Agnir vatsaḥ*). In verses 4 and 6, Vāyu is said to be the calf of the air, and Sūrya of the sky.

v5.c46.30

In different passages the process of friction,³²⁶ by which the god is ually generated by his worshippers, is described or alluded to. In iii. 29, 1 ff., it is said: *astīdam adhimanthanam asti prajananaṁ kṛitam* | *etāṁ viśpatnīm ābhara Agnim manthāma pūrvathā* | 2. (=S.V. i. 79) *Araṇyor nihito jātavedāḥ garbhaḥ iva sudhito garbhiṇīshu* | *dive dive īḍyo jāgṛivadbhir havishmadbhir manushyebhir Agniḥ* | 3. (=Vāj. S. xxxiv. 14) *Uttānāyām ava bhara chikitvān sadyaḥ pravītā vṛishaṇaṁ jajāna* | "This process of friction, of generation, has begun; bring this mistress of the people (the lower *araṇi*, or wood for friction); let us rub out Agni as heretofore.³²⁷ 2. This god is deposited in the two pieces of wood, as the embryo in pregnant women. Agni is daily to be lauded by men bringing oblations and awaking (early). 3. Skilled [in the process], bring [the upper piece of wood] into contact with the lower, lying recumbent: being impregnated, she speedily brings forth the vigorous (Agni).”³²⁸ Compare R.V. i. 68, 2, where it is noticed as remarkable that a living being should spring out of dry wood (*śushkād yad deva jīvo janishṭhāḥ*); iii. 23, 2, 3; vii. 1, 1; x. 49, 15; x. 7, 5. He is produced from the two sticks as a new-born infant, v. 9, 3 (*uta sma yaṁ śiśuṁ yathā navaṁ janishṭha araṇī*); viii. 23, 25 (*sūnuṁ vanaspatīnām*). Strange to say, cries the poet, addressing himself to both worlds, the child, as soon as born, begins with unnatural voracity to consume his parents, and is altogether beyond his mortal worshipper's comprehension, x. 79, 4 (*tad vām ṛitaṁ rodasī prabravīmi jāyamāno mātarā garbho atti | nāhaṁ devasya martyaś chiketa*). But when born he is like the wriggling brood of serpents, difficult to catch, v. 9, 4 (*uta sma durgṛibhīyase putro na hvāryāṇām*). Wonderful is his growth, and his immediate activity as a messenger, seeing he is born of a mother who cannot suckle him, x. 115, 1 (*chitraḥ it śiśos taruṇasya vakshatho na yo mātarāv apyeti dhātave | anūdhāḥ yadi jījanad adha cha nu vavaksha sadya mahi dūtyaṁ charan*); but he is nourished and developed by the oblations of clarified butter which are poured into his mouth, and which he consumes, iii. 21, 1 (*stokānām agne medaso ghṛitasya hotaḥ prāśāna* | “Agni, invoker of the gods, eat these portions of fat and butter;” see also verses 2 and 3); v. 11, 3 (*ghṛitena tvā avardhayan*); v. 14, 6; viii. 39, 3 (*Agne manmāni tubhyaṁ kaṁ ghṛitaṁ na juhve āsani*); viii. 43, 10, 22; x. 69, 1 f.; x. 118, 4, 6, and A.V. i. 7, 2 (*Agne tailasya prāśāna*).

