In this article, three forms of agni have been explained, along with the role of vaak, the consort of agni and the materialization of the universe. Significance of the personalities of Sita and Damayanti explained. Quotes from Upanishads with original texts and translation provided.

1. agni (self-manifesting Universal Consciousness) , vaak, prithivI (physicality), and Sita
(sItaa) as the personification of vaak
agni (the god of fire) is the self-manifesting aspect of the Universal
Consciousness. agni is also called praaNa. praaNa and vaak are the aspects of the
Universal Consciousness by which every entity is expressed. In this article, many
Vedic words related to the Universal Consciousness in the context
of agni and vaak have been narrated along with some terms related to oblation
to agni. A paragraph on sItaa of the epic Ramayana has been presented explaining
how (pre)history and mythology are related, along with the significance of
Sita's (sItaa) submission to agni and the mother earth (as narrated in the epic
Ramayana).
Finally, the three aspects of agni have been narrated.
Associated words related to the sacrifice and oblation to agni have been explained.
Some other words which are related to agni as the expressions of the self -manifesting
Universal Consciousness are also explained.
(Three articles on agni were earlier published, however, repetition from those articles
to the extent possible has been avoided.)
(Written, to the extent possible, following the teaching of the great seer Shri.
BijoyKrishna Chattopaadhyaaya (1875-1945) and his principal disciple Shri.
Tridibnath Bandyopaadhyaaya (1923 -1994).)
Index
1. svayam-prakaasha agni, akShara, kShara
2. Ishvara, praaNa, kaala and aahavanIya agni.
3. agni, praaNa,praaNaagni
4. Words related to oblation
5. aahavanIya agni
6. havis/haviH and vahis (bahis) / vahiH (bahiH)
7. suhavaa (suhava)
8. hotaa and vedi
9. huta, sUta, bhUta.
10.bahula and aakaasha; space and differentiation
11.agni, vaak and the earth
12.agni, vaak and pRithivI (earth) in Chandogya Upanishad

2. 13.sItaa (Sita), the wife of Rama
14. shavda (sound)
15.danta (tooth/ dental) and vidyut (electricity, thunder)
16.The alphabet da.
17.dah and dagdha (burn and burnt)
18.deha (body)
19.daMsh---to bite. dashana---tooth
20.dam, dama, and damana.
21.damayantI
22.(dugdha (milk) and doh / duh (to milk, to extract)
23.stanaitnu
24.daana and the river vaitaraNI
25.day, dayaa
26.danta----tooth
27.vaishvaanara
28.pRithak-vartman and a hymn on cremation
29. sutejaa ( sutejas).
30.gaarhapatya agni / gRihapati agni
31.31.Limbs or the spread of gRihapati agni
32.dakShiNaagni / anvaahaaryapachana agni
33.Limbs or the spread of dakShiNa agni
34.raatri/nakta/night, shveta and nIla sarasvatI
35.The three states of existence, the three fires, Nachiketa and yama
36.aahavanIya agni and his spread
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(Sanskrit words and alphabets, written in italics can be found in the English-Sanskrit
Lexicon by Sir Monier Williams. (https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-
koeln.de/scans/MWScan/2020/web/webtc/indexcaller.php)
1. svayam-prakaasha agni, akShara, kShara
Universal Consciousness as svayam-prakaasha means self-manifesting (one who
expresses oneself by oneself and does not need anything else to express). In this
manifestation, there is the expression of the Soul as well as the expression of the
entire universe. Duality cannot be expressed unless Oneness is also expressed. These
expressed Oneness and duality (universe) are known as akShara aatman and khara
aatman. akShara means 'who never decays'. khara means 'decaying' or in whom the
'time' is acting. Every mortal soul or kShara aatman is held in akShara.
2. Ishvara, praaNa, kaala and aahavanIya agni.
The control of the Universal Soul or what is known as Ishitva, is acting on all of

3. us (kShara aatman) and calling us back to the Oneness or to the Universal
soul (akShara aatman) who is our origin. This control-personality or activity of the
Universal Soul as Ishvara is also known as praaNa. This 'call' to the Oneness is
called 'kaala' (known as the time in common parlance) and the calling agni is known
as aahavanIya agni.
3. agni, praaNa,praaNaagni
agni is the lord of fire. The word agni means 'who leads every one or every event and
who is always in front'. The word comprises of two
components, ag and ni. ag means agra or 'front'. ni means nI or to lead.
agni is perceived in all activities, occasions, in all sacrifices as the initiator. The first
flash of Consciousness is agni and thus agni is also called praaNa.
praaNa means pra (prathama--first) + ana (animation or agitation of
Consciousness). praaNa means the fire or agni who is burning in us as our senses, as
our life, who is active in us and in the universe as 'activities' and as 'every activity'.
This praaNa is in the core and whose shell is so-called 'love and feelings'. Thus
consciously or unconsciously we hail agni who is characterized by being 'foremost';
thus we attach our feelings 'to the eldest child', 'to the first love', 'to a beginning', 'to
someone just born'; we inaugurate an event with special feelings and celebrations in
our recognition to agni, knowingly or unknowingly.
Thus, along with praaNa, agni is also addressed as praaNaagni (praaNa + agni).
agni invokes consciousness, senses, and animation everywhere. In Rik veda, the
goddess vaak (who is the consort of agni) has described herself in a self-praising
hymn as quoted below:
chikituShI prathamaa yaj~nIyaanaam----I am the first (prathamaa), kindled with
Consciousness (chikituShI ), (I am ) the first to initiate knowledge (yaj~nIyaanaam).
4. Words related to oblation
havana and hu
havana means the act of oblation or sacrifice to agni or holy fire. When we eat food, it
is also h
avana; what is an external object or food, that gets assimilated or absorbed in our
Consciousness and nourishes us, supports our life. Like, if a paper or a rag is thrown
into the fire, it becomes the fire; similarly, it happens with the foods. When we eat, the
food is processed in several ways inside us by the control of agni. The subtle parts of
the assimilated foods become our mind and spirit by the touch of Consciousness.

4. The general meaning of the root word hu is ' to offer oblation'. hu is the sound
of praaNa or the elemental sound coming out of the Universal Consciousness from
the activities of the Consciousness. The activities which are there everywhere and
whose general name is 'time'. If you plug the two ear holes, you can hear this sound---
-the sound of the activities of praaNa in you--- the burning sound of agni or praaNa-
agni blazing with flames. We are kindled with senses, feelings, and activities by this
burning.
Before we break the word havana to understand its root, we will cite a few English
words and a Bengali word that is connected to havana. The English words are 'have /
has /do' and the Bengali word is 'hawoaa' (to happen). Bengali is an Indian language
and is closely connected to Sanskrit like many other regional languages of India.
The word 'do' and its auxiliary form 'have' or 'has' are from the word 'hu' which is one
of the components of the word 'havana'. havana = hu + ana, essentially means, any
action, any work that is done is a sacrifice or an oblation to agni, to prana. We do
everything for our dear life.
Conversely, any action is an action of agni or Consciousness by whom everyone and
every event are manifested.
hu, the call of the origin. Time and call of time (kaala)
There is another word hava derived from hu and it means 'calling, invocation,
oblation'.
The alphabet ha signifies to 'annihilation'; some words beginning with 'ha' also
convey similar meanings, like 'hara' means 'taking away', hanana means 'to annihilate
or kill'. The alphabet u is grammatically a particle that signifies 'calling' and also
'ascent'.
The word 'hara' mentioned above is also the name of Lord Shiva or the Universal
Source or Universal Oneness. In this Oneness, everything becomes 'One', and duality
is annihilated.
Thus hu means the call of the Universal Consciousness to every creature or entity to
bring them back in the universal Oneness. This 'call' is 'kaala' or 'time' and it exists as
long as we do not merge in the Oneness.
5. aahavanIya agni
As agni calls or attracts everyone to merge (hu),so agni is called aahavanIya. The
word aahvaana means 'to call or to summon'.
aahavanIya also means anything that is for oblation. aa + havanIya (meant for
oblation).

