Preparing the Fire
- Place a flat piece of dried cow dung at the bottom of the copper pyramid.
- Arrange pieces of dried cow dung, which have been coated with ghee in the pyramid in such a manner as that allow air to pass.
- Apply a little ghee on the small piece of cow dung and light it. Insert this lighted piece of cow dung in the pyramid. Soon all the dung in the pyramid will catch fire.
- You may use a hand fan to help the flame. However, do not blow through the mouth to avoid bacteria from the mouth getting into the fire.
- Do not use any mineral oil or similar material to start the fire.
- At the exact time of sunrise and sunset when the offerings are made the fire should be fully ablaze in the pyramid.
Agnihotra Process
- Take a few grains of rice in a dish or your left palm and apply a few drops of ghee.
- Exactly at sunrise utter the first Mantra and after the word SWAHA add a few grains of rice from your right hand (as little as you can hold in the pinch of your fingers will be sufficient) in the fire.
- Utter the second Mantra and after the word SWAHA add a few grains of rice from the right hand in the fire.
- At sunset do the same by using evening Mantras.
- Agnihotra Mantras are to be recited only once and only two offerings given at each Agnihotra performance.
- If you miss the timing it is not Agnihotra and you will not get the healing effect on the atmosphere or in the ash.
- After each Agnihotra try to spare as many minutes as you can for meditation. You can sit quietly at least till the fire extinguishes itself. Agnihotra creates a medicinal and healing atmosphere.
- If possible the Agnihotra pyramid and the energy resulting from the Agnihotra process is best left undisturbed until the next Agnihotra time.
- Just before the next Agnihotra you can empty the ash using your right hand and store it in a bag, box, glass jar or clay pot. The ash from the Agnihotra fire is extremely medicinal. It can be ingested daily. Several ash medicines have been developed in Germany. The ash is also a powerful fertilizer for the garden or farm and beneficial in any water source to purify the water.