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* 
{Rig Veda, tr. by Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1896], at
sacred-texts.com}
HYMN I.
Agni.
1. I Laud Agni, the chosen
Priest, God, minister of sacrifice,
The hotar, lavishest of
wealth.
2. Worthy is Agni to be praised by living as by ancient
seers.
He shall bring hitherward the Gods.
3. Through Agni man
obtaineth wealth, yea, plenty waxing day by day,
Most rich in
heroes, glorious.
4. Agni, the perfect sacrifice which thou
encompassest about
Verily goeth to the Gods.
5. May Agni,
sapient-minded Priest, truthful, most gloriously great,
The God,
come hither with the Gods.
6. Whatever blessing, Agni, thou wilt
grant unto thy worshipper,
That, Aṅgiras, is indeed thy
truth.
7. To thee, dispeller of the night, O Agni, day by day
with prayer
Bringing thee reverence, we come
8. Ruler of
sacrifices, guard of Law eternal, radiant One,
Increasing in
thine own abode.
9. Be to us easy of approach, even as a father
to his son:
Agni, be with us for our weal.
HYMN LXXVII.
Agni.
1. How shall we pay
oblation unto Agni? What hymn, Godloved, is said to him
refulgent?
Who, deathless, true to Law, mid men a herald,
bringeth the Gods as best of sacrificers?
2. Bring him with
reverence hither, most propitious in sacrifices, true to Law, the
herald;
For Agni, when he seeks the Gods for mortals, knows them
full well and worships them in spirit.
3. For he is mental power,
a man, and perfect; he is the bringer, friend-like, of the
wondrous.
The pious Āryan tribes at sacrifices address them first
to him who doeth marvels.
4. May Agni, foe-destroyer, manliest
Hero, accept with love our hymns and our devotion.
So may the
liberal lords whose strength is strongest, urged by their riches,
stir our thoughts with vigour.
5. Thus Agni Jātavedas, true to
Order, hath by the priestly Gotamas been lauded.
May he augment
in them splendour and vigour: observant, as he lists, he gathers
increase.
HYMN LXXII.
Agni.
1. THOUGH holding many gifts for men, he humbleth the
higher powers of each wise ordainer.
Agni is now the
treasure-lord of treasures, for ever granting all immortal
bounties.
2. The Gods infallible all searching found not him, the
dear Babe who still is round about us.
Worn weary, following his
track, devoted, they reached the lovely highest home of Agni.
3.
Because with holy oil the pure Ones, Agni, served thee the very pure
three autumn seasons,
Therefore they won them holy names for
worship, and nobly born they dignified their bodies.
4. Making
them known to spacious earth and heaven, the holy Ones revealed the
powers of Rudra.
The mortal band, discerning in the distance,
found Agni standing in the loftiest station.
5. Nigh they
approached, one-minded, with their spouses, kneeling to him adorable
paid worship.
Friend finding in his own friend's eye protection,
they made their own the bodies which they chastened.
6. Soon as
the holy beings had discovered the thrice-seven mystic things
contained within thee,
With these, one-minded, they preserve the
Amṛta: guard thou the life of all their plants and cattle.
7.
Thou, Agni, knower of men's works, hast sent us good food in
constant course for our subsistence:
Thou deeply skilled in paths
of Gods becamest an envoy never wearied, offering-bearer.
8.
Knowing the Law, the seven strong floods from heaven, full of good
thought, discerned the doors of riches.
Saramā found the cattle's
firm-built prison whereby the race of man is still supported.
9.
They who approached all noble operations making a path that leads to
life immortal,
To be the Bird's support, the spacious mother,
Aditi, and her great Sons stood in power.
10. When Gods immortal
made both eyes of heaven, they gave to him the gift of beauteous
glory.
Now they flow forth like rivers set in motion: they knew
the Red Steeds coming down, O
Agni.
HYMN LXX.
Agni.
1. MAY we, the pious, win
much food by prayer, may Agni with fair light pervade each
act,—
He the observer of the heavenly laws of Gods, and of the
race of mortal man.
2. He who is germ of waters, germ of woods,
germ of all things that move not and that move,—
To him even in
the rock and in the house: Immortal One, he cares for all
mankind.
3. Agni is Lord of riches for the man who serves him
readily with sacred songs.
Protect these beings thou with careful
thought, knowing the races both of Gods and men.
4. Whom many
dawns and nights, unlike, make strong, whom, born in Law, all things
that move and stand,—
He hath been won, Herald who sits in light,
making effectual all our holy works.
5. Thou settest value on our
cows and woods: all shall bring tribute to us to the light.
Men
have served thee in many and sundry spots, parting, as ’twere, an
aged father's wealth.
6. Like a brave archer, like one skilled
and bold, a fierce avenger, so he shines in
fight.
HYMN LXVIII.
Agni.
1. COMMINGLING,
restless, he ascends the sky, unveiling nights and all that stands
or moves,
As he the sole God is preeminent in greatness among all
these other Gods.
2. All men are joyful in thy power, O God, that
living from the dry wood thou art born.
All truly share thy
Godhead while they keep, in their accustomed ways, eternal
Law.
3. Strong is the thought of Law, the Law's behest; all works
have they performed; he quickens all.
Whoso will bring oblation,
gifts to thee, to him, bethinking thee, vouchsafe thou wealth.
4.
Seated as Priest with Manu's progeny, of all these treasures he
alone is Lord.
Men yearn for children to prolong their line, and
are not disappointed in their hope.
5. Eagerly they who hear his
word fulfil his wish as sons obey their sire's behest.
He, rich
in food, unbars his wealth like doors: he, the House-Friend, hath
decked heaven's vault with stars.
HYMN LXVI. Agni.
1. LIKE the Sun's glance, like wealth
of varied sort, like breath which is the life, like one's own
son,
Like a swift bird, a cow who yields her milk, pure and
refulgent to the wood he speeds.
2. He offers safety like a
pleasant home, like ripened corn, the Conqueror of men.
Like a
Seer lauding, famed among the folk; like a steed friendly he
vouchsafes us power.
3. With flame insatiate, like eternal might;
caring for each one like a dame at home;
Bright when he shines
forth, whitish mid the folk, like a car, gold-decked, thundering to
the fight.
4. He strikes with terror like a dart shot forth, e’en
like an archer's arrow tipped with flame;
Master of present and
of future life, the maidens’ lover and the matrons’ Lord.
5. To
him lead all your ways: may we attain the kindled God as cows their
home at eve.
He drives the flames below as floods their swell:
the rays rise up to the fair place of heaven.
HYMN LXV. Agni.
1. ONE-MINDED, wise, they tracked thee
like a thief lurking in dark cave with a stolen cow:
Thee
claiming worship, bearing it to Gods: there nigh to thee sate all
the Holy Ones.
2. The Gods approached the ways of holy Law; there
was a gathering vast as heaven itself.
The waters feed with
praise the growing Babe, born nobly in the womb, the seat of
Law.
3. Like grateful food, like some wide dwelling place, like a
fruit-bearing hill, a wholesome stream.
Like a steed urged to run
in swift career, rushing like Sindhu, who may check his
course?
4. Kin as a brother to his sister floods, he eats the
woods as a King eats the rich.
When through the forest, urged by
wind, he spreads, verily Agni shears the hair of earth.
5. Like a
swan sitting in the floods he pants wisest in mind mid men he wakes
at morn.
A Sage like Soma, sprung from Law, he grew like some
young creature, mighty, shining far.
HYMN LIX. Agni.
1. THE other fires are, verily, thy
branches; the Immortals all rejoice in thee, O Agni.
Centre art
thou, Vaiśvānara, of the people, sustaining men like a deep-founded
pillar.
2. The forehead of the sky, earth's centre, Agni became
the messenger of earth and heaven.
Vaiśvānara, the Deities
produced thee, a God, to be a light unto the Ārya.
3. As in the
Sun firm rays are set for ever, treasures are in Vaiśvānara, in
Agni.
Of all the riches in the hills, the waters, the herbs,
among mankind, thou art the Sovran.
4. As the great World-halves,
so are their Son's praises; skilled, as a man, to act, is he the
Herald.
Vaiśvānara, celestial, truly mighty, most manly One, hath
many a youthful consort.
5. Even the lofty heaven, O Jātavedas
Vaiśvānara, hath not attained thy greatness.
Thou art the King of
lands where men are settled, thou hast brought comfort to the Gods
in battle.
6. Now will I tell the greatness of the Hero whom
Pūru's sons follow as Vṛtra's slayer:
Agni Vaiśvānara struck down
the Dasyu, cleave Śambara through and shattered down his
fences.
7. Vaiśvānara, dwelling by his might with all men,
far-shining, holy mid the Bharadvājas,
Is lauded, excellent, with
hundred praises by Purūṇītha, son of Śatavani.
HYMN LX. Agni.
1. As ’twere Some goodly treasure
Mātariśvan brought, as a gift, the glorious Priest to
Bhṛgu,
Banner of sacrifice, the good Protector, child of two
births, the swiftly moving envoy.
2. Both Gods and men obey this
Ruler's order, Gods who are worshipped, men who yearn and
worship.
As Priest he takes his seat ere break of morning,
House-Lord, adorable with men, Ordainer.
3. May our fair praise,
heart-born, most recent, reach him whose tongue, e’en at his birth,
is sweet as honey;
Whom mortal priests, men, with their strong
endeavour, supplied with dainty viands, have created.
4. Good to
mankind, the yearning Purifier hath among men been placed as Priest
choice-worthy.
May Agni be our Friend, Lord of the Household,
protector of the riches in the dwelling.
5. As such we Gotamas
with hymns extol thee, O Agni, as the guardian Lord of
riches,
Decking thee like a horse, the swift prizewinner. May he,
enriched with prayer, come soon and early.
