THE Indraagni , the celestial prohit of the Devas , the postman who delivers our prayers to

different lokas(deva loka ,Siva loka)

All life, in its myriad variety, is sustained by the Five ElementsEarth, Atmosphere, Water,
Fire and the Wind. The absence of even one of these would make life, as we know it,
impossible to live. If there is no Earth, where do you stand or sleep Without air, can you
breathe at all And the skies are the residence of the !un and the "oon, which sustain life
forms everywhere.

#eedless to say, Water is an e$tremely essential input to life, its absence spellin% doom, as
many of &hennaiites must have felt in months past. And Fire is perhaps the most essential
component of life'savin% e(uipment that the )ord has blessed us with, be it for cookin% or
warmin% oneself a%ainst bitin% cold. It is the last'mentioned element that we shall be
lookin% at in some detail in this piece.

The importance of Fire, or *A%ni+, as it is called affectionately by the !hruti, is chronicled
(uite elaborately in the ,edas, with more than two hundred !ooktas in its praise. It would
be no e$a%%eration to term Fire as amon% the most important of the ,edic -antheon of
.eities. Two
of the four ,edas be%in with eulo%ies to A%ni. The very first hymn of the hoary /i% ,eda is
devoted to this mi%hty bull amon% deities*A%nim eedE -ur0hitam 1a%yasya dEvam
/itvi2am+ says the first verse, e$hortin% us to pay obeisance to A%ni as the leader and the
deity of all
sacrifices. This is no mere flash in the pan, for we find the venerated !ama ,eda too
devotin% its very first verse to this fiery %od*a%na AyAhi veetaye, %ri#An0 havya dAtayE+.

What is the reason for the e$tremely hi%h pedestal on which the !hruti places the Fire3od
Why should this au%ust body of unauthored wisdom devote litany after elaborate litany to
this element Thou%h the other four elements are no less in importance, we find the ,edas
almost obsessive in their focus on Fire. The reasons are not far to seek. It is A%ni, which
makes !acrifices, the various 1a%as and 1a%yas, possible. As we know, everythin% has its
roots in 1a%yam''all &reation came out of a 1a%yam performed at the &osmic 4e%innin%, as
described by the -urusha !uktam.
1a%yas are indispensable for the sustenance of mankind*1a%yE sarvam pratishtthitam+
And A%ni is indispensable for the performance of 1a%yas. Is it any wonder then that the
!hruti wa$es elo(uent in praise of this sine (ua non of !acrifices

What e$actly does the word *A%ni+ mean A study of the etymolo%y reveals the profound
re%ard the !hruti has for Fire, for the Fire 3od is termed a *)eader+, 5*a%ram nayati, iti
A%ni6+7 one who leads us forward to better thin%s, to better worlds, throu%h the
performance of 1a%yas. A%ni is also termed *-urohitam+, 5refer the openin% verse of /i%
,eda7 one who knows well what is %ood for us and instructs us accordin%ly. .ue to his
indispensability in the household, A%ni is also called the "aster of the 8ouse*3riha pati6+
5*A%nim %rihapatim abhisamvasaana6+7. 4ecause he carries the offerin%s meant for various
other deities 5since propitiation of all deities is done by offerin%s in fire with intonation of
*!vaahaa+7, he is known too as a venerated Emissary, a *.oota+ 5*A%nim dootam
vri#eemahE+7. It is to A%ni that we pray for leadin% us on a safe
and comfortable path, in this minefield of !amsara*A%nE naya supathA rAyE asmAn+. It is
to this Fire 3od that we pray time and a%ain for everythin%*bhooyishtthAm tE nama uktim
vidhEma+. .ue to 3hee 5clarified butter7 bein% his staple food, A%ni is also known as *3hrita
nir#ik+, *3hrita mukha6+, *3hrita kEsa6+ etc. 4ecause he leaves everythin% he touches
black, he is known as *9rishnavartmA+ ..ue to his indispensability to life, A%ni is %lorified as
the very creator of bein%s*A%ni6 pra2aanaam pra2anayitaa+. When he carries offerin%s to
.evas, he is
known as *8avya vaahana6+ and when the recipients are -itru devataas, he is called *9avya
vaahana6+

The Aruna -rasnam of the Taittiriya Aranyakam enumerates another set of ei%ht haloed
names of this bla:in% deity*A%ni+, *;AtavEdA, !ah02A, A2iraaprabhu6, ,aisvaanara6
#aryaapasa6, -anktiraadhasa6 and ,isarpa6+.