v5.c46.31

³²⁶ See Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, i. 16, and Professor Haug's translation, pp. 35 ff. I add here a sentence or two from this work (Ait. Br. i. 16) to illustrate what the texts above quoted say of the power of Agni to hallow all sacrifices, although in the present case a special rite is referred to: *sā eshā svargyā āhutir yad Agnyāhutiḥ | yadi ha vai apy abrāhmaṇokto yadi duruktokto yajate atha ha eshā āhutir gachhaty eva devān na pāpmanā sam̃sṛijyate* | "The Agni oblation is that which conducts to heaven. Even if a man who is called a no-Brāhman, or a person of bad reputation, perform it, still this oblation goes to the gods, and is unaffected by the sin (of the performer)." See Professor Haug's translation, p. 38, note 17. The S'atapatha Brāmaṇa, ii. 3, 3, 1, relates that Agni, when created by Prajāpati, began to burn everything, and threw the world into confusion. Thereupon the creatures who then existed sought to crush him. Not being able to bear this, he came to a man and said, "I cannot endure this; let me enter into thee. Having generated me, nurse me; and if thou wilt do this for me in this world, I will do the same for thee in the next. The man agreed (*sa yatra Agnim̃ sasṛije sa idam̃ jātaḥ sarvam eva dagdhum̃ dadhre | ity eva āvilam eva | tāḥ yās tarhi prajāḥāsus tāḥ ha enam̃ sampeshṭum̃ dadhrire | so 'titikshamāṇaḥ purusham eva abhyeyāya | 2. Sa ha uvācha "na vai aham idam̃ titikshe hanta tvā praviśāni | tam mā janayitvā bibhṛihi | sa yathaiva mām̃ tvam asmin loke jana-* *yitvā bharishyasi evam eva ahaṁ tvām amushmin loke janayitvā bharishyāmi" iti* | "*tathā*" *iti taṁ janayitvā abhibhaḥ*). Herodotus, iii. 16, tells us what the Egyptians thought of Agni: Αἰγυπτίοισι δὲ νενόμισται τό πῦρ θηρίον εἶναι ἔμψυχον, πάντα δὲ αὐτὸ κατεσθίειν τά περ ἄν λάβῃ, πλησθὲν δὲ αὐτὸ τῆς βορῆς συναποθνήσκειν τῷ κατεσθιομένῳ.

v5.c46.32

³²⁷ Hence, perhaps, it is that he is called *dvi-mātā*, born of two parents (i. 31, 2). As regards *dvi-janmā* having a double birth (i. 60, 1; i. 140, 2; i. 149, 4, 5,) see above. He is also called *bhūrijanmā*, having many births (x. 5, 1). In R.V. i. 95, 2, he is said to be produced by the ten young women, *i.e.* the ten fingers (*daśa imaṁ tvashtur janayanta garbham atandrāso yuvatayaḥ*). See Roth, Illustrations of Nirukta, p. 120; Benfey's Orient und Occident, ii. 510; and Roth's Lexicon, *s.vv.* *tvashtṛi* and *yuvati*. In iii. 29, 3, he is called the son of Iḷā, whatever sense we ascribe to this word. In regard to the persons or families by whom the sacrificial fire is supposed to have been first kindled, and the rites of Āryan worship introduced, viz., Manu, Angiras, Bhṛigu, Atharvan, Dadhyanch, etc., see my paper on "Manu, the progenitor of the Āryan Indians," in vol. xx. Journ. R.A.S., pp. 410–416. I subjoin some of the passages there quoted: i. 36, 19. *Ni tvām Agne manur dadhe jyotir janāya śaśvate* | "Manu has placed thee (here) a light to all (generations of) men." vii. 2, 3. *Manushvad Agniṁ Manunā samiddhaṁ sam adhvarāya sadam in mahema* | "Let us, like Manu, ever attract to the sacrifice Agni, who was kindled by Manu." x. 63, 7. *Yebhyo hotrāṁ prathamām āyeje Manur samiddhāgnir manasā sapta hotṛibhiḥ* | *te Ādityāḥ abhayaṁ śarma yachhata* | "O ye Ādityas, to whom Manu, when he had lighted Agni, presented, in company with seven hotṛi priests, with his heart, the first oblation, bestow on us secure protection." x. 69, 3. *Yat te Manur yad anīkaṁ Sumitraḥ samīdhe Agne tad idaṁ navīyaḥ* | "That lustre of thine, o Agni, which Manu, which Sumitra kindled, is the same which is now renewed." viii. 43, 13. *Uta tvā Bhṛiguvat śuche Manushvad Agne āhuta* | *Angirasvad havāmahe* | "Like Bhṛigu, like Manush, like Angiras, we invoke thee who hast been summoned to blaze." vi. 16, 13. *Tvām Agne pushkarād adhi Atharvā nir amanthata* | 14. *Tam u tvā Dadhyaṅṅ ṛishiḥ putraḥ īdhe Atharvaṇaḥ* | 13. "Agni, Atharvan drew thee forth from the lotus leaf. 14. Thee, Dadhyanch, the son of Atharvan, kindled." x. 21, 5. *Agnir jāto Atharvaṇā vidad viśvāni kāvyā* | *bhuvad dūto Vivasvataḥ* | "Agni, produced by Atharvan, knows all sciences. He has become the messenger of Vivasvat." i. 58, 6. *Dadhush ṭvā Bhṛigavo mānusheshu ā* | "The Bhṛigus have placed thee among men." x. 46, 2. *Imaṁ vidhanto apāṁ sadasthe paśuṁ na nashtaṁ padair anu gman* | *guhā chatantam uś'ijo namobhir ichhanto dhīrāḥ Bhṛigavo avindan* | "Worshipping, and desiring him with obeisances, the wise and longing Bhṛigus have followed him with their steps, like a lost animal, and have found him concealed in the receptacle of the waters.” In viii. 23, 17. Kāvya Uśanas is said to have established Agni to be a priest for men (*Uśanā Kāvyaś tvā ni hotāram asādayat | āyajiṁ tvā manave jātavedasam*).

