Agni, the messenger

In the Vedic vision Agni, the fire god, is the messenger (dūta) and the priest of the gods. He receives the offering and carries it to the deity to whom it is addressed. The very first verse of the Ṛgveda begins “agnim īḷe purohitam” — “I praise Agni, the priest placed in front.”

Fire also transforms: what is offered becomes light, heat and fragrance. Many people see in this a symbol of offering one's own ego and impurities into the fire of devotion.

Ṛgveda 1.1.1

Homam — the sacred fire offering · Ask a Jyotishi your own question