HYMN LVIII. Agni.
1. NE’ER waxeth faint the Immortal,
Son of Strength, since he, the Herald, hath become Vivasvān's
messenger.
On paths most excellent he measured out mid-air: he
with oblation calls to service of the Gods.
2. Never decaying,
seizing his appropriate food, rapidly, eagerly through the dry wood
he spreads.
His back, as he is sprinkled, glistens like a horse:
loud hath he roared and shouted like the heights of heaven?
3.
Set high in place o’er all that Vasus, Rudras do, immortal, Lord of
riches, seated as High Priest;
Hastening like a car to men, to
those who live, the God without delay gives boons to be
desired.
4. Urged by the wind be spreads through dry wood as he
lists, armed with his tongues for sickles, with a mighty
roar.
Black is thy path, Agni, changeless, with glittering waves!
when like a bull thou rushest eager to the trees.
5. With teeth
of flame, wind-driven, through the wood he speeds, triumphant like a
bull among the herd of cows,
With bright strength roaming to the
everlasting air: things fixed, things moving quake before him as he
flies.
6. The Bhṛgus established thee among mankind for men, like
as a treasure, beauteous, easy to invoke;
Thee, Agni, as a herald
and choice-worthy guest, as an auspicious Friend to the Celestial
Race.
7. Agni, the seven tongues' deftest Sacrificer, him whom
the priests elect at solemn worship,
The Herald, messenger of all
the Vasus, I serve with dainty food, I ask for riches.
8. Grant,
Son of Strength, thou rich in friends, a refuge without a flaw this
day to us thy praisers.
O Agni, Son of Strength, with forts of
iron preserve thou from distress the man who lauds thee.
9. Be
thou a refuge, Bright One, to the singer, a shelter, Bounteous Lord,
to those who worship.
Preserve the singer from distress, O Agni.
May he, enriched with prayer, come soon and early.
(Samaveda, or Veda of
Holy Songs, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1895], at
sacred-texts.com}
BOOK VII
CHAPTER
I
X Agni
1. The God who giveth
wealth accept the full libation poured to him!
Pour ye it out,
then fill the vessel full again, for so the God regardeth you!
2.
The Gods made him the Hotar-priest of sacrifice, oblationbearer,
passing wise.
Agni gives wealth and valour to the worshipper, to
man who offers up his gifts.
XI Agni
1. He hath appeared, best
prosperer, in whom men lay their holy acts:
So may our songs of
praise come nigh to Agni who was born to give the Arya
strength.
2. Him before whom the people shrink when he performs
his glorious deeds,
Him who wins thousands at the sacrifice,
himself, that Agni, reverence with songs!
3. Agni of Divoddsa,
God, comes forth like Indra in his might.
Rapidly hath he moved
along his mother earth; he stands in high heaven's
dwelling-place.
XII Agni
1. Agni, thou pourest life:
send down upon us food and vigorous strength:
Drive thou
misfortune far away!
2. Agni is Pavamana, Sage, Chief Priest of
all the fivefold tribes; To him whose wealth is great we pray.
3.
Skilled in thy task, O Agni, pour splendour with hero strength on
us, Granting me wealth that nourishes!
XIII
Agni
1. O Agni, holy and divine
with splendour and thy pleasant tongue. Bring thou the Gods and
worship them!
2. We pray thee bathed in butter, O bright-rayed!
who lookest on the sun, Bring the Gods hither to the feast!
3.
Sage, we have kindled thee, the bright, the feaster on oblation,
thee, O Agni, great in sacrifice!
XIV Agni
I. Adorable in all our
prayers, favour us, Agni, with thine aid.
What time the psalm is
chanted forth!
2. Bring to us ever-conquering wealth, wealth,
Agni, worthy of our choice,
Invincible in all our frays!
3.
Grant us, O Agni, through thy grace wealth to support us
evermore,
Thy favour so that we may live!
XV Agni
1. Let songs of ours speed
Agni forth like a fleet courser in the race,
And we will win each
prize through him
2. Agni! the host whereby we gain kine for
ourselves with help from thee,-
That send us for the gain of
wealth!
3. O Agni, bring us wealth secure, vast wealth in horses
and in kine:
Oil thou the socket, turn the wheel!
4. O Agni,
thou hast made the Sun, the eternal star, to mount the
sky,
Giving the boon of light to men.
5. Thou, Agni, art the
people's light, best, dearest, seated in thy shrine
Watch for the
singer, give him life!
XVI Agni
1. Agni is head and
height of heaven, the master of the earth is he:
He quickeneth
the waters' seed.
2. Yea, Agni, thou as Lord of light rulest o'er
choicest gifts may I,
Thy singer, find defence in thee
3.
Upward, O Agni, rise thy flames, pure and resplendent, blazing
high,
Thy lustres, fair effulgences.
