Agnihotra ash (bhasma) — how to keep it and use it

What the ash is

When the Agnihotra fire has burnt out completely, what remains in the kuṇḍa is a fine grey-white ash of cow dung, ghee and rice, made at the exact moment of sunrise or sunset with the mantras spoken over it. The tradition calls it bhasma or vibhūti and treats it as medicine. Chemically it is alkaline and rich in calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium; the tradition holds that it carries something more, and does not burn anything else in the kuṇḍa so that the ash stays pure.

Collecting and keeping it

Let the fire go out by itself; never pour water on it. When the kuṇḍa is completely cold — usually before the next fire — tip the ash out into a clean, dry container. Glass, copper and earthenware are good; avoid plastic. Keep the jar closed and away from damp. Ash from the sunrise and sunset fires is kept together. It does not spoil, and many practitioners keep years of it.

Sieve a portion for use on the body or in water; keep the coarse part, with small unburnt pieces, for the garden and the fields. Wash the kuṇḍa only occasionally, with water and a soft cloth; the thin layer that forms inside it is left alone.

For plants, soil and water

The simplest use is ash water: a teaspoon of ash stirred into a litre of water, left overnight, and used to water plants or sprayed on leaves. For the soil, dig the ash in lightly around the roots or add it to compost; it raises the pH of acid soil and supplies minerals. For a well, tank or pond, a handful of ash is added at the edge with the mantra; practitioners report clearer water and fewer insects. Seeds soaked for a few hours in ash water before sowing are reported to germinate better. These are the practices of homa farming, given on their own page.

For the body — the traditional uses

Agnihotra ash is used in the tradition in three ways. As tilaka, a pinch on the forehead after the fire. In water, a small pinch stirred into a glass and drunk in the morning, for the stomach and for general well-being. And as an ointment, sieved ash mixed with pure cow ghee into a paste and applied to cuts, burns, insect bites, boils and skin eruptions, left to dry and renewed as needed. Many households keep a small jar of ash-ghee ready.

These are traditional uses handed down and widely reported, not medical prescriptions. Wounds that are deep, infected or not healing need a doctor; the ash is used alongside care, never instead of it. Anyone with a skin condition should test a small area first.

In the house

A little ash is placed at the threshold, in the corners of rooms and near the places where food is kept. Some ash is kept in the water pot. When a family moves to a new home it carries ash from the old fire and offers it in the first Agnihotra there. The tradition regards the ash as the fire's continuation — what the fire did in four minutes the ash goes on doing.