v5.c46.33

³²⁸ The ancient Indians regarded the upper piece of wood as the male, and the lower as the female, factors in the generation of Agni. See the 3rd vol. of this work, p. 46, note 52.

v5.c46.34

In iii. 26, 7, he himself exclaims “butter is my eye” (*ghṛitaṁ me chakshuḥ*).

v5.c46.35

(3) *His epithets and characteristics.

v5.c46.36.1

His epithets are various, and for the most part descriptive of his physical characteristics. He is *sarpirāsuti*, *ghṛitānna*, butter-fed (ii. 7, 6; vii. 3, 1; x. 69, 2); *ghṛita-nirṇik*, butter-formed (iii. 17, 1; iii. 27, 5; x. 122, 2); *ghṛita-keśa*, butter-haired (viii. 49, 2); *ghṛitaprishṭha*, butter-backed (v. 4, 3; v. 37, 1; vii. 2, 4; x. 122, 4); *ghṛitapratīka*, gleaming with butter (iii. 1, 18; v. 11, 1; x. 21, 7); *ghṛita-yoni*, issuing from butter (v. 8, 6, compare ii. 3, 11); *drvaṇṇa*, fed by wood (ii. 7, 6); *dhūma-ketu*, having smoke for his mark, signal, or ensign (i. 27, 11; i. 44, 3; i. 94, 10; v. 11, 3; viii. 43, 4; viii. 44, 10; x. 4, 5; x. 12, 2); he sends up his smoke like a pillar to the sky, iv. 6, 2 (*metā iva dhūmaṁ stabhāyad upa dyām*); vii. 2. 1 (*upa spṛiśa divyaṁ sānu stūpaiḥ*); vii. 3, 3; vii. 16, 3 (*ud dhūmāso arushāso divispṛiśaḥ* [*asthuḥ*]; his smoke is waving, his flame cannot be seized, viii. 23, 1 (*charishṇudhūmam agṛibhītaśochisham*); he is driven by the wind, and rushes through the woods like a bull lording it over a herd of cows, i. 58, 4, 5 (*vane ā vātachodito yūthe na sāhvān ava vāti vaṁsagaḥ*); i. 65, 8. He is a destroyer of darkness, i. 140, 1 (*tamohan*), and sees through the gloom of the night, i. 94, 7 (*rātryāś chid andho ati deva paśyasi*).

