Panchagnividya (पञ्चाग्निविद्या)

Panchagnividyā (Sanskrit: पञ्चाग्निविद्या) deals with the essential principle of Origin of Life in सनातन धर्म || 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 विद्या || vidyā taught by the royal sage, Prāvāhana Jaivali to Svetaketu, the son of Uddālaka Āruni. It was vested with the क्षत्रिय || Kśatriyasand Uddālaka Āruni was the first ब्राह्मण || Brahmin to receive this knowledge. Pravāhana Jaivali, who was well-versed in उद्गीथ || udgitha, held that the Universe exhibits at every stage the principle of sacrifice.

परिचय || Introduction

Panchagni vidyā or knowledge appears in the छान्दोग्य उपनिषद् || Chandogya Upanishad (Chapter V 3-10) and the बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् || Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (Chapter VI.2).

The Chandogya Upanishad, which belongs to the कौथुम शाखा || 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.

Etymology

Panchagni means Five Agnis or Fires. In vedic and puranic literature Panchagni has been used for performing severe austerities. There are many instances of penance or tapas for thousands of years, performed by different celestial beings including Kubera, Parvati and asuras such as Mahisha and Tarakasura, by standing or sitting in the midst of five sets of fires called Panchagni. Such a penance is said to be very austere and is performed with an intention to please Brahma or the others in Trinity for obtaining material boons.

According to Puranic Encyclopaedia, RohinI, a daughter and Soma, a son and an Agni, were born to Nisha the third wife of Manu. Besides them they begot five sons in the form of Agni ( fire ) and these five are called Panchagnis. They are Vaisvanara,Visvapati, Sannihita, Kapila and Agranii.

पञ्चाग्निविद्या, is a part of Brahmavidya or the knowledge to attain the Paramaatma. It was held by the the क्षत्रिय || Kshatriya King and Uddalaka and Shvetaketu were the first brahmins to receive it.

Panchagni Vidya

The King Pravāhana Jaivali addresses Uddalaka and Shvetaketu sayin, "you are the first one among the Brahmans to receive this knowledge, until now it was known only to Kshatriyas" and explains the essence of the BrahmaVidya of which the Pancha Agni (5 types of Fire) is a part of. The five fires according to this vidya are symbolized as follows:

• द्युलोक || dyulok: in this अग्नि || agni (fire), आदित्य || aditya (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 देवता || devata offer faith as oblation and perform the यज्ञ || यज्ञ. This is how the first level of creation, सोम || Soma is born.

• पर्जन्य || parjanya: 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 || Soma at the first level is offered by the देवता as oblation to पर्जन्य || parjanya. That born during the second stage of creation is Rain.

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

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

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

The activity of procreation (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 शस्त्र || Śāstras teach that the macrocosm is in the microcosm; each manifestation is the quintessence of every particle of प्रकृति || 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.

सम्वाद || 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)

1. Narayanacharya, K. S. (2011). Veda Sanskritiya Parichaya, Part I. Hubli:​Sahitya Prakashana​.
2. Sharma, B. D. (). New Perspectives on Vedic and Ancient Indian Civilization. World Assn. of Vedic Studies.
3. Mani, Vettam. (1975). Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature. Delhi: Motilal Banasidass