Agni Dev, the Fire God

 

The god of fire, Agni, is one of the most well-known of the Vedic gods. He is the object of more hymns than any other deity, with the exception of Indra.

There are several different stories about how Agni came to be. According to some accounts, he is the son of Dyaus and Prithivi; he is also referred to as the son of Brahma and is subsequently called Abhimani; he is considered to be one of the Adityas since he is one of the children of Kasyapa and Aditi. He is identified as the author of multiple hymns and is referred to in the later writings as the son of Angiras, king of the Pitris (fathers of mankind).

He is depicted in images as a red man with three legs, seven arms, dark eyes, hair, and eyebrows. He rides on a ram, wears a poita (poonool, the brahmanical thread), and a garland of fruit. Flames of fire issue from his mouth, and seven streams of glory radiate from his body.

 He makes the oblations fragrant; without him, the gods experience no satisfaction. 

Agni is the lord, protector, and king of men. He is the Lord of the House, dwelling in every abode. He is a guest in every home; he despises no man; he lives in every family. As a result, he is held in high regard and is prayed for on all serious occasions, including birth, marriage, death, and so forth, as a mediator between the gods and people and a witness to their actions.

The worshippers of Agni prosper, are wealthy, and live long. He watches with a thousand eyes over the man who brings him food and nourishes him with offerings. No mortal enemy can, by any wondrous power, gain the mastery over him who sacrifices to this god. He also confers and is the guardian of immortality. 

He carries men across calamities as a ship over the sea. He is called upon for wealth, food, deliverance, and really all temporal good because he is in charge of all the riches in heaven and on earth. Additionally, he is invoked in prayer as the pardoner of sins that may have been committed carelessly. 

According to the Mahabharata, Agni desires to eat the entire Khandava forest in order to replenish his strength after he has depleted his energy by consuming too many oblations. Indra initially stopped him from doing this, but with Krishna and Arjuna's help, he managed to defeat Indra and achieve his goal.

According to the Ramayana, in order to assist Vishnu when incarnated as Rama, Agni became the father of Nila by a monkey mother, and according to the Vishnu Purana, he married Swaha, by whom he had three sons—Pavaka, Pavamana, and Suchi.

Names for Agni include:

1. Vahni (who receives the hom, or burnt sacrifice);
2. Vitihotra (who sanctifies the worshipper);
3. Dhananjaya (who conquers riches);
4. Jivalana (who burns);
5. Dhumketu (whose sign is smoke);
6. Chhagaratha (who rides on a ram);
7. Saptajihva (who has seven tongues).

Lord Agni, the God of Fire, has been one of the most significant deities  since the Vedic era and continues to be significant to humans today. Without His blessings, life on Earth would find it extremely difficult to survive and flourish.