5. aahavanIya is also called 'the fire of the divinity because divinity is characterized by
the Oneness expressing dualities. Divinity is the realm of self-manifestation and
eternity.
6. havis/haviH and vahis (bahis) / vahiH (bahiH):
The word havis/haviH means 'oblation' It is the 'noun' form. This oblation is the act of
sacrificing / offering in agni or 'Universal Consciousness'. In the act of offering, the
oblation or havis is called inward and in this process, duality is sacrificed into
'Oneness'.
Many Sanskrit words conveying opposite senses are also constructed out of the same
alphabets arranged in the opposite or nearly opposite manner. Thus, contrary
to havis or haviH, vahis (bahis) or vahiH (bahiH) means 'external or outward'.
7. havana and vahana, vahni --- The two words, havana and vahana, are also formed
by the alphabets in 'retroversion' or in the reverse arrangement. We have already
discussed the word havana. vahana means 'the act of carrying and bearing' or rather '
carrying from one place to another'. It implies the action of agni, who brings forth (or
carries) the duality from 'Oneness'; agni also transfers 'duality' into
'oneness'. agni imparts 'motion' and is perceived as 'time'. This vahana or conductance
is a property associated with the physical forms of agni as thermal and electrical
conductance. Motion and kinetic energy are also the physical forms of agni.
One name of 'agni' is 'vahni'. vahni means one who draws or pulls. agni is also
called vahni because he carries 'havih' or oblation to the other deities. Whatever one
should get, whatever is 'due' to someone, agni makes it happen or makes it 'done'.
This is also 'havana'.
7. suhavaa (suhava)-----Thus the Vedic word suhavaa (su + hava+a) means the
goddess who makes every desired thing to happen spontaneously.
8. hotaa and vedi
hotaa ---- agni is also called hotaa or caller, as agni calls everyone, as agni announces
every event, agni being the leader and the initiator. Thus, hotaa is calling every
moment, every event in which one lives.
hotaa and vedi (altar)----So, where someone can find this hotaa? This is answered in
Upanishad (KaThopanishad) as 'hotaa vedisat' -----hotaa resides inside the
altar (vedi). vedi means 'altar'. It is from the word 'veda' (meaning 'knowledge' or
'consciousness'). vedi is the seat of 'feelings' or the 'heart'.

6. Thus this hotaa is inside our body, in the heart. In Upanishad, body and
heart (hRidaya) are mentioned as the 'same', because by heart we hare holding
everything and the body is also held by the heart.
9. huta, sUta, bhUta.
huta means what is sacrificed or offered in agni. huta also means' who is called to
merge in Oneness'.
Contrary to the meaning of 'calling inward or calling to merge in Oneness', 'huta' also
means, 'calling outward' to call something from the Oneness to the 'outer
space'. hu can signify a call or an action directed toward either outer-space or inner-
space. The base or the root of the word hu is the alphabet ha which means 'void or
nothingness '. Thus hu can point to inward or oneness (absence of duality) or to the
absence of oneness or void. The absence of oneness or state of duality is always ruled
by the 'fear' or 'death' or the 'possibility of going into inane'.
So, when something or some event is created by the Universal consciousness, it is
created from Oneness. This creation of an entity or an event is 'called' by the
Consciousness and so it is also 'huta'
In both ways (inward or outward), it is an act of sacrifice or havana.
Between the source or agni and the creation, there is a thread which is also
called sUtra (meaning a cord or thread). sUtra is related to the word sUta meaning
'who has been brought forth' or 'who has flown out from the source as a stream and a
trail can be seen'.
sUtra implies the thread, that leads the creature to the source or its origin. The
word tra in sUtra refers to traaNa or salvation.
So, first is hUta or the 'call' and then the creature or creation comes out from the
origin which is sUta.
The creature or the duality thus created, remains bound by its 'limitation'. A creature
knows itself as it has been defined or created. A bird knows it as 'bird' and nothing
else. This is the limitation and frozen to 'mortality' or 'physicality'. This is bhUta.
10. bahula and aakaasha; space and differentiation
As everything or everyone is created from 'call', everything or everyone created has a
'name' (naama), or a definition when created. Everything is 'sound' or 'word' of the
Universal Consciousness.
Though the Universal Consciousness is self-manifesting, it is considered as of two
parts (male and female), agni (praaNa) and vaak (consort of praaNa or vaak ) in the
context of creation.

7. As Consciousness calls, space is created between the creator and the creature (who is
called). This space is felt as 'sky' or 'void'. This space is the 'force' or the 'act of
Consciousness' that maintains the stability of individual existence. It ensures that one
entity does not get merged or mixed with the other. This creates the 'multiplicity' and
a countable universe. So, the variance in creation, the isolation from one another is
dominated by aakasha (sky/void). So, in Chandogya Upanishad (Fifth chapter),
'aakaasha' is called as an aspect of the Universal Consciousness known
as 'bahula' meaning 'numerous' or 'many'.
All that is not manifested, remains 'un-manifested in this void'. Upanishads have
mentioned that this 'sky', this 'void' is not 'inane'; it is full of consciousness. Thus what
is now un-manifested, unseen, not perceived now, will be manifested from this 'void'.
Thus aakaasha is the 'mother' of all sounds, all names, all expressions. So, in the
doctrines, aakaasha (sky) is called tattva, and shavda (sound) is called tanmaatra.
shavda tattva means who is the source of 'all sounds or names' but who cannot be
described by 'any sound or by any name'.
11. agni, vaak and the earth
Every sound or word expressed in us contains our 'self '. Every word is our formation
and embodiment of our self or soul. We are throwing ourselves as the 'words'. As the
soul or oneness splits, the soul still remains 'one' but splits into a duality. The
'soul' (aatman) is then called praaNa and this power or the ability to split is
called vaak. Thus, beyond every word, beyond every created entity, there are these
two personalities (praaNa and vaak) in every individual and as a whole i.e. as the
universal personalities. praaNa is male and vaak is female.
Each word of ours contains our feelings and emotions. The word articulated is a 'shell'
which contains 'the self or praaNa'. Word so created or formed or processed is
called vaakya whose root is vaak. Anything, any entity, processed or created in the
Consciousness is a 'word' of the Consciousness. This is why in Upanishads, the
earth (pRithivI), vaak and agni/ praaNa have been mentioned as interlinked. Thus in
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, it is stated: "tasyai vaachah Prithivi shariram
jyotIrupamayamagnih"---- earth is the body of that vaak and this agni is her
illuminated/manifesting form". (Brihadaranyaka, First Chapter, Fifth Brahmin,
Eleventh mantra.)
sharIra (body) and pRithivI (earth) are considered as same in Upanishads. Anything
physical is the 'earth'.
12. agni, vaak and pRithivI (earth) in Chandogya Upanishad.
In Chandogya Upanishad, in the first chapter, it is mentioned that the earth
is Rik and agni is saama.

8. yameva Rik agni saama (This earth is indeed Rik , agni is saama.)
yam --it/ the earth/ anything materialized
aeva---indeed
Rik----is Rik
agni saama-----agni is saama.
Where vaak and paraaNa are in togetherness it is sama or 'universal feeling of being
same'.
Also, it is said,
yameva saa agni amaH
tad saama
yam --it/ the earth/ anything materialized
aeva---indeed
saa----she (vaak)------anything that can be addressed is saa or vaak.
is
tad saama----that is saama
(Chandogya Upanishad, First Chapter, Seventh part.)
Thus every entity is a defined form of the Universal Consciousness, held in the
vibration or activity of the Universal Consciousness called Rik. Anything defined or
physicalized /materialized is a 'word of Consciousness' and is Rik. It is the word
blazed with a shape or form and the Universal Consciousness itself. This is Rik. It is
the vision that speaks. Thus in Chandogya, it is said,
chakShuH aeva Rik -----eye indeed is Rik
aatmaa saama------aatmaa—(the One in us who sees, whose vision has become the
eye) is saama.
13. sItaa (Sita), the wife of Rama:
In Hindu mythology (puraaNa), the true events of ancient times have been described
along with the divine parts of the physical events. This is why the descriptions
in puraaNa are generally thought imaginary. Every personality on the earth has a
corresponding divine part. The divinity is the main part, the manifested physical part
is insignificant compared to the divinity.
The seers have described the characters and events in the frames of divinity and
mortality. So, the characters and personalities are described with the physical events
along with references to the divinity.

