Talk:Gṛhasthāśrama:Agni and the Vedic Religion

By Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swami

The householder has the duty of performing a number of rites in the sacred fire. Aupāsana is the first of them. Agni is of the utmost importance to the Vaidika religion. This deity is called Agni-Nārāyaṇa. The hymns to Rudra also show that he has a connection with the god of fire. In Tiruvaṇṇāmalai (in Tamil Nadu) Īśvara revealed himself as a mountain of fire. In Kerala there is the custom of worshipping Ambā [the Mother Goddess] in the form of light (in the flame of the lamp); the idol or yantra is not important. The goddess is invoked in the lamp itself. We speak of Subrahmaṇya who originated from Śiva’s third eye as fire incarnate. Thus Agni is of great importance to us. According to researchers, the term Ārya means fire-worshipper. Fire worship is the dominant feature of the religion of Zoroastrianism, which is a branch of Vedism.

The sacred fire should keep burning and glowing in home after home. Ghee, milk, and other oblations offered in it will produce the aroma that will bring health and mental uplift to all.

I have already stated that whatever the deity invoked in a sacrifice, the oblation must be placed in the sacred fire.