Why Agni Got Cursed by Bhrigu Maharshi

A rakshasa came into Bhrigu Maharshi's ashrama and abducted his wife. Rakshasa claimed that she was his wife. Her father, when she was a child, once said, 'Come rakshasa, come take her, she is yours,' to make her stop crying.

This very same rakshasa was present there at that time. From that time, he had assumed that she was his. But then, instead of giving her to him, the father got her married to Bhrigu Maharshi.

He checked with Agni, who was present in the yaga shala of Bhrigu Maharshi — 'Isn't this the same woman?' Agni said yes. He abducted her.

Puloma, Bhrigu's wife, was pregnant. In anger, the baby inside the womb came out, became a ball of fire, and destroyed that rakshasa. This child is Chyavana.

This much we have seen. The story doesn't end there.

When Bhrigu Maharshi came to know about this, he became very angry. He asked Puloma, 'How did the rakshasa make out that it was you? How did he identify you?' She said that the rakshasa asked Agni and he confirmed.

Bhrigu Maharshi cursed Agni: 'You will become sarva bhakshi.' Until then, Agni would consume only holy offerings. Hereafter, due to the curse, he will have to consume everything — pure, impure, everything.

Agni tried to justify his action. 'I only said the truth, the fact. Am I not supposed to be truthful and impartial always? Am I not supposed to observe dharma? Anyone who gives false testimony will send seven generations before him and seven generations after him to suffer in naraka. I could not have remained silent also. When being asked — if you know the truth but remain silent — even that is equal to lying. Lying and not revealing the truth — both are dishonesty.

'Agni said, 'I can also curse you in return. I have the power to do that, but I will not, because I have respect for you.

'But think about it. Whatever is offered in me is what devas and forefathers consume. I am their mouth. Only holy offerings are submitted in me. But due to your curse, if I have to eat unholy and impure stuff also, then that will also go to the devas and forefathers. Is this what you want to achieve? I will lose my purity. Devas and forefathers being forced to consume even unholy stuff will lose their purity also. Their bodies will become impure. Because what is submitted in me is what gets absorbed in their bodies — becomes their bodies.

'Agni thought, I will not do this. I will no longer be the carrier for devas and forefathers. I don't want to be party to something which will make devas and pitrus impure.'

Agni stopped appearing in homa kundas. In yagas and homas, Agni could not be ignited. He would not come only. All the rishis became worried. What will they do without Agni? Without Agni, offerings cannot be made to devas and forefathers. They will start starving. They will lose all their power. They are protectors of the world. If they become weak, then the negative powers will take over. What is going to happen to the world?

They went to devas. All of them together went to Brahmaji and complained.

Brahma Deva called in Agni and asked him, 'How can you do this? Without you, the world will perish. You are the one and only energy that runs the world. You are creator, sustainer, and eliminator. Understand this — creation needs energy, sustenance needs energy, elimination needs energy. All forms of energy — they are all different manifestations of thermal energy only. Thermal energy is Agni.' This is what Brahmaji is pointing out here.

'So you please come back into action.

Even though Bhrigu has cursed you, you will not become impure, ever. Because you will consume impure objects only using flames in your apana desha — flames near your excretory organs:

न त्वं सर्वशरीरेण सर्वभक्षत्वमेष्यसि अपाने ह्यर्चिषो यास्ते सर्वं भक्ष्यन्ति ताः शिखिन

Understand this point here. This is very important.

When you do homa, in the Agni where you offer ahuti is important. Just like we have organs, Agni also has mouth, eyes, ears. Ahuti should be offered in Agni's mouth only. Where is this?

यतः प्रज्वलितं वह्निस्तन्मुखं जातवेदसः

Where the flame is strong and high — that is where you have to offer ahuti. Then it is pure, eligible for devas' and forefathers' consumption. If you pour ghee, let's say, on the firewood which is within the kunda where flames are not there, then you are pouring ghee on Agni's ears.

You should know all these. Then only yajnas and homas will give results.

There is no escape from Bhrigu's curse. But Brahma Deva is clarifying certain points. Your entire body is not impure. The flames in your mouth are still pure. The impurity in your apana desha will not affect the purity of your mouth.

Now another point — as per the shapa, Agni will become sarva bhakshi. He will have to eat raw meat and even dead bodies. Agni, when it consumes raw meat, is called Kravyadagni. In many procedures, this part or this aspect of Agni is separated and removed from Agni before starting the homa. It is like how you remove your footwear before you enter a holy place.

But still, Brahma Deva says — anything submitted to Agni, even if it is impure, it is impure only until it is burned. Once it is burned, then it becomes pure. The ash is always pure.

तथा त्वदर्चिर्निर्दग्धं सर्वं शुचि भविष्यति

But what was Agni's fault?

Puloma got married to the rakshasa due to an unintentional blabber of her father. She got married to Bhrigu by the power of Veda mantras. Agni did not differentiate between the two. He should have taken the side of the Maharshi and said, 'You have no right to touch her.' Because the power of Veda mantras supersedes everything else.

In the first case, there was no intention, and it was just worldly words. This, Agni should have thought about. He should have advised the rakshasa. That he didn't do.

In spite of his advice also, rakshasa may have done the same thing. But in that case, Agni would not have been responsible.

Did you get the point?

This kind of clarity is what Mahabharata is all about.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi