Shloka 4
Matsya Purana — Genealogy and Classification of Sacred Fires
शुचिरग्निः स्मृतः सौरः स्थावराश्चैव ते स्मृताः पवमानात्मजो ह्य् अग्निर् हव्यवाहः स उच्यते //
śuciragniḥ smṛtaḥ sauraḥ sthāvarāścaiva te smṛtāḥ pavamānātmajo hy agnir havyavāhaḥ sa ucyate //
Śuci-Agni is remembered as Saura (solar in nature), and these too are remembered as Sthāvara (stationary). That Agni, born of Pavamāna, is called Havyavāha, the bearer of sacrificial offerings.
FAQs
It does not directly describe Pralaya; it classifies Agni by origin and function, emphasizing Fire as a cosmic-ritual principle (linked to solar radiance and purifying wind) that sustains sacrificial order.
By identifying Agni as Havyavāha—the carrier of offerings—it underscores the householder/kingly duty of maintaining yajña and homa, since offerings reach the gods through properly established and understood ritual fire.
Ritually, it highlights the correct conception of fire used in offerings (havis) and distinguishes a ‘stationary’ fire (sthāvara), aligning with practices of fixed sacred fires and proper agni-sthāpana in sacrificial settings.