Health Topics
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Healthy Living
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February 2010
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| Homa Therapy |
| Maa Gyaan Suveer |
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Morning agnihotra mantra: Om sooryáya swáhá, sooryáya idam na mama Om prajápataye swáhá, prajápataye idam na mama Evening agnihotra mantra: Om agnaye swáhá, agnaye idam na mama Om prajápataye swáhá, prajápataye idam na mama |
Homas by burning fire are performed for internal growth, purity, health, long life and for purifying the surroundings. They are also conducted to express and ignite love and respect towards all of Nature's assets, to surrender to Nature, to understand one's thoughts and feelings and above all, to achieve and evolve a psychic state. All this is possible by regularly performing homa. Through this process, we learn to beautify our whole being, offering and surrendering it back to the Source, in the essence of Hinduism.
Agnihotra Tradition
A homa is a natural procedure of eradicating inner imperfections prevalent in our being. This religious procedure can be thought to have healing techniques incorporated into it. A systematic vedic homa is a rare combination of accupressure, touch healing, meditation, psychiatry, knowledge and wisdom. Believers call it a perfect amalgamation of thought and procedure.
Homa is practised in different Hindu traditions in many different ways. The simplest of the homa practices is the tradition of agnihotra. Performed twice a day at the exact time of sunrise and sunset, agnihotra is even claimed to be a science, of bioenergy, dealing with the process of removing the toxic conditions of the atmosphere through the agency of fire. Ancient rishis believed that by keeping a blazing fire lit for a long time, sometimes even for days together, the atmosphere would get healed and purified.
Fuel to the Fire
The saints of old used simple materials for the homa fire, as available in the olden times. The tradition is carried on even today, with agnihotra practitioners using - as ingredients - a copper pyramid shaped vessel, cow ghee, cow dung cakes, and unpolished clean raw rice. The procedure involves chanting of two mantras each in the morning and evening. The holy fire is kept alit with cow-dung cakes, and rice and ghee are poured into it.
Homas can be very elaborate too. Havan kund, the vessel in which homa is performed, has to be built according to vaastu, aligning to the God of Fire. Ingredients needed to perform a havan at home are dry mango wood pieces, cow ghee, and havan samagri, a blend of Indian herbs which heal and cleanse at the same time. It is made of mainly four types of ingredients which are anti bacterial (keetaanu nashak), fragrant (sugandhit ), medicinal (swasthya vardhak) and health herbs (paushtik).
- If it is not possible for a person to do agnihotra every day, then homa should be performed at least once a week a in the house to purify the home atmosphere.
- The practice of agnihotra is supposed to be very strictly followed at the recommended time and the fixed mentioned procedure. Homa done in any other way is NOT called agnihotra.
Yet, in any other way too, it is equally beneficial to do it at least once a week. If all the Mantras of a traditional, religious homa are not known, only performing the homa with 11 offerings of the Gayatri Mantra suffices. For this type of homa the havan samagri and ghee should be used as offering in the holy fire. The fire here should preferably be of dried mango wood, lit with aarti kapur (camphor).
- Anyone and everyone can perform a homa. Women, during their menstrual cycle may abstain from doing it, since they detoxify during these days and their bio-energy is very low. It is recommended that they quietly sit and meditate while others perform the homa.
- It is always nice to perform a homa after taking a bath. However if this is not possible due to any reasons, at least wash your hands, feet and mouth before performing the homa.
Required for Agnihotra
- Copper pyramid of fixed size and shape
- Dried cow dung cakes
- Pure cow's ghee (clarified unsalted butter)
- Unpolished rice
- Mantra (vibration)
- Timetable of sunrise and sunset for your particular place
How to do the Agnihotra To ignite the fire:
- Place a flat piece of dried cow dung at the bottom of the copper pyramid.
- Arrange pieces of dried cow dung, which have been coated with ghee in the pyramid in such a manner to allow the air to pass.
- Apply a little ghee on the small piece of cow dung and light it. Insert this lighted piece of cow dung in the pyramid. Soon, all the dung in the pyramid will catch fire.
- You may use a hand fan to help the flame. However, do not blow through the mouth to avoid bacteria from the mouth getting into the fire.
- Do not use any mineral oil or similar material to start the fire.
- When the offerings are made, at the exact time of sunrise and sunset, the fire should be fully ablaze in the pyramid.
Agnihotra process:
- Take a few grains of rice in a dish or your left palm and apply a few drops of ghee.
- Exactly at sunrise, utter the first Mantra and after the word SWAHA take a few grains of rice from your left hand into your right hand (as little as you can hold in the pinch of your fingers will be sufficient) and add in the fire.
- Utter the second Mantra and after the word SWAHA add a few grains of rice from the right hand in the fire.
- At sunset, do the same by using evening Mantras.
- Agnihotra Mantras are to be recited only once and only two offerings given at each agnihotra performance.
- After each agnihotra try to spare as many minutes as you can for meditation. You can sit quietly at least till the fire extinguishes itself. Agnihotra creates a medicinal and healing atmosphere.
| 6 Homa Benefits |
Homa is an independent therapy and can also be combined with any other therapy.
- Homa may reduce tension of the mind.
- A lot of healing energy emanates from the homa fire. It is believed to renew brain cells, revitalise skin, purify blood and neutralise pathogenic bacteria.
- When you sit near the homafire and breathe in the smoke continuously, it goes quickly into your bloodstream and lungs. This will have an excellent effect on your circulatory system. The smoke will even have a good effect on your brain and nervous system.
- Plants around the homa fire will become stronger, disease resistant and thrive with an aura of happiness.
- The smoke from the homa gathers particles of harmful radiation from the atmosphere, and on a very subtle level, may even neutralise their radioactive effect.
- When the flame dies, the energy is locked in the resultant ash. Folk medicine is made from such ash.
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Maa Gyaan Suveera practises usui reading, aura reading, flower remedies etc at the Ki Research Intitite, Hrishikesh |
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