The Rig Veda Begins with a Hymn to Agni — Yet Some Dismiss Chhath Puja. How Absurd.
SumanSpeaks Independent Capital Markets & Geopolitical Intelligence Weekend Reading The Rig Veda Begins with a Hymn to Agni — Yet Some Dismiss Chhath Puja. How Absurd. The Rig Veda, the oldest surviving Vedic text, opens not with a philosophical discourse or a social code, but with an invocation to Agni, the sacred fire: ऋग्वेद 1.1.1 अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम्। होतारं रत्नधातमम्॥ Transliteration Agnim īḷe purohitaṃ yajñasya devam ṛtvijam, hotāraṃ ratnadhātamam. Meaning “I praise Agni, the divine priest of the sacrifice, the sacred officiant, the invoker of the gods, and the bestower of precious blessings.” This opening verse is deeply symbolic. It reflects the Vedic reverence for the elemental forces that sustain life: fire, light, energy, and the cosmic order embodied in nature. Chhath Puja is rooted in the very same ethos. Dedicated to Surya, the Sun God, and Chhathi Maiya — the goddess associated with the sixth day of the lunar fo...