v5.c46.36.2

The world, which had been swallowed up and enveloped in darkness, and the heavens, are manifested at his appearance, and the gods, the sky, the earth, the waters, the plants rejoice in his friendship, x. 88, 2 (*gīrṇaṁ bhuvanaṁ tamasā 'pagūḷham āviḥ svar abhavaj jāte Agnau* | *tasya devāḥ pṛithivī dyaur utāpo araṇayann oshadhīḥ sakhye asya*). He is *chitra-bhānu*, *chitra-śochiḥ*, of brilliant lustre or blaze (i. 27, 6; ii. 10, 2; v. 26, 2; vi. 10, 3; vii. 9, 3; vii. 12, 1; viii. 19, 2), *ūrdhva-śochis*, upward-flaming (vi. 15, 2), *śukra-śochiḥ*, bright-flaming (vii. 15, 10; viii. 23, 20), *pāvakaśochis*,³²⁹ with clear flames (viii. 43, 31), *śukra-varṇa*, *śuchi-varṇa*, bright coloured (i. 140, 1; v. 2, 3), *śochishkeśa*, with blazing hair (i. 45, 6; iii. 14, 1; iii. 17, 1; iii. 27, 4; v. 8, 2; v. 41, 10), *hari-keśa*, with tawny hair (iii. 2, 13), golden-formed (iv. 3, 1; x. 20, 9, *hiraṇya-rūpaṁ janitā jajāna*), and *hiri-śmaśru*, with golden beard (v. 7, 7). He carries sharp weapons, *tigmaheti*, *tigmabhṛishṭi* (iv. 4, 4; iv. 5, 3), he has sharp teeth, *tigmajambha* (i. 79, 6; i. 143, 5; iv. 5, 4; iv. 15, 5; viii. 19, 22), burning teeth, *tapuṛjambha* (i. 58, 5; viii. 23, 4), brilliant teeth, *śuchidant* (v. 7, 7), golden teeth, *hiraṇyadant* (v. 2, 3), iron grinders, *ayodaṁshṭra* (x. 87, 2), and sharp and consuming jaws (viii. 49, 13; x. 79, 1 (*tigmāḥ asya hanavaḥ | nānā hanū vibhṛite sam bharete asinvatī bapsatī bhūri attaḥ*).

v5.c46.36.3

According to one passage, he is footless and headless (*apād aśīrshā*, iv. 1, 11), and yet he is elsewhere said to have a burning head, *tapurmūrdhā* (vii. 3, 1), three heads and seven rays, *trimūrdhānaṁ saptaraśmim* (i. 146, 1; ii. 5, 2), to be four-eyed, *chaturaksha* (i. 31, 13), thousand-eyed, *sahasrāksha* (i. 79, 12), and thousand-horned, *sahasraśṛinga* (v. 1, 8).³³⁰ He is *kṛishṇādhvan*, *kṛishṇavarttani*, *kṛishṇa-pavi*, *i.e.* his path and his wheels are marked by blackness (ii. 4, 6; vi. 10, 4; vii. 8, 2; viii. 23, 19); he envelopes the woods, consumes and blackens them with his tongue (i. 143, 5; v. 41, 10; vi. 60, 10, *archishā vanā viśvā parishvajat | kṛishṇā karoti jihvayā*); x. 79, 2, *asinvann atti jihvayā vanāni*); he is all-devouring, *viśvād* (viii. 44, 26); driven by the wind, he invades the forests, and shears the hairs of the earth, i. 65, 4 (*ibhyān na rājā vanāni atti | yad vātajūto vanā vi asthād Agnir ha dāti romā pṛithivyāḥ*), like a barber shaving a beard, x. 142, 4 (*yadā te vāto anuvāti śochir vapteva śmaśru vapasi pra bhūma*). He causes terror, like an army let loose, i. 66, 8 (*seneva sṛishṭā amaṁ dadhāti*); i. 143, 5; x. 142, 4 (*yad udvato nivato yāsi bapsat pṛithag eshi pragardhinīva senā*). His flames roar like the waves of the sea, i. 44, 12 (*yad devānām mitramahaḥ purohitao antaro yāsi dūtyam | sindhor iva prasvanitāsaḥ ūrmayo Agner bhrājante archayaḥ*). He sounds like thunder, vii. 3, 6 (*divo na te tanyatur eti śushmaḥ*); x.

