Fragrant Fires Mark Hindus’ Ceremony

Aromatic smoke emanating from 108 small fires at Valley Hindu Temple in Northridge added a touch of gray to the mostly sunny skies Sunday.

Part of a springtime Hindu fire ceremony known as Gayatri Yagna, the smoke is said to purify worshipers’ souls, said Durlabh Borad, president of San Fernando Valley chapter of Vedmata Gayatri, which organized the three-hour event for the second year.

Fifty herbs and spices, including basil and rose petals, are added to the fires to give the smoke a distinct, incense-like aroma.

“This divine fire provides defensive power against disease, improves your mental health by removing greed, anger, stress and dishonesty, and integrates the soul with God,” said Shrikishan Sharma, general secretary of the Roscoe Boulevard temple.

About 400 Hindus attended the ceremony, including Torrance resident Mankad and Minal Jayesh, and their sons, Ishan, 9, and Manas, 7.

“It’s important for my children to learn about Hinduism and our culture because it’s 100% different from American culture,” Mankad Jayesh said. “By coming here, we will teach them how our people receive God.”

Harender Bhatt, priest of the temple, and three priests from Gayatri headquarters in India led the ceremony, which featured 40 rituals, including the lighting of the “divine fire” and the recitation of the Gayatri mantra from the first of 24 Hindu scriptures. Borad said the mantra translates to, “Oh, God, thou art the giver of life, the remover of pain and sorrow, bestower of happiness, creator of the universe. Give us thy sin-destroying light, guide our intellect in the right direction.”

The sound waves produced by the recitation, Hindus believe, travel to the sun and return to rejuvenate the worshipers.

“This divine sound has the special qualities of creation, nourishment and death, and controls the entire cycle of the universe,” Borad said.