Mythology (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1986); Sachidan-
anda Mahapatra, Concept of Jatavedas in Vedic Literature
(Delhi: Eastern Book Linkers, 2003); W. J. Wilkins,
Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Puranic, 2d ed. (Calcutta:
Rupa, 1973).
agnichayana
The agnichayana, or “ritual of building the fire
altar,” was one of the grandest rituals in the
Vedic sacrificial tradition; it played an extremely
important role in the development of Hinduism.
It is most completely described in the sixth book
of the SHATAPATHA BRAHMANA, which is attached
to the YAJUR VEDA. The ritual involves building
a temporary shelter of posts and roof thatching
to serve as the site for the ritual and all of its
adjuncts, which last for more than two weeks.
Once the shelter has been created, a huge falcon
is built from consecrated bricks. This bird is
homologized or understood to be PRAJAPATI or the
PURUSHA, the Universal Being. Seventeen special-
ized priests are required for this most elaborate
of Vedic rituals. A sacrifice of 14 goats formed a
central part of the early ritual.
The agnichayana is understood as a renewal or
re-creation of the universe through ritual. A late
verse in the RIG VEDA recounts how the Primordial
Man offered himself in sacrifice to create all of the
universe; the agnichayana reenacts this process.
SOMA, the special drug taken by the Vedic BRAH-
MINS, was used during this ritual.
The agnichayana ritual, and the theory that
developed around it, helped define Indian notions
of ADVAITA or non-duality—the equation of the
individual self with the Universal Self or Real-
ity. The Shatapatha Brahamana, where this ritual
is described, says that it must be understood as
the universe itself. As the later Vedic texts, the
Aranyakas, show, this Vedic ritual can be done
esoterically within the body and being of one
person. If the agnichayana is the Universal Reality
and a person’s being is the ritual, then one can
conclude that a person’s being is the Universal
Reality, or all that is. This insight leads to the
philosophical identification of the individual self
and the Ultimate Reality, later found explicitly in
the Upanishads.Further reading: Julius Eggeling, trans., The Satapatha-
Brahmana, Part 1, According to the Text of the Madhyan-
dina School (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1982); J. Frits
Staal, AGNI: The Vedic Ritual of the Fire Altar, 2 vols.
(Berkeley: University of California Press, 1983); Robert
Gardner and Frits Staal, Altar of Fire (videorecording)
(Cambridge, Mass.: Film Study Center at Harvard Uni-
versity, 1983).Agni Yoga Society (est. 1920)
The Agni Yoga Society was founded in New York
in 1920 by the Russian artist Nicholas Roerich
(October 9, 1874–December 13, 1947) and his
wife, Helena (February 12, 1879–October 5,
1955), and was incorporated in New York City as
a nonprofit educational organization. The society’s
philosophy emphasizes the evolution of planetary
consciousness as a necessary and attainable goal
for humankind.
Agni Yoga, sometimes referred to as the teach-
ing of “Living Ethics,” does not rely on a physical
or meditative discipline. It is rather a way of life
offering a practice and commitment to directing
thought and prioritizing actions for the common
good. It is reportedly practiced by thousands in
Russia and by several thousand others around the
world. Although the teaching reveres Hinduism,
Agni Yoga is not considered exclusively Hindu in
nature; rather, it involves a synthesis of religious
teachings of all ages from around the world.
Agni Yoga evolved from Nicholas Roerich’s
encounters in London with Mahatma Morya and
Mahatma Koot Hoomi (ascended masters in the
tradition of THEOSOPHY). In March 1920, Nicholas
produced the first of the group’s writings; they
were followed by several books by Helena. At
the request of the Mahatmas the Roerichs moved
to New York to share the teachings and to openK 16 agnichayana