The Holy Smoke
The Holy smoke or Hawan is an age-old traditional practice followed by Rishimunis. During Saraswati-Indus civilization the very famous & celebrated Agnihotra-yagnas was dutifully performed as stated in Rigveda. In Hindu culture, Hawan is also organized before any new beginning like Marriage, housewarming, etc. The practice is followed since time immemorial but the scientific reason behind the whole process of Hawan is not communicated vividly.
Modern and ancient literature acknowledges that the human body is governed by energies. The Human energy system is divided into 7 main Chakras which keep balance and in case of any distortion, these Chakras minimizes entropy. The environment (both physical and non-physical) around us determines our energy level. Yajurveda advocates that Hawan should be performed twice a day, that is, morning & evening. This gives mental peace, mind purification, spiritual enlightenment, purification of the environment, and balances individuals' energy levels as well. Many other religions of the world also carry out the similar practice.
The practice of Hawan is based upon the scientific process, Sublimation. Herbal medicinal plant preparation (i.e. commonly known as Hawan Samagri) is offered to fire in a specially designed inverted pyramid-shaped pit-fall made up of copper known as Hawan-Kund. Along with it, mango-wood pieces are arranged in Hawan-Kund to make the sublimation process smooth. This process of conversion from solid to vapor form generates many phytochemicals and other free radicals in the air which cleans the environment around as well as enters into Human Body via transnasal, pulmonary and transcutaneous penetration. Hawan is performed also to refine & maintain the immunity of individuals, cure other diseases, and also helps in maintaining ecological balance. The enchanting of Vedic mantras help in the process of distributing and balancing energy all around.
Hawan is performed during the daytime in presence of sunlight because all the volatile components get diffused in the environment and undergo a Photochemical reaction, to some extent, carbon dioxide in the air also get converted into oxygen and formaldehyde (as, Carbon Dioxide + Water à Formaldehyde + Oxygens).
Yagya therapy is found to be effective to cure a variety of diseases (bacterial/ viral and other infectious). It has also been found to treat psychosomatic, psychological as well as psychiatric problems. The inhaled sublime elements first reach the brain and then to the lungs eliminating the free radicals in ones body.
More than 70% of the Hawan Samagri have volatile components in them. The temperature ranges from 250 ͦ C to 600 ͦ C while the flame ranges from 1200 ͦ C to 1300 ͦ C. The whole process increases manganese (Mn) in the environment which is good for health and also enhances the GABA-ergic inhibition process. There are many other benefits attached to this traditional practice, for more in-depth refer the links below and browse to learn more about this incredible practice.
1. Nair, R. R. Agnihotra Yajna: A Prototype of South Asian Traditional Medical Knowledge. JAMS J. Acupunct. Meridian Stud. 10, 143–150 (2017).
2. (PDF) MANAGEMENT OF ATMOSPHERE AND HEALTH USING HAWAN TECHNIQUE -A REVIEW. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343139930_MANAGEMENT_OF_ATMOSPHERE_AND_HEALTH_USING_HAWAN_TECHNIQUE_-A_REVIEW. (Accessed: 25th April 2021)
3. Bansal, P., Kaur, R., Gupta, V., Kumar, S. & Kaur, R. Is There Any Scientific Basis of <italic>Hawan</italic> to be used in Epilepsy-Prevention/Cure? J. Epilepsy Res. 5, 33–45 (2015).
4. Chaube, R. K. et al. Scientific rationale of Yagya: a review. Int. J. Community Med. Public Heal. 7, 2831 (2020).
5. Bansal, P., Kaur, R., Gupta, V., Kumar, S. & Kaur, R. Is There Any Scientific Basis of <italic>Hawan</italic> to be used in Epilepsy-Prevention/Cure? J. Epilepsy Res. 5, 33–45 (2015).
6. https://aryasamaj.info/arya-samaj-hawan/
7. https://rgyan.com/blogs/hindu-havan-an-ancient-fire-ritual/
