99 - Eulogy of Agni and fire. 

There was formerly a very irascible muni named Bhuti, to whom everything was subservient—he left his hermitage once and put his disciple Shanti in charge—The sacred fire went out, and Shanti in consternation offered up a long prayer and eulogy to Agni. 

Markandeya spoke:

1       Hear next thereafter about the birth of Bhautya, and about the gods, the rishis, his sons and the kings of the earth in his period. 

2 There was a disciple of Angiras, by name Bhuti, very irascible, a muni who used to invoke bitter curses for a small matter, and who spoke harshly on the occasion of a transgression. 

3 At his hermitage Matarishvan blew not very fiercely, the sun caused no excessive heat, nor Parjanya

4 excessive mud, nor did the moon even when full cause excessive cold with its rays, through fear verily of that 

5 irascible and very glorious muni. And the seasons, abandoning their course, produced flowers and fruit at all times on the trees that grew in his hermitage according to his 

6 command. And the waters that flowed near his hermitage glided on according to his pleasure, and when taken into

7 his water-pot were frightened at that high-souled muni. He was impatient of excessive trouble and was exceedingly irascible, O brahman. 

And that illustrious muni having no son set his mind on

8 austerities. Desiring a son, restricting his food, exposing himself to cold, wind and fire, he fixed his mind on austerities indeed with the resolve, “I will practice austerities.”

9 The moon did not tend to make him very cold, nor the sun to make him very hot, nor did Matarisvan blow on him

10 severely, O great muni. And Bhuti, best of munis, being

greatly pained by the couples of opposite canses* did not obtain that desire and bo ceased from his austerities.

* Heat and cold; and so on.

11 His brother was Su-varchas. Being invited by him to a sacrifice and being desirous of going, Bhuti said to his highminded

12 disciple named Sh’anti, who was calm, who had the measure of religious knowledge,† who was well-behaved, always zealous in the guru’s business, observant of good customs, noble, an excellent muni. 

† Aksha-pratima; a difficult word.

Bhuti spoke:

13 I shall go to the sacrifice of my brother Su-varchas, O Sh’anti, being summoned by him, and do thou listen to what

14 thou must do here. Thou must keep watch over the fire in my hermitage thus and thus diligently, so that the fire may not become extinguished. 

Markandeya spoke:

15 Having given this command and receiving the answer “Yea” from his disciple Sh’anti, the guru went to that his brother’s sacrifice, being summoned thereto by his younger brother. 

16 And while Sh’anti is fetching fuel, flowers, fruit and other things from the forest for that high-souled guru’s maintenance, and is

17 performing other business, being faithfully obedient to his guru, the fire which was the root of. his welfare †† died out

†† Bhuti-parigrahah; a pun on the words.

18 daring that interval. Seeing the fire had died out, Shanti, sorely distressed and afraid of Bhuti, fell, though of great intellect, into manifold anxiety, thinking— 

19 “What am I to do? or how will the guru’s return be? I must accomplish something now; what, when done, would

20 be a good thing done? If my guru sees this extinguished fire occupying the hearth, he will assuredly devote me at

21 once because of it to some grievous calamity. If I kindle another fire here in the fire-place, then he who sees everything

22 visibly § will of a surety turn me into ashes. As such I am sinful on account of the wrath and curse of that guru. I do not grieve so much for myself as for the sin committed against

§ Agni.

23 the guru. The guru on seeing the fire extinguished will certainly curse me, or Agni will be angry. That brahman is

24 truly of such immense power! With what fitness will not he, under whose command the gods live in terror of his majestic power, assail me who have committed sin!” 

Markandeya spoke:

25 After pondering thus in many ways, being always afraid of that guru he, best of intelligent munis, sought refuge with

26 Agni. Controlling his mind then he offered a hymn to the seven fires; and with thoughts intent on them he joined his hands and knelt down on the ground. 

Sh’anti spoke

27 Om! Reverence to the high-souled perfecter of all created things, to him who has one, two and five side-altars at the

28 raja-suya sacrifice, to the six-souled god! Reverence to the very brilliant one, who gives their functions* to all the gods, to him who has Sh’ukra’s form! Thou bestowest permanence 

* Or “means of subsistence.” 

29 on all the worlds. Thou art the mouth of all the gods! The oblation that is taken by thee, O adorable one,† cheers all the

† Instead of tvayattum bhagavan havih, the Bombay edition reads tvayattam bhagavan havih, which I have adopted. 

30 gods! All the gods have their life-breath in thee! The oblation saciificed in thee turns into a fiery †† cloud; and afterwards the modification which it undergoes in the form of

†† Anala-megha in the Bombay edition is preferable to amala-megha “a pure cloud.”

