अग्निर्हि जानिं पूर्व्यश्छन्दो न सूरों अर्चिषा।
Agni, the ancient one, is born. He is the will. He is like the sun in splendour (8.7.36.).
Above Mantra describes Agni as will. What kind of will Agni is?
अग्ने तमद्याश्व न स्तोमैः क्रतुं न भद्रं हृदिस्पृशंम्।
ऋध्यार्मा त ऑहेः ॥
O Agni! We decorate you with bearing Mantras. You resemble a horse. You are now the heart-touching auspicious will (4.10.1).
अग्निर्होता कविक्रेतुः सत्यश्चित्रच॑वस्तमः । दे॒वो दे॒वेभि॒रा ग॑मत् ॥
Agni is invoker. He is the will of seers. He is truth. He is excellent in spiritual audition. May he the god come with other gods (1.1.5.).
By this Mantra it is clear that Agni is the will of seers. Generally Kratu has three meanings-will, Yajna and awareness. Here, it is certain that Kratu means will, resolve or the deciding faculty. This is how Shankara interprets the word Kratu while commenting on a Mantra in Shukla Yajur Veda (40.17.). Kratu may have many meanings. But Chanda has only one meaning and that is will or the deciding faculty.
What can be the wish or will of a seer? Who is a seer? Seer is the one who sees behind the things. One who has transcended the ego-based likes and dislikes, egoistic prejudices. What will can he have? The will he has is the aspiration of Api universal welfare.
त्वम॑ग्ने य॒ज्ञां होता विश्वेषां हितः । देवेभिर्मानु॑षे जनें ॥
Agni You are the invoker in Yajnas being welfare to all. You are established by gods in humans (6.16.1.).
नहि तें पूर्तमक्षिपद्भुव॑न्नेमानां वसो। अथा दुवों वनवसे ॥
O Agni! Your service to the beings does not fail. O refuge! You serve even the little ordinary beings (6.16.18.).
In essence, the ritual fire is the symbol of anything which we decide for the sake of welfare to all, or any will or decision of us attuned to the welfare of all. We communicate with the gods only with this will of universal welfare. That is why Agni is a messenger and invoker of gods. If Agni is psychological as we see here, other gods too are illumining forces in our psyche about which we are going to see. We get recognition of our inner potentials, the illumining forces in our psyche, only by first invoking the fire, the will of universal welfare in us.
If Vedic fire is the will of universal welfare, oblation or ghee we offer to the fire is the thought we submit to that will.
आ म॑नीषामन्तरिक्षस्य॒ नृभ्य॑ः स्रुचेव॑ घृतं ज॑हवाम वि॒िद्मना।
I submit my mental impulsion through meditation to the gods of heaven like offering the clarified butter in a vessel (1.110.6.).
Clarified means butter psychologically understanding. Actions are fire sticks. Submitting our thoughts and actions to the aspiration of universal welfare is the internal Yajna.
स संस्तिरों वि॒िष्टिः सं गृभायति जानन्नेव जानतीर्नित्य आ र्शये।
पुन॑र्वर्धन्ते॒ अप॑ि यन्ति दे॒व्य॑म॒न्यद्वप॑ः पि॒त्रोः कृ॒ण्वते॒ सर्चा ॥
The hidden eternal Agni who lies in heart gets expanded and grasps the knowing oblations aware of them. They grow and go to divinity, and fashion a fresh form for their parents i.e. body and mind (1.140.7.).
वेदि॒षद॑ प्र॒यर्धामाय सुद्युते॑ वा॒सिम॑व॒ प्र भ॑रा॒ योनि॑म॒ग्नयें।
वस्त्रेणेव वासवा॒ मम॑ना॒ शुचिं ज्योतीर॑थं शुक्रव॑र्ण तोहन॑म् ॥
Submit the source (heart) like oblation for effulgent Agni, who dwells in altar and whose abode is love. Cover him, the god of splendorous movement, the pure, lightful and destroyer of darkness (1.140.1.).
Here source is taken to be heart, based on the
Mantra of Yajurveda. या ते अग्ने यज्ञिया तनूस्तयेष्यारोहात्मानं । अच्छा वसूनि कृण्वन् । यज्ञो भूत्वा यज्ञमासीद स्वां योनिम् ।
O Agni! May you ascend on soul with your Yajna-form making assets. Being Yajna, reside on Yajna, your source.
त्वाम॑ग्ने समिधानं य॑विष्ठ्य दे॒वा दूतं चक्रिरे हव्य॒वाह॑नम्। उ॒रुज्रय॑सं घृतयो॑न॒माह॑तं त्वे॒षं चक्षुर्दधिरे चोद॒द्यन्म॑ति ॥
O the youngest fire! Gods bear you, the kindled, the oblation bearer, the speedy, the repository of light, splendorous and the eye that impels the mind (5.8.6.).
[Acknowledgement: This article is an excerpt from Dr. R. Rangan’s The Veda: My Passion.]
