A
Figure of Vedic Religion
Agni — the fire that carries.
Priest of the gods and god of the priests: every offering poured into fire travels by Agni, so every rite begins with him.
Names & titlesAgni
DomainFire — the mouth by which the gods eat
Depicted asTwo-headed, seven-tongued, present in every hearth and altar
StandingThe indispensable intermediary: no offering reaches heaven except through him
Understanding it — context, not catechism: how this passage is held
Agni is second only to Indra in Rigvedic hymn count and is the more structurally important of the two: fire is the mouth that eats the offering and the messenger that carries it, so every sacrifice begins with him. He is present in the household hearth, the funeral pyre, the lightning, and the sun, which makes him the one god who is unambiguously here. The Rigveda's very first word is his name.
The same ground, other faiths
claims that share this one's ideas
Sandhyavandana — the joints of the day.
Hinduism · rite
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Chanting.
Buddhism · rite
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Shabbat — the day of rest.
Judaism · rite
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The hours.
Christianity · rite
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Salat — the five daily prayers.
Islam · rite
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Kirtan Sohila — the last five hymns.
Sikhism · rite
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