Agni Negotiates Working Conditions
Gets best sacrifice portion; retains purifying role
Agni, the god of fire and the divine bearer of sacrificial offerings, has agreed to resume his duties after reaching an understanding with the divine council. The first signs of his return were reported at household hearths and sacrificial fires, where flames were seen to rekindle themselves. Smoke was also seen spiralling skywards from ritual altars.
This development follows the abrupt departure of Agni, reported first by Indica Times, without the mandatory notice period being served. Sources close to the divine council say that the Search and Rescue Team was immediately pressed into service, and Agni was eventually discovered concealed in the waters of the sea.
According to a member of the Search and Rescue Team, Agni initially refused to enter into any kind of dialogue or compromise with the gods. Talks began only after the gods Mitra and Varun were brought in as mediators.
Indica Times reached out to the Mitra-Varun office for details of the dispute and subsequent settlement, but they declined to comment. A separate source, meanwhile, has claimed it was sage Angiras who took the lead in locating Agni and persuading him to return. The competing accounts could not be independently verified.
Sources familiar with the matter say Agni's withdrawal followed the death of all his elder brothers, who had previously undertaken the same duties. Their fate reportedly left him fearful of meeting a similar end, and determined to prioritise his own wellbeing. After several rounds of discussions, an agreement was reached for better terms.
Under the settlement, Agni will have the first share of every sacrifice, and the best portion of the offerings he conveys to gods. He will also retain his exclusive power to purify what he touches and to confer immortality.
Speaking to Indica Times, Agni confirmed that he would return but declined to take questions on the terms of the agreement 1.