How Clean Are You?

If done right, a Havan is one of the best ways to cleanse the environment. It is also the oldest, writes Yogi Ashwini

Ancient Indians had excelled in everything from Geometry to Grammar, Physics and Medicine, along with spiritual quests. Huston Smith asserted the supremacy of Vedic Sciences over modern astronomy. He said, “While the West was still thinking, perhaps, of a 6,000-year-old universe, India was already envisioning ages and eons and galaxies as numerous as the sands of the Ganga.” German philosopher Schopenhauer found solace in the Upanishads. “It has been the solace of my life; it will be the solace of my death,” he declared. Voltaire was convinced that, everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganga — Astronomy, Astrology, Metaphysics. The great mathematician Pythagoras went from Samos to the Ganga to learn Geometry.

The civilisation that knew so much lived in perfect harmony with nature. Compare this with what we have done in the modern era. In the thousands of years of human existence, pollution has never reached such a high level so as to make the environment unfit for living. What is it that the ancients did different from what we are doing now? Was it selflessness, as opposed to today’s selfish behaviour? Contamination first manifests in the mind as a selfish thought. Self-centred thoughts permeate in society, creating distrust and greed, which deplete natural resources. The increasing corruption as well as self-centredness makes the world not such a nice place to be in.
The ancients gave us the key to purify the environment, through practices such as the havan or the sacred fire ritual.

In Kalyug, havans have become quick-fix solutions to problems; mantra recital is often flawed, with wrong pronunciation. Grey smoke that emanates from the altar is an irritant.

A havan is food for the Divine; to seek the Gods’ blessings for a cleaner and purer environment. The samagri or mixture, samedha meaning wood and ghrit or cow’s ghee used in the havan should be unadulterated. The intention of those participating in the havan should be pure. Lastly, the uchharan or pronunciation of the mantras must be flawless, with correct emphasis on crests and troughs. All these, when combined, ensure that offerings made to the fire are sent in their purest form to the Divine, thereby bringing about desired transformation.

If done right, even during the longest of havans, people feel serene and peaceful. The smoke that comes out of the agni is aromatic; it cleanses the environment and dissipates negative energy. The havan releases positive vibrations in the environment and removes toxicity. This is the reason why yogis always have a fire lit and yet they stay healthy because the element of fire can never be polluted.

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