The Agni Tattva

Compiled by Guru Tera K. Khalsa, New Mexico, USA
“Just as the heat of the sun makes life possible on Earth, the heat of the agni tattva sustains life in the body. The day this internal fire goes out means death to the individual as surely as this world would die if the sun refused to shine. People with a supremacy of this agni tattva are very vigorous, full of perseverance, and become untiring workers. They have a wonderful capacity for leadership and a directness of manner and speech.” -Yogi Bhajan
Our five-year theme on the five tattvas brings us to the year of the fire element, the agni tattva. According to ancient yogic teachings, human beings are made of the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and ether. Each of us maintains a special balance between the tattvas and our mind in order to have a strong body and a unified personality. The quality of our life, our mind, and our health is maintained by the tattvas.
Agni tattva is the fire of the Kundalini energy. It is increased with the practice of Kundalini Yoga. It aids in the digestion and absorption of food in order to provide the whole body with the vital energy needed for survival. Agni tattva burns our karmas, our blocks, and our fears. It gives us the strength of commitment, discipline, will-power, and the ability to carry out our intentions. It is the power to digest, absorb, and assimilate both physically and emotionally. Through the proper use of this element, we learn to fully digest the experiences that we get from life.
PURIFY AND TRANSFORM
Fire is an agent of healing and transformation. When fire is present it produces dynamic change and purification. For example, when natural, low-intensity fires burn in the forest, they remove flammable undergrowth without damaging larger trees, and encourage seeds lying dormant within the earth to grow. Agni tattva is the fire which cleanses, transforms, warms, and produces light. It takes matter as fuel and turns it into energy. It can manifest as burnout, or as the radiance experienced in the purifying fire of Kundalini Yoga.
STOKING THE FIRES OF ANGER
“You all want to get rid of your anger,” Yogi Bhajan would say. “Get rid of your anger and you won’t be able to digest your food.” He was talking about the agni tattva. The same capacity that causes us to get hot under the collar is what enables us to process food into energy. You can use this capacity to burn others, or to purify yourself.
“Krodh is what you have from fire. You have anger. Mostly you get angry. If you do not get angry, people make you angry. When you are practicing anger, you are practicing insanity. At that time you have no sense of metabolism, you have no sense of self-protection, you have no sense of anything. Anger makes you less than a human, and more of a beast. But on the other hand, if you divert this anger toward your weaknesses, you’ll be perfect. Get angry if you do not do what is right. Anger was meant for self-purifica­tion. It was not meant to burn others.”
-Yogi Bhajan

THE THIRD CHAKRA
The Third Chakra, the navel center, is dominated by the fire element. The Third Chakra is the center of will power, command, and control. It is the reserve energy center. Without a strong Third Chakra, you may have many ideas and good intentions but they may not come to fruition. With a strong Third Chakra, even your slightest intentions begin to manifest.
It is said that the Kundalini energy is initiated from the Third Chakra. The reserve energy at the navel gath­ers strength, and then goes through two small reserve channels down to the base of the spine and awakens the slumbering Kun­dalini which lies coiled through the First Chakra. Then the Kundali­ni energy begins its constant journey of awakening and arousal along the spine.
The stimulation, strengthening, and distribution of energy at the Navel Chakra is a central part of a Kundalini Yoga kriya. When the navel energy flows properly, it coordinates the organs of the body. The elimina­tive functions are triggered, the energy to support your actions is gathered, and the will to project that energy to support your actions is maintained. Kundalini Yoga provides a multitude of techniques to strengthen, balance, and call on the power of the navel center.
THE SPIRITUAL WARRIOR
The person who has mastered the Third Chakra knows how to initiate and com­plete an action. That is why the Third Chakra associated with the archetype of the spiritual warrior: one who is able to know one’s mission and for­mulate the energy to act and complete it; to live with commitment, discipline, and stamina; to obey one’s highest consciousness and command one’s mind and senses.
As spiritual warriors in the Aquarian Age, we cultivate the qualities of living and dying fearlessly. The fear of death blocks our ability to live life fully. The essence of a spiritual warrior is fearlessness, an ability to act with integrity regard­less of conditions. Develop the agni tattva and a strong, balanced Third Chakra, and enjoy life as a spiritual warrior—a life of courage, grit, caliber, and fortitude.
The agni tattva is prakasha, the brilliance of the soul, the insight and intuition of the mind, and the presence of awareness. It is the light which gives rise to forms. The agni tattva brings us the insight, will, and leadership needed as we transition into the Aquarian Age.
The agni tattva can help us to harmonize the pulse of the Third Chakra, to transform anger to commitment, and heal mind and body so we can express the soul. Ride this fire with purpose, balance, and grace. Burn through your fears and rise to your highest destiny.

