CHEMISTRY
OF
AGNIHOTRA
• By
• Ish Narang
1
What is Agnihotra
• Agnihotra is one of the five great duties
(panchamahayajna) of every householder.
• A daily ritual to be performed by every Arya
twice a day.
• An integral part of the Indian tradition
• All the 16 Sanskaras prescribed in our life
start with it
• Every marriage ceremony includes Agnihotra
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What is Agnihotra ….
• It is also called by the names of Deva Yajna,
havana and homa.
• The last word homa is interesting .It sounds
similar to the word home in the English
language.
• Could it be that a house is worthy to be called
home only if homa is performed therein
everyday?
3
THE IMPORTANCE
OF FIRE……
•
•
•
•
Fire stands for all forms of Energy
On this earth, sun- prime source of energy
Life without fire or energy is unthinkable
All the technical gadgets,transportation
systems,even house hold cooking need fire
or other forms of energy
• Thus in the faculty of the material sciences
ability to generate fire at will must have been
the foremost invention of our seers long ago
4
Rig veda Starts
with the Word AGNI
• The very first word of the Rig veda, the very
first book in the library of the mankind is Agni,
meaning fire, in addition to many other things.
• Agnimile purohitam……
5
AGNIHOTRA a multi-dimensionally
useful affair
1. Spiritual Dimensions
2. Scientific Dimensions
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AGNIHOTRA a multi-dimensionally
useful affair…..
Spiritual Dimensions
• a spiritually enlightening experience
• performed in a group - becomes a family
/community affair -strengthening the bond of
love & affection among Participants
• recitation of Mantras has preserved the
texts of Vedas
• praying to God brings humility and helps get
rid of selfishness and Vanity
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Spiritual Dimensions
…Yajna..
•
•
•
•
The word Yajna - derived from the root yaj stands for devapuja, sangatikarana &
danesu.
devapuja- Yajna is a karma that should be
in due honor of devas, both sentient and
insentient,
sangatikarana -an assembly of noble souls,
and
danesu.- in the nature of sacrifice.
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Spiritual…Agnihotra..
truly Yajna
• First, it is for cleansing of air, a devata of
insentient ( Jarh ) nature.
• enhances the effectiveness of the herbal
substances (that are also devatas in nature)
multifold. -Devpuja
• Two-group activity- a number of people with a
positive frame of mind and intellect assemble.
(Sangatikaran )
• Three- amounts to making a sacrifice from a
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personal point of view- Idam na mum
Spiritual --Agnihotra
truly Yajna….
• The benefits would be obtained by all
• The oblations of many valuable substances
offered into the fire -- sacrifice. ( Daneshu )
• The Verses are chanted with the endings of
“idam na mama” i.e. this is not mine.
• This reinforces in mind that all our material
possessions are actually not ours
• but are merely for the purpose of transfer
and diffusion to others.
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Scientific Dimensions
• Cleans air - within and outside the Room
• Most ancient science to fight air pollution
• Fire breaks up the substances into vapor/
gaseous phase,( Sublimation)
- Producing buoyancy and other aerodynamic
effects
- a mechanism to clean indoor – outdoor air
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Agnihotra and
combustion science
• Essentials of Combustion
• Combustion is said to occur if a fuel is
oxidized (generally by the atmospheric
oxygen) giving rise to thermal energy
• Thermal heat is produced that was inherent in
the particular fuel.
• Some fuels like fossil fuels –petrol ,coal etc
release much more energy than others
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Combustion..
Fossil Fuels
•
Thermal energy -called Calorific Value- of
fossil fuels is in the range of 10,000 calories /
gram of fuel,
• Upon combustion of such fuels the final
temperatures may be as high as 2500 degree
Celsius
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Combustion –
cellulose materials
• Fuels such as cellulose materials & wood
have smaller calorific values.
• Typical firewood - calorific value around 3000
calories / gram of fuel – about one-third of the
hydrocarbon fuels.
• Upon combustion, maximum temperatures
may be in the range of 800 – 1200 degree
Celsius.
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Comparison between
Coal & Wood
S No Substanc Wood
es
Coal
1
Carbon
48.51%
82%
2
6%
5%
3
Hydroge
n
Oxygen
43%
12%
4
Nitrogen
.4to .1%
1%
Dr Ram
Prakash
Source Yajna
Vimarsh
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Types of wood
for Homa
• Dayanand Saraswati has mentioned certain
types of wood to be used in Homa :
• Chandan –Sandalwood (Santalum album )
• Palash (Butea frondosa )
• Aam (Mangiflora indica ) etc.
• Certain other types like Pipal (Ficus religiosa)
and Barh ( Wat ) (Ficus bengalensis can
also be used
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Medicinal values of
wood used for Homa
• All these types of wood apart from having low
calorific value have medicinal properties also.
• Medicinal properties - well documented in
several scientific books on Medicinal plants
• Thus the fire wood used in Homa is not only
low in calorific value ( almost non polluting )
• but produces medicinal substances to help us
get rid of common diseases
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Combustion…
Harmful effects
•
Upon complete combustion, we expect
formation of carbon dioxide and water vapor
as the products
• Due to the deficiency in the availability of
oxygen, or other possible reasons, some fuel
remains un burnt,
• or gets only partially oxidized to carbon
monoxide.
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Combustion –
Harmful effects
• Un burnt fuel and carbon monoxide are
undesirable pollutants for the atmosphere
• If the combustion gives rise to high temp -2000 deg. C or above - the atmospheric N2 &
O2 may react to form the oxides of nitrogen –
undesirable pollutants.
• Excessive volumes of CO2 are also
undesirable
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Combustion in
Agnihotra
• Agnihotra consists of a base fire generated in
a specially designed vessel
• Burning firewood of certain specified
characteristics forms the base fire.
