The Secret of Agni (Agni
Rahasya)
The Journey of the Soul through the Kingdoms of Nature
Update 2001, from new edition from Voice of India
By David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri)
© 1996-2001 All rights reserved
In ancient Vedic thought, the individual soul was symbolized by fire. Our
inner soul, hidden like a secret flame deep within our hearts, abides
inextinguishable throughout all our states of consciousness of waking, dream and
deep sleep. It endures as the witness through our every birth and death, through
all the many sojourns in the various worlds and planes of existence of our
soul's vast manifestation.
The Rigveda-the oldest of the Vedas and perhaps the key to our ancient
spiritual heritage as a species-begins characteristically with the image of the
fire sacrifice as a universal metaphor, the underlying process of all existence.
This spiritual fire sacrifice indicates that all our thoughts and actions are
offerings to our soul in order to help it grow and evolve in consciousness as it
moves through the world of nature on its way back to the Godhead or Brahman.
This fire was called Agni, meaning the inner guide (agra-ni). Agni is the
Divine child, seed or embryo (kumara, putra, sunu, sishu, garbha, napat), the
spiritual consciousness that enters into creation and builds it up from within.
Agni contains the essence, the source and the matrix of who we are and all that
we can become. All the forces of nature are the mothers of this Divine child
that nothing can limit or overcome. Agni is the mystery of our birth and death
and the doorway to the infinite and the eternal.
Let us take a quick look at the journey of this Divine flame or Agni because
it is the journey of our own souls. Of course, one could write volumes on this
process. In this short article, we can however touch a few of its rays and
shadows on the different levels of our world.
Agni, symbolically the Divine fire child, represents the soul on Earth that
evolves through the world of nature. The soul is like a flame that moves through
the kingdoms of nature both creating them and participating in them. It is the
fire that develops their particular substances and structures and becomes the
beings or life-forms which inhabit them. Yet this Agni is not only fire but also
color, heat and light, which are the outer factors of fire, and inwardly life,
perception and consciousness, which are the inner factors of light.
Each one of us is a flame, a form of Agni, which is the light that lights our
body, senses, breath, mind and consciousness. We are fire beings, not simply as
portions of a material fire but as manifestations of a spiritual and universal
fire (symbolized by the God Shiva or Rudra). All that we see is a form of fire,
light, color, heat, energy or motion and spiritually is the great God Agni. And
as a manifestation of Agni, we are all that as well.
Where does this flame of the soul come from? It is a portion of the solar
fire that has descended into the Earth, which in turn the Sun receives from the
light of consciousness (Chit-tejas) behind time and space and from the lords of
universal life and karma (the Bhrigu and Angirasa Rishis).
The Soul in the Mineral Kingdom
Agni or fire is the ruling deity or spirit of the Earth in Vedic thought,
just as the Wind or Vayu is deity of the Atmosphere and the Sun or Surya is the
deity of Heaven. This is not only a statement of mysticism or Yoga but also one
of science. The planet Earth has a fiery core as science has revealed. This is
its portion of the solar fire that it received at the time of the formation of
the solar system.
Agni or the individual soul's (Jivatman's) first level of manifestation is
the mineral kingdom. Science teaches us that all the rocks on Earth originate,
directly or indirectly, from only one source, which is volcanic activity, or
through the Fire inherent in the Earth as it bubbles to the surface. This
'mineral fire' is a manifestation of the Earth fire or fire at the planet's
core.
The mineral or volcanic fire has several forms. The first is the fire that
erupts in volcanoes, which builds up extrusive igneous or fiery rocks. The
second is the fire that builds up the great mountain ranges of the Earth. It
does not reach the surface in a molten form and builds up intrusive igneous or
fiery rocks, like granite, which become the backbones of the continents.
The dominant mineral on Earth is silica and quartz, which has a capacity to
reflect light, showing its connection to Agni. The mineral kingdom manifests
various qualities of Agni like color, heat and light. This is most obvious in
gemstones and in metallic ores, particularly gold, which is the main and purest
form of Agni in the mineral realm. The mineral fire builds up various crystals
that are the first forms of life and possess great conductive powers for cosmic,
spiritual and physical healing forces. That is why gemstones are so important in
Vedic healing.
