Agni (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"Agni" |"Agnivesya" |"Jatukarnya" |"Kanina" |"Pavaka"

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation about Marriage -- September 24, 1968, Seattle:

Prabhupāda: No. This is not possible. Because brahmacārīs, they are young men, and they are young girls. Naturally, there is dis-turbance to the mind. Yes. It is just like putting butter pot on fire. That is stated in the Bhāgavata. Nanv agni, pramadāgni ghṛta-kumbha-pāyaḥ pumān. Just like fire. (chuckles) Fire is a woman, and man is just like butterpot. It is said. Therefore they should not keep together. (laughs) Just like there are some labels in medicine and some..., "Keep away from fire." Huh? (chuckles) "Keep away from fire." So brahmacārīnī and brahmacārī is not a very good combination. But married couple and some brahmacārīs, that is nice. So this girl is married, but she is separated.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation With John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison -- September 11, 1969, London, At Tittenhurst:

Prabhupāda: No, no. These mantras are also... But Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is specially recommended for this age. And the Vedic mantras, they are also chanted, I told you, with musical, tampura, and they sit down and chant. Nārada Muni, he's chanting always. So chanting through musical instruments, mantras, it is not new introduction. It is from time immemorial. And Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, especially in this age, that is recommended in many Vedic literature, Brahmanda Purāṇa, Kali-santaraṇa Upaniṣad, Agni Purāṇa, like that. And apart from the statement in the Vedic literature, Lord Caitanya Himself, He preached this mantra. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa... And people, public, followed Him. Yes. (break) So anything... Just like a scientist. When he discovers something, it becomes a public property. People may take advantage of it. Similarly, if mantra has got potency, all people should take advantage of it. Why it should be secret?

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Indian Guests -- July 11, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: (Hindi for few sentences) Or debts. He thinks, "Oh, this is small debt." No, sometimes it becomes compound interest, big amount. So therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that these three things must be finished by the root: agni and vyādhi and ṛṇa. We should not neglect.

Guest (7): What is that? Agni...?

Prabhupāda: Agni, vyādhi, disease. And ṛṇa, debts. You should not neglect it. You should finish it.

Guest (8): Before it's increased more.

Revatīnandana: Fire? Fire, disease and debts.

Prabhupāda: Debts. One should not neglect.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Christian Priest -- June 9, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: Now, there are thousands and thousands of names, that we also admitted. At least we have got sahasra-nāma, viṣṇu sahasra. But in another place it is said, other Upaniṣad, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma... This name is recommended. Just like Agni Purāṇa and Kalisantaraṇa Upaniṣad, in this Vedic literature, this...

Priest: Yeah, but each Upaniṣad will recommend its own specific Deity, you know. Rāma, as you say, Hare Rāma. Or Śiva.

Prabhupāda: Yes, Rāma is all right. Rāma we chant. Hare Rāma we chant. Hare Kṛṣṇa and Hare Rāma. Rāma also we chant.

Priest: Or Śiva. I mean, you see, in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad.

Devotee: (Sanskrit)

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 4, 1975, Hawaii:

Prabhupāda: Hm. No, no, without fire how there can be glow?

Haṁsadūta: So they have fiery bodies.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Haṁsadūta: But when we see fire here it is also living in that way? Some living entity?

Prabhupāda: Within fire? Yes. That is agni-po. Just like you have got microbes and germs in water, similarly, there are microbes and germs in fire also. Acchedyo 'yam adāhyo 'yam. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, adāhyaḥ. "It is not burned by fire." Everything, information, is there. And therefore our knowledge is perfect. Take from the perfect source of knowledge. Acchedyo 'yam adāhyo 'yam aśleṣya, aśoṣya. (end)

Morning Walk -- December 12, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: You cannot... Your malador masjid(?). Arguments are there, so whether there is life in the sun globe?

Indian man: (Hindi—discussion with Śrīla Prabhupāda and other Indian men about śāstra, scientists, agni, and the example of the iron factory)

Prabhupāda: Jaya.

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Harikeśa: But the fire and the life is different in the Tata factory.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Harikeśa: The fire is different from the life. The fire is produced.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 25, 1976, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: There is fire within the earth, just as there is fire within the stomach-fire. That helps digestion. In the Ayurvedic śāstra, when one does not feel an appetite, it is called agni-māṁdya (indistinct), rest and (indistinct) of the fire.

Devotee: How can the fire within the stomach be increased?

Prabhupāda: You know everything?

Devotee: No.

Prabhupāda: Then?

Hari-śauri: He said that by taking cold milk, that dampens the fire. I thought that was what we said. That's what I was always told.

