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Agni (Samskrit: अग्निः) is the god of fire, sacrifice and divine knowledge, and a large number of mantras and suktas are devoted to describing and praising Agni in various texts. Agni is the very personification of the sacrificial fire. He is associated with Vedic sacrifice, taking offerings of men to the other world in his fire. Through yagna or sacrificial fires he carries the oblations to the gods, to ensure the continuance of conditions favorable to mankind.

Agni (Samskrit: अग्निः) is the god of fire, sacrifice and divine knowledge, and a large number of mantras and suktas are devoted to describing and praising Agni in various texts. Agni is the very personification of अ॒ग्निहोत्रः (sacrificial fire). He is associated with वैदिकयज्ञः (Yagnas are sacrificial rituals prescribed in Vedas) taking offerings of men to the other world in his fire. Through yagna (sacrificial fires) he carries the oblations to the gods, to ensure the continuance of conditions favorable to mankind.

== परिचय || Introduction ==

== परिचय || Introduction ==

Agni next to Indra, occupies a very important place as the carrier of sacrificial offerings. Agni is thus, significantly highlighted in the Rig veda with many suktas rendered to propitiate Him.  Further as we gradually progresses towards the Upanishads, Agni is personified as the Knower of Brahman. The sacrificial fires attain the position of Guru of Upakosala, in the Chandogya Upanishad, wherein they preach [[Brahmavidya (ब्रह्मविद्या)|brahmavidya]] to Upakosala.   

अग्निः ॥ Agni next to Indra, occupies a very important place as the carrier of offerings in yagna. Agni is thus, significantly highlighted in the Rig veda with many suktas rendered to propitiate Him.  Further as we gradually progress towards the Upanishads, Agni is personified as the Knower of Brahman. The three Fires (गार्हपत्यः ॥ Gaarhapatya, आहवनीयः॥ Aahavaniya, and दक्षिणाग्निः ॥ Dakshinaagni) assume the position of a Guru for Upakosala (student of Satyakama Jabaali), in the Chandogya Upanishad, to teach [[Brahmavidya (ब्रह्मविद्या)|brahmavidya]] to him.   

Thus, as the sacred bearer of offerings, to the sacred agnihotras tended by the householder, to the feared Kravaaya form of Fire which is invoked to burn corpses, to the more subtle form of representation of Jnana , Agni is the crucial lifeline of a grihastha engaged in Bharataeeya samskriti.   

Thus, starting with the sacred agnihotras tended by the householder, as the sacred bearer of offerings, to the feared Kravaaya form of Fire which is invoked to burn corpses, to the inner subtle form of representation of Jnana , Agni is the crucial lifeline of a grihastha engaged in Bharateeya samskriti.   

== Agni in Vedas  ==

== Agni in Vedas  ==

=== Rig veda ===

=== Rig veda ===

Rigveda starts with Agnisukta and thereafter many mandalas have suktas related to and in praise of Agni.  The very first word, mantra and sukta of the oldest veda, Rig veda starts with Agni as revealed to Rishi Madhuchchandah Vaishvamitah in Gāyatri metre..  <blockquote>अग्निसूक्त - ९ मधुच्छन्दा वैश्वामित्रः ऋषिः । अग्निः देवता।  गायत्री छन्दः। प्रथमं मण्डलम्।</blockquote><blockquote>"अ॒ग्निमी॑ळे पु॒रोहि॑तं य॒ज्ञस्य॑ दे॒वमृ॒त्विज॑म् । होता॑रं रत्न॒धात॑मम् ॥१"</blockquote><blockquote>"अ॒ग्निः पूर्वे॑भि॒र्ऋषि॑भि॒रीड्यो॒ नूत॑नैरु॒त । स दे॒वाँ एह व॑क्षति ॥२"</blockquote><blockquote>"अ॒ग्निना॑ र॒यिम॑श्नव॒त् पोष॑मे॒व दि॒वेदि॑वे । य॒शसं॑ वी॒रव॑त्तमम् ॥३"</blockquote><blockquote>"अग्ने॒ यं य॒ज्ञम॑ध्व॒रं वि॒श्वत॑: परि॒भूरसि॑ । स इद् दे॒वेषु॑ गच्छति ॥४"</blockquote><blockquote>"अ॒ग्निर्होता॑ क॒विक्र॑तुः स॒त्यश्चि॒त्रश्र॑वस्तमः । दे॒वो दे॒वेभि॒रा ग॑मत् ॥५"</blockquote><blockquote>"यद॒ङ्ग दा॒शुषे॒ त्वमग्ने॑ भ॒द्रं क॑रि॒ष्यसि॑ । तवेत् तत् स॒त्यम॑ङ्गिरः ॥६"</blockquote><blockquote>"उप॑ त्वाग्ने दि॒वेदि॑वे॒ दोषा॑वस्तर्धि॒या व॒यम् । नमो॒ भर॑न्त॒ एम॑सि ॥७"</blockquote><blockquote>"राज॑न्तमध्व॒राणां॑ गो॒पामृ॒तस्य॒ दीदि॑विम् । वर्ध॑मानं॒ स्वे दमे॑ ॥८"</blockquote><blockquote>"स न॑: पि॒तेव॑ सू॒नवे ऽग्ने॑ सूपाय॒नो भ॑व । सच॑स्वा नः स्व॒स्तये॑ ॥९ (Rig. Ved. 1.1.1)</blockquote>Summary : Agni, the chosen one as the minister of sacrifice, is worthy to be praised for he brings along other deities with him (He is the bearer of sacrificial offerings from the Yajamani or the Performer of the Yagna). Agni bestows his worshipper with boundless riches and wealth. Indeed greatly revered is Agni, the dispeller of the darkness.