The most obvious outer mineral or Earth form of Agni is the mountains.
Mountains are built up by Agni or volcanic activity deep within the earth and
rise like a flame to reach the Heavens. Indeed the mountains are said to be the
houses of the Gods or cosmic powers that can descend and perceive this earth
through the eyes of the mineral kingdom. The mountain is the main mineral
manifestation of Agni or the soul, which reflects the cosmic mountain as a
universal image, the different levels on the pyramid of existence. There are
many sacred rocks, like sacred pillars, in which the Divine fire can be
worshipped or like Shiva lingas.
This Earth Fire is connected to the Water Fire, which is also part of the
mineral realm and the interrelated rock and water cycles. The third form of the
mineral fire is the 'oceanic fire' that builds up the ocean floor, which exists
in the mid-ocean ridges. The oceanic fire both heats and energizes the waters,
and strange new forms of life have recently been discovered deep in the ocean,
living on its heat and the sulphur-based minerals that arise from it.
Water on the surface of the Earth brings in an additional portion of the
solar fire from the sunlight that is reflected upon it. Water can receive light
and through it conceive life. The solar fire descends and impregnates the
Waters. This is quickened by an additional spark of fire that comes into water
from the lightning and is transmitted through the rain. Lightning is part of the
atmospheric fire, which itself is magnetically connected to the earth or
volcanic fire.
The atmosphere also participates in the unfoldment of the mineral soul.
Atmospheric forces break down the rocks through the wind and water-
the forces of the weather-and help turn them into the soil necessary to
nourish plant life. The soil is the ultimate product of mineral evolution and
sets the stage for the plant evolution to follow.
The mineral kingdom itself has many domains as igneous, metamorphic and
sedimentary rock, as minerals, metals, gems and fossils, as the continental
plates and the ocean floors. Those who look deeply into the forms of the mineral
kingdom can discover their own soul and contact the Divine fire working through
it.
The Soul in Plants
The combination of these earthly, watery, mineral, atmospheric and solar
fires gives rise to life through the plant kingdom, which is the second level of
manifestation of Agni or the individual soul (Jivatman). Plants use minerals to
build up their tissue structure, which is earthy in form. The bioelectric or
lightning fire gives plants their Prana. The sap of plants carries a fiery
energy or heat. It is a kind of pranically energized water containing nutrient
minerals. So the plant fire is more of a water fire, while the mineral fire is
more an earth fire.
Agni, the soul that was asleep in the rock, now wakes in the plants. It
develops a new form which is the Agni or fire of photosynthesis. The digestive
fire of the plants has the unique ability to digest sunlight and turn it into
energy, which it conducts through its water or juice.
Plant material contains fire in many forms. Plants are generally combustible
as in the case of wood, dry grass or peat. Plant remains in the Earth like oil
and coal create our fossil fuels, which are our main energy sources today.
Plants manifest fire in the form of color in a more evident way than the rocks,
particularly as flowers, but also as colored fruit, bark and leaves. Fiery plant
derivatives include spices, oils and resins that can burn. All of these plant
qualities are new plays of Agni, new displays of our own soul, which finds a
feminine beauty in the plant kingdom. The plant kingdom itself has many domains
as trees, herbs, grasses, lichens and mosses.
Plants are also dwellings of the Gods, particularly the Goddesses, who dwell
in flowers and herbs. The most developed of plants is the tree, which is the
main plant form of Agni or the soul. Trees are the human beings in the plant
kingdom and they carry the energies of the Gods who can descend into them. Trees
mirror the universal process of the One being becoming many forms and branches,
which is the image of the cosmic tree. That is why sacred trees are common
objects of worship in ancient and nature-based religions. Great yogis and
mystics have always frequented forests where the plant force and energy of peace
acts as a powerful catalyst for their meditations.
