Study on Agnihotra and HIV Published in Medical Journal January/February 2021 Satsang | Volume 48 #6 | New Era 78

Study on Agnihotra and HIV Published in Medical Journal

Ed.

A pilot study on Agnihotra as an inexpensive method to treat HIV/AIDS, by S. A. Ramadass, Lancy D’souza, Karthik Pandit, Madhu Karnat and Ulrich Berk, has been published in Integrative Medicine Case Reports, a journal on integrative medicine. See the full article here.

Control and prevention of HIV/AIDS  remain a major global health issue. Despite 40 years of research, there is still no vaccine for HIV/AIDS, and it is still a serious problem in many countries.

This study focused on finding a simple, affordable treatment method which could avoid the detrimental side effects of the antiretroviral drugs commonly used for treatment.

Dr. Ulrich Berk, President of the German Association of Homa Therapy, introduced Agnihotra at the Amma Mane center of Ananta Bharatha Charitable Trust, a nonprofit organization in Mysore (South India) which is helping HIV positive children, most of whom are orphans. Here, the children are treated kindly and with respect. Outside, HIV positive children and also adults are often stigmatized. Most people do not want any contact with them. Tragically, even families send them away.

For two years, a group of HIV positive children at the center performed daily sunrise/sunset Agnihotra themselves under supervision. They also consumed Agnihotra ash regularly, and were fed nutritious vegetarian food.

Data were collected on the children’s viral load and CD4 counts before and after that. CD4 counts typically decrease in HIV/AIDS patients.

Data from the study shows that the children’s general health improved measurably. Viral load decreased and CD4 values increased. These initial results show good potential of using Agnihotra for HIV/AIDS patients. Further study is suggested.

Ananta Bharatha Charitable Trust cares for marginalized members of the society. Heartfelt thanks to the founder, organization and staff of the Trust for their compassionate work, and for their participation in this study.

Agnihotra Window Box

Richard Powers
Madison, Virginia, U.S.A.

In cold weather, doing Agnihotra outdoors can be difficult, but doing Agnihotra indoors and darkening walls with smoke can also be a problem. The following is a solution for doing Agnihotra in winter without smoking up the house.

A neighbor requested that I build her a box which would affix to the outside of a window, that she could use to perform Agnihotra in winter. Based on an idea from her son, I built this shelter:

It has removable panels on the bottom to create a draft. The back of the roof has a copper sheet to deflect the heat. The front has copper screen and some heavier ¼” rat wire to prevent animals from getting inside. It attaches to the window frame with 2 hooks and eyes. The finish on the outside of the box is 3 coats of marine spar varnish.

The overhang on my neighbor’s roof will provide protection from rain, but if there were no overhang I would build a peaked roof and open up the 2 gable ends for ventilation.

This article is meant to give an idea of what can be done to perform Agnihotra when conditions outdoors are less than ideal. If an item like this would be helpful, you may be able to find a local carpenter to make one for you. As window sizes vary, it would need to be custom made.

Blessings,
Richard

Veganism and Obtaining Ghee for Homa Therapy

by Lee Ringma
Om Shree Dham Farm, Australia

Here we attempt to address a very delicate subject – the practices of the dairy industry and how one can justify utilizing cow’s ghee in Homa Therapy.

Homa Therapy is part and parcel of a new way of life for the planet, a life based in Truth, peace, oneness, Love and harmlessness; all that is in alignment with the universal principles that produce true wellbeing – the catch cry of the New Age.

Homa Therapy is ancient knowledge from the Vedas. Vedas teach ‘ahimsa’ (harmlessness to all living beings) in thought, word and deed. Vedas hold the cow in high esteem. They tell us that cow dung is the only dung on the planet that is antiseptic and medicinal. Cow dung and cow’s ghee are non-negotiable components of Agnihotra that render Agnihotra effective. Vedas also tell us that the consciousness of the cow is Devic (angelic). The cow dung and cow’s ghee that go into the Homas therefore are not only purifying and imbuing the atmosphere with fragrance and nutrition but are also uplifting the atmosphere with Devic vibration.

