Vedic Fire God Agni Acts As A Messenger Between Other Gods And Mankind

Vedic Fire God Agni Acts As A Messenger Between Other Gods And Mankind
Source:- http://www.encyclocentral.com/24935-Vedic_Fire_God_Agni_Acts_As_A_Messenger_Between_Other_Gods_And_Mankind.html

Vedic God Agni, the god of fire, represents the vital ember of life. Agni is present either as a fire of hunger or as the acceptor of sacrifice or offerings made to the Gods. Agni forms the Fire of the Sun, the fire present in the lightning bolt and the sparkling stars. In ancient India, His popularity can be known from the fact that Rig Veda contains around 200 hymns that are addressed to Agni, also referred to as the messenger of the Gods.

Agni’s close association with Indra even earns Him the recognition of His twin brother as He took birth with full vigor and power like Indra. One legend describes Him as the son of Dyaus and Prthivi while in some other legend Kasyapa and Aditi have been depicted as His parents. He is often been described as the son of a queen who kept his birth secret from her king. As per a separate tale, Agni is the son of ten fingers of a man which are considered as ten sisters!

We always find that fire is created as a result of rubbing of two sticks and then this is followed by the burning of the two sticks themselves! This has supported the story that narrates that Agni consumed His parents as soon as He took birth. His wife Svaha, is the mother of Karthikeya, the son of Agni. Dawn and Night are considered as Agni’s sisters.

In anthropomorphic form, he is sometimes depicted with two faces smeared with butter. Seven fiery tongues and sharp golden teeth express His aggression. Agni is red in color, with black eyes and wild, black hair. An aura is created with Agni’s seven arms and three legs, with seven rays of light radiating from the Fire God’s body. He is found to be riding on a ram, or on a chariot which is pulled by goats or even by parrots.

Agni shows no partiality in loving His worshippers and in return, gets love from all of them. Rich and poor people have the equal opportunity to have Agni in their hearths. He links the gods with mankind. When people make use of Agni for performing various rituals, they must ensure using proper directions for different purposes. For example, when fire is to be used for making sacrifices to the gods, East is the prescribed direction; A South facing direction signifies the use of fire for making sacrifices to the spirits of the dead; Fire facing the West is ideal if it is to be used for cooking purposes.

Clarified butter or ghee is designated as the proper offering to Agni or to any God as per Hindu rituals. Agni is also gifted with the power to pass-on immortality to the mortals and to free a man from all sins during his death. Agni is also worshipped by lovers or by men who wish to increase their virility.

As fire is re-lit everyday, so, Agni is considered to be ever- young. We still find the use of the sacred fire- drill called the called the Agnimathana during the creation of temple- fire by friction which symbolizes the Fire God’s phenomenal birth. From this we can conclude the change of Hindu traditions as per ancient Vedic concepts to modern Hinduism has not been able to disgrace the worship of the Vedic Fire deity. Agni