The Celestial Fire

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According to the Vedas, a human being is made up of five elements – fire being one of them. Therefore, the sacred fire is supposed to signify a communion of man with God. The offerings made into the ritual fire or havan, such as ghee (clarified butter) or camphor symbolises physical attributes like greed and ego, which are to be consumed by the fire. This process is supposed to bring about purification and purgation of the soul. In any ritual a havan is extremely important as it purifies the surrounding by cleansing all impurities in the bodies of everyone present, both physical and psychic.

Why is a havan important?

One of the most celebrated events in India is a wedding and no stone is left unturned to promise that the wedding will be a grand and extravagant one. When two souls unite in the quest for a happily ever after, a havan acts as a reinforcer to make sure that no harm and ill-will will come the couple’s way. Agni or havan is the principal element of any traditional Hindu wedding. One can only hope for a happily wedded life and for that the sacred fire is extremely important. The havan for a marriage is called the vivaha havan and is said to bring about spirituality, peace and purity into the couple’s lives. The vivaha havan is important not only for being the prime witness of the wedding, its significance also shines through after the mangalya dharanam which translates to tying the mangalsutra. Derived from the Sanskrit language, mangala means auspicious or holy and sutra translates to a thread. The mangalsutra is an indicator that a woman is married.

The role of the sacred fire is also highlighted in a ritual called paani grahanam which is observed right after the mangalya dharanam. In the