Agni, the fire-God, second only to Indra in the Vedic mythology of ancient India. He is equally the fire of the sun, of lightening, and of the hearth that men light for purposes of worship. As the divine personification of the fire of sacrifice, Agni is the mouth of the gods, the carrier of the oblation and the messenger between the human and the divine orders.
Agni is one of the three supreme deities of the
Rig Veda, i.e. Agni, Vayu and
Surya. These three Gods preside over earth, air and sky respectively. In Rig Veda, largest numbers of hymns are addressed to Agni. Agni is the son of Angiras and the grandson of Sandila, one of the seven great sages. Vishnu Puran, however, claims that Agni is the eldest son of Brahma. His wife is Swaha and through his marriage he has three sons, Pavak, Pavman and Suchi.
Agni is described in the scriptures as ruddy-hued and having two faces-one king and the other severe. In Hari Vans, Agni is clothed in black and has smoke as his standard and carries a flaming javelin. He has four hands and rides in a chariot drawn by red horses. Agni Purana is said been recited by Agni himself to sage Vashist. It has portions on ritualistic and mystic methods of worship, the art of wars the laws of Hindus and glorification of Shiva.
