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saidevo
28 April 2010, 08:20 AM
Did we have any discussions about Agnihotra here in HDF? Any of our members practising it?

It seems this protective and healing Vedic ritual, that stuns in its simplicity, is catching up the attention of people across religions and cultures in the world today. Although a close friend of mine has been at it for quite sometime--he comes over from Hongkong to Chennai to participate in the ritual periodically in a relative's home--it is catching my attention only now. Of course, I have heard the mantras recited in regular homas, but this ritual is amazing!

Here are a few links:
http://www.agnihotra.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnihotra
http://www.agnihotraindia.com/index1.asp
http://www.agnihotrausa.net/
http://www.agnihotra.in/
http://www.forumforhinduawakening.org/articles/id/understanding/glory-hindu-dharma/agnihotra

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=agnihotra&aq=f
http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=%22agnihotra%22&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

saidevo
02 May 2010, 10:39 PM
More Agnihotra links:

What is Agnihotra?
http://www.vedarakshanasamithi.org/agnihotra.htm

Maharshi DayAnanda Sarasvati's 'Sanskar Vidhi'
http://www.melbournearya.com/Agnihotram%20or%20Nitya%20Yajna.pdf

http://www.scribd.com/doc/21351188/Agnihotram

Agnihotra and Combustion Sciences
http://www.indiadivine.org/articles/898/1/Agnihotra-and-Combustion-Sciences/Page1.html

Who can perform Agnihotra?
http://www.shivpuri.org/Aspx_Client/faqs.aspx
http://www.freewebs.com/sanjanaindia/
http://agnihotra-the-savior.blogspot.com/

To get the Sunrise and Sunset Timings of a particular place
http://www.shivpuri.org/Aspx_Client/agni_timings.aspx

The role of sun and water in tarpaNam
http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2008/02/role-of-sun-and-water-in-tarpanam.html

Basic Fire of Homa Therapy
http://www.homa1.com/agnihotra/index.htm

*****

Names of Samskaras
http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part16/chap8.htm

To put it differently: the five mahayajnas (brahmayajna, devayajna, pitrayajna, manusyayajna, bhutayajna) together with agnihotra and aupasana are to be performed everyday; darsa-purnamasa and sthalipaka once a fortnight; parvani-sraddha once a month. The other yajnas are to be conducted once a year or at least once in a lifetime.

*****

Agnihotra Rakshana Scheme inaugurated
http://www.vedarakshanasamithi.org/e-newsletter.htm

The scheme which is designed to spread the participation to more and more people, is bound to find great response and help in preservation of the ritual of Agnihotra of the purely traditional type, which is the ordained duty of all of us to ourselves and our own future – to vitalize our lives and our thoughts. The scheme is inspired by a similar concept which had been initiated by Paramapujya Sri Mahasvami of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham called Piti Arisi Thittam (a handful of rice per day along with 10 paise).

Sri Gopalakrishnan in a brief speech appealed to the followers of the Veda all over the world to join this simple scheme so that Agni, the bestower of all kinds of wealth – aisvaryas (agnim ile….ratna-dhatamam; dhanam icchet hutaasanaat, etc.), can ritually be kept burning throughout and prayers could be offered to propitiate all the other devatas for effulgence (tejas) and the necessities of man to grow, to develop and sustain in the universe. The Vedas say Agni is the mouth of the Gods which means that the devatas can be reached only through Him and so He must be worshipped before all the other deities (agnim devataanaam prathamam yajet. agnimukhaa eva devataah preenaati). May this inspiring concept of Dharma guide all of us in our endeavour.

*****

Arjuni
26 October 2010, 10:42 PM
Saidevo, I plan to start practising Agnihotra. I'm awaiting supplies in a mail order, and until then, I'll add one more link to your marvelous list: http://www.vedicsociety.org/agnihotra-for-windows-p-99.html (http://www.vedicsociety.org/agnihotra-for-windows-p-99.html)

The software tells you daily Agnihotra times in your city and time zone, and includes neat features like "countdown to Agnihotra." It runs quietly with an adorable little fire icon in your system tray. It also has a tutorial feature to teach you the rite and the mantras in case you don't know what in blazes (ha!) you're doing. I'm using the software as a learning tool so I'll be ready to start when my materials arrive.

