Jātavedas (Brother of Agni)
Jātavedas · jāta-vedas, “knower of all that is born”
Deva-tīrtha has other meanings too: see all meanings of Deva-tīrtha. Agni Tīrtha has other meanings too: see all meanings of Agni Tīrtha. Madhu has other meanings too: see all meanings of Madhu. Āgneyatīrtha has other meanings too: see all meanings of Āgneyatīrtha.
Jātavedas was the brother of Agni, very dear to him: excellent, skilful, the bearer of havya (the offerings to the devas). While he was carrying the havya to the devas, the powerful daitya Madhu, son of Diti, slew him at the āśrama of the ṛshis on the bank of the Gautamī, and from his death came the tīrtha known as Agnitīrtha. He is a being distinct from Agni himself, though Jātavedas is also the first of Agni’s own names.
His death and Agni’s grief
Brahmā tells Nārada the glory of Agnitīrtha, which gives the fruit of all yajñas and removes every obstacle. As Jātavedas was carrying havya to the devas, at the āśrama of the ṛshis on the banks of the Gautamī, Madhu, the powerful son of Diti, killed him while the chief ṛshis and the devas looked on. With Jātavedas dead, the devas received no havya.
Overwhelmed by anger at the death of his dear brother, Agni entered the waters of the Gaṅgā. Then the devas and human beings began to lose their lives, for they are agnijīvas, those whose life is in Agni. The devas, ṛshis and pitṛs went to the place where Agni had entered the water and praised him: “Without fire we will not live. Revive the devas with havya, the pitṛs with kavya (offerings to the pitṛs), and all human beings by the cooking of food and the sprouting of seeds.”
Agni answered: “My brother, who was very strong, is gone. Jātavedas, who always did his duty working for you, has met this end; while your work is done, my fate may be the same as his. I am not eager to work for you.” The devas and ṛshis promised him long life, love for his work, the power to move from world to world, and the prayājas and anuyājas (the fore-offerings and after-offerings of the yajña): “You are the excellent mouth of the devas. All āhutis are given to you first, and we shall partake of what is given by you.” Agni was pleased, and became able to carry havya to the devas and kavya to the pitṛs, powerful and fearless everywhere. The devas drew him out of the water and performed his abhisheka; he became Sarvaga, moving everywhere, with two abodes, one on earth and one in svarga.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 28
The tīrtha
The place is called Agnitīrtha and also Vahnitīrtha. About seven hundred tīrthas of great puṇya arose there; Devatīrtha, Āgneyatīrtha and the Jātavedasa tīrtha are all there, with a many-coloured liṅga established by Agni. A self-controlled man who bathes or gives dāna in this tīrtha gains the fruit of an aśvamedha and more, splendid and without lack, and by the darśana of that liṅga one obtains the fruit of all yajñas.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 28
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 28