CHEMISTRY OF AGNIHOTRA

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CHEMISTRY OF AGNIHOTRA

• By
• Ish Narang

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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?

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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

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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

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AGNIHOTRA - a multi-dimensionally useful affair

• 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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SpiritualAgnihotra.. 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
  personal point of view- Idam na mum

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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
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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

• 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 fire-
  described 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