Agnihotra Material
- Copper pyramid of prescribed shape and size.
- Dried cow-dung cakes.
- Ghee (clarified butter).
- Pinchful unpolished rice.
- Local Sunrise Sunset Timings.
- Two Small Sanskrit Mantra
Rice:
Uncooked, unbroken pieces of rice preferably less polished or whole brown rice should be used for Agnihotra. If the rice is broken the chemical analysis of both pieces may be the same but the subtle energy structure is broken and hence, it should not be used for Agnihotra healing fire, states the ancient science of bioenergy.
Ghee (Clarified Butter):
Place pure UNSALTED, unadulterated butter from cow’s milk in a saucepan and bring it to a slow boil over low heat. Remove and discard the white substance that rises to the top. Strain the liquid through a fine strainer. What passes through is ghee. Store the ghee in a container. It does not have to be refrigerated. Please note ghee must be only 100% pure cow’s ghee and not from the buffalo or any other species.
Dried Cow Dung:
Dried cow dung cakes are used to prepare Agnihotra fire
How to prepare dried cow dung: Make pancake-like patties from fresh cow dung and let them dry in the sun on a window screen or similar material. Store the dry dung patties for daily use. Cow dung is medicinal. In all ancient cultures, like the native Indians of North and South America, Scandinavians, Asians and Africans, cow dung applications are used for a variety of ailments. In books of folk medicine practiced in Europe, one finds many references to cow dung as a medicinal substance. When we use the words cow dung, we mean dung from the male or female progeny of the cow species only.
Building The Agnihotra Fire
The main idea in building the Agnihotra fire is to arrange the cowdung pieces to allow for good air flow. Many people find the following method helpful:
Spread a little ghee on each piece of dung. Place a small piece of dried dung in the bottom of the pyramid (see #1 left). Add two small pieces in opposing corners (#2). Continue adding pieces in alternating corners, using larger pieces as the pile grows (#3, 4, & 5).
To light the dung, spread ghee on a narrow piece of dung, ignite it, and place it flame downward in the center of the layers. The air flow will give you a fire that won't collapse as it burns. Be sure your fire is blazing enough to burn the rice and ghee quickly and completely.
After the Mantras have been uttered and the rice offering given, it is best not to disturb the fire, due to the interplay of subtle energies. If possible, avoid moving the pyramid until the next time you prepare for Agnihotra.
A larger fire using more dried cowdung amplifies the healing effects and produces a greater quantity of healing ash.
Starting the Fire
Light the fire a few minutes before the scheduled time, so the dung will be fully ablaze at Agnihotra time. Do not use lighters (i.e. objects with lighter fluid) or gas stoves to start the fire.
Exactly at the sunrise or sunset time shown on the computer timesheet (based on one specific definition of sunrise and sunset) utter the Mantras and give the offerings of rice mixed with a little ghee to the fire, after each Sváhá. Say the Mantras once only. If you miss the timings you will not have the healing effect of Agnihotra. After each Agnihotra try to spare as many minutes as you can for meditation. You can sit in silence at least until the fire extinguishes itself. Collect the ash (at the next Agnihotra) and keep it in a container made of earthenware, glass or wood. DO NOT keep Agnihotra ash in a container made of plastic or metals other than copper or gold. Agnihotra ash can be used as fertilizer for plants or for making folk medicines for animals and humans. In South America it is called "miracle ash".
Drying Dung
There are several ways to dry cowdung. Following are some suggestions for cold climate areas. The main point is that the dung should be dry, and if it is thin it will be easier to start the fires.
Use 4 pieces of 2" x 2" x 36" lumber for each screen. Nail them together into a square frame and cover with 1" chicken wire, 36 " wide, using wire staples to hold it down. Place a piece of fiberglass window screen on top of this frame, but do not fasten it on. Place this frame over a piece of plywood ( 32" x 32" ) cut to fit inside the 2 x 2's. This gives you a flat surface on which to spread the dung. Place the plywood up on cinder blocks or other raised surface on which to work.
Collecting the dung
Use fresh manure from male or female progeny of cow. Use rubber gloves so that you can pick up the dung without getting any dirt, grass or rocks in it. Think good thoughts while collecting dung, as this heightens its healing effect. Spread the dung about 1/2" thick on the screen. Raise the frame up off the board for good air circulation and place it in full sun. Keep the dung from getting wet and it should dry in about four days, depending upon your climate. When you think it's dry, break a thicker piece and check the inside. Dry dung sounds hollow when you tap it with your finger.
Making Ghee
Ghee can be made from unsalted butter in an electric slow cooker (called a "crock pot"), or on a stove on very low heat. On the stove, let the pan be about two inches above the source of heat. The idea is that the butter heats very gently until all the white foam is cooked out and has risen to the surface. Whey also separates from the ghee, stays on the bottom of the pan and looks like water. Ghee is the golden liquid. The foam that collects on the surface can be spooned off and fed to animals. When the ghee has turned perfectly clear it is ready, and can be strained through cotton cloth, a coffee filter, or three white paper towels. Be careful not to mix in any of the clear liquid that is on the bottom of the pan.
Once you have removed as much ghee as possible without including any of the watery liquid, there will still be some ghee near the bottom of the pan which you do not want to waste. Refrigerate what is left in the pan, and when the ghee has hardened you can break it off the surface and add it to the next batch of ghee you make. Properly made ghee does not need to be refrigerated.
Aged ghee (five years old or more) is great for burns.
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