ORIENTAL SERIES.

AGNL 7
considered as the mediator between men and gods, as protectoi
of men ani their homes, and as witness of their actions ; hence
his invocation at all solemn occasions, at the nuptial ceremony,
&c. Fire has ceased to he an ohject of worship, but is held in
honour for the part it performs in sacrifices." Agni is repre-
sented as having seven tongues, each of which has a distinct
name, for licking up
the butter used in sacrifices. He is
guardian of the south-east quarter, being one of the eight loka-
palas (q.v.), and his region is called Pura-jyotis.
In a celebrated hymn of the JSig-veda attributed to Vasishrfha,
Indra and other gods are called upon to destroy the Kravyads
'
the flesh-eaters,' or Eakshas enemies of the gods. Agni himself
is also a Kravyad, and as such he takes an entirely different
character. He is represented under a form as hideous as the
beings he is invoked to devour. He sharpens his two iron tusks,
puts
his enemies into his mouth and swallows them. He heats the
edges of his shafts and sends them into the hearts of the Rakshas.
"He appears
in the progress of mythological personifica-
tion as a son of Angiras, as a king of the Pitns or Manes,
as a Marut, as a grandson of Sknrfila, as one of the seven
sages or .ffishis, during the reign of Tamasa the fourth Manu,"
and as a star. In the Maha-bharata Agni is represented as hav-
ing exhausted his vigour by devouring too many oblations, and
desiring to consume the whole Kha/wZava forest as a means of
recruiting his strength. He was prevented by Inclra, but having
obtained the assistance of Kr/sh?ia and Arjuna, he baffled Indra
and accomplished his object. In the Yishwu Purana he is
called Abhimani, and the eldest son of Brahma. His wife was
Swaha; by her he had three sons, Pavaka, Pavamana, and $uchi,
and these had forty-five sons; altogether forty-nine persons,
identical with the forty-nine fires, which forty-nine fires the
Purana endeavours to discriminate. He is described in
Vayu
the Hari-vansa as clothed in black, having smoke for his stan-
dard and head-piece, and carrying a flaming javelin. He has
four hands, and is borne in a chariot drawn by red horses, and
the seven winds are the wheels of his car. He is accompanied
by a ram, and sometimes he is represented riding on that
animal The representations of him vary.
The names and epithets of Agni are many- Vahni, Anala,
Pavaka. Taiswanara, son of Yiswanara, the sun; Abja-hasta,