Panchagnividya (पञ्चाग्निविद्या)

Panchagnividyā (Sanskrit: पञ्चाग्निविद्या) deals with the essential principle of how life is seen in Sanatana Dharma. Every aspect of life is a Yagna or divine activity, not just an action or labour. Yagna is a continuous activity offered to divinity on a moment to moment basis. Panchagni vidyā is a specific kind of vidyā taught by the royal sage, Prāvāhana Jaivali to Svetaketu, the son of Uddālaka Āruni.

Panchagni vidyā belonged to the Kśatriyas. Uddālaka Āruni was the first Brahmin to receive this knowledge.. Pravāhana Jaivali, who was well-versed in udgitha, held that the Universe exhibits at every stage the principle of sacrifice.

Introduction

This vidyā or knowledge appears in the Chandogya Upanishad (Chapter V 3-10) and the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (Chapter VI.2).

The Chandogya Upanishad, which belongs to the Kauthuma Śākhā of the Sāma Veda, conceives the whole universal activity of creation as a kind of yajna ('sacrifice') where everything is connected; this sacrifice/knowledge is known as the Panchagni vidyā.

As an introduction to पञ्चाग्निविद्या, the क्षत्रिय || Kshatriya King told the brahmin, "you are the first one among the Brahmans to receive this knowledge, until now it was known only to Kshatriyas."

Panchagni Vidya

This is how the King explains the essence of the BrahmaVidya. The Pancha Yagya (5 types of Fire) are,

• द्युलोक: in this अग्नि (fire), आदित्य (one of Sun’s twelve names) is the firewood, his rays are smoke in the fire, the Day are the flames, the moon is the ambers , stars are the sparks and in that fire the devata offer faith as oblation and perform the यज्ञ. This is how the first level of creation, King सोम is born.

• पर्जन्य: here Wind God is wood, Clouds are the smoke, lightning is the Flame, thunder is embers, the rumbling of the clouds is the spark of the fire. The just-created सोम at the first level is offered by the देवता as oblation to पर्जन्या. That born during the second stage of creation is Rain.

• पृथ्वी (Earth): In this fire, संवत्सर ( One year) is the firewood, the Sky is smoke, Nights are the flame, the directions are embers, the उपदिशा (sub-directions) are sparks. The देवता offer Rain, created at the second stage as oblation into पृथ्वी. And from this fire, Anna (all that is consumable, related to the sensorial level) is born.

• पुरुष: वाक् (power of speech) is the firewood, प्राणा is smoke, the tongue is the flame, the eyes are embers, the ears are the sparks. In the पुरुषाग्नि (personified fire), the Devas offer अन्ना a (grain) as oblation and from this appears Virya (semen).

• स्त्री (Woman). Into this fire, देवता offer the वीर्य (semen) of the पुरुष as oblation. In this fire, अपा (here denotes वीर्या) is transformed into the masculine form and power of speech. This is the final stage, and the Creation born of this fire is encompassed by Jarayu (old age) and stays within for nine or ten months and after birth until its life span. Before departing to paraloka, it returns to the same source that it was created from, i.e. Agni.

The activity of creation (or of manifestation of any object) begins with the birth of the child (or with the production of an atom or molecule) whom the cosmos produces and not parents alone, then the child’s presence is felt everywhere mainly because the universe is intimately inter-connected. The Śāstras teach that the macrocosm is in the microcosm; each manifestation is the quintessence of every particle of Prakrti, and that Prakrti on its own accord takes care of each manifestation or birth and withdraws those manifestations as a part of the operation of the universal laws. This is the philosophical background of this vidyā which deals all events of manifestation not merely as the birth of a human child alone, and which vidyā is the contemplation of the mind in perceiving the reality that is transcendent to the visible parts of the inner sacrifice.

Discussion

While Panchagni Vidya is a part of Creation in Brahma Vidya as explained by the Chaandogya Upanishad, Chap 6, Naasadiya Sukta of the Rig veda explains more about the Creation of the Universe.

References (need 1-2 more)

Veda Samskrita Parichaya by Dr. K. L Narayanacharya