Aditya Hrudayam Series Week 28
Shloka Taatparyam Shloka 23
एष सुप्तेषु जागर्ति भूतेषु परिनिष्ठितः। 23 ।
एष एवाग्निहोत्रं च फलं चैवाग्निहोत्रिणाम्॥ 23 ॥
Eṣa supteṣu jāgarti bhūteṣu pariniṣṭhitaḥ । 23 ।
eṣa evāgnihotraṃ ca phalaṃ caivāgnihotriṇām ॥ 23 ॥
Meaning:
He abides in the heart of all beings keeping awake even while the beings are asleep. He is both the sacrifice (Agni the sacred fire) and the fruit (of the sacrifice) sought by the performers of the Yajna (agnihotrins).
This shloka in my opinion follows closely on the heels of last shloka on water cycle. This shloka mainly talks about Yagna, a sacred Vedic ritual done to invoke and please deities using fire as a medium and to attain boons for general well being. Per Vedic traditions, Agni is the messenger between people and God and a link between man’s consciousness and cosmic consciousness. During day time Sun gives us light and warmth. During night time people had to depend on fire for light and heat. Thus both Lord Surya and Lord Agni are linked as one supreme luminous deity in this shloka.
In the olden days it was common to do Yajnas to purify the atmosphere and secure timely rains for the crops to grow on earth. Sun through his rays heats up water, converts them to vapor, which then rises to the sky to form clouds and then recycles the water back to earth as rain. This causes the vegetation on the earth to grow. Thus Sun acts like Agni in this aspect. He himself is the fire that heats the water, takes the vapors to the sky to form clouds (like Agni who takes material offerings of the Yajna to the Gods) and causes good rains for the welfare of beings on the earth (the fruit of the sacrifice sought by the performers of the Yagna).
एष Eṣa – He
सुप्तेषु supteṣu – while sleeping
जागर्ति jāgarti – awake
भूतेषु bhūteṣu – in beings
परिनिष्ठितः pariniṣṭhitaḥ – abides
एष eṣa – he
एव evā – also
अग्निहोत्रं agnihotraṃ – sacred fire, Agni, Lord of fire
च ca – and
फलं phalaṃ – fruit
चैव caivā – and indeed
अग्निहोत्रिणाम् āgnihotriṇām – performers of the Yajna