Rigveda starts with Agnisukta and thereafter many mandalas have suktas related to and in praise of Agni.  The very first word, mantra and sukta of the oldest veda, Rig veda starts with Agni as revealed to Rishi Madhuchchandah Vaishvamitah in Gāyatri metre..  <blockquote>अग्निसूक्त - ९ मधुच्छन्दा वैश्वामित्रः ऋषिः । अग्निः देवता।  गायत्री छन्दः। प्रथमं मण्डलम्।</blockquote><blockquote>"अ॒ग्निमी॑ळे पु॒रोहि॑तं य॒ज्ञस्य॑ दे॒वमृ॒त्विज॑म् । होता॑रं रत्न॒धात॑मम् ॥१"</blockquote><blockquote>"अ॒ग्निः पूर्वे॑भि॒र्ऋषि॑भि॒रीड्यो॒ नूत॑नैरु॒त । स दे॒वाँ एह व॑क्षति ॥२"</blockquote><blockquote>"अ॒ग्निना॑ र॒यिम॑श्नव॒त् पोष॑मे॒व दि॒वेदि॑वे । य॒शसं॑ वी॒रव॑त्तमम् ॥३"</blockquote><blockquote>"अग्ने॒ यं य॒ज्ञम॑ध्व॒रं वि॒श्वत॑: परि॒भूरसि॑ । स इद् दे॒वेषु॑ गच्छति ॥४"</blockquote><blockquote>"अ॒ग्निर्होता॑ क॒विक्र॑तुः स॒त्यश्चि॒त्रश्र॑वस्तमः । दे॒वो दे॒वेभि॒रा ग॑मत् ॥५"</blockquote><blockquote>"यद॒ङ्ग दा॒शुषे॒ त्वमग्ने॑ भ॒द्रं क॑रि॒ष्यसि॑ । तवेत् तत् स॒त्यम॑ङ्गिरः ॥६"</blockquote><blockquote>"उप॑ त्वाग्ने दि॒वेदि॑वे॒ दोषा॑वस्तर्धि॒या व॒यम् । नमो॒ भर॑न्त॒ एम॑सि ॥७"</blockquote><blockquote>"राज॑न्तमध्व॒राणां॑ गो॒पामृ॒तस्य॒ दीदि॑विम् । वर्ध॑मानं॒ स्वे दमे॑ ॥८"</blockquote><blockquote>"स न॑: पि॒तेव॑ सू॒नवे ऽग्ने॑ सूपाय॒नो भ॑व । सच॑स्वा नः स्व॒स्तये॑ ॥९ (Rig. Ved. 1.1.1)</blockquote>Summary : Agni, the chosen one as the minister of yagnas (sacrifice), is worthy to be praised for he brings along other deities with him (He is the bearer of sacrificial offerings from the Yajamani or the Performer of the Yagna). Agni bestows his worshiper with boundless riches and wealth. Indeed greatly revered is Agni, the dispeller of darkness.

Agni is the Rishi or mantra drasta of many suktas in the 9th Mandala. He figures prominently in as many as 200 suktas in the Rig veda. Along with Indra and Surya, Agni is a significant deity of Rig veda (Sukta 10.124).  

Agni is the Rishi or mantra drasta of many suktas in the 9th Mandala. He figures prominently in as many as 200 suktas in the Rig veda. Along with Indra and Surya, Agni is a significant deity of Rig veda (Sukta 10.124).  

In the Rig Veda (I.95.2), a Rishi prays - दशेमं त्वष्टुर्जनयन्त गर्भम - for the ten eternal powers to bless Tvashtr (the supreme mind which creates all things) with the birth of Agni, which is a reference to the ten undisclosed powers that nourish Agni.^[14]

In the Rig Veda (I.95.2) - दशेमं त्वष्टुर्जनयन्त गर्भम - for the ten eternal powers to bless Tvashtr (the supreme mind which creates all things) with the birth of Agni

Rishi Tritapti (Rig Veda X.v.3), in a mantra in praise of Agni, refers to the bearers of water, the most subtle and the most refined aspects of manifestations. In a subsequent mantra he says that in the conditions prevalent prior to the formation of water, Agni, which was the first visible manifestation of the Unmanifested, was the giver and the taker, both, because as energy it had transformed into matter, beginning with water.

Rishi Tritapti (Rig Veda X.v.3), in a mantra in praise of Agni, refers to the bearers of water, the most subtle and the most refined aspects of manifestations. In a subsequent mantra he says that in the conditions prevalent prior to the formation of water, Agni, which was the first visible manifestation of the Unmanifested, was the giver and the taker, both, because as energy it had transformed into matter, beginning with water.