9. As the matter is created from Consciousness, the characters or qualities (guNa) create
specific physicality or physical appearance. If someone has the capability of viewing
the subtle forms of a physical entity, then such a viewer finds it more appropriate to
narrate the physical state with reference to the appearance in the plane of 'pure
qualities' or guNa.
The word dashaanana (dasha / ten + aanana/ mouth / ) meaning a being with ten
mouths or ten heads is another name of Ravana (raavaNa). Ravana is the demon with
whom Rama (raama) fought to rescue Sita (sItaa). raavaNa does not necessarily
mean a formidable grotesque demon with ten heads.
It may also mean a personality who has tremendous dominance on five senses
(hearing, touch, vision, taste, smell) and corresponding five universal elements (sky/
void----universal elemental sound, air----universal elemental touch,
radiance/illumination/energy/sun-----universal elemental vision, universal elemental
water, universal elemental smell----earth and soma (the elixir in the earth which is
revealed as the fragrance of herbs, plants, and flowers). The descriptions of the
character called raavaNa in the epic Ramayana reveal such supremacy. He was a
demon or raakShasa. raakShasa means who are protective or one who wants 'to keep'
everything to 'oneself'. So, though raavaNa had the power over the five senses and
five elements that build the universe, still he was knowing 'himself' as the only
possessor of such power and was not knowing that he was also a part of the Universal
Oneness to whom everything belongs. (This means sItaa was in captivity in his
domain. See below.)
In the epic Ramayana, in the chapter named 'Uttarakanda', sItaa described her
(previous) origin to (previous) Ravana. (This incident was before Ramayana time and
belonged to a different time frame.) sItaa narrated as below:
kushadhvajo naama pita bramharShi mama dharmikaH
bRihaspatisutaH shrImaan budhya tulyo bRihaspateH
(My father was named Kushadhvaja, a great sage and pious
He was the son of Brihaspati and a scholar comparable to Brihaspati)
tasyaaham kurvato nityam vedaabhyaasam mahaatmanaH
sambhutaa vaa~NmayI kanyaa naamnaa vedavatI smRitaa
( Out of the incessant practice of the veda by the great soul {who is my father} I was
born as her daughter made of vaak and known as vedavatI by name).
Thus sItaa was a historical character and was the goddess vaak personified. This is
signified in the two events described in the epic, when sItaa entered the 'fire' and

10. when sItaa entered the 'earth', and also elsewhere. (See the section above on agni,
vaak and earth.)
raavaNa took away sItaa from her husband raama by abduction. rava means 'sound',
'yell' etc. The word vara and rava are formed by the rearrangements of the same
alphabets in reverse order. The word vara means 'boon or blessing'. vara also means
'to enclose or embrace'. As every word, vaak is embracing praaNa or the soul. The
word raama is from the root word ram which means 'to conjugate and be in a state of
mutual pleasure'. vaak and praaNa are the 'universal couple' behind the creation.
However, in every word. though vaak and praaNa are expressed, we are not aware of
the same. vaak is carried away as 'sound' or rava which is a mere word to us. This
universe is formed from the words of Consciousness. But we are feeling this as a
physical universe with some animation of life in a very limited way. This is
how sItaa is captured. It has been stated that sItaa was not born out of the human
union. sItaa was found by her father janaka while he was ploughing the earth. It may
be also noted that the word janaka is related to the word jana. jana is also the name of
the centre of Consciousness whose physical location is the 'throat', from where the
words are articulated or expressed in the outer space. (jana means 'generating'.)
14. shavda (sound)
The word shavda comprises of two parts, (i) shava (corpse) + da.
When we sleep or die, we stop talking. When we are awake or live, we live with the
mind illuminated with words. The word shava means a corpse or an entity in the state
of inactiveness. da means 'to donate' or 'to confer'. Thus, shavda or sound means
which can confer a state of inactiveness or which can freeze Consciousness into a
fixed or specific entity defined by that shavda or sound or word. This freezing of
unbound Consciousness into a defined, bounded entity is 'physicality'.
Another aspect of shavda or sound is to break or split the physicality or frozen state to
reveal the divinity and this is described in the section below. This is vidyut or
Electricity as in Vedas. Radioactive fission that happens when a nucleus of an atom is
split by hitting it with subatomic particles is a physical example of this.
15. danta (tooth/ dental) and vidyut (electricity, thunder).
da also means the 'act of breaking or tearing'. The Sanskrit word for 'tooth'
is danta (related to the English word dental, dent, etc.) which is also a tool to dent or
to crush a hard thing or food. The face, as well as the words, are shaped by the teeth.
The wort ' yut ' means 'to shine'. The word ' dyut ' also means ' to shine'; another
meaning of dyut is ' to break or to tear open'. This shining and breaking open, these

11. two properties are found in electricity. Thus, electricity/thunder is called vidyut.
vi (two / binary) + dyut (break open or split). (This reminds us of the physical
phenomena of radioactivity and splitting of atoms.)
Thus, vaak is vidyut , as she splits the One into many. Thus, vaak or shavda can break
a 'physical entity' to elicit its real shining form or divine form. So, the sound
or shavda can freeze as well as it can unfreeze. In Upanishad it is mentioned that it is
called vidyut since it breaks open ('vidonate iti Vidyut----Brihadaranyaka Upanishad,
Fifth Chapter, Seventh Brahmin/Part, First Mantra).
16. The alphabet da.
da is a dental consonant. da is the first alphabet of the word danta meaning
tooth. danta or the teeth play the role of shaping the words when they are articulated
in the air or external space.
Thus alphabet da in Sanskrit signifies 'to donate, to confer, to assign’. Like the
words dish/dik mean 'to assign, to point out, to grant'. It is noteworthy that the article
'the' in English sounds similar to the alphabet da in Sanskrit, and is used to specify,
assign, or denote. In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad it is stated that the creator
pronounced da three times to assign three principles to the deities, demons, and
human beings. da has been described in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad as the divine
sound that we still hear in the rumbling of thunder or cloud; stanayitnu is the Vedic
god of the rumbling of thunder.
Thus, danta or teeth of the Consciousness shape /specify the face as well as the words
in us and in the universe
When the creator pronounced da for the deities, he meant damana (self-
restraint). da pronounced for the demons (asura) meant daya
(kindness) and da pronounced for the human beings meant daana (donation).
The alphabet da stands for vaak (as praaNa is the consort of vaak, da in Vedas also
represents praaNa.) So, several Sanskrit words beginning with the alphabet da implies
their origin from either vaak or agni (praaNa). Let us look at some of the following
Vedic words and significance.
(17) dah and dagdha (to burn and burnt)
The word 'dah' means 'to burn' and 'dagdha' means 'burnt'.
dah = da + h. The alphabet da means vaak. h/ha means ‘void, firmament, where there
is no dimension’. Thus, dah means to uncover praaNa or agni by removing the
physicality that acts as a shroud. This is why, Hindus perform cremation, which

12. signifies that the body or the physical existence, though destroyed, existence still
remains in praaNa/agni or in Consciousness.
dagdha means what is burnt or seized by vaak or agni. vaak has materialized
everything into defined forms and is dominating them. This is also a meaning of the
word ‘burnt’ or dagdha.
(18) deha (body)
The word deha. deha means body. In Vedas, the earth is commonly addressed by the
demonstrative pronoun ' iyam ' instead of using a noun. 'iyam' means 'this'. Also, in
Vedas or Upanishads, the words for earth and body are synonymous.
So, deha means da + iha (this / this place). Thus, da (vaak/ what vaak confers or
assigns) + iha (this) =deha means 'this or what vaak has given’ or 'this is
what vaak has become'. We have already quoted earlier from Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad that "tasyai vaachah Prithivi shariram" (earth is the body of this vaak).
(19) daMsh---to bite. dashana---tooth.
daMsh means to bite.
daMsh = daM (vaak) + sh(shaasana---- administration of rules). The act or tools by
which vaak delivers her rulings.
dashana means ‘tooth’.
dashana is from the root word dash. The word dashaa means ‘the status or the state of
an entity and the root dash means ‘to bestow or provide a status’.
dashana =dashana= dash + ana (praaNa) -----who provides a status or a form to
praaNa or to an entity. We are processed to our status by vaak; we are her
expressions, we are her ‘words’.
The teeth crush the foods by biting and the process of assimilation starts. The eaten
foods are processed, digested, and attend the ‘assimilated status’; a part goes to the
mind and physical body, the more subtle parts go to praaNa and vaak (tejas) within
us; what is not required is excreated.
It is noteworthy that when raavaNa first met sItaa, he first noticed the beauty of her
teeth. Below is a line quoted from Ramayana, which quotes how raavaNa was
appreciating the look of her teeth before praising her other features:
"sama shikharina snigdhaa suchaaru dashnaa stava"
(your teeth are evenly crested, serene, and elegant). (Refer the section above on sItaa).

