Pilu Agni

Pilu agni is the digestive fire operating within the cell membrane. The word pilu means atom, referring to micro-digestion at the cellular level. Pilu agni maintains the semi-permeability of the cell membrane, allowing molecules of food, water, and air — already broken down into their elemental components by bhuta agni — to pass through and become part of the living cell.

This transformation of extra-cellular nutrients into intra-cellular content is the primary function of pilu agni. In conjunction with bhuta agni, it transforms extra-cellular nutrients into the twenty gunas (qualities), which are related to the main amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and the end product of protein digestion.

Pilu agni is essentially dhatu agni viewed from the cellular level. Dhatu agni is the sum of all the pilu agnis in all cells comprising a particular tissue type. For instance, rasa agni is comprised of the total pilu agni in all plasma cells in the body. At the cellular level, bhuta agnis and pilu agni together nourish the senses, as each element nourishes its respective tanmatra through its gunas.

Pilu agni is the digestive fire present in every cell membrane. It maintains the semi-permeability of the membrane and governs the selection of which nutrients enter the cell.