This blog aims at bringing out the past glory and history of India, Hinduism and its forgotten values and wisdom. This is not copyrighted so as to reach genuine seekers of these information. Its my prayer that only genuine seekers - and not vandals & plagiarists - come to this site.
Proponents of the theory of 'Aryan migration' (also called Aryan invasion) suggest that homa was brought to India by Aryan Europeans. Since we do not know that the beginning of homa is mentioned in our scriptures, we have been unable to respond to it. To overcome that shortcoming, this booklet, first published in English is now brought to the readers in Tamil
To reach all the people who know Tamil, I have given this Tamil version for free download.
Please read and share with your friends.
Key points of the book:
* Details of the period of Tamil Sangam
* History of Tamil and Sanskrit appearing and growing together
* The place where the first Vedic Homa was done, its period, and how it spread further
My talk in Tamil in 'Yaatrigan' Channel on the following issues:
*Aryan invasion theory
*Arya
*Aryavarta
*Dravida
*Dravida land
* Varna
* Jaati
* Portfolio arrangement of works within the four varnas
* Misguided notion about Paraiyar
* Colonial construct of caste divisions
* Varna vs Jaathi
* Manu Dharma offering portfolio allotment by varna-mix
* Kanchi as Dravida country
* Caste conflicts in Kanchi
* Brahmins identifying themselves as Dravidas
* No Tamil king called himself a Dravida
The 5th part of the ‘Indic Past’ series focuses
on the next part of Markandeya’s narration on Skanda’s life that brings to the
fore the until-now-unrecognized fact that the first ever Vedic Homa was
conducted by none other than Skanda. This was encapsulated in story form of
Svaha approaching Skanda to conduct her marriage with Hutashana, the Agni Deva.
After pointing out the finer differences between
Hutashana and Adbhuta, the video describes the union of Svaha with Hutashana which
is nothing but the first ever Vedic Homa. With the help of a verse from
Taittriya Brahmana on the meaning of Svaha and from Valmiki Ramayana on wife as
the Atman of the husband, it is explained why the Homa was regarded as the marriage
of Svaha with Hutashana (Agni).
‘Havyam’ and ‘Kavyam’ were the first Homas done by Skanda
as per Markandeya. They were Ahavaniya and Garhapatya respectively. From the
Tamil tradition of Skanda having taught Pranava mantra to Shiva it is deduced
that Aum-Upasana transformed into Aupasana, the first Homa to be done twice every
day following one’s marriage and throughout one’s life. Skanda had initiated
this soon after his marriage with Devasena and with the intention of bringing peace
in Nature by mutual help (Paraspara Bhava) of give and take between Devas and
human beings. It is likely that Skanda had initiated Agnihotra too.
Of the three sons of Agni and Svaha outlined by Vayu
Purana, Pavamana (Kavyam) and Suci (Havyam) were ‘born’ in Skanda’s times.
Pavaka (Dakshinagni) was born later.
The present practice of singing Samans at the time
of creating Agni for Kavyam using Arani sticks must have started at Skanda’s
time, when the cool climate of Younger Drayas must have made making Agni a
difficult and laborious task.
Similarly the taking over of the Ahavaniya rituals
by Yajur Vedic Adhvaryu must have been there at Skanda’s time indicating the
presence of Saman and Yujur verses even at that time.
In support of these views, it is pointed out that
this society had continued from even before Skanda though the Homa culture started
with Skanda. Four other Vedas were there at that time – which will be discussed
in a future episode – personalities like Dhruva, the son of Uttanapada had
existed before Skanda, in Cakshusha Manvantra (Little Manvantra) and the idea
of 27 star zodiac had already existed before Skanda. There is every possibility
that singing Samans and uttering Yajur mantras in worship could have existed then
though those verses may no longer be in existence now.
Further proof of Skanda as progenitor of Vedic Homa
is drawn from the Tamil Sangam text called Tirumurugatru-p-padai that describes
the 6 faces of Skanda as representative of six works that Skanda was known for.
Among the 6 works, the 3rd one represented by the middle face of
Skanda is that of watching and guiding the Vedic Homa.