Agni, the Digestive Fire: Tridoshic Vegetable Curry #1

Adapted from The Ayurvedic Cookbook, by Amadea Morningstar
In Ayurveda, yoga’s sister holistic health system, the keys to fine digestion are good health, strength, and agni, or digestive fire. Agni is the ability of all the digestive organs to be lively, effective, and coordinated in function when given an appropriate amount of food. Too much food can act like sand on a fire, dousing agni. Too little food can starve agni, like expecting a fire to burn brightly with but a few twigs to fuel it.

INSUFFICIENT AGNI
Signs of insufficient agni are much more common than those of excess. Gas, burp­ing, belching, sluggish digestion, difficulty in waking in the morning, scanty or no per­spiration, and constipation can all be indicators of deficient agni. Overeating is one of the most common ways to inhibit agni and progressively repress its creation. Certain con­stitutions are most prone to insufficient agni, with Vata taking the lead.
EXCESSIVE AGNI
Excessive agni can also result in burping or belching, although a burning sensation in the digestive tract is a more noticeable sign, especially in the stomach or duodenum. Diarrhea, irritability, hyperexcitability, and excessive talking can also occur. Excessive perspiration and thirst may result. Eating overly heating foods and going prolonged periods without eating are ways to over arouse agni, as is indiscriminate expression or repression of anger.
BALANCING AGNI
Eating smaller simpler meals is a good way to begin to rekindle balanced agni. Fresh lemon or lime in water is a gentle and cleansing stimulant to agni. Mild ginger tea is a stimulant for sluggish agni and reduces gas. Attending to appropriate combinations and using supportive herbs can make a large difference in digestion. The combination of ground cumin, coriander, and fennel is a time-honored way to stimulate and tonify agni.
HOW THE SUMMERTIME AFFECTS AGNI
In the summer the full strength of the sun’s rays pour down upon the earth, evaporat­ing the dampness of spring and creating an abundance of heat and dryness. Now Pitta predominates, and issues of fire and digestion come to the fore. Interestingly, while Pitta is often associated with digestive power, the increased heat of summer actually impairs agni. As Charak says, “Even as hot water extinguishes fire, so does Pitta suppress the digestive power (in hot weather).” For this reason it is best to eat and drink lightly, choos­ing sweet, moist, cool, and liquid items to placate Pitta, such as milk, rice, fruit, and tofu. Aloe vera juice is an excellent herbal therapeutic for summer, tonifying the liver and cool­ing the entire system. Ayurvedic texts also highlight the need to be judicious with alcohol in summer. If you do choose to consume it, it is best diluted generously with water. It can badly aggravate Pitta in the heat. Spicy, hot, pungent, sour, oily, or salty foods can have a similar action, adversely irritating Pitta.

TRIDOSHIC VEGETABLE CURRY #1
Preparation time: 1 hour
Calms and nourishes Vata, Pitta, and Kapha
Serves: 9-10
1 cup fresh green peas (frozen can be used if necessary)
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup potatoes, diced
2 cups green string beans or asparagus, cut in 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons sunflower oil or ghee
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ cups water
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander powder
½ cup yogurt
Heat oil or ghee in large heavy skillet. Add mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds pop, add turmeric. Then add all the vegetables and the water. (If using frozen peas, do not add them until the rest of vegetables are nearly done.) Cook covered until the vegetables become tender, about 15-20 minutes. Then add yogurt and the rest of the ingredients, stirring well. Simmer uncovered on low heat for another 15­-20 minutes.

This dish is good with cucumber raita and lime pickle for Vata. Serve over rice or other grain. This easy-to-prepare curry is likely to garner you rave reviews. The cooling qualities of the peas and potatoes are offset by the other vege­tables and the curry spices. This small amount of yogurt, thinned with water, is usually tolerated well by all doshas and aids digestion. Whenever you can, use ten­der fresh, rather than frozen peas, as they are more balancing for Kapha and Vata.

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