It is another measure of %reatness of this deity that his worship is stipulated as a daily duty
5*nitya karma+7 for everyone. *A%nihotram+ and *0upAsanam+ are supposed to be
performed twice a day, in the mornin% and evenin%, 2ust like !andhyavandanam. And the
beneficial effects of
this A%nihotram were demonstrated for all to see, durin% the 4hopal %as disaster, when only
the family, in whose house A%nihotram was performed, remained unaffected by poisonous
fumes of the <nion &arbide -esticides plant, when thousands of others perished. Times have
come to such a pass that this daily duty of *0upasanam+ is performed these days, only as a
prelude to some other ma2or ,aidika karma such as a "arria%e, !eemantonnayanam or
!hraddham. Time was, when this A%nihotram was performed by a lar%e number of vaidikas,
who used to preserve the A%ni in pots of chaff, never to be e$tin%uished till their last
breath. The importance attached to Fire Worship can be fathomed from the fact that this is
compulsory for all men from a%e ei%ht onwards, when they under%o *<panayanam+. From
the day they adorn themselves with the !acred Thread and become 4rahmachaaris, boys
are supposed to perform *!amidaadaanam+
twice daily. <pon marria%e, they take on the duties of *A%nihotram+ and *0upaasanam+, to
be performed by every man till life leaves his body. Interestin%ly, !anyAsis are e$empted
from A%ni 9aaryamthe moment they don the ochre robes, they are relieved of any duties
to the sacrificial
fire.

Another little'known piece of informationevery bride, before becomin% the wife of a man,
is offered to A%ni, says the "antra -rasnam*!oma6 prathamo vivide, 3andharvo vivida
uttara6 triteeyo A%nishte pati6 tureeyaste manushya2aa6+. Thus, accordin% to this mantra,
all married ladies would have to call themselves, *"rs. A%ni+, irrespective of other
appellations they may sport.

In the order of &reation, A%ni is the third to emer%e, the first bein% Atmosphere, says the
!hruti*Atmana Akaasa6 sambhoota6, Akaasaat ,aayu6, ,aayo6 A%ni6+. 0nly from Fire did
the other two elements, Earth and Water, came into bein%*A%ne6 Aapa6, Adbhya6 -rithivi+.
The -urusha
!ukta ascribes e$alted ori%ins to A%niri%ht from the )ord=s face 5mouth7*"ukhaat
Indrascha A%nischa+.

Apart from bein% one of the five basic elements, A%ni is also acclaimed to be the hidden
essence of Water*na apsu mootra pureesham kuryaat''%uhyo vaa esha6 A%ni6 iti
vadanta6+. The very same !hruti tells us that birds do not stay on earth in the ni%ht,
because it appears to burn in
the ni%ht. Thus, A%ni=s influence e$tends over the other elements too.

.evas were readyin% themselves for their one of their fre(uent battles with Asuras. The
(uestion arose as to which .eity was to be propitiated first, to ensure victory in the ensuin%
encounter. A%ni, the )eader, declared boldly, *Worship "e first>+. And wonder of wonders,
other
.eities, who were (uite e%oistic, did not dispute A%ni=s claim and, reco%nisin% his
supremacy, were (uite content to be worshipped ne$t. The .evas worshipped A%ni first
5!oma, !avita and ,ayu later7 and, as a result, emer%ed victorious, says the -rathama
Ashtakam*sa6 A%ni6 abraveet, maam a%re ya2ata,?te A%nina mukhena asuraan a2ayan6+
!ince he burned down
/akshasas, A%ni is also known as */aksho%hna6+*A%naye /aksho%hne svaahaa>+

A%ni=s primacy is on display throu%hout the !hruti. 8e is the lord of the very first star too,
amon% the twenty'seven. The 9rittika aphorism has A%ni as its devata*9rittikaa
nakshatram A%ni6 devata+. ,edas reco%nise 9rittika as the first nakshatram, contrary to our
practice of
countin% Asvini first. Why then is Asvini allowed to usurp 9rittika=s place as the first amon%
stars The !hruti itself tells us the reasonbecause deeds done under this star are likely to
burn down the doer=s household, people prefer to rele%ate 9rittika to the third place*A%ni
nakshatram iti apachaayayanti, 3rihaan ha daahuko bhavati+.