A comparison with this is drawn from Markandeya’s
version on the middle face of Skanda as that of a goat, always watched by his
mother Shakti. In this context of explaining why Skanda’s head was that of a
goat, it is also made out why he came to have too many mothers – Ganga, Agni,
Krittika, the six rishi patni-s and Svaha.
The goat face is also linked with Homa ritual – of Agni
deva riding on a goat or a ram. Ultimately for the purposes of granting
longevity and progeny, the Homa culture was started by Skanda who as Shanmukha is
always watching over the proper performance of Homa through his middle face.
The final question is where the first Homa was done.
The regions around Tiruchendur are discussed. Further fine tuning is done by
picking out the places on the basis of Last Glacial refugial rice growth since
20k years ago, since rice is essential for Aupasana and Agnihotra.
Triuchendur scores in this regard besides the regions of SE Asia. Rice growth is conspicuously absent in North West India where
Sarasvati and Sindhu were flowing. The upper limit of this (rice) date is 9k BP found south
of Gujarat where marine archaeological finds are available since 9k years ago,
but this evidence is absent in Sarasvati and also Gangetic region. So the spread
of the Vedic culture in these regions have happened since or after 9k years ago and not before. Further
discussion on this will be in future episodes.
With the pandemic spread of Coronavirus
(Covid-19) across the globe, parallel researches are taking place to cure
the infection and develop vaccines to prevent the infection. A number of
research findings are also pouring in from all sides to improve the immunity
from the attack of this virus. But what goes missing is the realization that we
indeed possess the most potent weapon against this virus in the form of the
Vedic Homa called Agnihotra.
The name Agnihotra gained widespread attention soon
after the Bhopal Gas
Tragedy in 1984 when it was found that four or fivefamilies living near the Bhopal railway
station remained unaffected by the poisonous gas that surrounded them. Seeing the
inevitable staring at them the families decided to stay back and do Agnihotra Homa.
And wonder of wonders they were the sole survivors in that part of the city
affected by the leaking gas. This prompted researchers from Russia, Germany and
Poland to descend on the city to find out the causes for their survival. The
scientists of the Indian Defence and Research Department also evinced interest
in the research[1]
Following this, many research findings started
coming in of which I heard for the first time that cow dung has nuclear toxin
and poison resisting property when smeared on the walls and sprinkled every day
in the front of the house. Then came the incredible result on what saved the
survivors. It was Agnihotra
Homadone by them at the time of gas
leak. It was also said that they had been doing it regularly in the past.
Subsequently many tests were conducted and a model was evolved to get maximum
benefits.
By the 1990s, a group of dedicated volunteers
spanned across the country to spread the message of Agnihotra. It was through
one of them I learned to perform this Homa. In my observation I found the visible
organisms generally present in a house, namely cockroaches, lizards and spiders
disappeared after some months of practicing Agnihotra. In the course of few
years after regularly doing this Homa, I observed that Idly batter did not ferment
effectively even during peak summer season. The only plausible explanation I
could think was that the yeast naturally present in the air was wiped out. These
observations over the years are the basis of my deduction that doing Agnihotra can
be a good option to keep our surroundings sterile, especially in the current
crisis of threat from novel Coronavirus (Covid-19)
The following video gives a demonstration of how to perform
this Homa.
The Homa must be performed twice a day at sunrise
and sunset and on all days of one’s life. It takes less than 5 minutes to do
this Homa.Details of the materials used,
and instructions are given at the end of this article.
Is
Agnihotra proven to destroy virus?
Now the crucial question is - does this Homa kill Viruses
such as Covid-19? The researches that continue to happen have revealed that
Agnihotra fire and smoke remove biological, chemical and physical pollutants in
the air. The biological pollutants are pathogenic bacteria and viruses present
in the atmosphere around us.Several
studies have confirmed a drastic reduction in the bacterial count to less than
10% after 12 hours of doing the Homa, by which time the next round of the same Homa
must start. [2]
The discussion [3]
with Dr Ulrich Berk of Germany gives a detailed
exposition of various researches done by him and the effect of Agnihotra smoke
and ash on human health and soil health and also the potency of the Homa in
reducing pathogenic bacteria while not affecting beneficial bacteria. Some
intriguing facts not yet understood by science are also given by him for
further research.