In Vedic thought, the fire that is naturally produced through the rubbing of
the wood of certain sacred trees is especially powerful. It is the very life
fire in manifestation, not simply a material fire. Through such a natural fire
Divine forces can descend into our environment and purify them. In fact, all
creatures and all worlds are essentially plant-that is, organisms which contain
fire and convert sunlight or starlight into energy and consciousness.
Connected to the mineral soul which sustains, the plant soul dwells in the
ground, particularly in the roots of plants, where it is held in the bosom of
the mineral fire. The plant is unable to move or to heat itself, so it requires
the protection of the heat of the earth.
Those who look deeply into the forms of plant kingdom can discover their own
soul and contact the Divine fire working through it.
The Soul in Animals
The plant soul or Agni over time evolves into the animal soul, which produces
a new abundance of mobile creatures. Agni that woke in the plants now moves in
the form of the animals. The animal realm brings in several powerful new types
of Agni.
First is the digestive fire or fire in the belly (Jatharagni) that is able to
digest food, whether of plant or animal origin. While plants passively get food
from light, animals must actively find it. Each animal contains a zone of fire
within it, a digestive system around which its physical body is built.
Second are the appropriate sense and motor organs designed to find and grasp
food, along with the mind necessary to direct the process of food-seeking.
Animals develop limbs mainly to find food or to catch it. Their sensory acuity
develops mainly in the search for food. Their mental cunning develops primarily
from hunting or searching for food. They are the intelligence of food.
Third is breathing or respiration, which allows animals to move. In this
regard, Agni or fire brings in Vayu or wind, the atmospheric force, which allows
such motion to occur. Vayu descends into the animal through the help of the
digestive fire, which in turned is sustained by the heat of the breath. The
animal is a living fire in motion. The digestive fire and the fire of
respiration go together and are connected through the circulatory system. The
animal fire, centered on food, is connected to other vital passions like sex and
the development of territorial boundaries. It builds up the kingdoms of the
senses and of instinct. The animal kingdom itself has many domains as
amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, humans and even insects.
Animals demonstrate many aspects of fire in their colors, bodily heat and
passions. Their fur, feathers, markings and sense organs reflect the forms of
fire. Animal matter is not as combustible as plant matter, but oils and fats
derived from animals are flammable. Of these, the best animal oil is ghee or
clarified butter, which is the ultimate material transformation of sunlight
through grass and cow's milk. Ghee is said to be the best offering for the
sacred fire. Its quality is that of the nerve tissue (Majja dhatu) in
creatures.
In fact, in Vedic thought, the main animal manifestation of Agni or the soul
is the cow. This is the basis of the sacred cow in Hindu culture. The cow
symbolizes the nurturing force of nature in general that suckles and carries our
soul or Agni. Another important sacred Agni animal is the horse, which manifests
speed, energy or Prana.
While minerals manifest the earth fire and plants manifest the water fire,
animals have a more 'fiery fire', as it were. In them fire is quite impetuous
and hard to tame or control. Animals are like a wild fire on the earth. Mammals,
the most evolved of animals, are very fiery creatures. Their digestive fire is
strong and allows them to live in cold climates (as opposed to reptiles that are
cold-blooded). It produces a warm red blood, along with powerful and aggressive
senses and great powers of movement and adaptation. Generally, carnivores have
stronger animal fires than vegetarian animals. It makes them more cunning but
also more prey to powerful hunger and thirst.
Those who look deeply into the forms of animal kingdom can discover their own
soul and contact the Divine fire working through it.
The Soul in Human Beings
The human soul or Agni is the ultimate result of the evolution of the animal
soul and of the plant and mineral realms as well. It evolves a new type of Agni
as intelligence (called buddhi, dhi, prajna, kratu or medha in Vedic thought),
manifested by our manual and vocal skills, our unique hands, mouths, brains and
nervous systems.
Humans have not only an instinctual mind that can find food and protect the
body, but an intelligence that can digest ideas and discover the nature of truth
beyond all bodily concerns. They can look beyond the outer forms of nature to
its inner spirit. They have a conscience and can discern right from wrong and
truth from falsehood. Through this higher intelligence, they can develop
philosophy, art, religion and spirituality.
