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Agni & Strotas AGNI Agni means fire, digestive fire. “ llRoga sarve api mandegnau”ll ash. Sang Nidan 12/1 Most of the diseases occur due to poor digestion. High quality and nutritious food consumed will not provide good health unless the Agni digests it properly. ll Ayurvarno balam swasyamutsahaopachyo prabha Ojastejogynya pranashchokta dehagnihetuka Shantegynou mriyate yukte chiram jevantyamayaha Rogiswadvikrite mulamagni tasmat niruchyate Yadananam dehadhavojobalvarnadiposhakam Tatragnihetu aharaanna hipakvad rasadaya ll ch.chi.15/3-5 Longevity, strength, growth, health, complexion and the vital energy all depend upon Agni . It generates good quality of Oja through proper digestion of food. Agni, the digestive fire, serves to convert food into various bodily constituents and represents the power of transformation in the body. When Agni is normal there is excellent digestion, proper elimination of waste, proper tissue formation and good circulation of nutrition, strong immunity, high energy and good physical and mental health. Agni destroys harmful organisms and toxins, which create ill health. The conversion takes place by three types of Agni working at three different levels in the body resulting in 13 types of Agni- 1. Jharagni (digestive fire) 2. 7 Dhatu agnis 3. 5 Bhutagni

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Agni & Strotas

 

AGNI

Agni means fire, digestive fire.

“ llRoga sarve api mandegnau”ll                   ash. Sang Nidan 12/1 Most of the diseases occur due to poor digestion.

High quality and nutritious food consumed will not provide good health unless the Agni digests it properly.

 

ll Ayurvarno balam swasyamutsahaopachyo prabhaOjastejogynya pranashchokta dehagnihetuka

Shantegynou mriyate yukte chiram jevantyamayaha

Rogiswadvikrite mulamagni tasmat niruchyateYadananam dehadhavojobalvarnadiposhakam

Tatragnihetu aharaanna hipakvad rasadaya ll  ch.chi.15/3-5

 

Longevity, strength, growth, health, complexion and the vital energy all depend upon Agni. It generates good quality of Oja through proper digestion of food.Agni, the digestive fire, serves to convert food into various bodily constituents and represents the power of transformation in the body.

When Agni is normal there is excellent digestion, proper elimination of waste, proper tissue formation and good circulation of nutrition, strong immunity, high energy and good physical and mental health. Agni destroys harmful organisms and toxins, which create ill health.

The conversion takes place by three types of Agni working at three different levels in the body resulting in 13 types of Agni-

1. Jharagni (digestive fire)2. 7 Dhatu agnis3. 5 Bhutagni

Digestion of food is carried out in the gastro intestinal tract by the jathargni also called as kayagni (body fire).Jatharagni transforms/metabolizes the food into nutritive fluid called as ‘ Ahar rasa’. If this jatharagni is weak in its function the food will not digest properly and the ‘Ahar Rasa’ produced will be of poor quality.

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Further the seven-dhatu agnis take over the function of digestion and proper nourishment of the body; if these agnis are weak they will generate toxins from the indigested food material called ‘Ama’. This Ama clogs the channels (strotas) and creates imbalance in all systems.

Bhutagni exist for taking the five element portions of the digested food mass and converting them in to nutritive substances for the five sense organs. Some the specialized materials like rods and cones responsible for the photosensitivity in the eye, mucus membrane in nose that aids smelling, special liquids around the taste buds on the tongue, special cartilage forming the ear are prepared by the Bhutagni.

Normal function of Agni is different in all people according to the predominance of dosha in them.

The three doshas produce four types of agni-

Vishamagni- is an unstable state of Agni. This is influenced by vata dosha. Sometimes the food is digested properly, other times slowly. Such people are irregular in their dietary habits, and suffer from abdominal distension, colic type pain, constipation; gurgling sounds in their intestines are common symptoms.

Tikshnagni– is influenced by pitta dosha and is found in pitta predominant people. Agni is strong and digestion is fast. These people can digest large quantity of food in short time. Burning sensation in stomach, excessive thirst, heartburns, dryness of mouth are few symptoms of Tikshnagni.

