What is Agni??

Here, in this blog, as in my previous blogs, we will try and understand concepts related to ayurveda and try and think of them thus getting clarity of mind.

All ideas that i am expressing are only my interpretations which may or may not be correct, but i would still like you to read and go through it and correct me so that i may have more clarity in my mind.

The journey of understanding ayurveda has been fascinating and promises to continue being more and more fascinating, revealing answers about our body, about the complete cosmos and its inter-relationship. Let us continue this journey of understanding this great science.

Today, I have taken the topic of "agni". Agni, as we all know is a very unique and important concept of ayurveda on which many other concepts stand. Thus to know agni in its complete and proper sense is what my motive is for this blog and the next one. I have formed certain views regarding this but before i present my view to you i think we should start off by critically analyzing the different views that have been presented to us in this context.

Let me try and illustrate some views that have been put to us and then I shall analyze each of these views as we go along.

They are as follows:



1. Agni is equated to the enzymes and juices secreted by various organs which is responsible for the conversion of food. It includes gastric juices, pancreatic juices, bile, etc.



2. Agni is pitta itself minus the drava quality or liquidity.



3. Agni is the factor that is responsible for all conversions taking place in the body.



These are generally the 3 views that are placed in front of us. So, as I continue to explore and understand the concepts of this science, critical analysis is very important.
To analyze and put into proper perspective the 3 concepts, let us make a list of pros and cons of these concepts and see how much of it can be validated and thus how much of this can be accepted and understood.



1. For the first theory:
Pros: According to me, it is the best one i have heard, which clears to a great extent the concept of jatharagni. It is also the only concept that attempts at explaining and inter-relating this concept with modern medical science.
Cons: This concept falls a bit short as it cannot explain properly the concept of dhatvagni or that of bhootagni. If this concept is to be followed, then we cannot explain many of our own principles like that of agni reducing after vamana, virechana, etc. because it is never seen that bile or gastric or pancreatic juice secretion has been reduced.
Hence, this concept, according to me does not satisfy and do enough justice. Now let us analyze another concept



2. The analysis of the second theory is as follows:
Pros: It tries to explain it in terms of its properties and shows that a deep connection exists between agni and pitta
Cons: This does not make too much sense because if this is the case then what would happen if i drink water? Will the agni be finished and become pitta? And if a substance is totally dry, then can it actually even be secreted and how would it move. Plus if it were dry pitta, then how could agni digest pitta??
This concept is also not satisfying to the intellect. Let us try and analyze the third concept.



3. The analysis of the third concept is as follows:
Pros: It clearly shows its function and its meaning goes deeper and can be used to explain superficially concepts of dhatvagni and bhootagni.
Cons: There is a complete lack of specificity. By calling it a "factor" we are not pinpointing at anything. It is vague and unclear. It is like saying that a knife is a "factor" responsible for cutting vegetables. This can only give an indication but it does not describe the knife in any way. This is conceptually the closest one i have come across but still it is far from adequate according to me.
Thus, these were some of the theories that i have come across and am still in search of a theory that explains this concept in its totality thus giving us students a proper and complete idea of what agni really is.



I have some of my own views and ideas that i have tried to validate and they seem to fit perfectly. I will, in my next blog, present to you the complete concept of agni as i think it is and will also try and explain not only jatharagni but also dhatvagni, bhootagni and its usage in yoga, tantra, spirituality, etc. and will try and relate it with modern science in terms of quantum physics so as to validate each point as we move forward.
Please feel free to give your comments or critical analysis of these concepts. And also i would like you to present your concept so that we may discuss it and hopefully come out with a complete explanation of this unique concept.