Page 334

[Alexandr Korol]

and endless knot. In Theravada traditions, for example in Thailand, Agni is a secondary deity. Agni is called Phra Phloeng (also spelled Phra Plerng, literally “sacred flame”). He is usually depicted with two faces, eight arms, red in color, wearing a gourd-shaped headdress and spewing flames.”
Ah, and I also want to add from myself, just so you understand — that little cap of the Buddha and that thing, I don’t remember the word, which is always depicted on the Buddha — that’s actually a symbol of fire. I mean, he is awakened, and that’s how his head is, that little flame above his head. All these Buddha caps, whatever kind they are, long or not — all of that is a symbol of fire.
“The word Agni in Jainism refers to fire, but not in the same way as in Vedic tradition. Agni appears in Jain thought as a guardian deity. He is one of the eight Dikpalas, or directional guardian deities in Jain temples, along with the other seven — Indra, Yama, Nirriti, Varuna, Vayu, Kubera, and Ishana. They are usually depicted standing, and their iconography is similar to that of Hindu and Buddhist temple pantheons.
According to ancient Jain thought, living beings have multiple souls and exist in many worlds, and in the earthly world shared by humans, there are two types of beings: mobile and immobile. Mobile beings, which include tiny insects, birds, aquatic creatures, animals, and humans, have two or more senses, while immobile beings have only one sense (ekendriya). Among one-sensed beings are plant beings, air beings (whirlwinds), earth beings (clay), water beings (dew drops), and fire beings (burning coal, meteorite, lightning). This last class of beings are the bodies of Agni and are believed to contain souls and beings with fire bodies. Ahimsa, or nonviolence, is the highest principle of Jainism. In their spiritual practices, Jain monks go to great lengths to practice ahimsa; they neither ignite Agni nor extinguish Agni, because this is considered violence toward “fire beings” and an act that generates harmful Karma. Agni-Kumaras, or “princes of fire,” are part of Jain theory of rebirth and a class of reincarnated beings.”

Medicine
Agni as the essence of fire or heat was incorporated into ancient Hindu medical texts such as the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita. Alongside Soma, it served as one of the two foundational categories in medical texts up to the 4th century CE, found in both Hinduism and Buddhism. Dominik Wujastyk states