13. (20) dam, dama and damana.
dam
The root word 'dam' means, 'to restrain, to subdue, to dominate'.
The word damana derived from dam means, ' act of self -restraint'. The
word, dama means, 'a place, house or a domain'. dama = da + ma.
da = vaak
ma = end or termination
As explained before, anything and everything is a 'termination' or 'endpoint of
'vaak'. The Universal soul has split as vaak and praaNa and embraced (or worded)
itself / praaNa in infinite ways to express what we know as the universe. Thus in
Vedas, the word dama has been used to mean 'supreme abode'. In this sense, any
region can be termed as dama or 'domain'.
The alphabet ma is the last consonant of Sanskrit alphabets of touch (sparsha
varNa). It is the 25th or the last consonant of the first five groups of consonants. Each
group has five members. ma is the super five and denotes the end or termination or
ultimate status. Like the word uttama means, 'the best' and the
word adhama means, 'the worst'.
Thus a word, like dama, ending with ma is used to represent superlative status.
The word dama can be broken into two components as below:
da (vaak) + ma (maatraa=measure; ma= martya or physical).
So, all that this created, which are all materialized by vaak is dama. Thus, this entire
universe is dama or the domain of vaak.
damana
damana means self-restrained and it was assigned to the deities; the deities to follow
damana. The creator, by pronouncing da to the deities, meant damana. In
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (First Chapter, Fifth Brahmin/Chapter, Twelfth Mantra) it
is stated that ' this divinity is the body of the divine mind and the sun is the
illuminated form of the mind; wherever is this mind, there is the divinity and there is
that sun"
(atha etasya manaso douH sharIram
jyotirUpam asou aadityaH
tad yavat eva manasaH
taavatI dyouH
taavan asou aaditya). This is how the Universal consciousness is spread all over as the
divinity.

14. Divinity is Self-manifesting. That Universal Soul is manifesting everything from the
Universal Soul/Oneness by itself (by the Universal Soul) is the base or the foundation
of the divinity. In this manifestation, the Soul manifests as the Universal One as well
as every entity. Thus, the Universal consciousness is known as svayam-prakaasha.
As long as the inhabitants of the divinity or the deities know that their 'self-expression'
is the 'expression of the Universal soul' they follow 'self-restraint' or damana.
So, by pronouncing the alphabet da, the creator meant the word ‘dam' or 'damana' for
the deities.
(21) damayantI
Thus the word damayantI is from the word dam or damana. damayantI is the wife of
king nala. nala means who has no termination -----na (no) + la (laya =
end). damayantI in her universal aspect is the shakti or the consort of the deities. She
is the queen reigning over dama or domains; she the divinity is dominating over
everything materialized.
Thus, in a self -praising hymn (Rik Veda), vaak has proclaimed herself as:
‘aham raaShTrI sa~NgamanIM vasunam’
aham= I (I am)
raaShTrI = who reigns over the domains, empress
sa~NgamanIM (duly move into)
vasunam (the vasu) {vasu are the group of deities who control the vastu or the objects
or the realized universe.)
I reign over the domains, I move inside the vasu (who dominates over the realized
universe).
(22) dugdha (milk) and doh / duh (to milk, to extract)
In Chandogya Upanishad , it is stated that the goddess vaak herself extracts whatever
is there in her as her milk for those who know her.
dugdhe asmai vaak doham yat vaacho doha-----Chandogya Upanishad, First Chapter,
Sixth Part.)
dugdhe --the milk
asmai---for him / her (for her follower)
vaak doham---vaak milks
yat (that, whatever that)
vaacho (from vaak)

15. doho (can be extracted)
Whatever is there in vaak that can be extracted, she extracts that milk for her follower.
vaak has been adorably addressed as 'dogdhi' or 'milkmaid' in the Vedas /
Upanishads. The word dugdha is derived from the root duh or doh, meaning to 'milk'
or 'to extract milk'. This secretion of milk from her breasts, are the meanings those
words bring to us, the feelings which we know in our hearts, the senses those keep us
alive.
dugdha = duh + iddha. duh = to milk, to extract. iddha = illuminated.
So, dugdha means the milk that is extracted or the breast milk that is fed by the divine
mother to illuminate the sippers with the divinity.
Thus, here is a Vedic hymn:
ujjayataM parasuH jyotIShaa saha vuaaH
Ritasya sudughaa puaraNobat
ujjayataM -illumine (us)
parasuH---by removing the feelings of para (difference or duality); paraM shunati
(kills the duality; the word parashu generally means ‘axe’)
Ritasya---of the truth; Rita----what flows and manifests as the truth or the reality
sudughaa----she who milks /extracts skilfully
puaraNobat---as it was done in the past
Illumine us, removing the sense of duality
You who milks out the truth skilfully
As in those bygone days!
23. stanaitnu
This is why the thunder of clouds is called stanaitnu. The word stana has two
meanings, (i) breast of a female, (ii) sound (also stanana). The word stanaitnu is
derived from the word stana. vaak secretes rains from the sky to nourish all the
inhabitants of the earth. vaak secretes senses, feelings, and meanings from the inner
sky. vaak is secreting life all over the universe.
vaak (also described as dhenu or the holy cow) is said to have four udders, out of
which by two she (vaak) nourishes the devas (deities), by the third one she nourishes
the divine fathers (pitRi-gaNa) ,and by the remaining one she nourishes the human
beings. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Fifth Chapter, Eighth Brahmin/Part, First
Mantra.)

16. (24) daana and the river vaitaraNI
daana means 'the act of giving or donating'. The act of donating (daana) and the act
of receiving (grahaNa) happen together. This is an act by which the donor and the
receiver get connected. Connecting two is the action of the heart and in this way, we
remain balanced and live with the dualities. A very common example is that we
human beings get everything after exerting an action or doing work. We are
principally characterized by the work we do and the results we get. We act, we work,
and earn our livelihood in return; we practise and gain the skill. Thus we give or
donate ourselves to the society or to the 'work' and the society or the counterpart gets
what we give and in turn, makes returns to us. The constant interactions, activities
which we perform also is the basis of our evolution.
Our horizon increases and we evolve to become superior beings with superior
faculties. This is the act of donating or daana.
Thus by work or karma we are evolving. Our activities are originating from the
activities of the Soul or the Universal consciousness. By our activities, deeds, or work
we can cross over the mortality or subjugation to the compulsory cycles of death and
rebirth, by knowing this, by perceiving this active Consciousness or prana; by
knowing that everything is a form of Consciousness, that we live in Consciousness,
we are made of Consciousness, we originate and die in Consciousness.
daana = da + ana. ana means 'animation' or activities of Consciousness. Active
Universal Consciousness is called praaNa. When we see our activities as the
activities of the Universal Consciousness or praaNa, our activities take us toward the
'origin' and we evolve to merge with the Universal Oneness or Soul. This is daana.
When you see everything as the forms of Consciousness, you feel everything in you,
you get connected, you give yourself to all of them. This distribution of the self to
others, to all that you sense, feel, or do is called vitaraNa. The word vitaraNa means
‘to donate by distribution’. vitaraNa has another meaning-----vi (difference, dualities)
+ taraNa (crossing over)----to cross over the ‘dualities’.
Thus, there is a river called vaitaraNI which one has to cross over after death. This
river is to be crossed without (vi) a boat (taraNI). This river is to be crossed over by
vitaraNa or one can cross over this river if one knows what has been described above
about daana and vitaraNa.
(25) day, dayaa
The word day means 'to be kind, to take pity' and 'dayaa' means kindness or
sympathy. The creator by pronouncing day to the asura (demon) instructed them 'to
be kind'.
asura means those who are obsessed with the ra (ra~njana) colours and shades