The 1a2u6 !amhita narrates another interestin% tale about A%ni. The Fire 3od had three
elder brothers, 5*A%ne6 trayo 2yaayaamso bhraatara aasan+7 all the four carryin% out
unfailin%ly their arduous 2ob of carryin% the offerin%s by human bein%s to their respective
celestial recipients.
The three brothers, due to the heavy workload and mea%re returns, came to a bad end
ultimately. .emoralised by their fate, A%ni decided not to function as a mere carrier
anymore and hid himself deep in the ocean. .enied of their diet of sacrificial offerin%, .evas
searched for the
Fire 3od hi%h and low. When they entered the waters and en(uired amon% marine
inhabitants, the Fish %ave away A%ni and revealed his hidin% place. An%ered at this, A%ni
cursed that Fish should meet their end daily, bein% killed by fishermen who would catch
them as and when they wished. We see this happenin% till date. When .evas re(uested
A%ni to resume his services, he a%reed sub2ect to the condition that all material , which fell
outside the sacrificial fire, while bein% offered, should reach his late brothers. .evas readily
a%reed and A%ni too became the
divine carrier once more.

"ana%ement e$perts speak of havin% a *Fire in the 4elly+, to describe an un(uenchable ur%e
for achievement. They would be surprised to know that everyone has fire in their belly
achievers as well as others. !hastras tell us that it is the *;aataraa%ni+ or the di%estive fires
located
in the intestines, which enable assimilation of food and afford nutrition to the body. The
)ord says in the 3ita that it is 8e 8imself, who resides in bein%s as this *;aataraa%ni+ and
enables di%estion of all kinds of food*aham ,aisvaanaro bhootvaa praaninam deham
aasrita6
-raana apaana samaayukta6 pachaami annam chatur vidham+.

The 4rihadaaranyaka<panishad too bears out this proposition of the )ord bein% the
.i%estive Fire, without whose aid no food could be assimilated*ayam A%ni6 ,aisvaanaro yo
yam anta6 purushe yena idam annam pachyate+

If you wanted to see the -aramatma, where do you think you would find 8im The )ord is to
be found in the form of the sacrificial Fire, says !rimad 4ha%avatam*A%nou tishtati
vipraanaam+. All important events which re(uire witnessin%, are done in front of the sacred
firewhether they
be bonds of matrimony or those of friendship. We are told that when !ri /ama and
!u%reeva sealed their a%reement of friendship and mutual assistance, they did it with the
Fire as witness*chakaara sakhyam /amena preeta6 chaiva A%ni saakshikam+

What are the various types of Fire At the time of marria%e, the Fire with which marria%e
rituals and 0upaasanam are performed first, is divided into two 5with the aid of a specific
ritual known as *A%nyaadhaanam+7. The first of these Fires becomes the 3rihyaa%ni, with
which further
0upaasanam is performed twice daily. The other part ac(uires the name *!hroutaa%ni+. This
a%ain is divided into three cate%ories3aarhapatyam 5which is to be preserved without ever
%oin% out7 .akshinam and Aahavaneeyam. It is these three that !ri Tiruman%ai "annan
refers to as *"utthee naanmarai iyva%ai velvi+. 0ne who worships these two A%nis 53rihya
and !hrouta7 is himself known as an *Aahitaa%ni+.

For%ettin% that he is after all another creation of the -aramatma, A%ni dares to oppose !ri
9rishna, in 8is encounter with 4aanaasura and is thorou%hly van(uished, says !ri
#amma:hwar*Tiripuram chettravanum ma%anum pinnum An%ium por tulaya+. In the
relative commentary, !ri -eriyavaacchaan -illai tells us that Fire is of forty'nine cate%ories,
all of
which met their nemesis in !ri 9rishna.

With all this, and after heapin% all sorts of encomiums upon A%ni, the ,eda -urusha lets the
Fire 3od down with a bump, when he calls A%ni the lowest of all 3ods and ,ishnu, the
hi%hest*A%ni6 avamo devataanam, ,ishnu6 parama6+. While the supremacy ascribed to
the )ord is
understandable, why this rou%h treatment to the Fire -erhaps because he acts as a mere
messen%er, conveyin% the offerin%s of human propitiators to their divine recipients

All this is interestin%, but how should we -rapannas, who have surrendered ourselves to
!riman #arayana, re%ard the Fire 3od .o we worship him as called for in innumerable
,eda vakyaas .o we accord him the e$alted status he obviously en2oys amon% the ,edic
.eities

As people who have entrusted our fortunes here and in the hi%her worlds to the )ord of all
)ords, !riman #arayana, we have no call to worship any other deity, for whatever purpose.
All the mantras addressed to A%ni, Indra, ,aruna and other devas, which we use in our
nitya karmas like
!andhyavandanam, are in fact meant for the )ord, who is as much the Inner .weller of
these .evatas, as 8e is of us. 8ence, whenever we worship A%ni in our nitya karmas, we do
it with the full reco%nition that A%ni is the mere body of the )ord, as we too are, and the
prayers are in
fact addressed to the Antaryaami of all bein%s.

