A Perspective on the Science Behind the Hindu Homam Ritual
Homam (also known as yajna or havan) is a ritual performed by practitioners of Hinduism. It is a process of invoking a sacred fire with intentions of cleansing one’s self (material and spiritual), and the environment. The fire is a symbol of God, and practitioners offer items such as grains, ghee and herbs to the sacred fire as symbolic offerings to God. Common belief assumes several positive effects inherent to this ritual, ranging from revitalizing/purifying the environment to curing diseases. However, there is a lack of documentation of evidence or background information, in a simple and easy to understand way that is relatable to current scientific methodologies. This article is an attempt to explore and understand the nuances behind this ritual.
The fundamental steps in any Homam procedure focus on starting and maintaining the sacred fire. There are other components of this ritual, for example the chanting of mantras, which may or may not add to the assumed benefits. However, the focus here is on the uniqueness of the Homam procedure, i.e. starting and maintaining the sacred fire. I believe that the effects of this ritual are likely to be apparent on studying the effects of ingredients and emissions that are part of building and maintaining the sacred fire.
Although there are different types of Homams, the most commonly used ingredients in this process include items such as dried cow dung patties, dried coconut, wood shavings, peepal twigs (samit), camphor, milk, curd, and ghee [1]. My approach here is to identify the chemical composition of emissions from the aerobic combustion (burning in the presence of oxygen) of these commonly used ingredients, and the potential effect of these emissions on the environment and personal health. I have relied upon existing data from peer reviewed scientific journals to collect the necessary evidence, and have presented my conclusions. The comments made in this article are based on my personal opinions, and do not reflect the opinions of any other individual or organization.
Information about chemical composition of emissions from burning plants and herbs could be found in studies done by Simoneit and Mohagheghzadeh, et. al. [2],[3]. The former has compiled extensive information about emissions from biomass burning. The latter has discussed smoke inhalation as a drug delivery method for medicinal compounds from plant sources. These studies indicate that burning of plants and herbs releases smoke that is composed of nitrogen, oxygen and argon (~75%), carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and other hydrocarbons (~20%), and other particulates (~5%). These particulates are composed of terpenoids, phenols, alcohols, carbonyls, alkaloids, organic acids, sterols and sugar derivatives. At high temperatures, metals such as arsenic, nickel, cobalt and lead could also be observed. Although the focus of these studies is completely different from the context of the Homam ritual, the basic principles behind the generation of smoke by burning herbs, biomass and other plant derivatives are expected to be the same. In all these scenarios, combustion takes place in an open atmosphere and the effects arise out of volatiles and particulate matter present in the smoke.
Emissions from burning dried cow dung patties have been characterized by many researchers, and are known to be composed of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons vapors, and other particulates. The study by Sheesley et. al.,[4] presents a thorough picture of expected particulate emissions. These emissions were shown to be 1–2% of overall emissions, mostly containing carbonaceous matter (50–60% carbon from organic compounds, <10% elemental carbon). The remainder of these particulates was composed of ionic species (sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and chloride, <10%), halogens (chlorine and bromine, <5%) and metals (sodium and potassium, <5%, iron, cobalt, zinc, manganese, etc., <0.01%). Organic compounds released during this process were categorized into sterols (~20–30%), sugar anhydrides (~20%), syringyl compounds (~20%), substituted phenols and other aromatic compounds (~10–15%), and guaiacyl compounds (~5–10%).
All these studies indicate that emissions from burning ingredients that are commonly used to start and maintain a fire during Homam rituals are likely to result in emissions that fall into two categories: (a) a vapor phase (90–95%) composed of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and other hydrocarbons; (b) a particulate phase (5–10%) composed of carbon and organic compounds, ionic species and trace metals. Knowing this, we can now move on to exploring the potential effects of the emissions on the environment and personal health. I could not find appropriate references identifying emissions from combustion of milk and milk derivatives. However, these are composed of hydrocarbon based proteins and fatty acids. Therefore, emissions from their combustion are not expected to be significantly different from those of other ingredients of the Homam ritual.
There have been numerous advancements in drug delivery technologies in recent years. Pulmonary drug delivery through inhalation methods is considered as one of the most efficient methods of drug delivery because of advantages such as rapid absorption, ease of delivery, effectiveness and low cost. Studies on medicinal smoke inhalation have also clearly explained these advantages. It is not a far-fetched idea to think that our ancestors, does not matter if it was intentional or not, realized the benefits associated with inhalation of smoke from burning certain plants. Alkaloids that are known to be a part of these emissions have the potential to act against hypertension, arrythmia, malaria, and cough. Sterols have been known to help maintain cholesterol and improve immune functions. Terpenoids are known to have antibacterial, antimalarial and anti-inflammatory properties [5]. Another aspect of these emissions relate to their effect on the environment. It is known that the particulates that are part of these emissions are efficient in nucleating cloud condensation [2]. This is also widely believed to be true in the case of Homam rituals, where there are specific recommendations for procedures to be followed during drought periods. Considering all these facts, it is evident that the positive effects associated with Homam rituals cannot be written off as superstition. That being said, it is also necessary to understand these effects from the perspective of modern day lifestyle and scientific advancements.
It is important to not overlook the fact that even if the emissions from a Homam ritual contain particulates that could have positive effects, the major components in these emissions are still composed of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and other hydrocarbons. These are similar to emissions from burning fossil fuels, and are known to be harmful to the environment and our health. In a country like India, even 100 years ago, there was access to fresh air and open landscapes, where performing a Homam ritual had a greater probability to be beneficial. Considering modern day life style, we are exposed to pollutants (many times higher than levels that are considered safe) on a daily basis. It is important to ask ourselves whether performing these rituals in the traditional sense would still be beneficial under these circumstances. With advancements in low emission, natural product extraction techniques, the availability of essential oil diffusers and development of e-commerce, it would be certainly be possible to realize the benefits associated with Homam rituals without exposing ourselves to harmful pollutants. Another aspect of modern day lifestyle that influences the outcomes of this ritual pertains to the settings under which it is performed. In modern day concrete apartments with poor ventilation, filled with gadgets and appliances, there are innumerable surfaces that could block volatile organic compounds before reaching their intended target, i.e. the environment. These aspects are seldom considered by teachers and practitioners of this ritual, and may significantly minimize the intended benefits of this tradition.
A well-established way of getting the most out of any practice that we follow in daily life, religious or otherwise, is to ask ourselves three basic questions: 1) does this make sense? 2) is it still relevant? 3) is there a way to get more benefits out of this? I believe that many traditions such as the Homam, began with positive intentions based on observational or scientific reasoning. Historically, there are examples of so many practices, from brewing coffee to smoking tobacco that began from observations. These have evolved over time to become more efficient because of deliberate questioning of conventional practices. But the process of passing on the significance of traditions such as Homam to subsequent generations is mostly based on expectations of unquestionable faith. Such a purely faith based way of teaching these rituals is likely to drive away those who seek out fundamental rationale behind these practices. Poor understanding of the caveats involved in such procedures could also lead to dilutions over time, and end up negating some of the intended benefits even for the most religious practitioners.
This article was an attempt to understand the science and nuances behind the Homam ritual of Hinduism, and explore answers to some of the questions that a curious mind could consider before attempting to learn this practice.
References
[1] Kamakoti.org
[2] Applied Geochemistry, vol. 7, I 3, 2002, 129
[3] Journal of Ethnopharmacology 108 (2006) 161–184
[4] Journal of geophysical research, vol. 108, no. D9, 4285
[5] Medicinal Plants: Chemistry and Properties, M Daniel; Science Publishers