Bhrigu

While the sage Bhrigu is away, the rakshasa Puloman arrives at his hermitage and sees Bhrigu's pregnant wife, Puloma. He claims she was first engaged to him and confronts the sacred fire, Agni, demanding under oath to declare whose wife she truly is. Agni is caught in an impossible dilemma, terrified of lying and equally terrified of Bhrigu's curse.

Agni reveals to a rakshasa that the beautiful Puloma is the wife of the sage Bhrigu. The demon abducts her, but the unborn child in her womb, enraged by the violence, falls out and incinerates the rakshasa with his own energy. When Bhrigu learns Agni was the informant, he curses the god of fire to consume everything.

Agni, the god of fire, testifies truthfully about the abduction of the sage Bhrigu's wife, leading to her death. Enraged, Bhrigu curses Agni to become an omnivore, tainting him. Agni argues his innocence, then withdraws his presence from every sacrificial fire in the world.