v5.c46.36.4

45, 4 (*akrandad Agniḥ stanayann iva Dyauḥ*³³¹); viii. 91, 5; he roars like the wind, *ibid.* (*huve vātasvanaṁ kavim Parjanya-krandyaṁ sahaḥ | Agniṁ samudravāsasam*³³²); like a lion, iii. 2, 11 (*nānadan na siṁhaḥ*); and when he has yoked his red, wind-driven horses to his car, he bellows like a bull, and invades the forest-trees with his flames; the birds are terrified at the noise when his grass-devouring sparks arise, i. 94, 10 (*yad ayukthāḥ arushā rohitā rathe vātajūtā vrishabhasyeva te ravaḥ | ād invasi vanino dhūmaketunā |* 11. *Adha svanād uta bibhyuḥ patatriṇo drapsāḥ yat te yavasādo vi asthiran*). He is resistless as the resounding Maruts, and as the lightnings of heaven, i. 143, 5 (*na yo varāya Marutām iva svanaḥ seneva srishṭā divyā yathā 'śaniḥ*). He has a hundred manifestations, and shines like the sun, i. 149, 3 (*sūro na rurukvān śatātmā*); vii. 3, 6. His lustre is like the rays of the dawn and the sun, x. 91, 4 (*ā te chikitre ushasām iva etayaḥ arepasaḥ sūryasyeva raśmayaḥ*), and like the lightnings of the rain-cloud, *ibid.* 5 (=S.V. ii. 332, *tava śriyo varshyasyeva vidyutaḥ*); and he is borne on a chariot of lightning, iii. 14, 1 (*vidyudratha*), on a luminous car, i. 140, 1 (*jyotīratha*),³³³ i. 141, 12 (*chandraratha*); iii. 5, 3; v. 1. 11 (*ā adya ratham bhānumo bhānumantam Agne tishṭha*); on a brilliant, x. 1, 5 (*chitraratha*), golden, iv. 1, 8 (*hiraṇyaratha*), on an excellent or beautiful car, iii. 3, 9 (*sumadratha*); iv. 2, 4 (*suratha*).

v5.c46.36.5

This chariot is drawn by horses or mares characterized as butter-backed (*ghṛitaprishṭha*), wind-impelled (*vātajūta*), beautiful (*svaśva*), ruddy (*rohit*), tawny (*arusha*), active (*jīrāśva*), assuming all forms (*viśvarūpa*), and mind-yoked (*manoyuj*), and by other epithets (i. 14, 6, 12; l. 45, 2; i. 94, 10; i. 141, 12; ii. 4, 2; ii. 10, 2; iv. 1, 8; iv. 2, 2, 4; iv. 6, 9 (*ṛijumushka!*); vi. 16, 43; vii. 16, 2; viii. 43, 16; x. 7, 4; x. 70, 2 f.), which he yokes in order to summon the gods, i. 14, 12 (*tābhir devān ihāvaha*); iii. 6, 6 (*ṛitasya vā keśinā yogyābhir ghṛitasnuvā rohitā dhuri dhishva | athāvaha devān deva vidvān |* 9. *Ā ebhir [devaiḥ] Agne sarathaṁ yāhi arvāñ*); viii. 64, 1 (*yukshā hi devahūtamān aśvān Agne rathīr iva*).

v5.c46.37

³²⁹ Agni is also styled *s'īraśochis* in viii: 60, 10 (=S.V. ii. 904), 14 (=S.V. i. 49), and *s'īra* in viii. 43, 31. On the last place Sāyaṇa explains *śīra* as sleeping or lying in the sacrifices (*yajneshu s'ayanayas'īlam*). On viii. 60, 10, he makes the compound word = *aśana-s'īla-jvālam*, "he whose flame pervades." On the 14th verse he takes it as = *śayana-svabhāva-rochishkam*, "he whose brilliance has the character of lying or sleeping." In both places Professor Benfey renders it "gleaming like lightning." Professor Roth, Illustr. of Nir., p. 42, thinks *śīra* may mean "piercing."

v5.c46.38

³³⁰ In one place (viii. 19, 32) Agni is called *sahasra-mushka*, which the commentator explains by *bahu-tejaska*, having many flames. The same epithet is, as we have seen, applied in R.V. vi. 46, 3, to Indra, where Sāyaṇa makes it equivalent to *sahasra-śepha*, mille membra genitalia habens.

v5.c46.39

³³¹ It is to be observed that in this passage Dyaus, and not Indra, is described as the thunderer. See above p. 118 f., the reference to the question whether Dyaus had been superseded by Indra.

v5.c46.40

³³² Here it will be noted, he is also said "to be clothed with, or enveloped by, the ocean." The same epithet had also occurred in the preceding verse (=S.V. i. 18), where the rishi is also said to invoke the bright god, as did Aurva, Bhṛigu, and Apnavāna (*Aurvabhṛiguvat śuchim Apnavāna-vad ā huve Agniṁ samudra-vāsasam*).

v5.c46.41

³³³ The same epithet is applied to the gods in general in x. 63, 4.

v5.c46.42

(4) *High divine functions assigned to him.

