The Science of Havan

Monday, February 08, 2010

On Sunday morning, we performed Havan in our house. Havan or Vedic Yajna involves recitation of Vedic Mantras while making offerings of Pure Ghee and dried herbs to a small wood fire. It is the ancient form of prayer that was performed by Hindu Rishis and Yogis in India. Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati was instrumental in bringing the oldest scriptures, the Vedas, back to the common man through his extensive research into and translation of the meaning of the verses of the Vedas and the Upanishads in his book ‘Satyarth Prakash’. In the Vedas, he learnt about the significance of performing Havan, and popularized it as a form of prayer among his followers. Havan, he discovered, is a scientific way of thanking all the five elements of the Nature - Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Space; and returning them to the Nature. Havan involves burning of Holy Fire, a symbol of destruction of ignorance by wisdom; offering pure ghee and aromatic herbs to the fire releases gases that purify the Air; using clean Water kept in copper bowls signifies its purification and ionization; conversion of wood, ghee and herbs into ashes rich in minerals for the Earth; collective recitation of Vedic Mantras in accordance with the lyrical meter prescribed in the Sam Veda is known to produce harmonizing vibrations in the Space.