17. of praaNa (asu). asu means praaNa. So, they are after external wealth and
domination.
The word dayaa can be broken into the following components:
dayaa =da + ya + a
ya is a semivowel and pronounced ‘internally’. ya means to connect and control
internally.
Whatever we sense or feel as ‘external’, the sense happens ‘within us’. Thus as we
follow this, the obsession with the ‘external vanishes’ and whatever is felt or sensed
are realized as the forms of the Consciousness or the Soul. The perceiver or the
knower sees that the source of all wealth, all that is desired, is ‘inside’ and one need
not run here and there for acquirement. Whatever, such a knower desires, he gets it
from within and he finds it as the form of the Consciousness.
So, this is day or dayaa.
(26) danta----tooth.
Like the word dashana, the word danta also means ‘tooth’.
danta = d(a) + anta. anta means ‘end’. The teeth make the boundary line between
the inner sky (physically, the void inside the mouth is a part of the inner sky) and the
external sky. The goddess vaak as radiant (tejas/teja) word creates herself in your
inner sky, then she condenses like clouds, as the ‘ideas, emotions, forming into
words’, then next in your mind she becomes more definite ‘as formed words and
determination (saMkalpa) to act further or not to act (vikalpa)’. This makes you
physically active. Thus the words are ‘aired’ or articulated in the external sky. The
teeth are in the boundary between the internal and external sky; they make the end
(anta) mark the end line.
Thus, there is a hymn on vaak:
oM oShThaapidhaanaa nakulI
dantaiH parimitaH paviH
jihve maa vihvalo
chaaru maadyeha vaadaya

18. (Om, covered by the lips and beyond the reach
Flowing while metered by the teeth
Never falter on my tongue
Here now speak to me what is charming!)
The word by word meaning of the above Vedic hymn is as below:
oM oShThaapidhaanaa nakulI
(Om, covered by the lips and beyond the reach)
(oShThaapidhaanaa—oShTha (upper lip) apidhaanaa (covered);
nakulI---na = without, kul = caste or origin; nakulI-----untraceable; beyond reach)
dantaiH parimitaH paviH
(dantaih----by danta or by the teeth; parimitaH---restricted or controlled; limited
within a perimeter; paviH---flowing; pavi also means ‘electricity, thunder-bolt).
(flowing while metered by the teeth; teeth take part in processing and regulating our
words; the tongue, teeth, lips are all the divine personalities and are the members in
the court of the empress vaak.)
jihve maa vihvalo
(never falter on my tongue; jihvhe--- in the tongue; maa---never; vihvalo---falter,
confuse.)
chaaru maadyeha vaadaya
(here now speak to me what is charming!
chaaru---charming, graceful; maadyeha= maa (to me) + adya (now) + iha (here)
27. vaishvaanara----One name of agni is vaishvaanara-----vaishva (universal)
+a+ nara (man----manifestation) ------the Universal Consciousness who is the
manifested universe or who is the 'universal person'.

19. vaishvaanara----vaishva(n) + ara (spoke)---The Universal Consciousness, who
originated from the centre (Oneness) like the spokes of a wheel and pervaded
everywhere.
Thus below is a quote from a hymn in Prashnopanishada:
yathaa araa iva rathanaabhO praaNe sarvam pratiShThitam
(Like the spokes of a chariot wheel which find their origin in the centre, similarly,
every entity is rooted in praaNa.)
28. pRithak-vartman and a hymn on cremation
pRithak-vartman-----pRithak (different , separated) + vartman (course, circuits).
(Chapter V of Chandogya Upanishad).
agni is holding every entity differently. Everyone is placed differently in the cycles of
birth and death. Everyone is led to different destinations by the births and by the
deaths. The path along which one traverses is called raya. This path is the illuminated
trajectory. Probably the English word 'ray' and the Sanskrit word 'raya' have the same
origin.
Thus there is a hymn in Ishopanaishad which is often associated with the cremation of
a dead body lit on the pyre:
agne naya supathaa raye asman
(Oh Agni, lead us along the easy-going paths of the rays)
vishvaani devaa vayunaani vidwan
(You divine, {you} know all the deities of the universe and the
connectivities/networks)
yuyodhyasmajjuhuraaNaameno bhUiyisthaam te nama uktim vidhema
(Remove from us all our sins by way of oblation; let our words of submission to you
be in numerous expressions!)
The word 'vayunaani ' in the above hymn is from the word 'vayuna'. The origin of this
word 'vayuna' are the words vI (meaning 'in motion') and vaya (meaning 'one who
weaves'). By the word 'vayunaani' the intertwined paths or woven networks of the
universe created in the Universal Consciousness have been mentioned. We travel
along these paths per our livings or actions (karman).
The joint word 'yuyodhyasmajjuhuraaNameno' in the above hymn is made of the
following words:

20. yuyodhi (remove) + asmat (from us) + juhuraaNaam (fit for oblation) +enah (sins):
The word 'juhuraaNaam' is from the word 'hu' meaning 'to sacrifice or to perform
oblation'. The sins when sacrificed to agni, they become 'no sin'. Anything given in
'fire' becomes 'fire'. The 'duality' is the source of sin. We experience 'death' due to
'duality'. 'Duality' is the duality of 'Oneness'. In Consciousness where 'duality' and
'Oneness' co-exist, there, Consciousness is called 'praaNa'. Thus in 'Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad', praaNa is described by the number ' one and half '.
The word 'eno' > 'enah' is derived from the word 'enas' meaning 'evil' or 'sin'. The
word enas is from the root word ' i' and 'inas'. ' i' implies 'motion or movement'.
'inas' meaning 'here and there'. The diversion from Oneness is 'sin'. When we
experience 'Oneness' or the 'Universal soul' as the source of all our activities or
diversions we do not perform any sin. Our deeds do not lead us to 'void' or 'death
29. sutejaa ( sutejas).
agni is addressed as sutejaa in Chandogya Upanishad (Chapter V).
sutejas= su + tejas
tejas/teja means 'tat + ejati'.
tat = that;
ejati is derived from ' ej '. ej means ' to stir, to agitate, to tremble'.
Everything, all dualities are from the 'agitation' or 'vibration' created in Oneness.
Thus, teja also means 'shining, radiating'.
The word su means 'to flow out of self /soul or from an origin'. Thus the
word suta means a child or an offspring. It is an entity with connectivity to the origin
and it demonstrates that it has manifested from the origin and remained connected.
soma, the libation, the elixir, which intoxicates everyone is also called 'suta' because it
is 'pressed out of the eternal immutable soul'. All the feelings, senses with which we
are always occupied and obsessed are soma flowing out from our source and making
our life to flow.
Thus, suteja means any entity which has flown out or exuded from the Universal
Consciousness and thus created. It is created from the agitation or vibration of the
Universal consciousness. This is not a mechanical vibration or movement. It is
Consciousness desiring to create duality out of oneness.