v5.c46.43.1

The highest divine functions are ascribed to Agni. He is called the divine monarch (*samrājo asurasya*), and declared to be strong as Indra, vii. 6, 1 (*Indrasyeva pra tavasas kṛitāni vande*). Although (as we have seen above) he is described in some passages as the offspring of heaven and earth, he is said in other places to have stretched them out, iii. 6, 5 (*tava kratvā rodasī ā tatantha*); vii. 5, 4; to have spread out the two worlds like two skins, vi. 8, 3 (*vi charmanīva dhishaṇe avartayat*); to have produced them, i. 96 4 (*janitā rodasyoḥ*); vii. 5, 6 (*bhuvanā janayan*); to have, like the unborn, supported the earth and sky with true hymns, i. 67, 3 (*ajo na kshāṁ dadhāra prithivīm tastambha dyāṁ mantrebhiḥ satyaiḥ*); to have, by his flame, held aloft the heaven, iii. 5, 10 (*ud astambhīt samidhā nākam rishvaḥ*); to have kept asunder the two worlds, vi. 8, 3 (*vi astabhnād rodasī mitro adbhutaḥ*); to have formed the mundane regions and the luminaries of heaven, vi. 7, 7 (*vi yo rajāṁsi amimīta sukratur vaiśvānaro vi divo rochanā kaviḥ*); vi. 8, 2; to have begotten Mitra, x. 8, 4 (*janayan Mitram*), and caused the sun, the imperishable orb, to ascend the sky, x. 156, 4 (*Agne nakshatram ajaram ā sūryaṁ rohayo divi*); to have made all that flies, or walks, or stands, or moves, x. 88, 4³³⁴ (*sa patatri itvaraṁ sthāḥ jagad yat śvātram agnir akṛiṇod jātavedāḥ*); to adorn the heaven with stars, i. 68, 5 (*pipeśa nākaṁ stṛibhir damūnāḥ*).

v5.c46.43.2

He is the head (*mūrddhā*) and summit (*kakud*) of the sky, the centre (*nābhi*) of the earth (i. 59, 2); compare verse 1; vi. 7, 1; viii. 44, 16; x. 88, 5; he props up men like a pillar, i. 59, 1 (*sthūṇeva janān upamid yayantha*); iv. 5, 1 (*anūnena bṛihatā vakshathena upa stabāyad upamin na rodhaḥ*). His greatness exceeds that of heaven and all the worlds, i. 59, 5 (*Divaś chit te bṛihato jātavedo vaiśvānara pra ririche mahitvam*); iii. 3, 10 (*Jātaḥ āpṛiṇo bhuvanāni rodasī Agne tā viśvā paribhūr asi tmanā*); iii. 6, 2.³³⁵ He, the destroyer of cities, has achieved famous exploits of old, vii. 6, 2 (*purandarasya gīrbhir ā vivāse Agner vratāni pūrvyā mahāni*). Men tremble at his mighty deeds, and his ordinances and designs cannot be resisted, ii. 8, 3 (*yasya vrataṁ na mīyate*); ii. 9, 1 = Vāj. S. xi. 36 (*adabdhavrata-pramatir . . . Agniḥ*); vi. 7, 5; viii. 44, 25; viii. 92, 3 (*yasmād rejante kṛishṭayaś charkṛityāni kṛiṇvataḥ*). Earth and heaven and all beings present and future obey his commands; vii. 5, 4 (*tava tridhātu pṛithivī uta dyaur vaiśvānara vratam Agne sachanta*); A.V. iv. 23, 7 (*yasya idam pradiśi yad rochate yaj jātaṁ janitavyaṁ cha kevalam | staumi Agniṁ nāthito johavīmi*). He conquered wealth, or space, for the gods in battle, i. 59, 5 (*yudhā devebhyo varivaś chakarta*); and delivered them from calamity, vii. 13, 2 (*tvaṁ devān abhiśaster amunchaḥ*). He is the conqueror of thousands (*sahasrajit*), i. 188, 1.

