అతిరాత్ర అగ్నిచయన

నాలుగు వేల ఏళ్ళనుండి ఓ పరంపరగా కొనసాగుతూ వస్తున్నది ఈ యజుర్వేదీయ అగ్ని కార్యం. అతిరాత్ర అగ్నిచయన అంటారు దీన్ని. కేరళలోని ఓ మారుమూల ప్రాంతంలో ప్రతీ ఏడాది ఈ కార్యం జరుగుతుంటుంది.

The Atiratra Agnicayana (ati-rātrá agní-cayana "the building up of the fireplace performed over-night") or Athirathram (Malayalam: അതിരാത്രം); the piling of the altar of Agni is a Śrauta ritual of the Vedic religion, the predecessor of modern day Hinduism which is considered to be the greatest ritual as per the Vedic ritual hierarchy.^[1] It is also the world's oldest surviving ritual.^[2] Its mantras and theological explanations in the Brahmana texts are first attested in the Yajurveda Samhitas (Taittiriya, Kathaka; Vajasaneyi). The practice of this ritual was generally discontinued among Brahmins by the late Vedic period, during the rise of Jainism and Buddhism in India. Nevertheless, a continuous, unbroken 3,000 year tradition has been found to exist among a few Nambudiri Brahmin families in Kerala, South India.

కొందరు శాస్త్రవేత్తలు మరి అగ్ని కదా? పొగ, అది ఇది, వాతావరణ కాలుష్యం అని గగ్గోలుపెట్టేవాళ్ళను ఊరడించటానికి శాస్త్రీయ పద్ధతిలో స్టడి చేసారట ఈ తంతుని.

దానికి సంబంధించిన వార్త ఇదిగో!!

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article2103881.ece

A 4,000 year old fire ritual conducted in the remote village in Kerala in April this year has a positive impact on the atmosphere, soil and other environment effects, according to scientists who are now ready with their findings.

The "Athirathram" ritual held on April 4— 15 at Panjal village in Thrissur district was the focus of a detailed study by a team of scientists led by Prof V P N Nampoori, former director of the International School of Photonics, Cochin University of Science and Technology.

The scientists had focused on the fire ritual's scientific dimensions and impact on the atmosphere, soil and its micro—organisms and other potential environmental effects.

The yagna seems to have accelerated the process of seed germination and also the microbial presence in air, water and soil in and around the region of the fire ritual is vastly diminished, according to a statement released by the Varthathe Trust, who organised the ritual.

The team had planted three types of seeds — cowpea, green gram and Bengal gram — on all four sides of the ritual venue at varying distances. They found that the growth was better in case of pots kept closer to the fire altar.

This effect, the study says, was more pronounced in the case of Bengal gram with growth about 2,000 times faster than in other places.

According to Nampoori, sound is a vibration and continuous positive vibrations through chanting, accelerates the process of germination.

"The findings would not only help dispel superstitious notions associated with Vedic rituals but also help in continuation of such tradition for the betterment of nature and the environment," says Nampoori.

He added that further research on the phenomenon were on which could prove that some bio—amplifier generated in the atmosphere because of the ritual, had a selective effect on Bengal gram.