The human fire of intelligence can extend the range of the sense and motor
organs by developing various tools, machines, vehicles and instruments, which
has produced modern computers and the mass media. We can delve into nature with
such tools and extract her animal, plant and mineral essences as metals, gems,
fibers, dyes, spices, oils and medicines. We can develop our own plants
varieties and breeds of animals, becoming mini-creators of our own.
The human kingdom itself has many domains or breeds including different
races, ethnicities, cultures and languages and various social orders as priests,
warriors, merchants, farmers, intellectuals, artists and so on, each with its
own type of Agni, fire or activity.
However-and most unfortunately-our human species is not yet very evolved,
being probably a young species that has yet to manifest its real potential and
the higher aspects of its intelligence. The animal fire still burns strong
within us, but without the grace of nature that the animals have to keep it in
harmony with the world of nature. We have cultivated an artificial animal fire
through meat-eating, the use of intoxicants, excessive sexuality and a cult of
aggression and violence that pervades much of our culture extending even to our
religions. Instead of using our higher intelligence to breed a higher human
type, we have turned it into an artificial cunning that is destroying the very
planet on which we live. We have bred a human species that is against both
nature and the spirit, trapped in a world (a concrete jungle) not of spiritual
intelligence but of artificial intelligence and artificial cravings.
The human soul that should be the crowing glory of nature and the protector
of the Earth is trampling upon the very animals, plants and even rocks through
which it evolved and which are its mothers. This is because we have forgotten
our soul, our Agni, our flame portion of the Divine light. We have lost touch
with our heart, our origin and our goal. Our artificially cultivated ego has
become our dominant motive force and it is fed with the dark fires of greed,
lust and ambition. This is the tragedy of our current civilization and the
global crisis it has created. Instead of promoting the Divine light, we have
created a false Agni or fire of consumerist desires that may end up destroying
ourselves as well as our environment. In little more than a century, our
species, almost like a disease, has devastated the beautiful planet that gave it
birth.
As human beings, we are or should be the intelligence of fire. Fire was our
first guru and guide in the infancy of our species. It taught us how to cook our
food, how to forge metal and many other skills of early humanity. It taught us
our first religion, our most ancient rituals, and functioned as our first
doorway into the cosmic mind. Today we need to return to that original fire
spirit and discover its inner message.
While minerals represent the earth fire, plants the water fire, and animals
the fire fire, humans can manifest the air fire. Through the cosmic air element
the human fire can transcend form and enter into the cosmic spirit. We can
liberate the soul fire from its bodily limitations so that it can freely move
through the entire universe. We can free the bird of the soul from its bodily
shackles.
The Soul in Yoga
Yoga's main concern is a higher human evolution-the manifestation of the soul
or Agni in its full glory, to turn the human being into a universal being. The
fire of Yoga is meant to turn our crude human nature into something genuinely
spiritual, to replace our egoic mindset with pure awareness beyond desire. It
can help us realize our higher human potential which is universal.
One of the earliest sections on Yoga in the Upanishads states, "First
yogically controlling the mind and extending the power of intelligence,
discerning the light of the fire from the Earth, the solar Creator carried it
upwards." (Svetasvatara Upanishad II.1).
The Agni or flame within us naturally seeks to return to his Divine solar
home. Our soul's fire is the Divine will within us to return to God. We must
bring that spiritual fire out of the Earth of our hearts to illumine our lives
and reconnect us with the greater universe of consciousness.
All the different practices of Yoga serve to develop Agni on different
levels. Asana practice purifies and balances the digestive fire (Jatharagni).
Pranayama purifies, balances and energizes the pranic or breath fire (Pranagni).
Pratyahara or internalization purifies and internalizes the fire of the sense
and motor organs (Indriya-agni), particularly the eye and speech, which are the
main forms of Agni in the sense and motor organs. Dharana or concentration
focuses and heightens the fire of the mind (Manasa-agni). Dhyana or meditation
increase the fire of wisdom (Buddhi-Agni). Samadhi or absorption merges us into
the Divine fire to transform our consciousness at a soul level (Jiva-Agni).