Mandagni - is found in kapha predominant people. They take long time to digest little amount of food. Their metabolism is very slow. Hence do not have to urge for food. Nausea, heaviness, coated tongue, laziness are few signs of Mandagni.

Samagni – is found in healthy individuals. It is balanced type of Agni, indicative of good health and balancedTridosha. These people can digest normal diet with proper nourishment to tissues.

Factors that disturb the function of Agni-Over eating, left over, frozen foods, frequent change in dietary habits, eating before the previous meal is digested, eating at inappropriate times, consuming incompatible food, anger, grief or excess sleep.

 

STROTAS

Strotas are macro and microscopic channels in our body. They are formed from tissues and carry various types of substances all over the body for metabolism and digestion. There are numerous channels connecting all organs and tissues together supplying nutrients and removing waste materials. They maintain communication between the different tissues and organs. Improper flow through these channels causes diseases. Excess flow, Deficient flow, blockage of flow or flow outside of the proper channel results in disease and ill health.

For better understanding they are divided into following groups.

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Pranavaha strotas - The channel that carries the life force – prana or the breath.Ambuvaha strotas – The channel that regulated the fluid metabolism Annavaha strotas – The channel that carries food, the digestive system.

Following seven channels supply the seven dhatu (body tissues) of the body –

Rasavaha strotas – The channel that carries Plasma.Raktavaha strotas – The channel that carries BloodMansavaha strotas – The channel that supplies the muscle tissue.Medovaha strotas – The channel that supplies the fat tissue.Asthivaha strotas – The channel that supplies the skeletal system.Majjavaha strotas – The channel that supplies the bone marrow, nerve tissue and the nervous system.Shukravaha strotas – The channel that supplies the reproductive system.

Three channels are to carry out the elimination

Mutravaha strotas – These channels supply the urinary system.Purishavaha strotas – These channels carry feces or the excretory system.Swedavaha strotas – These channels carry sweat or the sebaceous system.

Two special subsystems exist in female body for the purpose of reproduction Arthavavaha strotas – The channels that carry menstruation.Stanyavaha strotas – The channels that carry the breast milk.

Mind as a special channel systemManovaha strotas – These channels carry all the mental thoughts.

gni

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The concept of Agni is very peculiar to Ayurveda. The energy necessary for all activities in our body is provided by Agni. Transformation the energy in the food to the energy, which can be utilized by our cells is done by biological Agni. The concept of Agni is the basis of Ayurvedic therapeutics .

Agni - The Digestive fire.

In Ayurveda good digestion is considered mandatory for maintaining perfect health. There is no demarcation like good or bad food but food has good or bad effect on your body. Your health depends on how well you can digest and utilize the food you take. The digestive power is specific for every body type.

Body Type Digestive Power Vata Changeable. Pitta Strong Kapha Slow.

The objective is to maintain or restore the digestive power you are endowed with and utilizing it in the best possible way. Agni holds an important place in the principles of Ayurveda .Good health is indicated if your digestion is ignited well which is shown if your food is being digested efficiently, meets the requirements of the body cells and elimination of the waste products formed in the body without being a trace of toxin left.

Classification/Types

The Agni present in the body is classified into following thirteen types -

I. Jaathragni  or Pachak Agni (Digestive fire)- Pachak pitta present in the small intestine contains this Agni. . It is responsible for digestion and also strengthen and nurture other types of Agni present in the body in its natural or balanced state.

II. Sapta Dhatwagni - Agni which is present in all the seven tissues that form the body is called Dhatwagni. It is named after the tissue it resides in. It is responsible for all the metabolic functions being carried out at the respective tissue level.

