Bhrgu had a greatly beloved wife, Puloma, in whom he conceived a son endowed with Bhrgu's own potency. The child grew normally in the womb of Puloma, who was very respectable and religious wife and who always treated others fairly. Once Bhrgu, great among the upholders of virtue, left her at home and went out to perform a royal consecration. While he was away, a demoniac Raksasa also named Puloma came to his ashrama. When he entered the ashrama and behold the faultless wife of Bhrgu, the Raksasa was overwhelmed by lust and lost his mind.
Upon seeing the Raksasa arrive, the lovely Puloma welcomed him with typical forest fare like fruits and roots and other such eatables. But simply by looking at her, the Raksasa Puloma was excited and his heart was fully tormented by lust. O brahmana, he yearned to kidnap that faultless woman.
Noticing the sacrificial fire ablaze on the sacred ground, the demon asked the blazing fire, "Tell me, Agni, whose wife is this? I ask you on your honor, O Fire, for you are the emblem of truth. Speak the truth to one who so inquires. I believe this lady of lovely complexion to be the very woman I once chose as my wife. But her father gave her away to Bhrgu, who improperly accepted her. If this shapely woman, who stands alone here, is indeed Bhrgu's wife, then you must declare it openly, for I wish to steal her from this ashrama. My heart has always burned with rage because Bhrgu took that lovely-waisted woman who was first meant to be my wife."
The Raksasa was not sure if the woman was actually Bhrgu's wife, and so again and again he entreated the blazing sacrificial fire, asking him the same question. "O Agni, you ever exist within all creatures as a witness to their piety and sin. O wise one, speak words of truth. Bhrgu falsely took away my intended wife, and if this is that same woman, then tell me so. You must declare the truth. As soon as I hear from you that she is truly Bhrgu's wife, I shall take her from this ashrama before your very eyes, my dear sacred Fire. Now speak the truth!"
Afraid to speak a lie, and fearing too of Bhrgu's curse, Fire began to speak, slowly and carefully, revealing the identity of Bhrgu's wife.[Although the demoniac Raksasa insisted that Agni speak the truth, he himself cared nothing for Vedic principles and considered his own selfish will to be the highest law.]
Suta Goswami said: Upon hearing Agni's statement the demon assumed the form of a huge boar and seized Bhrgu's wife with the speed of the mind and the strength of the wind. But as soon as he grabbed Puloma, the child rolled furiously out of her womb and thus became known as Cyavana, "the one who came forth." Simply seeing this powerful child rush forth from his mother's womb, the Raksasa burst into flames. Releasing Bhrgu's wife, he fell to the ground and burned to ashes.
Shocked and aggrieved by this incident, the shapely Puloma quickly picked up Bhrgu's beloved child and ran. Lord Brahma himself, the grandfather of all the worlds, witnessed Bhrgu's faultless wife crying out, her eyes filled with tears, and he began to comfort that chaste young lady, whose teardrops, as they issued forth, formed a great river that followed her path.
Thus Cyavana, the powerful son of Bhrgu, was born. Upon seeing his son Cyavana and his furious wife, Bhrgu too became angry and asked his faithful Puloma, "When that Raksasa decided to steal you, who told him your name? O sweet-smiling one, the demon surely did not know that you were my wife. Tell me the truth. Who revealed your identity? My anger is such that I wish to curse him this very moment! Who is that person who does not fear my curse? Who committed this offense?"
Puloma said: My lord, it was Agni who surrendered me to the Raksasa. As I cried out like a kurari bird, the Raksasa led me away. I was saved only by this son of yours. By his power, the demon let go of me as he burned to ashes and fell dead on the earth.
Suta Goswami said: Hearing this from Puloma, a terrible wrath took hold of Bhrgu Muni, and he cursed Agni, the god of fire, declaring, "You, Fire, shall eat all things”. Cursed by Bhrgu, Agni too grew angry, and spoke these words: "Brahmana! Why have you committed such a reckless act against me, when I strove to follow the law and spoke the truth impartially? When questioned, I spoke the facts. What, then, is my crime? A witness who knowingly speaks lies when questioned ruins seven generations of his family, past and future. And one who knows the truth in a matter of duty, and even knowing does not speak, is tainted by that very sin (of duplicity) without a doubt. "I also have the power to curse you, but I am bound to honor brahmanas. Although you already know it, I shall clearly explain the situation. Please listen carefully, "By my mystic potency I divide myself into many flames, and thus I am present in various forms of religious sacrifices, such as the Agni-hotra, Satra, Makha, and in other rituals and ceremonies. Thus even the demigods and forefathers are satisfied by offerings of clarified butter consumed within my flames, following the Vedic rites.
"All the hosts of demigods and forefathers are venerable authorities in this world. Thus religious offerings on the new moon and full moon days are meant for both the gods and the forefathers, for they are generally worshiped as one, but are worshiped separately on the moon days. And even the demigods and forefathers always make offerings through me, hence I am considered to be the mouth of the thirty principle demigods and the forefathers. '"The forefathers are offered sacrifice on the new moon day, and the demigods on the full moon day, and through my mouth they consume offerings of clarified butter. How, then, can my mouth eat all things, clean and unclean?"
Reflecting on the matter, Agni withdrew himself from all the obligatory religious sacrifices and rituals, including the Agni-hotra. There was thus no chanting of the sacred Om, Vasat, Svadha, and Svahaa transcendental sound or Vedic hymn. And thus without Agni all creatures became very aggrieved. The sages, who grew very disturbed, then went to the demigods and spoke: "Now that fire is lost, religious processes have collapsed, and thus the three worlds, blameless in this matter, are faffing to ruin. Do what needs to be done while we still have time." The sages and gods then approached Lord Brahma and delivered the news of the curse on Agni and his withdrawal from religious ceremonies. "O exalted one," they said, "Bhrgu has cursed Agni without reason. How can Agni, the mouth of the demigods, be cursed to eat all things? It is Agni who eats the first portion of that which the whole world offers in sacrifice."
Hearing their speech, Brahma, the creator, called Agni and spoke to him these gentle and immortal words, meant for the welfare of the world: "You are the fountain of all planets and You are their end. You sustain the three worlds and set the sacred rites in motion. O lord of the world, please act so that religious ceremonies are not cut off. Being a universal controller and the consumer of sacrificial offerings, why should you now be so confused? You represent purity in this world, and you pervade all creatures. You shall not eat all things with all your bodies. In your manifestation as a gross material ingredient, O blazing lord, your flames will burn all things. But as the sun purifies all things by the touch of its rays, similarly all that you burn by your flames shall become pure.
"O Fire of awesome potency, with that same potency, please make the sage's curse come true, O mighty one. Accept and consume the demigods' portion and your own when properly offered through your mouth in sacrifice."
"So be it!" replied Agni to the grandsire, and he departed to execute the instruction of the supreme demigod.
The gods and sages happily departed, and all the sages began to perform the essential religious processes, just as they had before. The gods in heaven and all the earthly communities rejoiced. And Agni, his impurity cleansed, experienced the greatest happiness. Such is the very ancient history that arose from the cursing of Agni, the destruction of the demon Puloma, and the birth of the sage Cyavana. It is said that pleased with Agni dev 's (Fire God's) penance, Lord Vishnu had granted him a boon to permanently reside in the form of this kund here and burn away the sins of all His devotees.
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