298 
sin.* I have alreadyf quoted the celebrated passage where 
Agni is said to be a name of the One, and is identified with 
Yama. As throughout this Paper I have as much as possible 
avoided, though by no means ignored, the mythological 
element, I shall not quote here any of the numerous passages 
which treat of the physical functions of Agni in connection 
with the Devas. But, on the foregoing extracts, we may 
observe that the identifications are not to be regarded as 
implying a strict and absolute monotheism, as if there were 
really only one god, Agni ; what they undoubtedly show is 
that all the divinities are of the same igneous nature, and 
that Agni who, in his lowest manifestation is ordinary earthly 
flame, in his highest is identical with Yaruna himself, is the 
Asura, ultimate source of all light, heat, life and energy. 
Agni as the ritual-fire, is a priest and sage, messenger and 
link between God and man, and bears to heaven the prayers 
addressed to the Eternal Creator. How clearly in these 
Hymns we see the struggle between monotheism and poly- 
theism ; the poets are apparently inconsistent and contra- 
dictory, there is but One and yet there are many ; there are 
many, but yet they are merely names of the One. Again 
and again through the increasing clouds of ignorance and 
error, the supreme form of the Asura of heaven breaks forth 
upon His children like the blue sky of His abode. { 
32. Agni the highest Manifestation of Divinity. 
It is stated that, — 
“ The gods formed Agni for a threefold existence. 
According to the great commentator Yaska, B.C. 400, and his 
predecessor Sakapuui, this triadic existence refers to the 
igneous principle — (1) on earth, (2) in the air, and (3) in the 
sky, as fire, lightning and sun. In another passage Yaska 
observes : — 
“ Owing to the greatness of the Deity, the one Soul is 
lauded in many ways. The different gods are members of 
the one Soul. It is soul that is their car, steeds, weapon. 
* Eig-Veda, VI. xv. 12. + Sup. sec. 18. 
I Prof. Muller observes that Vedic poets, Zoroastrian worshippers, 
Hebrew prophets, and Homeric singers “had no name for that which is 
the sky’s own peculiar tint, the sky-blue, the coeruleiun.” ( Contemporary 
Review, May, 1878, p. 230.) 1 do not feel sure of this. The blue, formerly 
bleue sky, is the blew-en or blown sky, from which the clouds are driven, 
so that the vault of heaven appears. In Assyrian the same ideograph stands 
for samu, “ blue,” and samv, “ sky ; ” therefore in Mesopotamian regions, blue 
= sky colour. § Rig-Vcdn, X. lxxxviii. 10. 
