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Plane of fire

(Agni-loko)

Agni is a very clear manifestation of the eternal cyclic rebirth of the same divine essence, Fire is spirit, soul, and body at the same time. Our universe and what evolves within it, including man, are the products of the god Fire. In symbolic expressions he is shown with three faces, representing three fires — pavak, electrical fire; pavamana, fire produced by friction; and suchi, fire of the gods, also known in the Rig Veda as vaishnavara, the living magnetic fire that pervades all galaxies. The word vaishvanara is often used for the Self.

The player who lands in Agni-loka is ready to assume form. Agni is the fire-god; the fire is a gross manifestation of energy. In the body, this fire is life itself. It is love and security. It was man’s security against the ravages of wild animals at the time when he lived in caves. But fire is but one manifestation of Agni. With air and water it is one of the three causes of the solidification of the earth and is thus the parent of forms. Fire is also the cause of light, which is a combination of colors. Thus fire is the cause of both color and form — the essence of the phenomenal world.

Fire is the gross manifestation of energy, its vehicle. The player who lands here understands that his body also is just a vehicle. For this reason, fire is regarded as the link between man and God. All religious rituals include the presence of Agni, the eternal witness. And because this fire-god is but an expression of man’s innate nature, the player learns that self-deception is impossible. The witness is always there. The player who is about to take form does so with the knowledge that the role he assumes must conform to the dictates of planetary laws. Any deviation spells deception of the self, and a downward flow of energy inevitably follows self-deception.

According to Hindu mythology, Agni decided to explore the creation. He assumed an air-like form and traveled across the face of the universe on a lotus leaf. But after a time he grew weary and sought a place to rest. Soon he saw a nest on the face of the eternal waters. In the nest he spread his fire. The waters were the wives of Varuna, another manifestation of Agni. The fire-god’s desire for these women flamed, and soon they were ready for union. His semen fell and became the earth. This is the fire he planted in the midst of the nest, and this planet is his offspring.

Modern science (i.e., Western science) now believes the earth to have begun as a ball of fire (Agni). Water cooled the surface of the planet, enabling life to arise. Even now, fire remains at the planet’s core, as is demonstrated by the volcanoes that disgorge molten rock from the depths of the earth. Were this inner fire to die, life would vanish from the planet.