Rudolf Steiner, preceptor of Biodynamics, has written that the cow is the only animal whose vibration is a perfect integration of the 12 constellational forces that bear down upon the planet for the sake of evolution.

The Vedas make a statement that cow’s ghee is a conductor of pure consciousness. They do not describe coconut oil or any other oils as such. In Ayurveda, a key component of the healing process of Pancha Karma is a gradual saturation of the body inside and out with medicated ghee. Ghee conducts the medicinal substances into the tissues and organs. Shree Vasant, preceptor of Homa Therapy, states that ghee transports the healing properties of Agnihotra ash to areas of the body where it is needed. This implies that ghee acts in accordance with natural intelligence. Similarly, the ghee in Agnihotra process is acting accordingly on the environment; carried by the smoke pervading the atmosphere during Agnihotra, the minute particles of ghee transport the Prana , subtle energies and micro-nutrients. These life-giving properties are then transported into the tissues of the plants and all biological organisms in the vicinity, including us, the atmosphere, the water bodies, the soil. Thus one could say Agnihotra and Homa Therapy can be likened to Ayurvedic treatment of the environment.

In Vedic societies, cows and humans live in harmony in a symbiotic relationship. People lovingly look after the cows’ needs with healthy pasture, a reliable water source and hand- feed if needed. In turn, the cow provides us with cow dung and cow urine as organic fertilizer and fungicide respectively, as well as nutritious milk when the cow is lactating. The mother cow produces enough milk to feed 2-3 calves. Normally it gives birth to one and the overflow is shared with us.

Of course, today’s society is largely non-vegetarian and thus the majority of humanity does not practice non-violence or harmlessness to all living beings. Sadly, a common practice in the dairy industry in general is to cull calves in order to preserve the bulk of the milk for sale.

How does one reconcile utilizing ghee from the dairy industry for Homa Therapy? Firstly, Vedas do not promote a lifestyle of exploitation. They promote harmlessness to all living creatures. It is the current society that is exploiting the cow. However, when we perform Agnihotra, it brings about a transformation in consciousness. The energy of the cow, i.e., the Devic energy that pervades its dung and ghee, which is seeded into the atmosphere through the process of Agnihotra, plays an important part in bringing about this purification of consciousness. This shift eventually leads to a transformation in human consciousness in the direction of total love where harmlessness ( Ahimsa) to all living beings becomes natural. Agnihotris all over the world attest to this shift in consciousness through regular Agnihotra practice over time, finding themselves naturally more attuned to and respectful of nature, more centered and in touch with their intuitive knowing, more loving and at peace. It is also a general experience of many that after doing Agnihotra for a while, they find themselves drifting towards ahimsa, i.e., naturally move towards vegetarianism.

Also consider the powerful nature of Agnihotra. It works with the very forces of creation itself– Prana— that which gives life. It is likened to an atomic explosion, only on a positive, life- giving level–so powerful that it has been shown to neutralize radioactivity. Shree Vasant once said that when one performs Agnihotra correctly, with the correct ingredients, correct size and shape copper pyramid, correct timing to the second, etc., that one Agnihotra produces enough energy in the atmosphere, that if we could harness it, could light an entire city the size of Sydney. Considering its power, it behooves us to respect the Vedic stipulation of correct performance. Agnihotra is seeding the atmosphere with heightened vibration, nutrition and life-force. That which is sent out from the broadcaster- the inverted copper pyramid- is directly related to the ingredients, and they are magnified a million-fold. One does not want to mess with such power by using one’s mind to make changes to this ancient life-giving Knowledge. Indeed, Shree Vasant has stated that making changes can actually have a detrimental effect on the environment.

At Homa Therapy centers, we are working towards creating the ideal situation, i.e., to have our own dairies, or to work with dairies wherein ghee is produced under ahimsa conditions. If it is not yet possible to source ahimsa ghee, still it is crucial to maintain Agnihotra for the healing of Nature and the upliftment of consciousness. Until then we continue to utilize ghee from the dairy industry, with the understanding that doing Agnihotra properly with cow’s ghee gives extraordinary benefits that far outweigh the detriments; in the sense that benefits to a severely ‘compromised’ planetary atmosphere accrue to such a large extent that the fires end up helping all. In fact, Agnihotra treats the core of the problem by purifying the inner and outer environment and uplifting humanity to the loving condition of Ahimsa, respecting all living beings.

