Vadavagni (Sanskrit: वाडवाग्नि, romanized: Vāḍavāgni, lit. 'mare-fire'), also referred to as Vadavanala (Sanskrit: वडवानल, romanized: Vaḍavānala) refers to a submarine fire embodied in the form of a destructive being in Hindu mythology.[1] It is described to be a being that manifested with the head of a mare, but a body of blazing flame.[2]
The Vadavagni is regarded to wander the seabed and consume its waters, awaiting the moment it could emerge and destroy the earth during the Pralaya, the dissolution of the earth at the end of an age.[3][4] Various legends regarding the origin and suppression of the Vadavagni exist in Hindu literature, most prominently the descent of the goddess Saraswati as the Sarasvati river.[5]
- ^ "Vadavanala, Vaḍavānala, Vadava-anala, Vāḍavānala: 5 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
- ^ "Vadavagni, Vāḍavāgni, Vadava-agni: 8 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. 2016-04-10. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
- ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt (2009). 7 Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art. New Delhi: Westland. ISBN 978-93-86224-02-6.
- ^ The concise Oxford dictionary of world religions. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. 2005. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-19-861053-3.
- ^ Bhattacharji, Sukumari; Sukumari (1998). Legends of Devi. Orient Blackswan. p. 99. ISBN 978-81-250-1438-6.