So too, the different paths of Yoga cultivate different forms of fire. Jnana
Yoga or the Yoga of knowledge burns our samskaras and karmas in the fire of
knowledge (Jnana-agni). Bhakti Yoga or the Yoga of devotion burns our lower
passions in the fire of Divine Love (Prema-agni). Karma Yoga burns our egoistic
impurities in the fire of sevice (Seva-agni). Raja Yoga, the integral Yoga,
burns our conditioned habits in the fire of Samadhi. Hatha Yoga, the Yoga of
psycho-physical practices, use Yoga postures and Pranayama to purify the body
and mind.
We must learn to sublimate our fire from an animal to a Divine level. This is
not to suppress it or try to put it out but to take it to a higher level of
manifestation. It requires the fire of austerity and simplicity (tapas),
recasting the base metal of our lower humanity into the pure goal of the
enlightened nature. This is the Yogic fire alchemy. In this process, a new form
of the Divine fire, the Kundalini force, which is a higher aspect of the Pranic
fire, arises from the base of the spine and carries our consciousness upwards
out the top of the head and into the higher consciousness beyond all time and
space.
The Universal Soul
Through the process of Yoga, the individual soul can expand into the
universal soul, which is the real goal of our journey through Nature. In Vedic
thought, the individual soul is called Agni Jatavedas, the knower of all births.
As the Rishi Vishvamitra states (RV III.1), "Oh Agni, these your eternal births
for you the ancient we proclaim anew. Hidden in all births is the knower of all
births. By the sages he is enkindled inextinguishable." We must learn to awaken
at the level of the soul and the spiritual heart, as beings of consciousness
seeking immortality through many bodies and many births. We must awaken to our
Divine mission of Self-realization, not just for our individual needs but for
the evolution of life and consciousness in the world of nature.
This Divine fire is born within all creatures as their soul and sense of
Self. Through Yoga it expands into the universal and becomes Vaishvanara Agni,
meaning the fire as the universal soul person. In the process Agni unfolds all
the Gods or Divine powers (the Vasus, Rudras and Adityas of Vedic thoughts) and
takes us through all the worlds or realms of consciousness from the Earth to the
highest formless heavens (the Lokas and Rochanas of Vedic thought). Notably,
Agni unfolds the Lords of Dharma as the great Gods, Varuna and Mitra, who
symbolize the truth principles of purity and compassion. Agni merges with the
descending Vayu or electrical/lightning force of Indra (truth perception), which
destroys all ignorance and brings the soul into the infinite.
As the Rishi Bharadvaja states,
"The eternal light is placed within us for the vision, the swiftest
consciousness among the moving senses. All the Divine powers of common mind and
common perception follow perfectly that single Will.
Wide moves my ears and wide my eyes facing this light that is placed within
the heart. Wide moves my mind in a deep understanding. What can is say, indeed
what could I think?
All the Gods surrendered to you in awe, Oh Fire, as your enduring throughout
the Darkness. May the universal soul (Vaishvanara) protect us with his grace.
May the immortal one protect us with his grace."
Bharadvaja, RV VI.9.7
Whatever we see on Earth is a form of Agni. All human beings are forms of
Agni. The Sun, Moon and stars in the sky above are also forms of Agni. The
highest form of Agni is the Brahmagni (Agni or Brahman or the Absolute). This is
the Agni of pure being (sat). This is Shiva, the fire that creates, preserves,
destroys and transcends the entire universe.
May that Agni awaken in you! May all human beings manifest the Divine Fire
and restore the Divine Light to this troubled world!
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
"May we abide in the favor of the universal Fire, for he is the ruler
resplendent over all the worlds. Manifesting from us he perceives the entire
universe. The universal Fire spreads himself through the Sun.
Present in Heaven, Agni is present on Earth. Present here he has entered into
all the plants. The universal Fire by his sudden power is present everywhere.
May he protect us by day and by night."
Rishi Kutsa, RV I.98.1-2 |