Do you perform Agnihotra? I would love to read your thoughts on it. :)

Indraneela
===
"I wait the power of one like thee, O Indra, gifts of a Helper such as thou art, Hero.
Strong, Mighty God, dwell with me now and ever."
Om Indrāya Namaḥ.
Om Namaḥ Śivāya.

saidevo
27 October 2010, 09:34 AM
namaste Indraneela.

No, I am not performing (or have intentions to perform) the Agnihotra, since our elders and priests who are traditional smarthas have advised us not to perform yajnas or abhiShekas without the guidance of or initiation from an AchArya--priest. Every yajna has its own niyama--regulations and restraints, and frankly, from the video clips I have seen, I am rather disappointed by some Western parents and children going about the Agnihotra with their shoes on, sitting on the floor with legs stretched, as if they are lighting fireworks. I don't mean to discourage you, however.

Arjuni
27 October 2010, 12:26 PM
Namaste, Saidevo.

Your response was very fair. I understand why you are/will not perform the service, and I hope to avoid being one of those "tee hee, fire!" practitioners. I know well to keep my shoes and foot-soles away, at least...

The tools available are very helpful, but I do wish the organisations that present Agnihotra as a 'simple healing rite' would speak a little more about the gravity of the undertaking and the importance of getting it exactly right. I sought all of the information I could because I didn't think that something originally from the Vedas (even in modern simplified form) would be an "easy as pie" sort of endeavour.

Unfortunately, the way it reads in some documents, it's "light a flame, whatever faith you are, help heal the world," and more emphasis given to the rite's after-effects than its devotional purpose - "Do this to get this," not "Do this in love and service." (Incidentally, I'm curious as to how it can be done as a "non-sectarian" practice when the recitation mentions Agni and Sūrya by name..?) Maybe that's where some of the errors you saw came from? A situation in which people learn about it, are drawn to it, but don't have a background in the religion that gave it birth, so they're not aware of the basics (like "shoes off!") that the document authors may just assume everyone knows?

Indraneela
===
"I wait the power of one like thee, O Indra, gifts of a Helper such as thou art, Hero.
Strong, Mighty God, dwell with me now and ever."
Om Indrāya Namaḥ.
Om Namaḥ Śivāya.

ScottMalaysia
27 October 2010, 06:52 PM
I've seen some of those sites before. It's good that there is a step by step guide to performing the Agnihotra.

Is the Agnihotra mentioned above the same as a homa or havan? By this I mean the fire sacrifice performed for auspicious occasions such as weddings and name-giving ceremonies?

sm78
28 October 2010, 03:24 AM
I've seen some of those sites before. It's good that there is a step by step guide to performing the Agnihotra.

Is the Agnihotra mentioned above the same as a homa or havan? By this I mean the fire sacrifice performed for auspicious occasions such as weddings and name-giving ceremonies?

Agnihotra is a nitya karma, a daily ritual like bathing and offering water to the sun in sandhya vandana. Ritually it symbolizes nourishing the sun and the fire, thus recieving nourishment and fullfillment in return - a very vedic concept.

Marriage havan is a special ritual done with ritual fire - kushundika, reserved for the special occation. There are several such others ritual fire sacrifices for various special occations.

Link between them and agnihotra is that all these rituals are mostly following the prescription of smriti. Agnihotra comes from gruha sutras.

There are 2 other types of fire sacrifices 1) Shrauta (including a daily shrauta agnihora which has a different formula "agnau jyotish jyotir agnih" than the smartic "agni idam na mama") and 2) Agamic/Tantric ... the normal homa done during pujas and other special occasions.

Sahasranama
08 November 2010, 04:24 AM
I do samidadhanam after Sandhyavandana. This is only the offering of wood in the fire. On special occasions I also make offerings with ghee and samagri.