(Note: Our research has shown that Ancient Organics, based in California, is an Ahimsa source. They sell online.

Daan–Key to Prosperity

Ed.

Are you struggling with finances? Has COVID-19’s devastating impact on the economy taken a toll on you?

Happily, ancient Vedic knowledge has a solution. Despite the cataclysmic changes sweeping the globe, ancient Vedic knowledge offers a timeless method to usher in prosperity: Daan.

Daan means sharing assets in a spirit of humility. However, it is not mere gift-giving or charitable donation. Specific disciplines must be observed in practice of Daan. When done properly, Daan leads to prosperity and helps one develop non-attachment to worldly possessions.

This non-attachment goes a long way toward promoting happiness. Think of the stress people experience over money issues!

Practice of Agnihotra sets into motion favorable conditions for the performer. Daan further promotes peace and equilibrium in the material realm of one’s life.

The disciplines of Daan, as stated in Light Towards Divine Path by Vasant V. Paranjpe, are as follows:
“1. You give Daan because it is your duty to do so. This means you are not obliging the person to whom you give. You should consider yourself obliged by the person who accepts your gift. He is the instrumental cause to enable you to transform your mind and hence, he is obliging you.

“2. Do not give Daan for name or fame. If you give cash or material possessions for name or fame it is not Daan. Daan has to be done in secrecy. ‘Let your left hand not know what your right hand does.’ if you talk about it to others it is likely to nourish your pride and our aim of removing tension on the mind will not be achieved.

“3. Everyone wants to be happy and hence, everyone has to share his assets in a spirit of humility. A rich man has to give and a poor man has to give. A rich man can receive and a poor man can receive Daan.

“4. Daan needs to be made out of one’s own earnings.

“5. The person to whom you give needs to be a proper person. A hungry man is a proper person to receive food. A person in need of necessities of life is a proper person to receive them in kind or cash. In all other cases Daan should be given to a person who is normally given to what, according to you, are good habits. If you give Daan to somebody who you think is likely to spend it on wrong purposes, then it is not Daan. Not only have you not done a good act but you involve yourself in a bad act as you become instrumental in pushing him into wrong things and you become a partner in his guilt. If Daan is given to a rich person he is likely to spend the amount again in Daan by adding his own to it. If Daan is given to a poor person he is likely to spend it on good works. If Daan is given to a holy person you are always safe as he would certainly spend it for the benefit of society. Use your discretion in such matters.”

Let’s also consider the meaning of prosperity. It means having what you need in order to evolve in this life. As Shree Vasant Paranjpe once told me, “Prosperity means what you need. It could be cowdung.” (Dried cowdung is a necessity for those who practice Agnihotra.)

If you’re struggling financially, it may seem counterintuitive to start giving cash or possessions away, but it is a matter of experience that material conditions improve when we practice Daan.

You may be wondering where to start. How much to give? As Shree Vasant once advised about Daan, “You should feel the pinch of it.” For cash, it doesn’t need to be a huge amount, but it should be an amount that you notice. It should be an effort to part with it.

Although results are guaranteed, as this is a universal law, the tricky part is not looking for any result. We practice Daan because it is our duty, and then we should forget about it; no expectation. This can become easier if we regularly set aside something for Daan–for example, something from the weekly paycheck.

Other material assets may be given as Daan, such as produce from the garden.

When we practice Daan according to these disciplines, what happens? Light Towards Divine Path states:
“You part with $100 and within a short time you get back a little over $100 in cash or some material benefit. This is a super physical law of Nature and hence inviolable. Daan is therefore called a material aid to happy living.

Pivotal Year

Received by Parvati Rosen-Bizberg
Jordanow, Poland

December 31, 2020 Shree Vasant and Orion
Now this is the end of a pivotal year in the history of humankind. Events that took place in this past year have changed the course of history and created new avenues for the world, in communication, in cooperation and in transportation! Indeed, the changes have been quite severe and a reduction of travel, a reduction of interaction between people has erupted. We see these changes as temporary, though not without profound effects.