BOOK IX
CHAPTER I
IV Agni
1. He who hath lighted up the joyous
castle, wise courser like the steed of cloudy heaven,
Bright like
the Sun with hundredfold existence
2. He, doubly born, hath
spread in his effulgence through the three luminous realms, through
all the regions,
Best sacrificing Priest where waters
gather.
3. Priest doubly born, he through his love of glory hath
in his keeping all things worth the choosing.
The man who brings
him gifts hath noble offspring.
V Agni
1. Agni, with hymns may we now
accomplish that which thou lovest,
Strength, like a horse
auspicious, with service!
2. For, Agni, thou art now the promoter
of strength auspicious,
Lofty sacrifice, power effective.
3.
Through these our praises, come thou to meet us, bright as the
sunlight,
Agni, kindly with all thy faces!
VI Agni
1. Immortal Jatavedas, thou
bright-hued refulgent gift of Dawn.
Agni, this day to him who
pays oblations bring the Gods who waken with the morn!
2. For
thou art offering-bearer, well-loved messenger, and charioteer of
holy rites.
Accordant with the Asvins and with Dawn grant us
heroic strength and lofty fame!
XVIII Agni
1. Agni I deem our Hotar priest,
munificent wealth-giver, Son of Strength, who knoweth all that is
even as the Sage who knoweth all.
Lord of fair rites, a God with
form erected turning to the Gods, he when the flame hath sprung
forth from the holy oil, the offered fatness, longs for it as it
grows bright.
2. We, sacrificing, call on the best worshipper
thee eldest of Angirasas, singer! with hyrnns, thee, brilliant one!
with singers' hymn;
Thee, wandering round, as 'twere the sky,
thee who art Hotar-priest of men, whom, Bull with hair of flame, the
people must observe, tile people that he speed them on.
3. He
with his blazing Power refulgent far and wide, he verily it is who
conquers demon foes, conquers the demons like an axe:
At whose
close touch things solid parts and what is stable yields he keeps
his ground and flinches not,like trees. Subduing all from the
skilled archer flinches not.
CHAPTER II
I Agni
1. O Agni, strength and fame are
thine: thy fires blaze forth on high, O thou refulgent God!
Sage,
passing bright, thou givest to the worshipper with power, the wealth
that merits laud.
2. With brilliantg purifying sheen, with
perfect sheen thou liftest up thyself in light.
Thou, visiting
both thy mothers, aidest them as son; thou joinest close the earth
and heaven.
3. O Jatavedas, Son of Strength, rejoice thyself,
gracious, in our fair hymns and songs!
In thee have they heaped
viands various, many formed; wealthborn, of wondrous help are
they.
4. Agni, spread forth, as ruler, over living things: give
wealth, to
us, immortal God!
Thou shinest out from beauty fair
to look upon: thou leadest
us to beauteous Power.
5. I laud
the Sage, who orders sacrifice, who hath great riches under his
control.
Thou givest blest award of good, and plenteous food,
thou givest wealth that wins success.
6. The men have set before
them, for his favour, Agni, strong, visible to all, the
holy.
Thee, Lord divine, with ears to hear, most famous, mens'
generations magnify with praise-songs.
II Agni
1. Agni, he conquers by thine aid that
brings him store of valiant sons and does great deeds,
Whose bond
of friendship is thy choice.
2. Thy spark is black and crackling;
kindled in due time, O bounteous, it is taken up.
Thou art the
dear friend of the mighty Mornings: thou shinest in glimmerings of
the night.
III Agni
1. Him, duly
coming, as their germ have plants received: this Agni have maternal
Waters brought to life.
So, in like manner, do the forest trees
and plants bear him within them and produce him
evermore.
IV Agni
1. Agni grows bright for Indra:
he shines far resplendent in the sky: He sends forth offspring like
a queen.
V Agni
1. The sacred hymns love him who wakes
and watches: to him who watches the holy verses.
This Soma saith
to him Who wake my dwelling in thy friendship.
VI Agni
1. Agni is watchful, and the Richas
love him: Agni is watchful, Sama hymns approach him.
Agni is
watchful, to him saith this Soma, I rest and have my dwelling in thy
friendship.
Vedic Hymns, Part II
(SBE46), by Hermann Oldenberg [1897], at
sacred-texts.com
MANDALA III, HYMN 2.
ASHTAKA II, ADHYÂYA 8, VARGA 17–19.
TO AGNI VAISVÂNARA.
1. For Vaisvânara, the
increaser of Rita, for Agni we produce a Dhishanâ like
purified ghee. And verily by their prayer the invoking men
(accomplish) him, the Hotri, as the axe accomplishes a
chariot.
2. By his birth he has given splendour
to both worlds (Heaven and Earth). He became the praiseworthy son of
his parents, Agni, the carrier of oblations, never ageing, with
satisfied mind, undeceivable, the guest of men, rich in
light.
3. Through the power of their mind,
within the sphere of their superior strength the gods have
procreated Agni by their thoughts. Desirous of winning the prize I
address Him who shines with his splendour, who is great in his
light, as (one who desires to win the prize addresses his)
race-horse.