v5.c46.43.3

All the gods fear and do homage to him when he abides in darkness, vi. 9, 7 (*viśve devāḥ anamasyan bhiyānās tvām Agne tamasi tasthivāṁsam*). He is celebrated and worshipped by Varuṇa, Mitra, the Maruts, and all the 3,339 gods, iii. 9, 9 (*trīṇi śatā trī sahasrāṇi Agniṁ triṁśach cha devāḥ nava chāsaparyan*); iii. 14, 4 (*Mitraś cha tubhyaṁ Varuṇaḥ sahasvo Agne viśve Marutaḥ sumnam archan*); x. 69, 9 (*devāś chit te amṛitāḥ jātavedo mahimānaṁ Vādhryaśva pra vochan*). It is through him that Varuṇa, Mitra, and Aryaman triumph, i. 141, 9 (*tvayā hi Agne Varuṇo dhṛitavrato Mitraḥ śāśadre Aryamā sudānavah*). He knows and sees all worlds, or creatures, iii. 55, 10 (*Agnis tā viśvā bhuvanāni veda*); x. 187, 4 (*yo viśvā 'bhipaśyati bhuvanā saṁ cha paśyati*).³³⁶ He knows the recesses of heaven, iv. 8, 2, 4 (*vidvān ārodhanaṁ divaḥ*), the divine ordinances and the races or births of of gods and men, i. 70, 1, 3 (*ā daivyāni vratā chikitvān ā mānushasya janasya janma | etā chikitvo bhūmā ni pāhi devānāṁ janma martāṁś cha vidvān*); iii. 4, 11; vi. 15, 13; the secrets of mortals, viii. 39, 6 *Agnir jātā devānām Agnir veda martānām apīchyam*); and hears the invocations which are addressed to him, viii. 43, 23 (*taṁ tvā vayaṁ havāmahe sṛiṇvantaṁ jātavedasam*). He is asura, "the divine," iv. 2, 5; v. 12, 1; v. 15, 1; vii. 2, 3; vii. 6, 1.

v5.c46.44

³³⁴ This half verse (x. 88, 4) is quoted in Nirukta, v. 3. Durga, the commentator on the Nirukta, explains the words by saying that Agni subjects all things to himself at the time of the mundane dissolution. The gods are said in the same hymn (x. 88, 7,) to have thrown into Agni an oblation accompanied by a hymn, and in verse 9, this oblation is said to have consisted of all creatures or all worlds (*bhuvanāni viśvā*).

v5.c46.45

³³⁵ Epithets of this description may have been originally applied to some other god to whom they were more suitable than to Agni, and subsequently transferred to him by his worshippers in emulation of the praises lavished on other deities.

v5.c46.46

³³⁶ These same words are in iii. 62, 9, applied to Pūshan. See above, p. 172.

v5.c46.47

(5) *Agni's relations to his worshippers.

v5.c46.48.1

The votaries of Agni prosper, they are wealthy and live long, vi. 2, 4, 5 (*samidhā yas te āhutim niśitim martyo naśat* | *vayāvantaṁ sa pushyati kshayam Agne śatāyusham*); vi. 5, 5 (*yas te yajnena samidhā yaḥ ukthair arkebhiḥ sūno sahaso dadāśat* | *sa martyeshu amṛita prachetāḥ rāyā dyumnena śravasā vi bhāti*); vi. 10, 3; vi. 13, 4; vi. 15, 11; vii. 11, 2; viii. 19, 5, 6; viii. 44, 15; viii. 73, 9. He is the deliverer (compare viii. 49, 5) and friend of the man who comes to him with fine horses and gold, and a chariot full of riches, and delights to entertain him as a guest, iv. 4, 10 (*yas tvā svaśvaḥ suhiraṇyo Agne upayāti vasumatā rathena* | *tasya trātā bhavasi sakhā yas te ātithyam ānushag jujoshat*); and grants protection to the devoted worshipper who sweats to bring him fuel,³³⁷ or wearies his head to serve him, iv. 2, 6 (*yas te idhmaṁ jabharat sishvidāno mūrdhānaṁ vā tatapate tvāyā* | *bhuvas tasya svatavān pāyur Agne*). He watches with a thousand eyes over the man who brings him food and nourishes him with oblations, x. 79, 5 (*yo asmai annaṁ tṛishu ādadāti ājyair ghṛitair juhoti pushyati* | *tasmai sahasram akshabhir vi chakshe*). He bestows on his servant a renowned, devout, excellent, incomparable son, who confers fame upon his father,³³⁸ v. 25, 5 (*Agnis tuviśravastamaṁ tuvibrahmāṇaṁ uttamam* | *atūrtaṁ śrāvayatpatim putraṁ dadāti dāśushe*). He gives riches, which he abundantly commands, i. 1, 3 (*Agninā rayim aśnavat*); i.

