Friday, 07 January 2022 | PNS | Haridwar
A team of scientists from Patanjali Research Institute (PRI), through an ingenious study, claims to have proved the antimicrobial effects of Yagya/Hawan on various pathogenic bacteria and fungi, which are present in the environment. The scientists state that Hawan could be a safe, eco-friendly way of decontaminating the environment. This study has been published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, an American scientific journal.
Acharya Balkrishna said that this is the first scientific proof for the ancient practice of Yagya/Hawan being a way of purifying the environment. He co-related these scientific findings to the ancient Indian daily practice of conducting Yagya/Hawan as a routine environmental decontamination protocol. He emphasised that Yagya/ Hawan is not only a spiritual way to attaining mental peace, but also, for holistic physical health.
According to the scientific details shared by the vice-president of PRI Dr Anurag Varshney, the pathogenic microbes were exposed to the fumes arising from combustion of a Hawansamagri called Vishaghn Dhoop, and its effect on their growth was monitored. The pathogens studied included those which are usually present in contaminated environments and cause skin, lungs, stomach and urogenital infections. The growth of these pathogens was found to be inhibited by Vishaghn Dhoop fume treatment, in a time dependent manner. On further investigation through an advanced technique, called Scanning Electron Microscopy, the Vishaghn Dhoop fumes were actually found to be comprised of nanoscale particles. Another state-of-art analytical chemistry technique, Gas Chromatography coupled Mass Spectrometry (GS-MS), showed that these particles were loaded with anti-microbial phytocompounds, such as, p-Cyanoaniline, Eucalyptol, Drimenol, and endo-Borneol. Patanjali scientists also verified the practical feasibility of Yagya/Hawan in environmental sterilisation. They observed that conducting Yagya/Hawan in unsterilised rooms, which were previously inhabited, with Vishaghn Dhoop, significantly reduced the microbial loads. Patanjali scientists also checked how the Vishaghn Dhoop affected the human lungs, if there are adverse effects, at all. In the experiments done using human lung cells, it was observed that Vishaghn Dhoop was safe for lung cells. Varshney interprets that these observations not only affirm the rich scientific rationale of Ayurveda, but also, open a whole new possibility of developing Hawan in to a sustainable, eco-friendly, non-toxic option of environmental sterilisation.