4. Desirous of winning the choice,
glorious, and praiseworthy prize (which is the gift) of the
joy-giver, we choose the boon of the Bhrigus, the
Usig, who has the mind of a sage, Agni, who reigns
with his heavenly light.
5. Men, having spread the sacrificial
grass, holding the sacrificial ladle, have placed here in front (as
Purohita), for the sake of (the divine) blessing, Agni renowned for
strength, with great splendour, united with all the gods, the Rudra
of sacrifices, who accomplishes the oblations of active
(worshippers).
6. O (Agni) whose flame is purifying,
around thy dwelling, O Hotri, the men who at the sacrifices
have spread the sacrificial grass, O Agni, seeking (how to do)
honour (to thee), and (desiring) thy friendship, surround thee
(reverentially);—bestow thou wealth on them!
7. He has filled the two worlds
(Heaven and Earth) and the great Sun, when the active ones
(i. e. the priests) held him fast who had been born. He the
sage is led round for the performance of worship, like a racer for
the winning of the prize, with satisfied mind.
8. Adore ye him, the giver of
offerings, the best performer of worship; honour ye him the domestic
Gâtavedas. Agni, the charioteer of the mighty Rita, he
who dwells among manifold tribes, has become the Purohita of the
gods.
9. The immortal Usigs
have purified three logs for the vigorous Agni who wanders round the
earth: of these they have placed one among the mortals for their
enjoyment; two have passed into the sister world.
10. The food offered by men has
sharpened him, the sage of the tribes, the lord of the tribes, as an
axe. Busily he goes to the heights and to the depths. He has held
fast the germ in these worlds.
11. He the generator, the strong one,
stirs in the resplendent bellies like a roaring lion,
Vaisvânara with his broad stream of light, the immortal,
distributing goods and treasures to his worshipper.
12. Vaisvânara has mounted the
firmament, the back of heaven, as of old, glorified by those who are
rich in good thoughts. He, creating wealth for the creatures as of
old, goes watchful round the common course.
13. The righteous, worshipful priest
deserving of praise, the dweller in heaven whom
Mâtarisvan has established (on earth): him we approach whose
way is bright and hair golden, the resplendent Agni, for the sake of
ever new welfare.
14. Like the flaming one (the sun?) on
his way, the quick one, of sun-like aspect, the banner of heaven,
who dwells in light, who wakes at dawn—Agni the head of heaven, the
unrepressed, him we approach with adoration, the strong one
mightily.
15. The joy-giving, bright
Hotri, in whom is no falsehood, the domestic, praiseworthy
dweller among all tribes, like a splendid chariot, wonderful to
behold, established by Manus: him we constantly approach for the
sake of wealth.
MANDALA III, HYMN 3.
ASHTAKA II, ADHYÂYA 8, VARGA 20–21.
TO AGNI VAISVÂNARA.
1. They have worshipped
Vaisvânara with his broad stream of light with prayers and
treasures in order that he may walk on firm ground. For immortal
Agni honours the gods, and from of old he has not violated the
laws.
2. The wonderful messenger goes
between the two worlds (heaven and earth), the Hotri who has
sat down, the Purohita of Manus. He takes care of his wide dwelling
day by day, Agni who, incited by the gods, gives wealth for our
prayers.
3. The priests have exalted with their
thoughts Agni, the banner of sacrifices, the achiever of sacrifice.
From him in whom they have put together their (sacrificial) works
and their prayers, the sacrificer desires blessings.
4. The father of sacrifices, the
miraculous lord of those who know prayers (?), Agni, is the measure
and rule of the sacrificers; he has entered the two manifold-shaped
worlds; the sage beloved by many people is glorified in his
foundations.
5. The gods have established here in
great beauty Agni the bright with his bright chariot, whose every
law is golden, Vaisvânara who dwells in the waters, who finds
the sun, the diver, the swift one covered with strength, the quick
one.
6. Agni, spreading out with his
thought the manifold-adorned sacrifice, together with the gods and
with the people of Manus, goes as a charioteer to and fro with (gods
and men) who accomplish the sacrifice, the quick, domestic (god),
the dispeller of curses.
7. Agni, be wakeful in our life which
may be blessed with offspring; swell with sap; shine upon us (plenty
of) food. Stir up vigour and the great ones, O watchful (god). Thou
art the Usig (or willing one) of the gods, the
good-minded (lord) of prayers.
8. The lord of the tribe, the
vigorous guest, the guider of prayers, the Usig
(or willing one) of those who invoke him, Gâtavedas, the
light of worship—him men constantly praise with adoration, with
solicitations for their welfare.
9. The resplendent, joyous god, Agni
on his chariot, has with his might encompassed the dwellings. May we
honour in our house with beautiful prayers his commands who is
rich in manifold prosperity.
10. O Vaisvânara, I love thy
statutes by which thou hast found the sun, O far-seeing one. When
born thou hast filled the worlds, heaven and earth; Agni, thou
encompassest all these (beings) by thyself.