Here are the mantras for samidadhanam which you can perform after you have undergone upanayana sanskaar. Traditionally it was mandatory twice a day for all dvijas. I don't do it twice a day, I try to do it in the morning as often as I can. http://www.mudgala.com/articles/samidadhanam.pdf

hrdayananda
13 December 2010, 12:01 PM
This is what I have the most trouble accepting. I think I don't yet understand it. The rituals have a limited effect, right? i.e. to obtain punya and go to svarga, then be born in good circumstances. But how does that fit in with the desire to liberate oneself from samsara, i.e. from attachment to the fruits of work? Isn't a ritual done with some sort of fruit being desired, i.e. svarga? Or is it done with dettachment and if yes, then why is it mandatory?

I do not and will never mean to offend anyone, I am just trying to understand your culture better. As I have said, I am more inclined to the Advaita philosophy and I am not sure if there is a contradiction between it and karma khanda?

Thank you

Ramakrishna
18 July 2011, 11:11 PM
Namaste Indraneela,


Saidevo, I plan to start practising Agnihotra. I'm awaiting supplies in a mail order, and until then, I'll add one more link to your marvelous list: http://www.vedicsociety.org/agnihotra-for-windows-p-99.html (http://www.vedicsociety.org/agnihotra-for-windows-p-99.html)

The software tells you daily Agnihotra times in your city and time zone, and includes neat features like "countdown to Agnihotra." It runs quietly with an adorable little fire icon in your system tray. It also has a tutorial feature to teach you the rite and the mantras in case you don't know what in blazes (ha!) you're doing. I'm using the software as a learning tool so I'll be ready to start when my materials arrive.



Have you been performing Agnihotra? I have been reading about it lately and the simplicity as well as the powerful effects and benefits of it are fascinating. This isn't something that is practical for me to perform right now or anytime soon, but I would consider in the future. I was really quite surprised when I found out how simple and basic this Vedic ritual is to perform (outwardly), yet it's benefits and effects on the individual and the environment are tremendous.

I would be interested in hearing experiences from you or anyone else who performs this ritual, especially those of us not formally initiated for it. Most places I've read, including non-Western oriented sources, have said it can be performed by anyone. But I can definitely see Saidevoji's disappointments with some people who really don't know what they're doing and don't follow customs, show proper respect, etc. I think actual Hindus, rather than non-Hindus, would know and comprehend the importance and sacredness of this ritual.

Jai Sri Ram

Arjuni
19 July 2011, 12:56 AM
Namasté,

Ramakrishna, I indeed started practicing agnihotra last year, and since you asked for experiences, I'll share mine. Please understand that this is not meant to be a discouraging story; in fact, I hope it will help anyone considering the rite to be less stupid than I was.

I work night shift, usually 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., and a midnight to 4 a.m. on Sundays as well. Since I knew of the importance of being awake and spiritually aware during brahmamuhurta, I decided to arrange my schedule to sleep during the day. I would wake at 5 p.m., work til 2 a.m., and then stay awake until 9 a.m. In this way, I was always awake for the twice-daily agnihotra offerings.

The practice felt right, though not comforting or joyous for me personally. I was always worried about getting it right, was often exhausted, but focused, meditated upon sacrifice without taking for myself. And it felt soothing to the environment, to my home, to the world in the sense of doing something correct and truthful, giving because it was right to do so. I don't know if this makes any sense. It didn't make me happy. But my home and life were better because of it.

But I started with nausea, headaches and other symptoms, some of which I detailed in a question on the Ayurveda thread some months ago. Per the excellent advice there, I changed my diet to a Pitta-reducing one and altered my sleep schedule to get a little more rest. When I remained ill, I decided to sleep all of the night possible after work, and set an alarm to wake me for morning agnihotra. I would burn the offerings each morning and go back to bed as soon as the fire was out. I was too dazed to meditate or even remember the rite very well, but I reminded myself that it wasn't for me, and as long as I didn't burn myself or the apartment, it was alright to be tired.

I rent a tiny, third-floor apartment in downtown central Canada, surrounded by parking lots and street (no yard). The temperature here drops as low as -40C in winter, and even if one would be unwise enough to open the windows at that time, it's physically impossible; they're hard-frozen shut. So after performing agnihotra for many winter weeks in an unventilated apartment, my walls started turning grey from soot. Soot found its way all over the apartment, in every room, even inside my refrigerator somehow. Every time I blew my nose, the tissue was black, so I made a few jests about "agnihotra black lung" and purchased a neti pot.