Among the other researches, the one done by Nautiyal etal [4] on
medicinal smoke from the materials of the Homa is noteworthy. He observes that the “Absence
of pathogenic bacteria Corynebacterium urealyticum, Curtobacterium
flaccumfaciens, Enterobacter aerogenes (Klebsiella mobilis), Kocuria rosea,
Pseudomonas syringae pv. persicae, Staphylococcus lentus, and Xanthomonas
campestris pv. tardicrescens in the open room even after 30 days is indicative
of the bactericidal potential of the medicinal smoke treatment.”
One may be left to wonder why all these researches
talk only about destruction of pathogenic bacteria by the medicinal smoke from
Homa and there is no information on their activity on viruses. A possible
reason could be that bacteria can be cultured in artificial culture media and
observed for research, but it is not so for viruses. Viruses are parasitic and
need living cells to multiply. They attach to a living host-body for growth and
multiplication. Therefore, it is not possible to culture them in artificial
culture medium and need living host or complex cell/ tissue culture medium.
However, there are many researches, that describe the chemicals that can
destroy or de-activate the virus by targeting the structural cellular protein
components of the virus.
In the case of Coronavirus, it has been found out
that there is an “integral membrane
protein involved in several aspects of the virus’ life cycle, such as assembly,
budding, envelope formation, and pathogenesis.” [5] If
this membrane is damaged the virus material cannot sustain.
Based on this feature, breaking this membrane is proposed
as the best solution to destroy the Coronavirus (Covid-19). Since soap and
alcohol-based sanitizers break the membrane they are recommended for killing
this virus. An illustration from NewYork Times is
reproduced below to show how this works.[6]
Can
Agnihotra damage the protective protein layer of the
viruses?
This question gains importance in finding out
whether Agnihotra Homa can be a potent weapon against Covid-19.
The research done by Girish
Pathade and Pranay Abhangof Fergusson College of Pune[7]
shows loss of capsule formation of a pathogenic bacteria called Klebsiella
pneumonia when exposed to Agnihotra ash.
They also found out that the microbial content in
the air drastically reduced after exposure to Agnihotra fumes. The effect was
high within 10 feet distance from the Homa pot and reduced successively.
Ideally the effect was noticed within 30 feet distance from Agnihotra Homa pot.
The ability of the smoke of Agnihotra fire to
destroy the cell wall of bacteria must be applicable to the protein membrane protection
of the viruses too.
The experiments done by Rahul
Raveendran Nair[8]is
a big leap forward in this direction. His research indicates that Agnihotra
Homa does produce hydrocarbons in the air that “undergo partial oxidation and produce methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol,
formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and formic and acetic acids”. Here it is
noteworthy to observe that the alcohols that are released in the Homa smoke are
similar to the alcohol-based liquid hand sanitizers (with alcohol concentration
of 60%) that is recommended for inactivating the Coronavirus[9]
Pathade et al.6
(Fergusson College of Pune) used rice as an offering and observed reduction in
microbial content and loss of capsule formation in the bacteria. In RR Nair’s experiment7
Navadhanyas (9 types of grains) were used that led to the formation
of 17 compounds of alcohol in the air that remained in the air for a maximum duration
of 30 minutes. The following Table giving the list of hydrocarbon / ethyl
compounds is reproduced from his paper.
RR Nair further reports that “all these volatile substances spread out into the surrounding
atmosphere and are subjected to the photochemical reactions with sunlight and
form various compounds, which may be the reason behind the strict instructions to
perform agnihotra during daytime (sunlight is a major factor)” 7
He further notes, “.. partial oxidation of various
aromatic hydrocarbons certainly produces formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is the most
basic form of an antimicrobial aldehyde and is known to be a reactive
antimicrobial as it reacts
with proteins and peptides in microorganisms and kills them. While
agnihotra is being performed, a small amount of formaldehyde, along with water
vapor, is always produced.”
Hence, it is reasonable to conclude that regular
performance of Agnihotra Homa at a gap of 12 hours (sunrise and sunset)
everyday ensures continuous fumigation of the air around thereby preventing the
threat from harmful viruses such as Covid-19.
My earnest appeal
to scientists around the world working on containing this virus is to work on
the medicinal implications of this Homa and bring out an optimum combination to
destroy the Covid-19 virus.