Rasa Dhatu Agni Rakta Dhatu Agni Maans Dhatu Agni Med Dhatu Agni Asthi Dhatu Agni Majja Dhatu Agni Shukra Dhatu Agni

III. Pancha Mahabhoota Agni - These are five in number one for each Mahabhuta. It is responsible to convert Asharir (Non body) Mahabhoota to Sharir (bodily) Mahabhoota. Every thing in the universe is made up of Pancha Mahabhuta. Food as well as our body both are formed of Panchamahabhuta. The Agni converts the Asharir Mahabhoota (external Mahabhuta) to Sharir Mahabhuta. For instance when we drink water Jal Mahabhuta (water) is predominant. The water is converted  to the Sharir Jal (body fluids)by Jal Mahabhuta Agni The following are the Panchamahabhuta Agni:

Akasha Mahabhuta Agni Vayu Mahabhuta Agni Agni Mahabhuta Agni Jal Mahabhuta Agni Prithvi Mahabhuta Agni

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Ayurveda believes that all the pathology occurs due to the impairment of Agni (Kaya). Hence the rectification or treatment of  Kaya i.e. Agni is known as Kaya Chikitsa .

Imbalance of Agni (the digestive fire) leads to the follwoing:

Loss of appetite. Acidity or heart burn. Loose motions or constipation. Increased weight or loss of weight. Gastrointestinal tract ( Digestive tract) disorders.

Principles of Ayurveda

Agni

Being the biological fire that governs metabolism, agni encompasses all the changes in the body and mind from the dense to the more subtle.

Such changes include the digestion and absorption of food, cellular transformations, assimilation of sensory perceptions and mental and

emotional experiences. Agni therefore covers whole sequences of chemical interactions and changes in the body and mind. Digestive abilities

being related to the strength of agni.

Agni and pitta are closely connected. While both are hot and light, agni is subtle and dry. The heat energy to help digestion contained

by pitta is agni. Pitta is therefore the container and agni the content. Agni is acidic in nature and stimulates digestion. It is subtly related to

the movement of vata. In every tissue and cell agni is present and is necessary for maintaining the nutrition and auto-immune mechanism. By

destroying micro-organisms, foreign bacteria and toxins in the stomach and the intestines.

A balanced agni therefore is vital for health. The strength of the body to resist disease and also its physical strength are directly related to its

heat energy determining the metabolic processes of the body. Disturbances to Agni are usually the chief causes of disease.

As per Ayurveda there are thirteen types of Agni in the body and mind according to the conversion and the transformation made. The most

important of them is the Jatharagni, the gastric fire, responsible for digesting food eaten by correlating hydrochloric acid in the stomach and

the digestive enzymes and juices secreted into the stomach, duodenum and the small intestines. If digestive agni is low and the capacity is

impaired, one may experience pain, discomfort, feeling of heaviness or gases gurgling, constipation or loose stools.

 

he Five Elements

Ayurveda states that everything in this universe, including the human body is composed of five basic elements. 

PRITHVI  - EarthJALA -  WaterAGNI  - Fire

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VAYU  - AirAKASH  - Space

These five elements are the basic constituents of everything on Earth. In the human body, space is present where there is an empty, hollow area (nostrils, mouth, ears, throat, lungs, stomach). Air provides movement - such as in the joints, intestine or heart. Fire is present in all metabolic activity; and water in all fluids such as plasma, blood, lymph and saliva. Earth is represented in any solid, heavy part of the body like fat muscles, skin and nails. 

TridosaIn humans, the five elements combine to produce three primary life forces, or "biological humors". The Ayurvedic term for these forces is Dosha. Because there are three of them, they are referred to as the tridosa (tri meaning three), Vata, Pittaand Kapha. Like any other object each dosha is also made of the five elements. However they have predominance of one or more elements as described below:Vata - air and spacePitta - fire Kapha - water and earth.The doshas can be understood from their qualities and actions in the body. For example, people with a Vata dosha display characteristics and qualities related to the space and air elements - active, restless, mobile. Those with a Kapha dosha(earth and water) are usually very solid, stable and slow. The Tridosa theory is a basic principle of Ayurveda. All humans have the threedoshas, although there is always a predominance of one or more dosha. This predominance of dosha and their unique proportion, in a person, is responsible for her or his unique nature. This unique nature of an individual is called prakriti or constitution. Knowing the constitution assists both in preventing as well as curing diseases. 

