Listen with reverence to the ancient lineage and manifold forms of Agni, as recounted in the sacred tradition. Kavyavahana, known as the son of Pavamana, holds a unique place among the gods and ancestors. While Agni is the divine carrier of offerings to the gods, it is Kavyavahana who carries the offerings to the ancestors. From these illustrious beings, sons and grandsons arose, their number said to be forty. The first son of Brahma is the Agni of the world, known as Vishrupta. From Vishrupta was born Vaishvanara, who bore the offerings for a hundred years, sustaining the sacred rites. After him came Atharva, the worldly Agni, remembered as Darpaha Atharvana. From Atharva emerged Dadhyanga Atharvana, another form of Agni, who is revered as the Garhapatya fire—the household fire at the heart of Vedic ritual. Dadhyanga Atharvana had two sons. The second of these is Śuka, the fire that is led forth in ceremonies. Śaṃsi, the fire praised in hymns, is said to have desired sixteen rivers as his abodes. Among these rivers are Kāverī, Kṛṣṇaveṇā, Narmadā, Yamunā, Vipāśā, Kauśikī, Śatadrū, and Sarayū, each granted their own distinct abode among the sixteenfold divisions. In this way, the dhiṣṇī—sacred seats or altars—were established among the Kṛttikās, and those seats are called dhiṣṇīs. Thus, the sons of the rivers were born within these dhiṣṇīs. Now, hear the names as they are rightly declared. These fires are arranged in their proper places for the rites of birth and offering, each in due order. The sovereign fire, Kṛśānu, is the second, enshrined within the altar. Pariṣat and Pavamāna are also counted as second, thus they are mentioned together. The unswept fire is Havyavāhana, manifest in the Śāmitra fire. Viśvavyacā, the oceanic fire, is renowned as being in the place of Brahman, the Supreme. The fire that belongs to one without a household, who is seated nearby, is called Śālāsukhīyaka. All these sons of Śaṃsi are remembered by the twice-born, the initiated, as those to be placed close at hand. Among them are Vibhu, Pravāhaṇa, and Agnīdhra, as well as another called the dhiṣṇya. The fire called Hotrī is remembered as the fire that bears the oblation. The Vaiśvadeva fire is known as the Brāhmaṇa and the Śaṃsir. The fire called Āvāri, or Vābhāri, belonging to Vaiṣṭhīya, is also to be understood among these. The eighth fire, Sudhyu, is Agni associated with Yomārjālīya. He is known as the origin of waters and is recognized by the name Apsunāma. This Agni is worshipped in the Avabhṛtha rite, together with Varuṇa. The wise know that the fire within the stomach, which possesses the power of death, is also called the son of Agni. The dreadful Saṃvartaka, the fire of destruction, is remembered as the son of Agni named Manyumat. The son of the ocean-dweller, together with the demons, is also to be known in this line. His son is the flesh-eating fire, who consumes the bodies of the dead. Then there is the pure, solar fire, called Āyur by the Gandharvas. By the name Āyus, this blessed one is known as the fire that is led forth. In the Pākayajñas, the domestic sacrificial rites, the presiding fire is called Sahas. Vividhi is also said to be the son of the wondrous fire. From Vividhi came Arka, and thus these are counted among the sons of Agni. Surabhi, Vasurannāda, and Praviṣṭa—he who is Rukamarāṭ—are also known as such in this sacred lineage. Thus, the many forms and sons of Agni are recounted, each bearing a role in the cosmic order, sustaining the worlds, and carrying the offerings of gods and men.