Agni A major Hindu god who appears originally in the ṛg Veda (see ṛg Veda ) as one of the asuras (see Asuras ) or Ādityas (see Aditi and the Ādityas )—Mitra, Varuṇa, Aryaman, Rudra, Uṣas, Indra—at the most obvious level, Agni is the god of fire. He is often opposed to Varuṇa (see Varuṇa ), the god of waters, in philosophic dialogues. Sacrifice is associated with Agni; he carries sacrificial offerings to the gods. In a deeper sense he is the divine will without which nothing can happen in the universe. He is a hidden god—the divine fire in plants, in the earth, in animals, in the elements, in humans; he is the ...