• Firewood has much lower calorific value. and
produces much lower temperatures than in
the typical engines.
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Combustion in
Agnihotra
• To this base fire,we add oblations comprising:
• Ghee (ghritam)
• Several herbal substances which should be
1) wholesome, i.e. health givers,
• 2) anti-bacterial, 3) aroma-builders, i.e.
deodorants and 4) sweeteners.
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Agnihotra --Possible
production of pollutants
• The base fire is generated by burning
firewood - lower calorific value
• Amount of firewood burnt is minimum
• This ensures lower temperatures - oxides of
nitrogen cannot be formed.
• Design of vessel ensures plenty of oxygen.
• Therefore Carbon monoxide & un-burnt
hydrocarbons are minimal
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Agnihotra- Possible
pollutants & Remedies
•
•
•
•
•
Carbon dioxide is definitely formed,
our Rishies knew this & prescribed that :
the Agnihotra ought to be performed during
and after sunrise,
and well before sunset i.e. Sandhya Kaal
WHY ? To get the benefits of Photosynthesis
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What is
Photosynthesis ?
• A process by which Plants make their food
from CO2 and water in the presence of
sunlight and chlorophyll.
• Chlorophyll -Pigment which gives green
colour to the plants
• During this process Oxygen is released.
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Photosynthesis –
Biochemical Reaction
• Bio-chemical reaction in
photosynthesis
• 6CO2 + 6H2O + Sunlight + Chlorophyll=
C6 H12O6( Glucose i.e. Food for Plants )+
6O2
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Factors Affecting
Photosynthesis
• Red Effect - Rate of photosynthesis is
maximum in red light
• Hence Photosynthesis is maximum in
mornings and evenings when there is a red
glow in the sky
• Thus, the air is richer with oxygen during
morning and before sunset in the evening.
• This is what is described as SANDHYA
KAAL
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Our Rishies knew the
Science of Yajna
1. Our Rishies understood these phenomenon
of science and prescribed that :
• Agnihotra ought to be performed during
and sunrise & before Sun set
• Be performed in an area with good green
cover to ensures that CO2 is well utilized
by the green cover in the vicinity
• And give rise to oxygen and greenery.
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Our Rishies knew the
Science of Yajna
2.They also understood the the principle of
Conservation of Mass,
• “No mass is created or destroyed.”
• Oblations of different substances into fire
appear to vanish, but they actually do not.
• Merely change to gaseous form -Sublimation
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Our Rishies knew the
Science of Yajna
3. Need for purifying air was also understood
4.Basics of combustion too were known i.e.
• Low calorific value of Wood -hence lower
temps produced by burning wood
5. medicinal values of herbs-prescribed herbs
as oblation to cure diseases.
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Our Rishies knew the
Science of Yajna
6.Production of aerodynamic effect of firedescribed by Dayanand Saraswati as
Bhedak Shakti
7.Inhaling is more effective than eating thru
mouth
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Overall effect of
Agnihotra
• Agnihotra drives the indoor air out
• Causes outdoor fresh air to move in.
• Effectively neutralizes the stale indoor air due
to the
characteristics of the herbal
substances utilized.
• A typical air freshener, simply attempts to
neutralize the stale air,
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Overall effect of
Agnihotra
• The desirable substances can be inhaled
through the nostrils by one and all.
• Mechanism of inhaling as opposed to intake
through the mouth (liquid & solid ) is more
efficient by a factor of several hundreds.
• Also, it seems to be the only way to cleanse
the indoor air.
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Air fresheners
vs.
Agnihotra
• The commercially available air fresheners
cannot purify the indoor air.
• Their purpose is very limited to reduce the
undesirable foul odor,
• and even for that purpose their side effects
have to be fully understood.
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Agnihotra –Absolute
necessity
• There is no other method to purify the air
once that has been polluted by us.
• This requirement is of enormous proportion
for the in-door air because that is what we
breathe most of the time.
• Our life style of remaining in-doors is doing
more and more harm to the environment.
• In the given circumstances, Agnihotra has
become AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY
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CONCLUSION
• Burning of firewood not the purpose of
Agnihotra.
• Minimum quantity is burnt to generate base
fire to vaporize the oblations
• Desirable herbs offered as obelations
.
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CONCLUSION…
• The Base Fire vaporizes these herbal
substances
• It does not cause their independent
combustion process.
• Herbal substances inhaled in their vapor or
gaseous form thru the nostrils have much
greater efficacy
• – many hundred times more
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CONCLUSION…..
• Thus Agnihotra magnifies the advantages of
the desirable herbal substances.
• The thermal and aerodynamic effects of the
fire cause the vaporized substances to
spread & diffuse into every part of the
enclosed surroundings
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CONCLUSION…..
•
The overall temperatures in the combustion
of firewood are lower
• Hence production of the oxides of nitrogen safely ruled out.
• Design of Havan Kund -Supply of more than
adequate oxygen
• No significant production of unburned
hydrocarbon or carbon monoxide.
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Need of the Time
• Further documented research into various
types of Agnihotras
• Like Vrishti Yajna, ( to simulate rain ),
Putreshthi Yajna ( to enhance fertility ) etc
• To perfect procedure on all these types
• To secure patent on different forms of Yajna
• Make practical use of these procedures in
times of draughts and other similar situations
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LET US PERFORM
AGNIHOTRA
EVERY DAY
• We pollute the environment by
various biological & chemical
means
• It is our duty to purify the environ at
least to that extent
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Further Readings
• Yajna Vimarsh - Dr Ram Prakash Former
V C of Kurukshetra University
• Chemistry of Agnihotra - Dr(Swami ) Satya
Prakash former head of Department of
Chemistry Banaras Hindu University
• both the authors :Doctorate in chemistry
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THANKS
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