Is
this Agnihotra Homa same as the Traditional Agnihotra
Homa?
This question arises due to the fact that
traditionally milk is offered in the fire though other kinds of offerings such
as grains including rice are permitted. Traditional Agnihotra Homa is a long
procedure done on the traditional Vedi (sacrificial altar) by boiling milk in Agnihotrasthaali (pot) in Grhya fire, drawing the fire
from Grhya to Ahavaniya and making the offerings in Ahavaniya fire. The
experimentally produced Agnihotra pot avoids this but retains the shape of the
Ahavaniya altar.
Though every householder is ordained to do Agnihotra
every day at sunrise and sunset, there are different schools of thought on when to perform: immediately before or soon
after sunrise or sunset or little later. But all texts are unanimous in stating that it must be
done close to sunrise and sunset time. The experiments had taken note of the
slight variations in time and arrived at a conclusion that exact sunrise and
sunset is the ideal time.
The use of rice as the offering is mandatory in
Aupasana which is also to be done at sunrise and sunset with the two line
mantra. But only two deities, namely Surya and Agni are worshiped in Aupasana.
The third deity Prajapati worshiped in Agnihotra Homa makes the experimentally deduced Homa a
simplified form of Agnihotra. Only Surya, Agni and Prajapati are regarded as
the deities of Agnihotra. [10]
Our Sutras advocate that Agnihotra can be done in
Grhya fire too. Examples include:
On bringing home the bride after marriage along with
the nuptial fire (domestic fire that will be used forever thereafter), the man
is ordained to do Agnihotra in that Grhya fire.[11]
“If he likes
he may (perform the sacrifice) with rice, barley, or sesamum.”[12]
“He should sacrifice in the
evening with (the formula), 'To Agni svâhâ!' in the morning with (the formula),
'To Sûrya svâhâ!' Silently the second (oblations) both times.”[13]
RR Nair’s experiment7 showed the
temperature levels needed for creating the desired compounds and oxides in the
air. The traditional Homa done in the traditional Vedi made of earth and other
materials prescribed by the texts attain the desired temperature with prolonged
procedures. The original experiment done on Agnihotra in the wake of Bhopal gas
tragedy seems to have taken this factor into account and after testing with
various methods had arrived at the specifications of a copper pyramid which
quickly transmits heat. The temperature noticed at the bottom, mid-level and
above the fire have been documented and it appears that the use of copper pot
of specified size matches with the temperature generated in the traditional
Vedi through prolonged procedure.
Yet another difference is the silent chanting of the
second mantra both in morning and evening Agnihotra. This pertains to the
offering to Prajapati. In the experimentally deduced Agnihotra Homa, this
mantra also must be uttered out. But both the times the mantras must be uttered
with specific intonation which one can find out in my demonstration video.
Now a brief account on the materials needed:
1.Pyramidal
Copper pot set containing 5 items. (This can be ordered online)
2.Cow
dung cake (dried)
3.Dried
twigs of any of the 5 trees – Banyan, Peepal, Bilwa (Aegle marmelos), Palasha
(Butea monosperma / பூவரசு), Udumbara (Ficus
racemosa / அத்தி )
4.Cow’s
ghee
5.Unbroken
and unpolished rice.
6.Oil
lamp to light. Gingelly oil or ghee lamps preferred.
7.2
pieces of Camphor.
8.Sunrise
and sunset times of each day for one’s location.
The Homa must be done exactly at sunrise and sunset
every day. It can be done within 5 minutes. There is no caste, religion, gender
and age difference reflected in the results of Homa in the researches. However
the woman during her monthly periods is advised not to touch any of the
materials and not do the Homa. The results were found to be less when tested.
Only 2 mantras are found to give the maximum
benefits when they tested with all the mantras. They tested in different
languages and with meanings, but none of them produced the same result as was
done in Sanskrit mantra.
They must be recited in a particular intonation as
demonstrated in the video.
The morning mantra:
Suryaya
Svaha/ Suryaaya idam na mama//
Prajapataye
Svaha / Prajapataye idam na mama//
The evening mantra
Agnaye
Svaha/ Agnaye idam na mama//
Prajapataye
Svaha / Prajapataye idam na mama//
With an appeal to all to do this Homa every day for
one’s own health and for keeping the air clean around oneself, I expect newer
experiments with this Homa to combat the threat from deadly viruses like corona
virus.