21. So, in Chandogya Upanishad, it is said that 'divinity is suteja'. Divinity means 'self-
expressing universal consciousness'. Any entity which has been created has its
foundation in divinity.
30. gaarhapatya agni / gRihapati agni (Refer Chandogya Upanishad..4th Chapter, 11th
Part.)
garhapatya agni / gRihapati agni is the personality of agni who dominates over one's
house.
The word gRiha means 'house or home' and it is from the root word gRih meaning
'seizing', 'holding', 'taking'. gRihapati agni is the agni by whom we are seized or held
in our 'current form'. He is the driver and driving our every day.
gRihapati = gRiha (house/home) + pati (lord, ruler). The word garhapatya means
what is related to gRihapati.
The word gRih also implies 'taking or receiving' and the word grahaNa derived
from gRih, means 'the act of receiving'. Thus what one has received or inherited, the
one lives with that under the dominance of gRihapati agni. gRihapati agni belongs to
the 'father' or to the 'divine fathers' or pitRiloka. We inherit from the father.
Our saMskaara (genetic memories) are from the father(s).
31. Limbs or the spread of gRihapati agni
The followings are the limbs (tanu) of gRihapati agni . The general meaning
of tanu is 'body'. tanu is from the root word tan. tan means 'to spread'. So, tanu means
what has been created as the spread. Thus, the Universal Consciousness as gRihapati
agni has spread with four limbs or has four bodies.
These are pRithvI, agni, anna, aaditya.
pRithvI is the earth. It is the expression of the physical state of the Universal
Consciousness. Here, in the earth, everything or everyone is characterized by a
separate identity and being held with that identity by the ‘earth’. pRithvI is related to
the word pRithak meaning 'different'.
What is pRithvI or the earth', is the 'body' in us.
agni is praaNa. We live in the body as long as praaNa stays in the body.
When praaNa leaves the body, we leave with praaNa.
anna is the common name of myriad forms of the Universal Consciousness or
Universal praaNa by which prana/ (vaak) nourishes us.

22. anna = an (praaNa) + na (denotes escalation of an; an an an .....an).
anna means an or praaNa existing in myriad forms to nourish us. anna means
food, anna means the aspects of the Universal Consciousness or praaNa by which are
animated and nourished, life is sustained. Hindus call rice as 'anna'. Rice when served
are in many bits and creates an impression of 'many'.
aaditya means the 'sun'. The word aaditya is from the root word 'adana' meaning 'to
eat' (ad). It is the centre of gRihapati agni, from where he has spread. He is eating all
of us. He is our 'time' and we are evolving with the time to merge with the Universal
Oneness, whose centre is aaditya. . By eating, by assimilating, the Consciousness is
embracing all of us in an unfathomed pleasure of the Consciousness. It is the centre of
unification. He is the universal personality, looking at us, looking at all of us 'in the
same manner' (Chandogya, 2nd Chapter, 9th Part). So, he is called aaditya which also
means the one who is characterized by 'oneness' or 'without duality'. aaditya means
who is from aditi (a =without + diti=duality). . Thus, we all who are existing,
identified, and materialized, are parts or limbs of aaditya. We are all the spread
of aaditya, who is looking at all of us in the 'same way'. This is saama, the sameness
of the Universal Consciousness.
32. dakShiNaagni / anvaahaaryapachana agni (Refer Chandogya Upanishad,4th
Chapter, 12th Part.)
As gRihapati agni plays the roles of the divine father(s), dakShiNaagni plays the roles
of the divine mother, or it is the divine motherhood by which we are built and we
evolve. dakShiNaagni is also called anvaahaaryapachana agni.
dakShiNaagni determines which all instincts will be active in us when or during
which birth. Our evolution, our destiny, our movement through birth and life cycles
are controlled by dakShiNaagni.
dakShiNaagni also determines the variations in the entities and species. The way one
feels or endures 'cold' or 'heat' is different, the way one feels the intensity of a
suffering or a pleasure is different from the way of another one. This is by the
regulation of dakShiNaagni. It is by this regulation we are being built and we are
evolving. Our destiny and our journey to destinations, life and death cycles are
controlled by dakShiNaagni.
dakShiNaagni---dakShiNa + agni
dakShiNa means 'right' as well as 'south'. It also means 'dexterous'. It is the direction
that Consciousness takes to become active. This direction or inclination of the
Consciousness is called 'right'.

23. We are active by the activities of the Universal Consciousness and by the activities we
thrive and evolve. Thus, the karma or our activities and the consequences or our
evolution are directly regulated by dakShiNaagni.
As we evolve our horizon increases. This is why dakShiNa also carries the sense of
something that is ' wide, prolific'. Thus the word daakShiNya means 'generosity'. Thus
in Vedic ritual, dakShinaa or offering is given to the priest who connects (joins)
divinity to the yajamaana (who hosts the ritual). This dakShinaa is in the
acknowledgment of the limitation/ mortality extended to divinity and thus magnified.
Thee other name of dakShiNaagni is anvaahaaryapachana agni.
This word composes of the following components:
anu + aahaarya + pachana + agni.
anu= following
aahaarya= foods
pachana = digestion, assimilation
So, anvaahaaryapachana agni is the agni whom the foods follow for the digestion or
assimilation.
Assimilation of knowledge, sense, or food, whatever, that becomes our part or merges
with us, is controlled by this agni. Thus due to the control by this agni, the same work
or action will produce different effects among the individuals.
33. Limbs or the spread of dakShiNa agni
dakShiNaagni has the following limbs or spread:
ap (water, divine water), dik (directions,
inclinations), nakShatra (stars), chandramaa (moon).
Before we go into the meanings, etymology, and significance of the above Vedic
words, it is to be noted that there are many observations and scientific studies that
describe the connectivity of the sense of directions and directional activities of the
creatures to the sea to the moon, and the stars; also, we know that the liquid inside our
ears controls the sense of balance. Research says that the eel fishes take cues (signals)
from the moon to determine their orientation to the desired destination during

24. migration. They do it even during the new moon or during the day time. Below is
given a link of an article published on the movement and orientation of the eel fish
and the influence of the moon:
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.190812
From the early days of navigation across the ocean, the direction or orientation has
been determined by noticing the position of the North Star (Polaris) and other
constellations, as the North star position does not change and the relative positions of
the other stars change in a regulated and repeated manner.
(https://www.naturalnavigator.com/find-your-way-using/stars/).
Also, there are natural ways to determine the direction from the position of the moon
(https://www.naturalnavigator.com/find-your-way-using/moon/). If you are in the
northern hemisphere, and if you connect the top and bottom edge of the crescent
moon by an imaginary straight line, and extend it up to the ground, then the point
where it will reach the ground will be on the south relative to your position. Similarly,
the directions are written in the water, in the waves, in the ripples, and in the swells of
the ocean (https://www.naturalnavigator.com/find-your-way-using/sea/).
What we are trying to point out is that these natural ways of learning/sensing
directions from nature, follow the origin i.e. where the 'fundamentals' are created in
the Universal Consciousness to build the universe. This is why nature and the mind
work together and instinctively the mind picks up the signals from nature. This
happens in different manners in human beings, in birds, in fishes, and other creatures
and as mentioned before; this difference is in place by the regulation of dakShiNa
agni.
So, the spreads or the bodies of dakShiNaagni are ap (water, divine
water), dik (directions, inclinations), nakShatra (stars), chandramaa (moon).
(i) ap means water or divine water. Behind every creation, there is satisfaction and
achievement (aap). This is ap or 'water'. Water and other liquids solidify and their
constituent elements i.e. the molecules lose the mobility. Also, water or a liquid can
take any shape, i.e. it takes the shape of the receptacle where it is contained. The
physicalization or materialization of the Consciousness happens from the state
called ap or water. It is noteworthy that the fetus grows in the water bag that contains
the amniotic fluid. The major component of this fluid is water.
Also, the water or a liquid can dissolve a solid. Thus the reverse process is also true.
The loss of physicality leads us through water i.e. through the aspect of the
Consciousness called ap (whose physical form is called 'water'), during the initial part