Those of you who are in possession of Agnihotra materials, if you are not already practicing Agnihotra regularly, it is essential to begin this practice for the health not only of you personally but of your family and the land upon which you live, the environment which surrounds you—for the air, water and land resources on the planet. Agnihotra has a profound effect on humanity and on Nature, that cannot be denied.

Now, these effects will increase. Many people will come in the year to come, 2021. People will realize they are in need of calming, centering, and reviving techniques which will help them to heal on every level…

Concentrate on your own healing, on your own self-awareness, on becoming more whole and focused on the Light. Follow your own intuition. Stop reading what others swear to be true and follow your own inner light!

Rest assured, those of you who bear the healing fires as given via Parama Sadguru Shree Gajanan Maharaj, hold the key.

Agnihotra Zoom Meetings

Ed.

The work of spreading and teaching Agnihotra goes on despite changes brought on by the coronavirus. Fivefold Path, Inc. continues to hold monthly Zoom meetings conducted by Certified Homa Therapy Teachers, to teach and discuss Agnihotra.

The meetings start with a slide show of in-depth information on Agnihotra. A question-and-answer session follows, along with a chance for attendees to briefly share their Agnihotra experiences. If the group is small, questions may be taken during the slide show instead.

We encourage longtime Agnihotra practitioners, as well as newcomers, to join us. Those who learned Agnihotra many years ago may not have learned some of the details and refinements that Shree Vasant Paranjpe taught during the later years of his life. Besides, we’d like to meet you!

If you would like to join any of these meetings, please email lisacpowers@gmail.com, so that we can send you an invitation.

We ask that you please NOT post your invitation on any public forums, to avoid zoombombing during the meeting.

We look forward to meeting with you!

Healing with Homa Therapy

Rakhi Uday Sawant
Belgaum, Karnataka, India

I am a beautician by profession. I was introduced to Agnihotra by Mrs. Rajeshwari and Shri. Satish Nilajkar in 2013. Initially I was not so regular, but after joining the Sunday Group Chanting and Agnihotra Activity in Belgaum, I started developing more interest. The lockdowns due to the pandemic gave me a God-gifted opportunity to practice Agnihotra very regularly. Since then, I have been experiencing many visible benefits in my life and I am happy to share them with all.

Firstly, I see a distinct change in my thinking pattern, which has helped me develop patience and avoid reactive behavior.

This has enabled me have clarity of thoughts and take quality decisions. Things I desired have started falling in place with a lot of ease, as if the cosmos is listening to my silent wishes! At the same time, my own capacity to accept people and things around me has improved remarkably.

I had always wished that my family members also should participate in Agnihotra, without much pressure or force from my side, which I see now happening. I see a change in the approach of my spouse towards Agnihotra and he is voluntarily participating in whatever I do and also keeps me encouraged. Basically, the atmosphere at home has become  stress-free and enlivening.

People at home have become expressive. My friends also now share their personal matters with me, without any hesitation!

The chirping of the birds has increased around my apartment and also I see lots of squirrels dancing up and down the trees.

I also experience a kind of abundance at home. I don’t feel shortage of anything at any time. It is a kind of a situation where I ask for one and I get two! My husband’s business has significantly grown in last few years.

Though I had almost decided to take time off from my profession, I still have good and worthy clients. I now don’t work for economic gains alone. I feel now that there is a different satisfaction in attending the clients and fulfilling their needs.

My personal habits and lifestyle have changed. I have given up soft drinks, which I used to drink regularly. I now have a more balanced mind-set and the craving for various things in life has drastically reduced. And now I tend to think more about what and how I can contribute in return.

I was told by Mrs. Roopa Lokur that Agnihotra ash can be used as medicine. She had given me Agnihotra ash mixed with ghee when I had some burns and on applying it I could realize the healing effects of Agnihotra ash. Now the burn marks no longer exist.