11. For Vaisvânara's wonderful
deeds he the sage alone has by his great skill mightily let loose
(his powers?). Agni has been born exalting. both his parents, Heaven
and Earth, rich in seed.
Agni Puráńa
"That Puráńa which describes the
occurrences of the Íśána Kalpa, and was related by Agni to
Vaśisht́ha, is called the Ágneya: it consists of sixteen thousand
stanzas." The Agni or Agneya Puráńa derives its name from its
having being communicated originally by Agni, the deity of fire, to
the Muni Vaśisht́ha, for the purpose of instructing him in the
twofold knowledge of Brahma.
The Agni Purana is sacred because it
tells us about the essence of the brahman (the divine
essence).
Agni Purana: The Incarnations of
God
Avatars
Do you know what an avatara is? An
avatara is an incarnation and means that a god adopts a human form
to be born on earth. Why do gods do this. The purpose is to destroy
evil on earth and establish righteousness. Vishnu is regarded as the
preserver of the universe and it is therefore Vishnu’s incarnations
that one encounters most often. Vishnu has already had nine such
incarnations and the tenth and final incarnation is due in the
future. continue...
Agni Purana: Buddha, Kalki, and
Creation
Buddha and Kalki
The ninth avatara of Vishnu was Buddha
and the tenth will be Kalki.
Many years ago, there was a war
between the devas and the asuras in which the demons managed to
defeat the gods. The gods went running to Vishnu for protection and
Vishnu told them that Mayamoha would be born as Buddha, the son of
Shuddhodana. Such were the illusions that Buddha created, that the
asuras left the path indicated by the Vedas and became Buddhists.
These dastardly creatures performed ceremonies that were a sure
ticket to naraka. Towards the end of the Kali era, all people will
be dastardly. They will oppose the Vedas, become robbers and will be
concerned only with wealth. The disbelievers will then become kings
and these kings will also be cannibals.
Much later, Kalki will be born on
earth as the son of Vishnuyasha. He will take up arms to destroy
these disbelievers. Kalki’s priest will be the sage Yajnavalkya. The
norms of he four classes (varna) and the four stages of life
(ashrama) will be established yet again. People will honour the
sacred texts and become righteous. It will then be time for the dawn
of a new satya yuga, a fresh period of righteousness.
In every cycle (kalpa) and in every
era (manvantara) Vishnu is thus born in various forms. It is a
sacred duty to listen to the stories of the ten avataras. The
listener attains his desires and goes to heaven.
Creation
Agni next told Vashishtha the history
of creation.
Vishnu is the Lord of creation,
preservation and destruction. Before creation, it was only the
brahman that was everywhere. There was no day, night or sky.
continue...
Agni Purana: Hellish Planets, Charity,
and the Gayatri Mantra
Gayatri Mantra
Gayatri mantra is a very powerful
incantation.
The human body has many veins. Out of
these, ten veins are important and their names are Ida, Pingala,
Sushumna, Gandhari, Hastijihva, Pritha, Yasha, Alambusha, Huha and
Shankhini. These veins bear the breath of life. The breath of life
is called prana vayu. Apart from prana vayu, nine other major
breaths course through the human body. Their names are Apana,
Samana, Udana, Vyana, Naga, Kurma, Krikara, Devadatta and
Dhananjaya.
Gayatri is a goddess worshipped even
by Vishnu and Shiva. This goddess is there everywhere, even in every
individual’s heart in the form of a swan. Gayatri mantra is an
incantation to the goddess. If one chants the mantra seven times,
one’s sins are forgiven. Chanting it ten times means that one
attains svarga. To attain worlds (lokas) which are even more
desirable than svarga, one has to chant gayatri mantra twenty times.
If one chants the mantra a hundred and eight times, one does not
have to be born again. The severest of sins, like killing cows,
brahmanas or parents, are forgiven if one chants the mantra a
thousand times. Gayatri mantra has always to be preceded by the
chanting of the sacred syllable Om. continue...
Agni Purana: Destruction, Yoga, and
Knowledge of Brahman
Yoga
Yoga is the way to circumvent the
miseries of life. True knowledge is that which informs one about the
true nature of brahman or paramatman. The atman or jivatman is that
which characterises an individual. Yoga means union, it is the union
of the jivatman with the paramatman. Yoga concentrates one’s mind on
the paramatman.
The first prerequisites of yoga is
non-violence. A non-violent person is always righteous. The second
requirement of yoga is truthfulness. The third prerequisite is
celibacy. The fourth is controlling one’s senses and the last is the
worship of god. One who practices yoga should not go around
collecting material possessions. A piece of cloth, a covering
against the cold, and a pair of sandals are possessions enough for
him.
Before meditating on the true nature
of the paramatman, one has to seat oneself in a proper asana
(posture). The piece of cloth on which one is to sit should be
placed in a clean place. One sits on such a seat and tries to purify
one’s atman by controlling one’s mind and senses through yoga. The
head and the neck should be held straight up, motionless. The point
of vision should be directed towards the tip of one’s nose. One
should not look in any direction. The arms should lightly rest on
the folded thighs and the right hand should be placed, palm upwards,
on the left palm. Padmasana (lotus position) is one such recommended
posture.