In the experiments done by scientists after the
Bhopal gas tragedy it was detected through Kirlian
photography that the practitioners of Agnihotra had developed healthy ‘Aura’.[14] Healthy
aura gives rise to mental peace and heightened awareness of the Self.
Let everyone perform this simple Homa and live
happy and healthy.
[9] CDC
Statement for Healthcare Personnel on Hand Hygiene during the Response to the
International Emergence of COVID-19 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/infection-control/hcp-hand-sanitizer.html
It is coming to be known that hemoglobin count gets
reduced with progression of Covid 19 attack in a person. Researches have shown
that this virus inhibits the ability of the RBC to attach iron. It ruptures the RBC. This is called
'haemolytic" activity. Certain bacteria such as Staphylococcus and
Klebsiella pneumoniae are found to cause 'haemolytic" activity, clinically known as autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA).
The same syndrome of AIHA is reported in Covid 19 cases.
In this regard let me add another research by Girish Pathade and Pranay Abhangof Fergusson College of Pune, quoted in the
article . They tested for haemolytic activity on these bacteria and found that
the bacteria lost haemolytic activity upon exposure to agnihotra ash (reproduced below). This means Covid 19's propensity for haemolytic activity also will be affected by Agnihotra.
Based on this it is suggested not to disturb the ash once the homa is over. Let the homa ash continue to remain in the kunda for 12 hours until the next homa starts.
Previous parts: Part 1 "Cholas and Rama belonged to the same lineage." Part 3 ""No curse on the Big Temple"
Part 4 "Dravidian architecture does not mean 'Tamil' architecture" In continuation of PART
1 of my interview with Mr Saiganesh of Desiya Siragugal channel, I am
posting here the 2nd part of the 4-part series covering different
issues surrounding the Kumbhabhishekam of the ‘Big Temple’ of Thanjavur.
In this video I am first addressing the issue of why
Sanskrit and not Tamil in the Kumbhabhishekam by highlighting the only
available research on a Vedic Homa to drive home the point that Sanskrit words and
the tonal quality of the utterance of the same are paramount in drawing the
ideal results from any homa. The research is on Agnihotra Homa that is done
every day at sunrise and sunset. It is only after doing this homa other homas
can be done from the same fire.
This particular research was done in the aftermath
of the Bhopal Gas
tragedy when it was found out that only two families survived .
They had been doing Agnihotra regularly and this caught the attention of western
scientists who after an elaborate research deduced the ideal size of the homa
pot, the ingredients for the homa and the mantra for the homa. It was found out
that of the so many mantras used in Agnihotra homa, just 2 mattered. Even then
there was a variation in morning and evening mantras by just one word. The word
“Surya” in the morning mantra was replaced by “Agni” in the evening mantra. When
tested otherwise the effects were not the same. This establishes that the word
matters.
The ideal size of the Agnihotra Homa vessels
When tested in other languages including Tamil the
results were not satisfactory. By result it is meant the changes in the
air around the Homa fire. More than 100 oxides were detected in the air when
done with ideal combination of ingredients by uttering the 2 line mantra in a
particular tone exactly at the time of sunrise and sunset. When tested with the
meaning of the mantras, the result reduced.
After establishing by means of this experiment the
effect of mantras in Sanskrit, I went ahead establishing that Muruga was the
first one to have conducted the first ever Vedic Homa.
Muruga, known as Ugra
Kumara Pandya of the first Tamil Sangam was identified by sage Markandeya as
one who conducted the marriage of Svaha with Agni. Svaha is the mantra uttered while offering
havis in the Agni for any homa. The narration found in Mahabharata also says
that Muruga alias Skanda directed mankind to do Havyam and Kavyam (Avahaniya
and Garhapatniya) the basic Homas.
A parallel to this narration is found in the Tamil tradition
that Muruga taught Pranava mantra (AUM) to his father Lord Shiva. With Muruga,
hailed as the God of Tamils (Thamizh Kadavul), his role in ushering in the
Vedic culture through the introduction of Vedic Homa must set at rest any
controversy rejecting Sanskrit in Homa (here Kumbhabhisheka)