This apart, A%ni has an e$tremely close association with Emperuman. We find that in the
/amavatara, the )ord could very well be said to owe 8is ori%ins to the 5-utrakaameshti
1a%a7 fire, from which the 1aksha with the -aayasam emer%ed, upon imbibin% which
9ousalya and other wives of .asaratha %ave birth to the brothers /ama. A%ain, to
demonstrate 8is
closeness to Fire, we find !ri ,aradara2a emer%in% from the fires of the Asvamedha 1a%a
performed by 4rahmaa at 9anchi. To commemorate this, we can see !ri ,aradan=s celestial
countenance still lookin% sli%htly scorched. Thou%h no fire can really affect Emperuman, 8e
sports such a visa%e to remind devotees of the e$tents to which 8e would %o, to %ladden
their hearts.

A%ni can boast of an e$tremely close association with -iratti too. For, when !he wanted to
prove 8erself to the whole world to be pure as driven snow, it is Fire built on the shores of
)anka that !he enters. A%ni presents himself before !ri /a%hava and proudly proclaims
-iratti to be
the purest of pure. From that day, A%ni -ariksha or 0rdeal throu%h Fire, has come to be
re%arded as the %reatest test of one=s bona fides. Earlier too, !ita -iratti prays to A%ni not to
hurt 8anuman, whose tail had been set afire by /akshasas*seeto bhava 8anoomata+

The destructive potential of A%ni is on full display, when !ri 8anuman sets fire to )anka,
transferrin% the fire of sorrow ra%in% in the mind of !ita .evi to the city of )anka, burnin% it
down*ya6 shoka vahnim ;anakaatma2aaya6 aadaaya tenaiva dadaaha )ankam+. With his
burnin% tail, "aruti leaps over the houses of /avana=s courtiers, choosin% with care
the ma%nificent residences of ministers and military commanders. With a mild swipe of his
tail, 8anuman sets fire to these residences, which crumble to mere embers in a matter of
minutes, due to the intensity of the heat. -arado$ically, A%ni 4ha%avan, who has no effect
on the "onkey
3od, ra%es with all the fury at his command while burnin% down the )ankan houses. The list
of victims reads like a Who=s Who of the )ankan hi%h society-rahasta, "ahApArsva,
,a2radamshtra, !uka, !Ara#a, Indra2it, ;ambhumAli, !umAli, /ashmikEtu, !uryashatru,
8risvakar#a, .amshtra, /0masa, ,idyut2ihva, 9umbhakar#a and so on. Amidst all this
spree of
arson, A%ni carefully spares the residence of !ri ,ibhishana, ventin% his fury instead on the
splendorous palace of /avana. From a %lorious and teemin% city filled with beautiful
mansions with towers studded with %ems, pearls and precious stones, roads and pathways
full of rich
adornments and valuable vehicles, )anka is transformed within seconds into a bla:in%
inferno, with hu%e ton%ues of fire leapin% with facility from one beautiful buildin% to another.
The ra%in% fire is fuelled by stron% winds fannin% the flames and fuellin% their destructive
potential.
,iewed from the sky, )anka resembles a hu%e burnin% %round, with most of its dastardly
inhabitants formin% live fuel for the ra%in% fire. In the space of an hour, the entire city of
ma%nificence and incredible beauty is reduced to %lowin% embers and burnt cinders.
A:hwars too adulate the )ord for burnin% down arro%ant )anka*Ilan%ai eri e:ha chettra
villi+.

The influence of A%ni in our lives is all'pervasive. "ost of the forty !amskaaraas or enablin%
processes that human bein%s are supposed to under%o, are with the aid of A%ni, be it
<panayanam, marria%e or others. And when we finally leave our mortal coils, it is a%ain to
the flames that the physical remains are consi%ned. This act of cremation is held in
hi%h esteem and deemed to be the final sacrifice or Ishti that the human bein% participates
in. .urin% one=s lifetime, one is supposed to perform many 1a%yams with differin% materials
as *Ahuti+ 5food for fire7.

In this Antyeshti, it is the body itself which is offered as sacrificial material. Thus, from birth
to death, our association with A%ni is e$tremely close. -arado$ically, this 8oly Fire is more
beneficial to us, the closer we %et to it, and tends to scorch us only if we stay away due to
indolence or i%norance. That is to say, the more we perform the rituals ordained
upon us, the more A%ni protects us with all his mi%ht.

It would appear from all this that *-layin% with fire+ is indeed %ood.

!rimate !ri )akshmi#risimha divya paduka sevaka !rivan!atakopa !ri
#arayana 1atindra "ahadesikaya nama6
dasan, sada%opan