The breath of life (prana vayu) has to
be controlled. This process of control is known as pranayama. A
finger is placed on the nose when the breath is being exhaled. The
entire breath should be exhaled from the body. Since rechana means
exhalation, this process of control is known as rechaka. When the
breath is inhaled, the inhalation should be such that it fills the
entire body. Since puraka literally means ‘that which fills’, this
process of control is known as puraka. When the breath is neither
being exhaled nor inhaled, one sits completely still like a kumbha
(pot) and this is known as kumbhaka. Pranayama makes one healthy,
swift, enthusiastic, strong and collected. Since the senses are
controlled, one goes to heaven and avoids going to hell. Material
pursuits are like the strong current of a river. The atman drowns in
it.
Pranayama alone is not enough. It has
to be supplemented with dhyana of japa (meditation and
contemplation). One contemplates the true nature of the paramatman.
The body is like a chariot. The senses are its horses, the mind is
the charioteer and pranayama is the bridle. An individual who dies
while performing dhyana is immediately assimilated with
Vishnu.
Dhyana involve four different things,
all of which must be in complete harmony. The first is the
meditator, the second is the act of meditating, the third is the
object that one is meditating upon and the fourth is the reason why
one is performing the mediation. One does not have to; sit in a
rigid posture for dhyana to be possible. It can be done while one is
walking, sitting or even sleeping. The important aspect is to
establish the object of one’s meditation in one’s heart.
There are different ways of
establishing one’s concentration. As an object of meditation, one
can meditate on three concentric circles which are black, red and
white. In the centre of the circles is a divine lotus. The lotus has
eight petals. One thinks that detachment is the stem of the lotus
and praying to Vishnu its stamen. Right in the centre of the lotus
is a pure spark of fire and that is the paramatman. Alternatively,
one can visualise the paramatman in a blaze of light, in the centre
of the lotus. Dhyana is far far superior to any yajna that one might
perform.
One particular form of deep and
intense meditation is known as samadhi. The meditator is then
completely still, as calm as the ocean. He loses all track of the
outside world. He does not hear, smell, see or touch. His mind has
no wishes and feels nothing. He is completely united with god. Such
a meditator automatically gets to know all the knowledge that can be
gleaned from the Vedas or the shastras. He can obtain all the
material possessions that he wants, but he regards them all as no
more important than a blade of grass.
Such a meditator attains supreme
knowledge. If you look at various pots full of water, you will find
that the same sky is reflected in them all. Supreme knowledge tells
one that, exactly similarly, it is the same atman that is
everywhere. It is the atman which is the same as the paramatman, it
is this atman that is in the water, in energy, in water, in the
earth and in metals. The atman is everywhere.
The Knowledge of The Brahman
Brahma jnana is the knowledge of
brahman. This knowledge, which gives the ultimate bliss, is nothing
but the sense that the individual atman is identical with the
universal brahman or paramtman. The physical body is not the atman.
Nor are the senses the atman. The mind or intelligence is not the
atman. Life itself is not the atman.
The atman is different from all the
objects that have been mentioned above. The atman is in an
individual’s heart. It sees everything and senses everything, but is
different from the physical body. It is this that sages contemplate
when they meditate. The sky was created from the brahman, from the
sky came wind, from wind fire, from fire water, from water the earth
and from the earth the five elements. One has to meditate on the
physical body gradually disappearing and merging into the
brahman.
The brahman is neither true nor
untrue. It has neither form nor is it without form. The brahman has
several parts, but at the same time it is an integral whole. The
brahman cannot be described. It cannot be achieved through the power
of action. The brahman is always pure. It has no ties and it is the
true form of happiness. What is required is the sense that it is I,
the individual, who am the brahman. I am nothing but the atman and
the atman is nothing but the brahman. This sense is true knowledge.
The brahman is the Lord who is the origin of everything and the
individual is part of the brahman. It is this knowledge that frees
one from the ties of the world and this is what brahman jnana is all
about.
The brahman is not the earth; it is
beyond the earth. The brahman is not the wind, nor is it the sky.
The brahman has no beginning; it is independent of all action. The
brahman is huge; it is everywhere. The brahman not only has no form,
it is beyond all form. The brahman cannot be heard. It cannot be
touched. The brahman has neither intelligence nor mind. It has no
sense of ego or vanity. It does not have life, birth, old age or
death.
The brahman is neither happy nor
unhappy. It does not feel hungry or thirsty. It cannot be measured.
At the same time, it is both nothing and everything.
Life has five possible ends. By
performing yajnas one can attain heaven. By performing tapasya one
can become an ascetic. By performing actions one can attain
brahmaloka. By detachment from material pursuits (vairagya) one can
merge oneself into nature. And by true knowledge the individual gets
absorbed into the divine essence. This is known as kaivalya.
