Here it is in Sanskrit:
Om bhur bhuva suvaha
tat savitur varenyam
bhargo devasya dhimahi
dhiyo yo nah prachodayat Om
There are many different translations of this mantra but it basically means:
Oh Effulgent Light of all creation, we meditate upon you. May you enlighten our minds.
On New Years day 2012, Shubhraji, my Advaita Vedanta teacher who resides in Woodstock, NY for a portion of each year led a New Years Day puja (ritual) to guide all who attended it to enter this new year with the intention of creating positive beginnings to last throughout the year. It was a beautiful ceremony. The alter had the biggest framed picture of her guru, Swami Chinmayananda in the center which was surrounded by large fresh arrangements of assorted flowers and burning candles. In front of Swami Chinmayananda's picture were his wooden sandals called padukas. In front of the alter sat Shubhraji and Rajpriya, who has been chanting these traditional prayers in Sanskrit since she was 5 years old.
There was a homa, or sacred fire in a copper container that burned cow dung. Cow dung once dried has medicinal and antiseptic, anti-bacterial properties. About 25 people present and we chanted 108 Gayatri mantras. After each repetition, we said the word swaha. Swaha is a Sanskrit word that is repeated after each mantra to request blessings from God. As this word is repeated, a spoonful of ghee is poured onto the fire to symbolize the purification of those present during the ritual. We were all invited up to the fire one at a time to offer spoonfuls of ghee into the fire. It was a way for us all to participate and to burn away anything that wasn't serving our higher good. It represented, to me, the burning away of any negative karma I had accumulated over the last year. It was a way for me to ask God to bless me in the start of this new year. It was very special.
Repeating any mantra for any amount of time prepares the mind for meditation. The becomes still and focused and can move into deeper spaces of awareness. It took about an hour to chant 108 Gayatri mantras. There was a long period of meditation as we let the fire burn out. After the meditation, Shubhraji handed out prasaad, (a sweet) to seal the ritual. Following the puja, we ate together and talked just a bit, trying to keep the mood in a place of reverence. Ever since that first day of 2012, I have been feeling at peace and have this internal knowing that this year is especially blessed. I feel a deep connection with God and have been feeling quite introverted. I am usually very outgoing but I have had this sense of inner reflection that is keeping me quiet and still. I feel focused and want to channel these energies into how I would like to see this year unfold for myself.
There are other sacred fire rituals that can be done for different occasions and can even be performed on a daily basis. Agni hotra is one such ritual that purifies our environment and gives the mind peace. It is a fire ceremony that can be performed by anyone whether you are a Hindu or not, it does not matter. You can find ways to perform agni hotra through someone in your community or there are even how-to's available online. We can all benefit from the sacredness of fire ceremonies, especially with all the pollution we are living with today. Let there be peace within our hearts, balance in our minds and a purified environment for us all to live in.
Om shanti shanti shantih Om
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