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Agni is a deity of fire in three religions:

• In Hinduism, he is a deva, second only to Indra in the power and importance attributed to him in Vedic mythology.
• In Zoroastrianism, he is an ahura, son of Ahura Mazda.
• In Buddhism, he is a lokapala guarding the South-East.

As a Hindu deity, he is sometimes said to be Indra's twin, and therefore a son of Dyaus Pita and Prthivi. Alternatively, he is a son of Kasyapa and AditiIn Hinduism, Aditi ("limitless") is a goddess of the sky, consciousness, the past, the future and fertility. She is an ancient goddess, mother of Agni and the Adityas by Kasyapa, though she is occasionally said to be married to Brahma, with whom she is th or a Queen who kept her pregnancy secret from her husband. Another version claims he has ten mothers, also sisters, who represent the ten fingers. Some stories claim he destroyed his parents when he was born because they could not care for him; this is a symbol of the two sticks which, when rubbed together swiftly, create fire (called a fire drillA fire drill is a method of practicing for a real fire in a building. Generally, the emergency system (usually an alarm) is activated and the building is activated as though a real fire had occurred. Usually, the time it takes to evacuate is measured to e). He is married to SvahaIn Hinduism, Svaha is a minor goddess, wife of Agni. She was originally a nymph but became immortal after marrying Agni, with whom she is the mother of Karttikeya. Whenever fire sacrifices are made, "Svaha" is changed, as per Agni's order. Alternative: Sw and father of Karttikeya by either Svaha or Ganga. He is one of the Ashta-DikpalasIn Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism, the Ashta-Dikpalas are the eight gods who rule the eight directions. They are: # Agni Southeast # Eesana Northeast # Indra East # Kubera North # Nirrith Southwest # Varuna West # Yama South # Vayu Northwest The gods of, representing the southeast.

His name is the first word of the first hymn of the Rigveda: "Agni, I entreat, divine appointed priest of sacrifice."

The sacrifices made to Agni go to the godThis article focuses on the concept of singular, monotheistic God . See deity, gods, or goddesses for details on divine entities in specific religions and mythologies. God is a term referring to the supreme being generally believed to be ruler or creators because Agni is a messenger from and to the gods; but, at the same time, he is more than a mere messenger, he is immortal. Another hymn runs: "No god indeed, no mortal is beyond the might of thee, the mighty One." He lives among men and is miraculously reborn each day by the fire-drill, the friction of the two sticks which are regarded as his parents. He is the supreme director of religious ceremonies and duties, and even has the power of influencing the fate of each man in the future world. Agni is also representative of the power which digests the food in every person's stomach. He created the stars with the sparks resulting from his flames.

He is worshipped under a threefold form: fire on earth, lightning and the sun. His cult survived the metamorphosis of the ancient Vedic nature-worship into modern Hinduism, and there are fire-priests (agnihotri) whose duty is to watch over his worshippers. The sacred fire-drill for procuring the temple-fire by friction -- symbolic of Agni's daily miraculous birth -- is still used.

In art, Agni is represented as red and two-faced (sometimes covered with butter), suggesting both his destructive and beneficent qualities, and with black eyes and hair, three legs and seven arms. He rides a ram, or a chariot pulled by goats or, more rarely, parrots. Seven rays of light emanate from his body.