Brahmarshis’ Stotra to Agni

This is the stotra that the assembled Brahmarshis sang in praise of Bhagavān Agni, the deva of fire, after he led the devas to a great victory over the army of the daityas. It is found in the Harivaṃśa Purāṇa, Bhavishya Parva, chapter 61. It praises Agni as the cosmic fire in all creation, the carrier of offerings between the worlds, the purifier, and the one who holds up the sacred order.

The setting

In the Bhavishya Parva, the Harivaṃśa tells of a long series of wars between the daitya forces of Bali and the devas. These wars were fought in the time before the Vāmana avatāra. At many points in the fighting the daityas seemed to be winning. Then a decisive turn came. Bhagavān Agni, the fire who carries all offerings and who is the fire at the heart of every yajña and of all digestion, led the army of the devas in a great attack. The army of the daityas broke before it. The daityas could not stand against the power he showed.

After this great victory the Brahmarshis gathered. These were the great ṛshis who had seen the battle. They recited a Sanskrit stotra in praise of Bhagavān Agni. The Harivaṃśa Purāṇa tells this in the Bhavishya Parva, chapter 61.

The themes of the stotra

Agni as the cosmic fire

The stotra praises Agni not only as the deva of the fire we see, but as the cosmic fire that lies under all things. This is the heat inside the sun, the fire of digestion inside every living being, the lightning in the clouds, and the power of change at the heart of creation. He is present in every act of offering and in every change.

The carrier of oblations

Agni is called the highest go-between of the human and the divine worlds. Every āhuti (oblation) poured into the fire is carried by Agni to the deva it is meant for. He is the mouth of the devas. He is havyavāhana, the carrier of the havis (the offering). Without Agni, the holy link between the world of people and the world of the devas would be cut.

The purifier

The stotra stresses Agni’s work as the great purifier. Fire makes pure all that it touches. It purifies bodies after death, it purifies offerings before they reach the devas, and it purifies the hearts of those who keep the sacred fire. Nothing impure can pass through Agni and stay impure.

The warrior in the service of dharma

Because the stotra follows a great victory in battle, it also praises Agni as the divine warrior who fights for the cause of dharma. The daityas, who had broken the sacred order, were overcome by the same sacred fire that carries the cosmic yajña.

Where the stotra stands

The stotra stands in the part of the Bhavishya Parva that tells of the wars between Bali and the devas. It comes straight after the victory on the battlefield. In it the ṛshis recognise the divine power that worked through Agni in that battle to set dharma in order again.

Sources

• Harivaṃśa Purāṇa, Bhavishya Parva, Chapter 61