25. of our transformation to the subtle states after the death. (Refer river vaitaraNI,
described above.)
(ii) dik. Now, coming back to the state of physicality we observe 'definitions', 'shapes',
'boundaries', and in these directions play a role. Shapes or boundaries are made of
directions (dik). The entire spatial distribution is held in the Consciousness as
‘directions’.
dik or directions are the inclinations or tendencies of the Consciousness or praaNa. In
Upanishads, it is stated that the directions like, east, west, etc. are the streams or
inclinations of praaNa. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Fourth Chapter, Second
Brahmin/Part, Fourth Mantra.)
Suppose, you are inclined toward a flower you to pluck or smell; this act is activated
by dik; flower rises in your east. You deal with the flower and you are involved with
it; this modifies you. This is in the domain of southern direction.
When this is happening, the rest of your world remains dormant in the west; this is
necessary to ensure your present (flower) prominent. When the dealing with the
flower is over, ‘your dealing with the flower’ is led to the north (uttara) and stored
there. Like this, everything is stored in the north and is refined by the divinity. When
next time you are born and back, you are back with more refined and enhanced
instincts, enhanced inherent capabilities. uttara also means ‘answer’.
There is a sense of 'achievement or accomplishment' before and after any work; we
begin in a work with a desire, to accomplish something. This sense of
accomplishment is aapti or ap or water. Similarly, once the work is over, you are
accomplished, content. This accomplishment acts on us, on our mental faculties, on
our physical organs and body. It increases our skill and dexterity.
Water has a memory. Whenever, you will be again activated about that flower, the
previous experience (of feeling a flower / ap) will be also initiated. The divine
water, ap, is the seat or a platform from where the repeated materialization and de-
materialization happen. One who knows this, one surpasses the compulsory cycles of
rebirths. In this context, we are quoting the following conversations between the sage
Jaaratkaaru and the great sage Yaajnyavalkya (yaaj~nyavalkya), about who can
destroy the 'death' (compulsory cycles of rebirths) :
(Jaaratkaaru asking Yaajnyavalkya)------- yad (when) idam (these) sarvam
(all) mRityoH annam (foods of the death), kaa shvitsaa (who is the) devata (the deity)
yasyaa (whose) mRityuH (Death) annam (is the food) (iti)? (Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad, Third Chapter, Second Brahmin/Part, Tenth Mantra.)
When all these are the foods of the Death, who is that deity whose food is the Death?

26. (Yaajnyavalkya replying to Jaaratkaaru)-----agniH (Fire) vai (is indeed) mRityuH (the
Death), saH (he) apaam annam (is the food of Water); apa (by the water) punaH
(repeated) mRityuM (death) jayati (is circumvented).
Fire indeed is the Death, and he (the Fire) is the food of the Water (ap); by the
Water (ap), the repeated Deaths (repeated compulsory cycles of rebirth) are
circumvented.
By 'Fire', it is meant the physical or mortal entities because they are materialized
from vaak or agni (Fire) or praaNa.
By 'Water' is meant the 'divine water' or ap as explained above.
(The fact that the physical water quenches the physical fire, conveys the above
'knowledge'.)
(iii) nakShatra (star) and chandramaa (moon).
(http://www.mysticalmind.com/Shadows/ezine/Astrology/dothestars.htm)
The stars and constellations are the centres by whose control the species and types are
classified. The creatures or created entities are grouped in a 'set' and controlled. The
word raashi in Sanskrit means 'a collection of multiple things, creatures, etc. and, it
also means 'zodiac sign' or the constellations. Usually, the word raashi is used to
describe the multiplicity /collection of a specific thing or a creature.
We have mentioned about kShara and akShara aatman earlier in this article. It has
been mentioned that kShara are the myriads of individual souls or 'we', who have
originated from akShara aatman (the one who is the immutable soul and everyone's
soul, one who is the One in everyone).
akShara aatman is also known as kUTastha puruSha (the one who is located in the
highest position of a multitude or one who is located in the multitude) and
also raashitha puruSha (one who is located in the multitude); this means akShara
aatman / raashitha puruSha is the source from which the 'sets' or ‘species’ are
originating.
The word nakShatra can have the following several meanings, which are connected
and which represent the characters of dakSiNa agni or the aspect of the Universal
Consciousness called dakSiNa agni :
nakShatra = na (no) + kSha (decay) +tra (salvation) = who does not decay and can
provide salvation.

27. nakShatra = na (like) + kShatra i.e. 'like kShatra'. kShatra = kSha (wound---
kShata) + tra (rescues) = who rescues from wounds or the decay.
nakShatra= nakSha + tra; nakSha = by nearing; tra = rescue. nakShatra=who
rescues as by coming near or by nearing whom we are rescued. This meaning also
implies the location of the destination during navigation by observing the location of
stars or constellations.
As per Hindu mythology, the moon (chandramaa) is married to twenty-seven
daughters of dakSha.(dakSha means who is dexterous and who is located in the south
(dakShiNa). These twenty-seven daughters are the twenty-seven constellations and
the moon is known to spend slightly more than a day with each one of them, thus
spending the entire lunar month.
chandramaa /chandra or the moon is the centre of dakShiNa agni and from this
centre, dakShiNa agni has spread. chandra is known to be the gateway to the
divinity. (Chandogya Upanishad Fifth Chapter, Tenth Part, Koushitaki
Upanishad). We, who do not know ourselves or do not know the immutable soul
or aatman; we return from chandra to mortal life after death. Our journey to the finer,
subtler stages and various domains remain within the kingdom
of chandra or dakShiNa agni.
Thus, when we take the rebirth, it commences from the centre called chandrama and
then through nakShtra we enter into the dik, then to ap. From ap, we enter into the
process of 'physicalization/ materialization' or mortal birth or existence in physicality.
When we die, we follow the same way in the reverse manner.
nakShatra = nak / naks / nakta (night) + kShetra (field or domain)---- the domain of
the night. The abundant, unabated flow of Consciousness, soma, is gushing out of the
Universal Consciousness through the lunar centre called chandramaa or chandra.
chandra = chamana (sipping /drinking) + dra (seeing, observing).
This act of drinking and observing/seeing or feeling what is being drunk is expressed
in the terrestrial sky as the moon. The observation or the vision is the illuminated
moon, the reflections of the divine mind (manasa / mana). The Consciousness
regaling with the nectar soma is called somapaa indra (Indra drinking Soma).
34. raatri/nakta/night
shveta and nIla sarasvatI

28. raatri / nakta / night is the goddess vaak in her un-manifested form or not manifested
form.
vyakta = vaak manifested
avyakta = vaak not manifested
nakta = n + akta= who is characterized (akta) by 'n' or negativity; who keeps
everything under the shroud of Oneness. (n also implies ‘new’; one who always
expresses in a new way. )
We explained earlier the two meanings of shavda or sound. By the sound,
Consciousness expresses or defines an entity, creates the duality. This is toward the
manifestation, and thus vaak is worshipped as shveta (white) sarasvatI (the goddess of
words or expressions).
By the sound, the Consciousness can unfreeze a frozen or defined identity. The
expressed identity, thus unfrozen, becomes avyakta (beyond expression). This is the
aspect of avaktya vaak or neela sarasvatI. neela means ‘blue’ or the colour which is
‘dark and attractive’. In the Consciousness, so many of our future lives and states are
now held in seeds, waiting to bud and blossom. In the Universal Consciousness, so
many universes are annihilated and so many universes are waiting to be expressed.
What is avaktya to us, is all revealed in the Universal Consciousness. Both darkness
and light are there together in the goddess night, in vaak. In our sleep, we feel
darkness; someone who knows avaktya, the one will be in the self-illumination during
the ‘sleep’.
Thus in Rik Veda, it is said that she (the goddess night /vaak) drives away the
darkness by the light------jyotiShaa (by the light) baadhate (repels) tamaH (the
darkness)------she repels the darkness by the light. (Rik Veda, Ratri Sukta.)
Another hymn on the goddess Night says:
"sambeshinIm samyamanIm
(aptly captivating, aptly regulating)
grahanakShtramaalinIm
(adorned with planets and stars)
praponno aham sivam raatrim
(I have come to thee, oh! the benevolent Night)
bhadre paaram asimahi
(You compassionate! sail me to the other bank.)"
35. The three states of existence, the three fires, Nachiketa and yama
vaak the night, as nakta, captivates all of us and so we sleep, blissfully rest in her.
This is not darkness; Upanishads have used the word samprasaada (perfectly quiet
state of satisfaction) to describe suShupti (deep sleep).