31 water, by that comes the growth of all herbs, O wind-chario

32 teered god. Upon all the herbs animals live in happiness. Men perform sacrifices among the herbs also which thou hast created. With sacrifices also gods and Daityas and Rakshasas like

33 wise are fattened, O Purifier; those sacrifices have thee for their support, O Fire. Hence thou art the origin of everything; and

34 thou, O Fire, art composed of everything. The gods, Danavas, Yakshas, Daityas, Gandharvas and Rakshasas, men, cattle, 

35 trees, deer, birds and reptiles are all fattened and nourished up by thee, O Fire. From thee indeed they take their birth, and in thee likewise they meet their dissolution at the end. 

36 Thou, O god, createst the “waters, thou again indeed consumes fc them, and by thee they are rendered wholesome to he

37 the source of nourishment for breathing beings. Thou abidest among the gods under the form of glowing light* among the Siddhas with loveliness, among Nagas under the form of poison, among birds under the form of wind: 

* Tejo-rupena. 

38 Among mankind thou art anger; among birds, deer and other animals thou art silliness;† thou art stability among trees; thou art hardness with reference to the earth; 

† Mohah. 

39 thou art fluidity in water, O adorable god; and thou hast the form of swiftness in the wind; thou Moreover, O Fire, with thy faculty of permeation abidest as soul in the 

40 sky. †† Thou, O Fire, who art the end of all created beings, movest about safe-guarding them. Wise men style thee one;

†† The Bombay edition reads nabhasi tvam vyavasthitah instead, “thou abidest in the sky,” omitting “as soul.” 

41 again they style thee three-fold. § Having fashioned thee in eight ways, they fashioned the original sacrifice,||. Supreme 

§ The three kinds of saorifioial fire, garhapatya, ahavaniya and dakshina.

|| The Bombay edition reads instead yajna-vaham akalpayan, ““having fashioned thee in eight ways they fashioned (or esteemed) thee to be him who conveys the sacrifice to the gods.” 

42 rishis say this universe was created by thee. Without thee verily the whole world would perish at once, O Fire. A twice born man proceeds on the course which is ordained by his own 

43 actions, when he has paid worship to thee with oblations to the gods, oblations to deceased ancestors and other offerings after uttering the words svadha and svaha. Living beings have in truth the innate power of modification, ¶ O thou who 

¶ Parinamatma-virya. The Bombay edition reads -viryani, a plural nenter instead of a singular feminine noun; but it means the same. If parinama, “alteration,”‘“modification,” means “adaptation,” this passage is a remarkable anticipation of modern scientific generalization.

44 art honoured by the Immortals. Flames issuing from thee, Moreover,* burn up all created things. most brilliant Jata-vedas,† thine verily is this creation of the universe! 

* Tvatto, “from thee,” would seem preferable to tato, “Moreover,.”

† A name of Agni. 

45 Thine are the Vedic ceremonial and the world which consists of all created things. Reverence to thee, O yellow-eyed

46 Fire! Reverence be to thee, O consumer of oblations! O Purifier, reverence be to thee now; reverence to thee, O bearer of oblations to the gods.†† Thou verily art the maturer of the universe by reason of thy maturing§ things that are

†† The Bombay edition inserts a line here— “Thou indeed art the purifier of the universe because of thy purification of all existing things.”

47 eaten and drunk. Thou art the maturer of the crops; and thou art the nourisher of the world. Thou verily art cloud,

48 thou art wind, thou art seed that produces the crops. Thou indeed hast been, and shalt be, and art for the nourishing of all created things. Thou art light among all created things;

49 thou art the illuminating Sun. Thou art day, thou also art night; and thou art both the twilights. Thou hast golden semen, O Fire; thou art the cause of the production of

50 gold; and thou hast gold within thy bosom; || thou hast lustre like unto gold! Thou art a muhurtta, and thou a

§ Pach’aka and pachana; the metaphor is from “cooking “with fire.

||Hiranya-garbhas. 

51 kshana; thou art a truti and thou a lava; ¶ thou existest in the form of kalas, kashthas, nimeshas and other periods of time, O lord of the world. Thou art all this universe. Thou art Destiny, which consists in continuous change. 

¶ Various measures of time. 

52 Thy tongue which is called Kali brings about the conclusion at the fated time, O lord; ly it** preserve us from fear, from

** Instead of bhayat, “from fear,” the Bombay edition reads taya, “by it.”

53 sins and from the great terror of this world! Thy tongue, which is named Karali †† is the cause of the great dissolution of the world; by it preserve us from sins and from the great

†† “Formidable.”

54 terror of this world! And thy tongue which is called Manojava* is characterized by the quality of lightness; by it preserve

* “Swift as thought.” 

55 us from sins and from the great terror of this world! Thy tongue which is called Su-lohita† accomplishes their desire for created beings, by it preserve us from sins and from the

†“Very red.” 

