Wheels of fire

There are five elements in our body, namely are prithvi (earth); jal (water); agni (fire); vayu (air) and akash (ether). These elements form the basis of the physical manifested creation

Earth, which is the grossest and heaviest of the five, forms the foundation of the physical body of a being. It is the element of the mooladhar chakra. Jal (water) is the element of the swadhishthan chakra; agni (fire) is the element of the manipoorak chakra; vayu (air), which is the most mobile of all elements, is the basis of the anahat chakra; and akash (ether or space) is the element of the vishuddhi chakra.

The manipoorak chakra — the centre of power located at the point corresponding to the navel in the physical body — is the chakra that carries the agni tatwa. Of all the elements, agni is the most distinctive.

While it is possible to pollute the other elements, fire is one element that cannot be polluted. Instead it purifies whatever comes in contact with it. In certain practices, like the Sanatan Kriya, agni from the manipoorak is channelised to effect certain changes and transformations.

Divine manifestations in the havan conducted by 

the volunteers of Dhyan Foundation

In yogic philosophy everything has existence in various layers or aspects. It applies to every object in the creation. Similarly, there are many aspects to the element agni too, and every aspect is responsible for a specific function. One of the main functions of agni is to transform, which it does by breaking down matter and changing its form. The other function of agni is providing heat. The heat form of agni has different aspects: jattharaagni (or the digestive fire) and kamagni, for example. The digestive fire operates on or regulates the metabolic processes in the digestive system. Those with a greater proportion of this aspect of agni have strong appetites. Kamagni controls the carnal desire of a being. And then there is light, which is the subtlest aspect of agni. In this aspect agni illuminates; it enables us to see and dispels ignorance. In other words, this tatwa has to do with enlightenment.

Agni does not discriminate in its role of transformation, no matter who or what comes in contact with it. In order to transform into something else, first what “is” has to be destroyed. This is why it is often said that agni destroys. But agni actually transforms. For instance, when an offering is made to agni during ahavan, the offering is broken down into different parts and each part is sent to its relevant dimension or domain. The offering includes not only the physical substance but also the reverence with which the offering is made, including the purity of thought and purity of the mantra being chanted. This explains why sitting through certain havans is an agonising experience, with its associated smoke and discomfort, while taking part in some other havans can be a most intense and liberating experience.