Agni's Desperate Hunger

I, Agni, the god of fire, spent the past twelve years secluded in the forest fasting and performing the rituals to show my virtue and devotion to the gods. During these twelve years I consumed nothing but the ghee offered to the gods at other devoted followers' yajnas or fire rituals, and I am now very weak from malnourishment. My hunger dulled my flames from their usual radiance and left me barely able to stand. I need to eat, but what could be so satisfying as to fulfill the desperate need for nourishment I'm feeling now?

There! Nothing could possibly satisfy this hunger better than the Khandava Forest!

This will not be an easy task. Indra, my twin brother, protects this forest, and he will surely do everything he can to prevent me from consuming it. We are equals in strength and power under normal circumstances, but in my current state ... I have no choice ... I have to try.

If I can just summon enough strength to catch a few dried, rotten logs ablaze, my flames have a chance of spreading. But what is that I hear from above?

"This forest is under my protection, Brother! I will not allow you to land one sparking ember on a single fallen leaf!" Indra called down from the heavens as a torrential downpour of rain fell from the sky as if pulled from the clouds by Indra's mighty words.

I cannot withstand such an overpowering swell of rain, and I did not even consume a simple twig from this massive forest. I must try again, but what could I possibly do to stand a chance in a confrontation with an overwhelming force like Indra?

I need a superior strategy! That is the only chance I have against Indra.

I have an idea! As I walk along the perimeter of the entire forest I can lay the groundwork for my victory. I am so weak at the moment that such a journey will take three whole years. Hopefully it will be worth it. As I go I will drop a single spark every fifty paces and they will burn secretly until I finish my circuit. Then, once I've returned to this place, all at once my insurgent embers will spring to life igniting a blazing ring around the entire forest. Indra will surely not be able to extinguish so many flames over so wide an area before I can ignite the forest.

It has been three years, but I have finally finished my tour along the perimeter of the Khandava Forest. I can now set the final stages of my plan into action.

"All of the nascent infernos I left along my journey, erupt from your hidden enclaves to display your full potential and fill me with the nourishment of the Khandava Forest!"

With this all my planning and three long years of exertion come to fruition. The flames rise. They reach over the trees along the edge of the forest, but before they can reach their full brilliance I hear Indra's voice calling again from the heavens.

"Brother, you are far too weak to contend with the likes of me! Your flames are still much too dull and sputtering to pose a real threat to a forest under my protection!"

Again Indra's words drew an insurmountable flood of rain from the heavens onto the forest. Even over such a wide area Indra is able to protect his forest and prevent me from satisfying my hunger.

I cannot face him with my own power alone. I'll have to find some brave and powerful warriors that can fight back Indra's rain if I hope to fill my stomach and restore my radiance.

Author's Note:

I chose to base my story on "The Burning of the Forest" from The Mahabharata, a Summary by John Mandeville Macfie. In the original story Krishna has payed a visit to the Pandavas and they were celebrating his arrival with a picnic. Their celebrations are interrupted by the arrival of Agni, the fire god, disguised as a brahmin. Agni then tells Arjuna and Krishna that he needs their help to satisfy his hunger after fasting for twelve years by burning the Khandava forest which is protected by Indra. Agni explains he has tried to burn the forest down more than once, but has been stopped by Indra calling forth a massive rain storm to extinguish his flames. Arjuna and Krishna agree to help Agni if he will reward them with celestial weapons. Agni agrees and they proceed to successfully burn the forest down and fulfill Agni's hunger.

I chose to write about Agni from the time that he finished his sacrifice to just before he appears in the source story, when he decides to look for help to overcome Indra. I chose this approach because I thought that focusing on Agni's hunger would fit into my food-themed portfolio project.

I did some additional research on why Agni would have eaten only ghee during his sacrifice. I found that homas and yajnas or fire rituals are Hindu rituals that involve making offerings to the gods by placing them into a sacred fire. As Agni is both the fire god and fire itself he is the medium through which the oblations are given to the gods. One of the most common offerings in these rituals is ghee, so that is why Agni would be consuming nothing but ghee during his sacrifice.

Bibliography. "The Burning of the Forest" from The Mahabharata, A Summary by John Mandeville Macfie. Source.

Header Image Source: By Awesomoman (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Second Image Source: By E. A. Rodrigues [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons