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Vedic Roots of Hindu Iconography
R. Nagaswamy
CHAPTER-4
The Face of Agni: Agni Mukham
Agni Mukham
The Hindus are followers of Vedic Religion which emphasizes all forms of worship with Fire offerings - called Agnikārya. The invocation of Agni and offerings marks the beginning of all rituals.
The “kindling of fire” and initial offerings to Agni is called the “face or entry of Agni” (Agni-mukha). All invocations to fire offerings begin with the preparation of an altar and kindling the fire in that altar with Vedic chants.
Preparation of the Altar
The following is the ritual connected with it:
The ground where the altar is made is cleaned, and a square spread of white rice is made about a span in measurement (nine inches square). With one dharbha grass three lines from west to east are drawn on the rice spread and with another grass three lines from south to north are drawn. (This would divide the square into a grid of nine equal sub-squares. This gave rise to what is known as Vāstu-pada vinyāsa in temple architectural lay out.) Then symbolically touching water (as a mark of purifying hands) the dharbha grass is thrown in the south western direction of the square and then water is touched again to clean the hand.
Coming of the fire
Usually the wife or the mother of the performer brings the fire from the domestic kitchen. The fire is power and it is always the women who maintain Agni. This fire is tended in the kitchen by the wife or mother of the performer in an unbroken succession and represents the family fire that has come down from generation to generation. The presence of married woman is always required for performance of fire offerings which shows the importance of woman in Hindu rituals. The plate in which the fire is brought is sprinkled with water and rice to cool the plate and make it auspices.
The fire is established in the altar with the chant “bhūr, bhuvaḥ, suvaḥ om” to indicate that the fire is three fold in nature namely the terrestrial fire, Agni, and the celestial fires the sun and the moon. The invocation is to the three forms of fires which is now established in the altar and the offerings made is for all the three fires.
Pure water in a small pot is placed in the east. The fire is kindled with twigs and the fire is encased with darbha grass beginning from the east. The eastern and western grass should have their points facing north. The northern grass should face its points to east while the southern one should have its points facing west. No point should face south. This encasement is like a fortification for the Agni.
Utensils and their purification
The following utensils are used in the offerings. One principal sacrificial ladle called śruk and another secondary ladle called śruva, a bowl for water, another bowl for worship (praṇītā) and dry wooden palāsa twigs and hundred and eight dharbha grass are the instruments and sacrificial material. Two rings are made out of dharbha grass, one worn by the worshipper in his right ring finger and the other purified sacred grass (pavitra). All the material used in the worship are touched with the pavitra grass before use as a mark of purification.
Water bowls
The bowl meant for sprinkling water is taken and placed to the west of fire and later placed between the worshipper and the fire. It is filled with water and rice (akṣata). Then all the articles used in the worship are sprinkled with this water and the bowl with water is placed to the right of the worshipper.
Invocation of Lord Varuna
The other bowl is now taken and placed in front of the performer and this bowl is now filled with water and a small quantity of rice. The water from this bowl is sprinkled three times towards east and then the bowl is held nose high of the performer and then installed to the north of Agni. Then the bowl is covered with dharbha grass to cover the waters. This water is now invoked as Lord Varuṇa and adored with all pūjā -worships. By this action the Lord Varuṇa gets invoked.
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Invitation to supervise
Then the performer requests a Vedic Brahmin to act as “the Brahma” for the whole ritual, saying “I salute you and invite you to be the Bramha” for this ritual “brahmaṇam tvām vṛṇimahe”. The invited Brāhmaṇa should respond saying “Let it be so” (tatā-astu). (This is to ensure that a knowledgeable priest supervises the proper performance of the ritual.)
The Ghee
The fire worship mainly consists of pouring melted ghee into the fire. The ghee melted else where is poured into a bowl and a dharbha grass is placed on the ghee. The grass is the purifying agent for all actions. The bowl with ghee is placed to the north of the Agni on a hot ember as a symbol melting the ghee initially.
A dharbha grass is lit in the fire and shown around the bowl of ghee as a mark of purification after which the burning grass is thrown in the south western direction. Three pointed ends of grass are thrown into the bowl of ghee. Again a lit grass is shown around the bowl of ghee and thrown in the northern direction. Now the bowl is moved from the hot coal and the ember is thrown into the fire.
The bowl of ghee is placed in front of the performer, and the ghee is stirred three times with the purified grass (pavitra). After this the knot of the pavitra is untied and the grass is thrown into the fire with its point facing east.
All these exercises are to get the ghee ritually and physically melted, purified and got ready for the sacrifice. As a mark of this purification the bowl of ghee is shown in the fire and kept before the performer.
Purification of Sacrificial ladle
The next ritual is purifying the sacrificial ladles which are always made of wood. The principal and secondary ladles are purified by showing them in fire, cleaned with ghee (a mark of conditioning the wood of the ladle). Again they are shown in fire and sprinkled with waters and kept. The grass used in purifying the ladles is thrown into the fire.
Encircling the fire
The next ritual deals with Agni. The sanctified waters are poured as streams around the fire with the prayer :- (F.C. 4)
Oh Goddess Aditi, be pleased to approve.
Oh Goddess Anumati be pleased to approve and
Oh Goddess Sarasvati be pleased to approve
Oh Lord Savita be pleased to create.
South — oṃ adi̱te'nu̍manyasva
West — oṃ anu̍ma̱te'nu̍manyasva
North — sarasvate'nu̍manyasva
All sides — deva savita̱ḥ prasu̍va
This prayer is first addressed to Aditi, the Goddess Earth; the second to the celestial Goddess, Anūmati and the third to Sarasvati, the Goddess of poetic hymn that will be recited in the process and finally to the God Savita, who is the creator. The prayer to the Goddess earth is addressed to approve the lighting the fire on earth. The celestial Goddess is invoked as the offering is meant to reach the celestial sphere. Goddess Sarasvati is invoked to make the recited word-sounds perfect without blemishes. The Vedic tradition attaches great importance to correct pronunciation for bearing full results and it is Sarasvati who would make it so. The God Savita stimulates intellects and so is addressed to give clarity of mind for performing the sacrifice.