In the Ṛgveda, two great forces are often mentioned side by side: Sūrya (the Sun) and Agni (fire). The sages saw them not as separate, but as two expressions of the same cosmic energy. The Sun was the fire of the heavens, and Agni was the fire on Earth and within the human body.
Before exploring its scientific understanding, let’s have a look of original references-
Ṛgveda 10.137 – Agni Sūkta –Original Sanskrit (Devanāgarī)
अग्निर्मृडयति ओषधीः, अग्निर्मृडयति रयीन् ।
अग्निर्मृडयति स्पृधो, अग्निर्मृडयति ज्वरम् ॥ १ ॥
अग्ने जरा,मयं रजः, कृणुष्वाभ्युत्सुकम् ।
जही शुष्कं यदप्रियम्, अस्मद्राय इव प्रियम् ॥ २ ॥
अग्निरग्निं जिह्वया समिद्धो,ऽध्वर्युरिव शंसते ।
आयुः प्राणं वि मे कृणु, ज्योतिष्मन्तं पुनः कृधि ॥ ३ ॥
अग्ने मृडय नो गिरो, ज्योतिष्मन्तो हि ते रयीः ।
अग्निं यद्विष्पतिं हिता, अमृता, मर्त्या, उप ॥ ४ ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
agnir mṛḍayati oṣadhīḥ, agnir mṛḍayati rayīn |
agnir mṛḍayati spṛdho, agnir mṛḍayati jvaram || 1 ||
agne jarāmayaṃ rajaḥ, kṛṇuṣvābhyutsukam |
jahī śuṣkaṃ yad apriyam, asmadrāya iva priyam || 2 ||
agnir agniṃ jihvayā samiddho, ’dhvaryur iva śaṃsate |
āyuḥ prāṇaṃ vi me kṛṇu, jyotiṣmantaṃ punaḥ kṛdhi || 3 ||
agne mṛḍaya no giro, jyotiṣmanto hi te rayīḥ |
agniṃ yad viṣpatiṃ hitā, amṛtā martyā upa || 4 ||
English Translation
- Agni soothes the herbs, Agni soothes prosperity;
Agni soothes hostilities, Agni soothes fever. - O Agni, remove the dust of old age, drive away what is lifeless and harmful.
Destroy all that is dry and unwholesome, and bring to us what is nourishing and dear. - As a priest calls upon the sacred fire, you call out with your tongue.
Grant me life and breath renewed, restore me again to shining health. - O Agni, be gracious to our prayers, for your treasures shine with light.
The immortals and mortals alike approach you, the universal lord of healing
Today, modern science confirms this connection in ways the ancient seers could only describe in poetry. The Sun outside us truly does sustain the “fire within” that we call metabolism, immunity, and vitality. Let us explore how.
1. The Sun Sets the Rhythm of Our Inner Fire
Our bodies run on a biological clock, located in the brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). This clock is set every day by sunlight. Morning light signals the body to increase cortisol and prepare for activity, while evening light allows melatonin to rise for rest.
- Vedic Insight: This is the principle of Ṛta, the cosmic order.
- Scientific Insight: Without the Sun’s rhythm, our internal “Agni” becomes disturbed, leading to sleep problems, metabolic disorders, and weak immunity.
2. Sunlight Creates Vital Immunity Molecules
When sunlight (UV-B) touches the skin, it makes Vitamin D, a molecule that regulates more than 200 genes in the body. Vitamin D strengthens bones, but more importantly, it fine-tunes the immune system-reducing unnecessary inflammation and helping us fight infections.
- Vedic View: Ṛgveda 10.137 prays to Agni to “drive away fever (increased body temperature) and disease.”
- Scientific View: Vitamin D, born of sunlight, is one of the Sun’s tools to regulate body temperature, infection, and autoimmunity.
3. The Sun Charges Our Cellular Engines
Every cell in the body contains mitochondria, tiny engines that turn food into energy (ATP). Research shows that sunlight, especially in the red and near-infrared spectrum, stimulates an enzyme in mitochondria (cytochrome c oxidase), making them produce more energy.
- Vedic Insight: The hymn says, “Grant us life and breath again.”
- Scientific Insight: Sunlight literally recharges our cellular fire, giving us vitality, better healing, and resilience.
4. The Sun Empowers the Healing Power of Plants
The Ṛgveda praises herbs in the Oṣadhi Sūkta as “born of the Earth to heal disease.” Why do herbs heal? Because they store the Sun’s energy. Through photosynthesis, plants turn sunlight into chemical compounds-antioxidants, flavonoids, curcumin, gingerols- that later heal us.
- Without the Sun, there is no healing herb.
- Without herbs, Agni has no allies to fight disease.
5. The Sun and Agni: Two Fires, One Principle
When the sages linked Sūrya and Agni, they were pointing to a profound truth:
- The outer Sun gives light, rhythm, energy, and food.
- The inner fire digests, transforms, protects, and heals.
Modern science now shows that:
- Circadian rhythms, vitamin D production, mitochondrial energy, and plant-based healing are all solar-powered processes.
- Without the Sun, our internal Agni cannot function.
Conclusion
The Ṛgvedic vision was clear: Sūrya outside sustains Agni inside.
- When you greet the morning Sun, you reset your body’s clock.
- When you eat plants, you are absorbing stored sunlight.
- When your metabolism burns bright, it is the Sun’s energy flowing through you.
Wellness, then, is nothing more and nothing less than living in harmony with the Sun’s rhythm, so that your inner fire (Agni) shines strong.In short: The Sun is not just in the sky-it lives inside you as Agni, the fire of life.