Other important basic principles of Ayurveda are: · Dhatus- These are the basic tissues which maintain and nourish the body. There are seven dhatus - plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, marrow and reproductive fluid. The quality and quantity of each dhatu and its balanced functioning is very important for good health.· Mala- These are the waste materials produced as a result of various metabolic activities in the body. The main mala are urine, faeces and sweat. Proper elimination of mala is equally important for good health. Accumulation of mala causes blockages in the body resulting in manifestation of diseases.· Srota- These are channels which are responsible for transportation of food,dhatus, malas and doshas Proper functioning of srota is necessary for transporting different materials. Blockage of srota causes many diseases.· Agni- Agni means fire. According to Ayurveda there are 13 types of agni in the body which carry out different metabolic activities. The agni can be compared to different types of enzymes responsible for digestion and metabolic activity. 

All these factors should function in a proper balance for good health. 

Prakriti ParikshanAnalysis of the constitution & psychosomatic personality. Based on the above factors and their varying presence in each human being, an investigative analysis is done to arrive at the `Prakriti' of each individual. This forms the basis of the treatment especially in chronic diseases or major health problems.

To learn more about Ayurveda, please get in touch with us.

To provide vitality and ojas to the body & mind

Aum Mahajwalaye VidmaheAgnidevaye DhimahiTanno Agnih Prachodayat

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Translation: “Om. Let us meditate on the great God of fire in the form of blazing flames. May that radiant Agni Deva inspire and illumine our mind and understanding.”Posted by Live Be

Arunachala Yoga & Ayurvedaarticles, ruminations and meditations

Agni: The Digestive Fire

In Ayurveda, the science of life, all creation arises out of five great elements known as

mahabhutas. This phenomenal world is created first by the qualities of akash or space,

which gives us the container for all form. Within this space vayu or air then manifests all

possible movement. Agni or fire becomes responsible for all transformation and thus all

possibilities. Next, jala or water offers the breeding ground for life and finally prithvi or

earth gives shape that is recognizable to all senses, which are the perceivers of this

manifestation.

Agni, the pivotal mahabhuta in this chain of creation is the capacity to digest and

transform. As in the macrocosm (universe) so in the microcosm (us), says Ayurveda. Thus,

as in the case of food (sustenance) it is what takes an apple and breaks it down into its

essential components (parimanus) and then reconfigures them into the consciousness that

permeates and nourishes us at the cellular level. To quote Dr. Lad in his textbook on

Ayurveda, agni is the main source of life and if you worship agni, you will be blessed with

perfect health.

Within us this agni is primarily known as jathara agni, the digestive fire. Residing mostly in

the stomach as hydrochloric acid (HCL), it is a term that covers all digestive enzymes. The

process of digestion, absorption and assimilation begins with the enzymes present in the

saliva that soften what we eat so it continues into the gullet as a paste. Penetrating the

diaphragm, this gullet ends in a strong, muscular bag we know as the stomach. Having

taken about 3 seconds to reach here, this foodstuff is turned acidic by the HCL for further

digestion by peptin and gastrin before it enters the small intestines where this acid is

neutralized, allowing bile and pancreatic juices to come out and further digest it and pass it

finally along to the large intestine for the last stages of digestion and the natural

elimination of wastes.

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The mechanisms of this chemical process have been rendered into their conscious, poetical

form by Ayurveda, which compares this process to the cooking of food externally. It

requires a stove, a pot, fuel, air, fire, water, food and someone to utilize it all. Internally the

pot is the stomach, the stove the small intestine, the fuel is the previously digested food

that triggers the enzymes, the air is your peristaltic movement, the water the gastric

mucosal secretions, the organizer is your prana (life force) while the fire is your jathara

agni or acids and enzymes.

Understanding this process leads to an appreciation of the qualities of all these ingredients

especially if we wish to utilize our agni properly as a tool for transformation of food into

vitality. Our prana needs to be strong, yesterday’s food should not be morbid, the mucosal

secretions not depleted and our “mental gut” or peristaltic movement in a balanced and

stress free state. Most of all, however, the state of our agni will determine what rasa or

juice we will be able to draw out of our food intake.

