Purifire!

Religious and cultural traditions around the world regard fire as creator and purifier. The first verse of Rig Veda invokes fire, which is seen as the vital life-giving spark.
At sunset, on Dussehra, once the nine-day Navaratri festival concludes, the effigy of the 10-headed ‘demon’ king Ravana, is set afire with firecrackers. The 10 heads stand for kama or lust, krodha or anger, moha or delusion, lobha or greed, mada or excessive pride, matsara or jealousy, manas or mind, budhi or intellect, chitta or will and ahankara or ego.And these are consigned to flames in an act that is symbolic of purifying the mind.
Rajesh M Tiwari, a priest at the Shiva temple in Kanpur, says, “After Dasha Hara, the hot summer months end and winter sets in. The onset of winter brings with it many infections. The burning of the putlas or effigies, filled with firecrackers containing phosphorus, is believed to purify the atmosphere. In many temples, Chandi or Durga homam or fire ritual is performed with the same intention”.
Fire as cleansing agent
Vedas: In April this year, Athirathram, an ancient Vedic yagna or fire ritual was conducted in a village in Kerala to purify the atmosphere of pollution, bacteria and negative energies.
Ayurveda physician Sivakaran Namboothri says yagnas balance the cycle of nature and nourish life. They create a pure, clean and medicinal atmosphere. They also cleanse the negative effects of pollution. “Our studies say that there is a definite reduction in aerial micro flora in the surrounding area,” he says, referring to the Athirathram’s effects.
Judaism: In Judaism, fire represents the spirit of God. Every Friday evening, 18 minutes before sunset, Raizel Marshak lights two candles, draws her hands around the candles and towards her face three times, covers her face with her hands and recites the blessing, “Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has sanctified us with commandments, and commanded us to light Shabbat candles.”
Ezekiel Isaac Malekar, honorary secretary, Judah Hyam Synagogue, Delhi, says that when the Universe was created, the spirit of God manifested in the form of a mystical, irresistible fire. In all synagogues, there is always aNer-E-Tamid or oil lamp — the eternal light — that flickers throughout the day. Malekar says, “Light (read fire) removes darkness; it purifies the mind and promotes tranquillity.”
Zoroastrianism: For Parsis, fire symbolises Righteousness, the Moral Order of the Universe, and Purity. Zoroastrians regard Atar or Fire as the son of Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord. “In Indo-Aryan tradition, fire, which is full of warmth is seen as the one that absorbs dirt and negative forces but it stays pure,” says Shernaz Cama, director of the UNESCO Parzor Project on preserving Parsi Zoroastrian heritage. “All Zoroastrian agiaries or fire temples have a holy fire that represents goodness and purity. Once it is properly enthroned in a silver afarganiya, the temple fire is kept burning,” Cama adds.
Buddhism: Shinnyo-en, a Buddhist denomination in Japan, believes in fire purification ceremonies. In Tibetan Buddhism, red Pandaravasini, the consort of Amitabha, one of the five primordial Buddhas, is associated with the element of fire.
Egypt: In Egyptian mythology, Isis placed the son of the king of Byblos in the fire to purify him from earthly impurity.
Alchemy: In alchemy, the crucible in which a metal was tested became a metaphor for spiritual purification.
The universal purifier
US-based ritual expert Donna Henes blogs: “Purification by fire is the recurrent mythic and symbolic theme of midwinter festivals in many places. It suggests the cleansing of our spirits as part of the careful preparations for the coming of the springtime light. All these purification ceremonies of renewed fire suggest a clearing of humanity’s earthly orientation in order to be open to the growing divine light of the coming spring — the reassuring light at the end of the long, dark winter tunnel.”
ranjeni.singh@timesgroup.com