Dakshiṇāgni
Dakshiṇāgni · dakshiṇa-agni, “the southern fire”
Grammar: masculine noun; a compound of dakshiṇa (southern) and agni (fire): “the southern fire”.
Meaning: the southern of the sacred fires kept for the Vedic yajña, set beside the Āhavanīya and the Gārhapatya.
In the scriptures: at Daksha‘s yajña, when Satī had given up her life and Rudra‘s followers took up weapons to kill Daksha, Bhṛgu Maharshi, the adhvaryu, offered a homa into the dakshiṇāgni with a Yajurveda mantra that destroys those who spoil a yajña, and the devatās called the Ṛbhus appeared at once (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapter 4). Vīrabhadra, who could not bear the reviling of Bhagavān Śiva, offered Daksha’s head as an oblation into the dakshiṇāgni, set the yajña-maṇḍapa on fire and returned to Kailāsa (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapter 5).
Tvashṭā, who had lost his son Viśvarūpa, performed a homa for one who would slay Indra, with a mantra meaning “O slayer of Indra, grow, and without delay kill the enemy!” From the dakshiṇāgni came out a purusha of fearsome form, like Rudra who destroys the worlds at pralaya, growing every day on all sides by the measure of an arrow (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 9). Śuka tells Parīkshit that this was Citraketu, born as a rākshasa from Tvashṭā’s dakshiṇāgni and famous everywhere as Vṛtra, who had both knowledge and direct experience of the ātmā (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 17).
Bhagavān Śiva told Sudakshiṇa of Kāśī: “With the brāhmaṇas, worship the Dakshiṇāgni, who has the form of the ṛtvik, by the abhicāra rite; that Agni will appear surrounded by the Pramatha gaṇas, and if it is used against one who is not devoted to brāhmaṇas, it will fulfil your resolve.” The fire rose against Dvārakā, was turned back by the Sudarśana cakra, and burned Sudakshiṇa and his ṛtviks (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 10, Chapter 66).
Related terms: Āhavanīya · Gārhapatya · Agni · Homa · Abhicāra · Yajña
Sources
- Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapters 4–5; Skandha 6, Chapters 9, 17; Skandha 10, Chapter 66