I still thought that maybe my earlier symptoms had just been laziness/weakness, so I started a forty-day sadhana in April-May, and returned to my earlier practice of staying awake, meditating, etc. during brahmamuhurta. (That was foolish. You can guess that I got sick again.) I had just enough of the cow dung cakes to finish agnihotra during this time, and had ordered more. When sadhana was complete, I switched to coconut pieces for fuel and waited for my order to arrive. But, despite having received three packages previously with no problem, Canadian customs opened this particular box and promptly removed my "soil/peat material."

I felt a duty to the practice of agnihotra. I didn't feel I had a right to stop just because it was "hard" or because "I didn't feel good". And I am stubborn. But I was sick, tired, and out of supplies, as if my fuel and the fire's fuel had run out at the same time. So I decided to stop.

It still weighs on me, to have taken up the task and then laid it down, and I'm hoping to find a better living and working situation when I move at the end of the year. So, since you are considering it for the future, here are ideas I can share for you to think about. :)

-Burnin' stuff twice a day is hard. :p Once you take on the responsibility, it alters your schedule every day after. Errands, parties, club meetings, sports activities, everything that you might wish to pursue during the evening hours especially, all must work around this daily task, and planning is difficult because the timing continuously changes. I did consider all of these things before beginning, but having the experience of something is often different from considering it.

-Consider ventilation and space. I started agnihotra at my parents' home while on vacation, and found it quite pleasant, but they had a large backyard in a subtropical climate that allowed me winter-time outdoor ritual. Once in my apartment it was a whole different situation. (Lest anyone think I'm the only one who's done this, there's an e-group discussion I'm watching right now regarding soot in the home and the damages it's caused. The agnihotra websites don't really mention this - probably because they assume that most house-holders aren't dumb enough to wreck their own homes - but, um, some of us are. :p) Consider also your schedule and constitution - to the best of your ability, because of course you can't predict future setbacks like illness, work changes, relocations, etc.

-There is the matter of not being initiated into the rite. On the one hand, even many non-Hindus practice the simplified agnihotra, and do not seem to suffer for it. I read, meditated, thought, and did my best by this duty as a Hindu, but after the problems described above, I have wondered, was it indeed my work schedule, diet, sleep, environment? Or were those obstacles really physical symptoms of a spiritual mistake or problem? I cannot say.

Having said all of this, I would still recommend agnihotra to anyone who considers the above carefully, as well as the importance of performing the rite correctly and with respect, and is able to proceed. Even in simplified form, the ancient way of worship of and through fire is profound and great. It's cosmic order in a little copper kund. It's needed.

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

Ramakrishna
19 July 2011, 09:04 PM
Namaste Indraneela,

Thanks for the detailed response and suggestions. Your commitment to the ritual was commendable. I will definitely take the issues you bring up such as time commitment, ventilation, and space into consideration. Maybe one day I'll buy a house with a fireplace and I can put the copper pot in there and do the ritual. Then it can ventilate through the chimney. But I would probably do it outside most of the time if I am able.

Jai Sri Ram

Arjuni
22 July 2011, 01:44 AM
Namasté,

Oh, Ramakrishna, being a stubborn dunderhead is never "commendable"! :p But a possible solution to the soot problem was posted recently to the e-group I've been watching, so I offer this idea here for you and any others who may be able to use the information:

"The best solution will be to go to a good electrical shop and buy a aluminum lamp shade something like in the following photo (link here (http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$(KGrHqUOKm4E3cRTd(gcBN38HYRVyw~~_1.JPG?set_id=880000500F)). They are pretty cheap in India.

Hang it above the fire of your havan kund (or supported on chair or something while you do homam). Keep the hole meant for the bulb open as it will allow air to flow up through convection, and 95% of the soot will get deposited on the lamp shade.

You can easily clean the lamp shade once in 6 months. For a 10x10inch havan kund, an 8-10inch diameter lamp shade will be more than enough."

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.