Detachment means to withdraw oneself from the effects of all
actions. And knowledge means the knowledge that the atman is no
different from the brahman. This is known as jnana yoga (the yoga of
knowledge). continue...
The Gita
Krishna had taught Arjuna the lessons
of the Gita on the plains of Kurukshetra. The Agni Purana now
relates the essence of the Gita.
If physical body is alive, that is no
reason for rejoicing. Just as, if the physical body is dead, that is
no reason for mourning. The atman does not die. It does not decay,
it cannot be destroyed and it is immortal. The atman does not
warrant any tears that might be shed over it. people who are
addicted to sensual pleasures cannot realise this. The person who is
addicted to the atman alone has no desire for anything else. He had
no action to perform. He had neither gains nor losses. The knowledge
of this is like a raft that rescues one from the flood of
illusions.
Biblical Passages and Verses
The Fire is
God's Presence
The angel of Yahweh appeared to him in
the shape of a flame of fire. —Ex.
3.2
Yahweh
went before them...in the form of a pillar of fire to give them
light. —Ex.
13.21
Where could I go to escape your
spirit?
Where could I flee from your presence?
If I climb the
heavens, you are there,
There too, if I lie in Sheol.
—Ps.
139.7-8
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire. —Lk.
3.16
Something appeared to them that seed like
tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of
each of them. —Acts
2.3
Our God
is a consuming fire. —
Heb.12.29
... the fire will test the quality of
each man's work...If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he
himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the
flames. —1 Cor.
3.13b...15
Introduction of the Goddess of
Prosperity, Śrí.
Vishnu Purana, Book I, Chapter
VIII
PARÁŚARA.--Śrí, the bride of Vishńu,
the mother of the world, is eternal, imperishable; in like manner as
he is all-pervading, so also is she, oh best of Brahmans,
omnipresent. Vishńu is meaning; she is speech. Hari is polity
(Naya); she is prudence (Níti). Vishńu is understanding; she is
intellect. He is righteousness; she is devotion. He is the creator;
she is creation. Śrí is the earth; Hari the support of it. The deity
is content; the eternal Lakshmí is resignation. He is desire; Śrí is
wish. He is sacrifice; she is sacrificial donation (Dakshiná). The
goddess is the invocation which attends the oblation; Janárddana is
the oblation. Lakshmí is the chamber where the females are present
(at a religious ceremony); Madhusúdana the apartment of the males of
the family. Lakshmí is the altar; Hari the stake (to which the
victim is bound). Śrí is the fuel; Hari the holy grass (Kuśa). He is
the personified Sáma veda; the goddess, lotus-throned, is the tone
of its chanting. Lakshmí is the prayer of oblation (Swáhá);
Vásudeva, the lord of the world, is the sacrificial fire. Saurí
(Vishńu) is Śankara (Śiva); and Śrí is the bride of Śiva (Gaurí).
Keśava, oh Maitreya, is the sun; and his radiance is the
lotus-seated goddess. Vishńu is the tribe of progenitors
(Pitrigana); Padma. is their bride (Swadhá), the eternal bestower of
nutriment. Śrí is the heavens; Vishńu, who is one with all things,
is wide extended space.
The lord of Śrí is the moon; she is
his unfading light. She is called the moving principle of the world;
he, the wind which bloweth every where. Govinda is the ocean;
Lakshmí its shore. Lakshmí is the consort of Indra (Indrání);
Madhusúdana is Devendra. The holder of the discus (Vishńu) is Yama
(the regent of Tartarus); the lotus-throned goddess is his dusky
spouse (Dhúmorná). Śrí is wealth; Śridhara (Vishńu) is himself the
god of riches (Kuvera). Lakshmí, illustrious Brahman, is Gaurí; and
Keśava, is the deity of ocean (Varuna). Śrí is the host of heaven
(Devasená); the deity of war, her lord, is Hari. The wielder of the
mace is resistance; the power to oppose is Śrí. Lakshmí is the
Kásht́há and the Kalá; Hari the Nimesha and the Muhúrtta. Lakshmí is
the light; and Hari, who is all, and lord of all, the lamp. She, the
mother of the world, is the creeping vine; and Vishńu the tree
round which she clings. She is the night; the god who is armed with
the mace and discus is the day. He, the bestower of blessings, is
the bridegroom; the lotus-throned goddess is the bride.
The god is one with all male--the
goddess one with all female, rivers. The lotus-eyed deity is the
standard; the goddess seated on a lotus the banner. Lakshmí is
cupidity; Náráyańa, the master of the world, is covetousness. Oh
thou who knowest what righteousness is, Govinda is love; and
Lakshmí, his gentle spouse, is pleasure. But why thus diffusely
enumerate their presence: it is enough to say, in a word, that of
gods, animals, and men, Hari is all that is called male; Lakshmí is
all that is termed female: there is nothing else than
they.
Mother of the World, by
Nicholas Roerich
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