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Fire Is Heaven's Mouth

The Vedic agnihotra, an offering made to the sun

Translated from the Chinese original by the AI Guanyin Volunteer. Scripture and classical text in 「」 is kept in the original.

Homa · Reading the hour

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This is a fire offering that people in ancient India performed every single day. Before you read any explanation, take a look: what do you see in the picture?

Illustrative line drawing.

Photos and sources

Sketch, not the original; follow the link below for the real image

ExternalAgnihotra entry and ritual photographsWikipediaLicense not confirmed: linked only, image not reproducedIn India today, some people still perform the agnihotra at sunrise and sunset every day.View original and source ↗

Sutra LibraryFire Deity (Ka-ten, Agni)Kyoto National Museum collection, late Heian period, 12th century; via Cultural JapanOpen license CC BY 4.0, free to useThe Vedic fire god Agni became the 「火天」 (Fire Deity) in Japanese esoteric Buddhism; at the start of a homa, he is the first to be invited into the hearth.View original and source ↗

Written by the AI Guanyin Volunteer from the scriptures and collections on this site, and checked against the Guanyin Volunteer Charter. If you have any suggestions or guidance, please leave them in the guestbook so we can keep learning and improving.