v5.c46.48.2

31, 10 (*tvam Agne pramatis tvam pitā 'si nas tvaṁ vayaskṛit tava jāmayo vayam* | *saṁ tvā rāyaḥ śatinaḥ saṁ sahasriṇaḥ suvīraṁ yanti vratapām adābhya*); i. 36, 4 (*viśvaṁ so Agne jayati tvayā dhanaṁ yas te dadāśa martyaḥ*). The man whom he protects and inspires in battle conquers abundant food, and can never be overcome, i. 27, 7 f. = *S.V.* ii. 765 f. (*yam Agne pṛitsu martyam avāḥ vājeshu yaṁ junāḥ* | *sa yantā śaśvatīr ishaḥ* | 8. *Nakir asya sahantya paryetā kayasya chit*). No mortal enemy can by any wondrous power gain the mastery over him who sacrifices to this god, viii. 23, 15 (*na tasya māyayā chana ripur īśīta martyaḥ | yo Agnaye dadāśa havyadātibhiḥ*). He also confers, and is the guardian and lord of, immortality, i. 31, 7 (*tvaṁ tam Agne amṛitatve uttame marttaṁ dadhāsi*); vii. 7, 7 (*amṛitasya rakshitā*); vii. 4, 6 (*īśe hi Agne amṛitasya bhūreḥ*). He was made by the gods the centre of immortality, iii. 17, 4 (*amṛit-asya nābhiḥ*). His worshippers seek him with glad hearts, viii. 43, 31 (*hṛidbhir mandrebhir īmahe*). In a funeral hymn Agni is supplicated to warm with his heat the unborn part³³⁹ of the deceased, and in his auspicious form to carry it to the world of the righteous, x. 16, 4 (*ajo bhāgas tapasā taṁ tapasva taṁ te śochis tapatu taṁ te archiḥ | yās te śivās tanvo jātavedas tābhir vahainaṁ sukṛitām u lokam*).³⁴⁰ He carries men across calamities, as in a ship over the sea, or preserves from them, iii. 20, 4 (*parshad viśvā 'ti duritā gṛinantam*); v.

v5.c46.48.3

4, 9 (*viśvāni no durgahā jātavedaḥ sindhum na nāvā duritā 'ti parshi*); vii. 12, 2 (*sa mahnā viśvā duritāni sahvān* | *sa no rakshishad duritād avadyāt*). All blessings issue from him as branches from a tree, vi. 13, 1 (*tvad viśvā subhaga saubhagāni Agne vi yanti vanino na vayaḥ*). He is like a water-trough in a desert, x. 4, 1 (*dhanvann iva prapā asi Agne*). All treasures are congregated in him, x. 6, 6 (*saṁ yasmin viśvā vasūni jagmuḥ*); he commands all the riches in the earth, the upper and lower oceans, the atmosphere, and the sky, vii. 6, 7 (*ā devo dade budhnyā vasūni vaiśvānaraḥ uditā sūryasya* | *ā samudrād avarād ā parasmād ā Agnir divaḥ ā pṛithivyāḥ*); x. 91, 3 (*vasur vasūnāṁ kshayasi tvam ekaḥ id dyāvā cha yāni pṛithivī cha pushyataḥ*). He is, in consequence, continually supplicated for all kinds of boons, riches, food, deliverance from enemies and demons, poverty, nakedness, reproach, childlessness, hunger, i. 12, 8, 9; i. 36, 12 ff.; i. 58, 8, 9; ii. 4, 8; ii. 7, 2, 3; ii. 9, 5; iii. 1, 21; iii. 13, 7; iii. 16, 5; iv. 2, 20; iv. 3, 14; iv. 11, 6; v. 3, 11; vi. 1, 12 f.; vi. 4, 8; vi. 5, 7; vi. 6, 7; vii. 1, 5, 13, 19. He is besought to protect his worshippers with a hundred iron walls, vi. 48, 8; vii. 3, 7 (*śatam pūrbhir āyasībhir ni pāhi*); vii. 16, 10; to be himself such a fortification with a hundred surrounding walls, vii. 15, 14 (*adha mahī naḥ ayasī anādhṛishṭo nṛipītaye* | *pūr bhava śatabhujiḥ*); i. 189, 2;

First 60 of 100 passages. Read on

Linked texts (11)