56 great terror of this world! Thy tongue which is called Sa-dhlumra-varna†† causes sickness among breathing beings, by it preserve us from sins and from the great terror

††” Smoky-coloured.” 

57 of this world! And thy tongue which is called Sphulingini,§ because it is altogether shapely, by it preserve us

§ “Having sparks of fire.” 

58 from sins and from the great terror of this world! And thy tongue which is called Vishvasa-da|| bestows blessings on breathing beings; by it preserve us from sins and from

|| For vishva sada vishvasa-da; “bestowing confidence”; the Bombay edition reads vishva-srija, “creating the universe.” 

59 the great terror of this world! Yellow-eyed, red-necked, black-pathed¶ consumer of oblations, save me from all faults;

¶ Krishna-vartman “blaok-pathed “of the Bombay edition is better than krishna-varna “black-hued “of the Calcutta edition. 

60 deliver me here from worldly existence! Be gracious, Q seven-flamed Fire, O Krishanu, O bearer of the oblations to the gods! Thou art proclaimed by the eight names of Agni,

61 Pavaka, Sh’ukra and the rest. O Agni, O thou who didst spring up before all created beings,O Vibha-vasu, be gracious, O thou who art palled the Carrier of the oblations to the gods, O changeless one whom I extol! 

62 Thou art Fire imperishable, thou hast inconceivable beauty, thou prosperest greatly, thou art hard to be endured,** exceedingly ardent : or thy surpassing valour, which is changeless and terrible, vanquishes him who injures all the worlds.†† 

** For dush-prahaso read dush-prasaho as in the Bombay edition.

†† This passage appears to be corrupt. It runs thus in the Calcutta edition: -

Tvam a-vyayam bhimam a-shesha-lokam

Samurtako hanty athavati-viryam.

which seems unintelligible. The Bomhay edition reads;-

Tava-vyayam bhimam a-shesha-loka-

Savardhakam hanty athavati-viryam.

and I have followed it except as regards the word sa-vardhakam which seems incorrect. By comparing the two versions it may be conjectured that the proper reading should be sam- mardakam, or sam-indhakam or some such word, and I have ventured to translate it by the general phrase, “who injures.” 

* Or “goodness,” sattva. The Bombay edition reads tattva, “essential truth.” 

63 Thou art the sublime principle of being,* that dwells in the lotus-heart of every being,† unending, worthy of praise. By thee was stretched out this universe which comprises what is moveable and immoveable. O consumer of oblations, thou 

† For -pundarikas tvam the Bombay edition reads -pundarika-stham, which seems preferable. 

64 art one in many forms here! Thou are undecaying; thou art the earth with its mountains and forests; thou art the sky that holds the moon and the sun; thou art everything that exists daily; †† and thou art the submarine fire that is held within the bosom of the great ocean; thou standest with 

†† Ahar-divakhilam. 

65 superhuman power in thy hand. § Thou art always, worshipped as the ‘Consumer of oblations’ at the great sacrifice by great rishis who are devoted to self-restraint; and when extolled thou drinkest the soma at the sacrifice, and eatest the oblations also, that are offered in fire with the exclamation 

§ Or, “in thy ray of light,” hare. The Bombay edition has a wholly different reading here;

Bhavan vibhuh pivati payamsi pavaka.

“Thou as lord drinkest the waters O Fire!”

66 vashat, for thy well-being. Thou art longed for || continually by brahmans here for the sake of recompense; and thou art sung of in all the Vedangas. For thy sake brahmans, who are zealously devoted to sacrificing, study the 

||I hyase; bat the reading in the Bombay edition ijyase, “thou art sacrificed unto,” is better

67 Vedangas at all times. Thou art Brahma who is devoted to sacrificing, and also Vishnu, goblin-ruling Shiva, Indra lord of the gods, Aryaman, and water-dwelling Varuna. Both the sun and moon and all the gods and Asuras gratifying thee

68 with oblations obtain from thee much-prized rewards. Everything, though corrupted with grave malady to the utmost degree, becomes pure when touched by thy flames. Of ablutions the most excellent by far is that which is performed with ashes; therefore munis wait upon thee pre-eminently at evening.*

* The Bombay edition inserts a, short verse here : — “After doing that, people, who have easy self-control, by means of real faith gain heaven which is sung of by multitudes.” 

 69 Be gracious, O Fire, who art named the Pure! Be gracious, O Air, who art unsullied and exceedingly brilliant! Be gracious unto me now, O purifying Fire who comest from lightning!† Be gracious, Consamer of oblations! Protect

† For vaidyutadya the Bombay edition reads vaidyutabha, “who hast a lightning-like splendour.’’ 

70 thou me! With the auspicious form that is thine, O Fire, and with the seven flames that are thine—when praised by us protect us therewith, O god, even as a father protects the son whom he has begotten!