I decided to use the Agnihotra ash extensively in our daily routine:
– I mix Agnihotra ash with our drinking water.
– I have also tried mixing it with hair shampoo and found miraculous results by way of reduction in hair loss.
– I also used to have irritation due to cough and cold; that too is now largely reduced.
– I apply the Agnihotra ash mixed with water to my skin & now I find the skin is smooth and more glowing than before!
– I also used to have intermittent headache (like migraine) and I used to take medicine like aspirin, but ever since I have started consuming water mixed with Agnihotra ash, my recurring headache problem has vanished.

I feel blessed to experience the positivity and am grateful to the Almighty for having introduced me to the Fivefold Path! More importantly I have started enjoying my own company and I am able to give a lot of time to myself. I wish to help more and more people walk the Fivefold Path and experience the divinity within!

To summarize I can say just by hearing that sugar is sweet one can’t taste the sweetness. Similarly, just by knowing or reading about Agnihotra one can’t experience the benefits. To lead a harmonious and peaceful life, one has to practice Agnihotra regularly!
Stay blessed. Om Shree Om.

Jann Lindow
Fairfield, Iowa, North America

Problem : Persistent Plantar Wart-Overnight Solution

John Freeberg, a longtime friend, had suffered from a plantar wart on the ball of his foot. For nearly a year, when he first walked in the morning, he experienced a piercing pain caused by this wart. In addition, the skin in which the wart was imbedded had become thick and stiff. He then heard of the value of Agnihotra ash for relief of skin conditions.

He made a salve of ash and ghee, putting a dab on the wart before bed and covering with a band aid.

When John walked the next morning, the pain that he had experienced for the many months was completely gone. He continued with the salve for several more days to find that the skin in the area of the wart had become pliable.

John has used Agnihotra ash in the garden for several years. He soaks seeds in ash water and sprinkles ash on the soil. He has found the relationships of the animals on the farmstead has become noticeably more harmonious. His experience with his wart condition has opened for him a new way to employ Agnihotra ash for the improvement of life. He talks about getting cows and making dung cakes for his practice of the Homa fires.

From Shree Vasant’s Teachings

On Service
People should do action in the spirit of service. If they do otherwise, it is something else. It is not just a matter of whether something is done or not.

We should expect nothing in return. Nothing. Not even thanks for taking care of someone in hospital.

On Mantra
Do Mantra more and more. We must become stricter now with our disciplines as things become more disturbed around us.

Agnihotra looks simple but all the elements are very powerful–the pyramid, the Mantras, the timing, the ingredients.

Fivefold Path for Happy Living

1. Yajnya
HOMA Therapy is the science of purification of the atmosphere through the agency of FIRE. AGNIHOTRA HOMA (YAJNYA) is the basic HOMA. It is tuned to the biorhythm of sunrise/sunset and gives nutrients to the plant kingdom, removes diseases in a certain area and removes tension on the mind. This is the basic process in the Vedic sciences of medicine, agriculture, climate engineering and interplanetary communication.
2. Daan
Sharing of your assets in a spirit of humility. This corrects imbalance in financial matters and creates non-attachment to worldly possessions.
3. Tapa
Self-discipline of body and mind. This is conducive to a change in attitudes of mind and body. It results in a harmonious state of mind.
4. Karma
“You reap as you sow.” Always practicing good Karma (actions) diminishes the burden of negative Karma and one begins to invest in his own future. This means that what you do today will bring its fruits. Sowing seeds of love and kindness will bless my garden with plenty of love. Do Karma for self-purification.
5. Swadhyaya
Practice Swadhyaya (Self-study) for liberation. Who am I? Why am I here? My work on this planet is to learn to react with total LOVE with each opportunity given to me.

This is the Fivefold Path for happy living on the planet. By practicing the Fivefold Path you become better members of your society, group, religion, community, etc.

Publisher: Fivefold Path Inc.
Parama Dham (House of Almighty Father), 278 N. White Oak Dr., Madison, VA 22727 USA
Editor: Lisa Powers
Published seven times yearly.
Please direct all Satsang correspondence to the Editor.
Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of Satsang.
ISSN 0735-1321

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