When we go to a Hindu temple there are simple procedures and practices that we follow, some that we see our parents, grandparents, and others do and we follow them without questioning them.
We have often seen in temples and in our home, burning incense sticks and camphor or Dhupa while performing a puja. But have you ever thought why you perform that ritual ? If you are one among them here this is for you. Here is the reason why we burn camphor during religious rituals.
Importance of Camphor During Religious Rituals:
There are sixteen steps in the Hindu pooja ritual. Dhoop is one of the sixteen ways of offering worship to a deity, known asshodshopchar puja. The fumes of Agarbatti purify the environment, thus creating a holy atmosphere.
They kill the bacteria viruses & other microbes. Camphor or Karpooram is a part of every aarti, puja, or house warming. It is, in fact, the first step in the Hindu tradition towards training the mind to center,as nothing can be achieved unless the mind is focused.
The aroma of Camphor helps your mind to stay calm and lets you concentrate and reduce stress while meditating and worshipping the Lord. It also makes your surrounding clean by removing odour. It also creates a clean environment to perform the rituals.
Agarbattis act as an insect repellent and helps to kill the bacteria viruses and other microorganisms. The ambience becomes reverent as the aroma eliminates negative energy from the environment.
Camphor represents our unmanifested desires. So also if we were to take refuge in the Lord, these desires will get burnt out. At the end of the aarti, we place the hands over the flame and touch our eyes and top of the head. It means that may the light that illumined the Lord light up my vision, may my thoughts be pure and beautiful.
There’s a reason behind the origin of each tradition, and sometimes it is backed by scientific reasons too.
Source: http://allindiaroundup.com/news/why-hindus-burn-incense-sticks-and-camphor-during-religious-rituals/