Evening Darsana -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Harikeśa: "I am the Self, O Guḍākeśa, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings. Of the Ādityas I am Viṣṇu, of lights I am the radiant sun, I am Marīci of the Maruts, and among the stars I am the moon. Of the Vedas I am the Sāma-veda; of the demigods I am Indra; of the senses I am the mind; and in living beings I am the living force, knowledge. Of all the Rudras I am Lord Śiva; of the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas I am the lord of wealth (Kuvera); of the Vasus I am fire (Agni); and of the mountains I am Meru. Of priests, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Bṛhaspati, the lord of devotion. Of generals I am Skanda, the lord of war; and of bodies of water I am the ocean. Of the great sages I am Bhṛgu; of vibrations I am the transcendental om. Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names (japa), and of immovable things I am the Himalayas.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation about BTG the Moon -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Hari-śauri: But we don't see any case of life within fire.

Prabhupāda: Hm? That is your experience. Śāstra says there is life, agni-paḥ.

Hari-śauri: But if we go on just practical experience like you were saying...

Prabhupāda: What is your, your practical ex...? You are rascal. You have no practical experience. If there is life in the water, if there is life in the air, if there is life within the earth, why not in the fire? It is also one of the elements. Why you discard only fire? There are five elements: earth, water, air, fire, ether. So if there is life in the earth, in the water, in the air, in the ether, what fire has done there should be no life?

Hari-śauri: But we see. The water's here. The earth's here. We see the life in there. We agree.

Prabhupāda: Your seeing is imperfect.

Conversation with Vedic Astronomer -- April 30, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So you live in Madras?

Indian Astronomer: No, not in Madras. Mogun. Near the Madras also, by one of the yajñas there. But my agni-hotra place is at Kumbha-grama(?). We are following agni-hotra tradition for more than ten generations. I myself performed so many yajñas. And now I am performing yajñas also, day and night or morning and evening.

Prabhupāda: So...

Indian Astronomer: I am also a great lover of Bhāgavata. That is my life.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Indian Astronomer: Bhāgavata is my solace of my life.

Conversation with Vedic Astronomer -- April 30, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: As sūrya is blazing, similarly, candrama is also blazing, but it is surrounded by cool cloud. Therefore it is so soothing. But it is above the sun planet, so far it is stated there.

Indian Astronomer: Natural... Naturally sūrya, our astronomy says, sūryaḥ agni (Sanskrit). Vedas say, (Sanskrit). Because the nakṣatras only.

Prabhupāda: So when you begin this diagram?

Indian Astronomer: After going my town.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Indian Astronomer: After going my town I begin.

Prabhupāda: Going?

Showing of Planetary Sketches -- June 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The middle part.

Bhakti-Prema: And then there are eight different residences of different loka-pālas, Indra, Agni, Varuṇa...

Prabhupāda: Summer residence.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, on top of Meru, like a hill station. (laughter)

Bhakti-Prema: You won't find many even like a (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: And they simply find rocks and sand. How nonsense...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Because that's all there is in Arizona.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) That is... Do it nicely, carefully.

Room Conversation about Mayapura Attack Talk with Vrindavan De -- July 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, do you see what this says, Śrīla Prabhupāda, on this past page? It says... This is the verse. "The small rivulets, which were almost dried up during the months of May and June, now begin to overflow, transgressing the banks of the river, just as the upstarts addicted to uncontrolled sense enjoyment overflow the limits of expenditure all of a sudden." And then they show a picture describing it. Sense enjoyment. They're going verse by verse and drawing original illustrations to depict. Vedic recipe page: rasagullās. It says, "Agni-hotra on Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva's Appearance Day."

Prabhupāda: Very good.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sanskrit is given. It's very nice. "Spiritual Psychology: Going Beyond the Sex Impulse."

Room Conversation -- October 13, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There is Vāsudeva. Rāmeśvara.

Rāmeśvara: This the was agni-hotra ceremony on the day the temple opened.

Hari-śauri: Just after this, there was a huge rainstorm. Very successful.

Rāmeśvara: And this is the altar, with Kṛṣṇa-Kāliya and the Nāga-patnīs.

Hari-śauri: Should Kṛṣṇa be dressed very, very opulently like this, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Hari-śauri: Yes. They had a question in Fiji. They wanted to know whether He should be dressed simply or opulently.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa-Kāliya temple (Bengali).

Rāmeśvara: This is Kṛṣṇa's birthday cake for Janmāṣṭamī in Los Angeles.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Describe it.

Rāmeśvara: This cake weighs 2,000 pounds.