How to Practise?

This page will instruct you in how to perform Agnihotra and prepare the necessary materials yourself. To purchase Agnihotra supplies click here.

Container:
For Agnihotra, a copper pyramid of prescribed size is required.

Rice:
Uncooked, unbroken pieces of rice preferably, organic 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.

Mantras:
Morning Agnihotra Mantra: AUDIO
sooryáya swáhá, sooryáya idam na mama
prajápataye swáhá, prajápataye idam na mama

Evening Agnihotra Mantra: AUDIO
agnaye swáhá, agnaye idam na mama 
prajápataye swáhá, prajápataye idam na mama

Building The Agnihotra Fire: (For a VIDEO VISUAL GUIDE click here)

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). 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".

Timesheets:
Timesheets are available free of charge, by request. Please give us several days notice when ordering time sheets. Please check to see if Daylight Savings Time (DST) has been calculated into your timesheet, and adjust the timing if needed. You may also download the latest timings program yourself, by clicking here.