According to Ayurveda, there are four possible states of agni, reflecting our constitutional

makeup and its vagrancies. These are sama (balanced metabolism), vishama (irregular

metabolism), tikshna (hypermetabolism) and manda (slow metabolism). To understand

these different states of digestion requires an understanding of the doshas. Simply put,

doshas are constitutional humors composed of the five great elements. They manifest as

forces of movement, of transformation and of stability. Their vagrancies reflect excessive

movement, excessive heat and excessive mucosal secretions.

Vata, the first dosha, is composed of the elements of space and air and will give rise to

vishama agni as an erratic digestion, with the peristaltic movement being unpredictable,

creating irregularity in appetite, variability in digestion, abdominal distention, indigestion,

gases and constipation.

Pitta, composed mainly of fire and some water, is the dosha that creates tikshna agni when

out of balance. Because of its hot, sharp, fire like qualities it causes an excessive release of

acids and enzymes and thus a desire for large quantities of food. Its liquid, sour and hot

qualities can then cause hyperacidity, gastritis, heartburn and diarrhea, and eventually

lead to ulcers or colitis.

Kapha, the most stable dosha, when increased, turns sluggish and slow. This is because it

is composed of the heaviest of the five elements: water and earth. It thus causes manda

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agni or a dull and slow digestion. Even a small meal can cause heaviness in the stomach,

colds, congestion and cough. It can lead to edema, obesity, hypertension and diabetes.

These developments of the different states of digestion are further reflected in deeper

changes as the effects move steadily into our physical and psychological being. Vishama

agni or irregular digestion eventually leads to dry skin, cracking joints, lower back pain and

insomnia. Emotionally, the predictable results include anxiety, insecurity, fear and other

neurological disorders. Tikshna agni or sharp digestion can cause inflammatory conditions

especially of the skin; pain in the liver, nausea and vomiting. The individual thus affected

becomes judgmental and critical, and carries feelings of hate, envy and anger. Manda agni

or slow digestion leads eventually to lethargy, excessive sleep, cold clammy skin and

general weakness of the body. Mentally, there can be greed, attachment and

possessiveness.

The net result of any of these three states of agni is the build up of a sticky, foul substance

called ama. Indicated by lethargy, a coated tongue and foul breath, this undigested

substance can be recognized today as high cholesterol, candida, late onset diabetes, acute

constipation and/or diarrhea among other ailments. In Ayurvedic thinking all diseased

states arise as a result of ama, whether physical or mental and all ama is the result of an

improperly functioning agni. In fact the key to a healthy agni is the intake of easily

digested, fresh, lightly cooked, compatible foods eaten consciously at the appropriate

times.

The ideal state of agni, that which is known as sama agni, is achieved by the balancing of

the doshas. When agni is in equilibrium it produces a healthy metabolism. People with a

healthy metabolism are blessed with strong constitutions where digestion, absorption and

elimination are regular. This leads to good health, longevity and a strong immune system.

People with sama agni are characterized by a calm, loving demeanor and great clarity of

mind.

In the Vedas, the ancient texts of India, agni was worshipped in its Divine form as the

bringer and sustainer of life. There is a beautiful food prayer that shows this devotional

aspect of eating:

Annam brahma

(Brahma gives us food)

Raso Vishnu

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(Vishnu the ability to find its essence)

Pakto Devo Mahesvara

(Shiva cooks this essence into us)

Evam Jnatva Tu Yo Bhunkte

(When you eat with this awareness)

Anna Dosho Na Lipyate

(The food becomes pure and no toxins stay in you)

When we honor our agni thus, we become conscious of what we eat and how we receive it

into ourselves. Eating no longer becomes an unconscious or even emotion laden choice to

fill a hunger in our bellies. There arises within us a desire for transforming what we eat

into the highest consciousness, marked by progressively better health and state of mind.

This is the gift of the firegod, AGNI.

References: Dr. Vasant Lad: Ayurveda: Textbook Of Fundamental Principals, The Ayurvedic

Press

2002

Dr. Bhagvan Dash: Concept Of Agni In Ayurveda, Chaukhamba Press, Varanasi 1993

In gratitude to all my Ayurvedic Teachers…

Arun Deva can be reached at [email protected].

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