Shloka 41
Matsya Purana — Genealogy and Classification of Sacred Fires
स्वायम्भुवे ऽन्तरे पूर्वम् अग्नयस्ते ऽभिमानिनः एते विहरणीयेषु चेतनाचेतनेष्विह //
svāyambhuve 'ntare pūrvam agnayaste 'bhimāninaḥ ete viharaṇīyeṣu cetanācetaneṣviha //
Formerly, in the Svāyambhuva Manvantara, these were the presiding deities of Fire (the Abhimānins). Here they move about in the realms that are to be traversed, among beings both sentient and insentient.
FAQs
It points to cosmic administration across Manvantaras: elemental forces like Agni have presiding intelligences (abhimānins) that operate through both living beings and inert matter, indicating an ordered creation that persists through cyclical ages (and is reconfigured across cosmic cycles).
By implying that nature is governed by intelligible order (dharma-like regulation), it supports the Purāṇic ethic that rulers and householders should govern their domains in harmony with cosmic order—respecting fire through proper rites, restraint, and correct maintenance of sacrificial and domestic fires.
Ritually, it underscores Agni’s pervasive presence and governance, supporting careful handling of sacred and domestic fire in yajña and daily rites; architecturally (Vāstu context), it aligns with the idea that elemental principles pervade spaces and materials, a premise later used in Matsya Purana Vastu Shastra tips about balancing elemental forces in built environments.