Hinduism: Why is Agni (fire) considered the internal ruling Priest?

“I worship Agni”. So we know that the fire is to be worshiped. What is more interesting about this mantra is that the mantra continues to say “Purohitam” [Agnim iile purohitam]. Literally saying, “I worship Agni, the ruling priest.” This can also be interpreted as, “I worship Agni, the sacred fire.” What is interesting about the first literal interpretation is that Agni is considered the ruling priest (purohit). Most notably, Agni performs as several of the priests, making the concept of priest an internal process and Agni as the actual performer of the ritual. This is an extremely important teaching about the function of the priest in the Vedic ritual. It is not an external priest as commonly viewed but is an internal process.