Agni Sthapana

The Mantra Chanted

The mantra that is chanted before the lighting of the Hawankund is, “This fire as an earliest pervading force of the worldly objects first shines in the dawn and thereafter in the daylight. This fire shines in the different rays of the sun and extends its essence in the heaven and the earth”.

The bridegroom lights the Hawankund

After the chanting of the Mantra, the bridegroom lights the Hawankund after establishing the Laukik Agni or Folk fire. In the older Vedic days, the fire was created through friction, by rubbing two dry pieces of wood against each other. The fire was also brought from the house of a Brahman, who always kept the fire alight. The poorer folk managed to arrange fire from their richer neighbors. Nowadays, matchsticks are used to light fire.

The bridegroom or the priest of the Yajna would light a ghee lamp, from which a piece of camphor would be lit. The burning camphor would then be placed at the centre of the dish, from which fire would be transferred to the Vedi. Sometimes, the fire is directly transferred from the ghee lamps to the Vedis.