29. suShupti means to be in the state achieved (aapti) through suShumnaa (the vein or the
passage in the Consciousness that leads one to the ever-calm, immutable soul, beyond
all activities).
suShupti = suShumnaa + aapti.
vaak takes us to the 'sleep' (aahavanIya agni), vaak takes us to the state of
awareness (gRihapati agni), vaak makes us dream (dakShiNa agni).
gRihapati agni-----jaagrat/ jaagrata sthaana---realm of awakeness
dakShiNa agni)---svapna sthaana----realm of dream
aahavanIya agni-----suShupti-----realm of sleep.
Nachiketa (nachiketa) remained awake in all these three states. So, the three agni
(gRihapati, dakShiNa, aahavanIya) were named after him. (Kathopanishad)
naciketa = n+ a+ chi+ keta
n = not
a = without
chi=chit,chetana = Consciousness
keta= marked or characterized
Thus, nachiketa means who never loses consciousness or who is ever-
awake. nachiketa went to the abode of the lord of death or yama and remained awake
there. yama preached him of the immortal, eternal soul and mysteries of the three
fires (agni).
yama is the god by whom everyone is regulated to eternity. Thus he is a part
of dakShiNa agni. He is dominating on the southern (dakShiNa) direction. He acts as
the 'cover of the eternity' (aavaraNa devataa----the deity who acts as a shroud of the
main deity). He is one of the supreme preachers of 'Eternal Soul'. (This is the
implication of the word 'samyamanIm' in the above-quoted hymn on the goddess
night.).
36. aahavanIya agni and his spread (Refer Chandogya Upanishad, 4thChapter, 13th
Part.)
We have already mentioned about aahvanIya agni earlier in this article. The spread
of aahvanIya agni or his bodies are as below:
praaNa, aakasha, dyu, vidyut.

30. What is the physicality or pRithivI (the earth) in the domain of gRihapati
agni, is ap in dakShiNa agni.
What is ap or the divine water in dakShiNa agni is praaNa in aahavanIya agni. ap is
the dress or the coat of praaNa. ap is the supreme satisfaction of having achieved
everything in the soul. So, ap/aap is the cover (vasana) of praaNa. Thus is quoted in
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad First Chapter, Fifth Brahmin, :
atha etasya praaNaashyaaH apaH sharIraM jyotIrUpam asou chandraH
tad yaavaan eva praaNaH taavatI aapaH tavan asou chandraH .............. Now, aap
(water) is the body of this praaNa and chandra (moon) is the illuminated form; as
much as this praaNa is spread, that much is aap and that much is chandra.
What is agni in gRihapati, it is dik or the directions in dakShiNa agni. agni or
propensities of praaNa are the directions or dik. The way our emotions are directed,
our words are formed accordingly, our physical expressions are created accordingly.
What is dik (directions) in dakShiNa agni, it is aakaasha (sky/ firmament)
in aahavanIya agni. In aakaasha the directions remain in equilibrium and so we see
the sky as 'spherical'. aakaasha means aa (aatman) + kaasha (shine, visibility).
aa means the spread of aatman. aakaasha means the radiance of aatman or the
soul. aakaasha is the state of akShara aatman about to spread. This is the shine of the
Oneness. As akShara aatman spreads, praaNa is created. In praaNa, duality and
oneness are together. Every duality or an entity is created with a specific
inclination (dik) of praaNa. The entire 'formation and physicality, the spatial
distribution' are held in dik.
What is anna in gRihapati, it is nakShatra in dakShiNa agni and dyu in aahavanIya
agni. As countless centres, called anna, the Universal Consciousness is distributing
life to the creation. As countless centres, called nakShatra (stars and constellations),
the Universal Consciousness is controlling and defining the species and clusters of
creation.
As dyu, the Universal Consciousness, vaak, is extracting the universe from the ocean
of Oneness. The one who extracts (doh) is called duhitRi -----the daughter of the
divinity who is milking the nectar. Thus, in the hymns to raatri (vaak) in Rik Veda,
she (raatri) has been addressed as 'duhitardivaH' meaning the daughter of heaven or
who is extracting (doh) the universe from the divinity.

31. The one who is aaditya, he is gRihapati agni. He has spread as the earth (pRithivI),
fire (agni), food (annna). He is the lord of all households (gRihapati). He is holding
all of us. This is why, while describing the spread of gRihapati agni, first earth
or pRithiVI has been cited.
pRithivI also means who is holding everyone. Thus, is quoted in Upanishad that the
earth is holding or supporting the entire universe:
pRithiVI (the earth) vishvasya (universe) dhaariNI (holder/supporter) ------the earth
(who) is holding the universe. (The earth / pRithivI is addressed as a female
personality; like the mother who holds us in her womb, she is holding all of
us.) (Quoted from Mundakopanishad, Chapter 2.)
There is another hymn:
om pRithvi tvayaa dhRitaa lokaa
(Om. Oh Earth!you are holding all)
devi tam viShNunaa dhRitaa
(Goddess! you are being held by viShNu)
tvam ca dhaaraya mam nityam
(You, in turn, hold me always)
pavitram kuru chaasanayam
(And make my seat sacred).
Thus, the earth is that aspect of the Universal Consciousness, by whom everyone feels
secure, held in position, founded and established. Thus, in Chandogya
Upanishad, pRithivI or the earth is mentioned as the feet of aatman / vaishvaanara----
--the foundation or standing.
gRihapati / gaarhapatya is mentioned as the hRidaya or the heart
of aatman / vaishvaanara. (pRithivI eva padou {earth is the feet}-----hRidayam
gaarhapatyo {heart is gaarhapatya) (Chandogya Upanishad, Fifth Chapter, Eighteenth
part.)

32. Everything is held by heart or hRidaya. In each of us, hRidaya (heart) is holding
everything as 'my money, my children, my life.....'. What we feel as gravity, it is the
attraction of the heart of pRithivI.
Thus, it is said: pRithivI is held in turn by viShNu. (Refer the hymn quoted
above.) viShNu is the personality of the Universal Consciousness from whose
movement time is generating. Movement cannot happen without 'vision'. When an
observer views, the observer moves to it (what is being viewed). In our external space,
the sun is one of the main centres exhibiting this movement (time) and vision (light).
Thus the sun is addressed as 'viShNU tejase' (illuminated by viShNU). Thus in Rik
Veda hymns, the feet (pada), eye (vision), and motion (krama) of viShNU have been
mentioned in the hymns. viShNu is the divine personality of praaNa.
The one who is known as gRihapati / gaarhapatya agni, the one who is located
in aaditya (the sun), is the same one who is located in chandramaa or the moon and
who is known as dakShiNa agni.
The moon is the reflection of the divine mind, by whose thoughts we are evolving.
When I see a flower, it is the flower created in the divine mind (manasa), that is
reflected in me. In the divine mind, it is an expressed 'thought' or 'word' (Rik). In
me, it is the reflection; it is illuminated by the moon; I see a flower or I feel a flower,
which means I listen to the 'word' (Rik) of the divine mind.
When we move in the external with an intention and determination, when we are
active externally, during that stage, our mind is externally oriented and expressing.
This is the illumination of the sun. We are expressing means 'we are becoming', this is
the same as 'speaking a word'. The reflection is 'listening' and it is the shine of the
moon. Whatever we speak we 'listen'. This listening is 'shruti'. Veda (veda) or the
process of knowing has two parts, 'to become' and 'to know what Consciousness
becomes'. Thus veda is also called shruti. shruti means the act of listening.
So, in Upanishad, it is mentioned that,
tasya ha vaa aetasya aatmano vaishvaanarasya..........hRidayam gaarhapatyo, manaH
anvaahaaryapachana, aasyam aahavanIyaH------that, of this aatman who
is vaishvaanara, his heart is the gaarhapatya, his mind (reflection
/ praana) is anvaahaaryapachana (dakShiNa agni), his aasya (mouth)
is aahavanIya. (Chandogya Upanishad, Fifth Chapter, Eighteenth part).
aahavanIya agni is the mouth of the aatman (the Universal Soul / Universal
Consciousness). Because aahavanIya is calling back everyone in the universe to
merge with aatman.

33. Also, the words creating the universe is coming out of this mouth. So, the mouth is
called aasya from where the words are hurled. The word aasya is from the root word
‘as’, which means ‘to throw or to hurl’.
Thus eternal, universal Consciousness (mukhya praaNa) is called aayasya.
Chandogya Upanishad explained that the name aasyasa is given for the following
reason: aasyad (from the mouth) yad (since) ayate (moves)-----since he
(Consciousness) moves out of the mouth. (Chandogya Upanishad, Fist Chapter,
Second part, Twelfth Mantra).
(Mouth = aasya=the void inside the mouth = the inner sky.)